Ho Chi Minh City in 3 Days: Itinerary With Hours and Fees

Spend Day 1 at Independence Palace from 07:00, the War Remnants Museum, open to 17:30, and Saigon Skydeck, open to 21:30. Give Day 2 to the Cu Chi Tunnels, open 07:00 to 17:00. Use Day 3 for the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, from 08:00, the cathedral area and Ben Thanh Market.

By Vincent Nguyen

On this page
  1. Ho Chi Minh City in 3 days at a glance
  2. Day 1: Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum and Skydeck
  3. Day 2: Cu Chi Tunnels at Ben Duoc
  4. Day 3: City museums, the cathedral and Ben Thanh Market
  5. Who this plan suits (and who should skip it)
  6. How to get around Ho Chi Minh City
  7. When to go and how long
  8. Nearby and how to combine it
  9. Before you go
  10. Step by step
  11. Common questions

The palace, the War Remnants Museum, Saigon Skydeck, the Cu Chi Tunnels and two city museums fit in three days. Day 2 is a full day out. Day 1 allows 1.5 to 2 hours at the palace and 2 to 3 at the War Remnants Museum, so both are done by early afternoon.

White modernist palace building with red flags behind a curved lawn on a sunny day
The palace seen across the front lawn.

Ho Chi Minh City in 3 days at a glance

Day Stop Hours Adult ticket
1 Independence Palace 07:00 to 18:00 VND 80,000 general
1 War Remnants Museum 07:30 to 17:30 VND 60,000
1 Saigon Skydeck 09:30 to 21:30 VND 240,000
2 Cu Chi Tunnels 07:00 to 17:00 VND 35,000 plus VND 100,000 guide ticket
3 Museum of Ho Chi Minh City 08:00 to 17:00 VND 60,000
3 Museum of Vietnamese History Tuesday to Sunday, 08:00 to 11:30 and 13:00 to 17:00 VND 60,000

The museum fees took effect on 1 October 2026. Palace prices are valid from 1 May 2026. The cathedral has no published hours and the post office is free. Ben Thanh Market has no operator hours, but every guide overlaps from 07:00 to 18:00.

Day 1: Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum and Skydeck

Morning: Independence Palace (Dinh Độc Lập)

Palace front with stone screens on the upper floor and red flags flying beside the entrance steps
The palace facade and stone screens.

The palace opens at 07:00. The ticket office at 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street sells from 07:00 to 18:00. A general ticket covers the exhibit and the palace and costs VND 80,000 for adults. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours.

The palace asks for polite attire, with no shorts or sleeveless shirts. Full details are in Independence Palace: Tickets, Hours and Visit Guide.

Independence Palace (Dinh Doc Lap)
Ben Thanh, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Midday to afternoon: War Remnants Museum (Bảo tàng Chứng tích Chiến tranh)

Museum front with gold lettering above the entrance and a jet aircraft parked in the forecourt
The museum front and entrance forecourt.

The museum opens at 07:30, and its ticket counter closes at 17:00. Admission is VND 60,000 from 1 October 2026. Allow 2 to 3 hours. Three exhibitions are paused from 20 June 2026.

English translations are on the information boards. The museum says to buy online tickets on its official ticketing website and authorises no other website to sell tickets. Full details are in War Remnants Museum: Tickets, Hours and Visit Guide.

War Remnants Museum (Bao tang Chung tich Chien tranh)
Phuong 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh 700000, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Evening: Saigon Skydeck

View from a high floor over city blocks and a wide bend of the Saigon River with boats and green land beyond
The Saigon River seen from the Bitexco tower. Photo: lightwrite / Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Saigon Skydeck opens 09:30 to 21:30 every day, and the last ticket and entry are 45 minutes before closing. The deck is on level 49. Adults pay VND 240,000.

The operator page is undated. A notice applied from 1 May 2022 set 10:00 to 21:30 until further announcement, and the newer visitor page gives 09:30. Food and drink may not be taken in.

Saigon Skydeck, Bitexco Financial Tower
36 Ho Tung Mau, Sai Gon, Ho Chi Minh 700000, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Day 2: Cu Chi Tunnels at Ben Duoc

Memorial gate with tiered orange roofs behind flower beds and a paved plaza
The memorial temple gate at Ben Duoc.

The site is open every day from 07:00 to 17:00. Foreign visitors pay VND 35,000 to enter and VND 100,000 for the guide-service ticket, which applies from 1 February 2026. Start in the morning, because the site closes at 17:00.

Ben Duoc is the base of the Zone Committee and the command of the Saigon - Cho Lon - Gia Dinh military zone. Before the ticket gate, a display shows bombs and artillery the US army used at Cu Chi. The site also has a national defence sports shooting range.

Green military transport aircraft parked on a lawn among tall trees
An aircraft on display in the Ben Duoc grounds.

Take bus 13 from Ben Thanh to Cu Chi bus station, then bus 79 to Ben Duoc. Bus 94 also runs from Cho Lon bus station to Cu Chi bus station. The site address is Phu Hiep hamlet, An Nhon Tay Commune. Ben Dinh and fares are in Cu Chi Tunnels: Ben Duoc vs Ben Dinh Compared.

Cu Chi Tunnels - Ben Duoc
4FW5+HQ4, Phu Hiep, An Nhon Tay, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Day 3: City museums, the cathedral and Ben Thanh Market

Morning: Museum of Ho Chi Minh City

White neoclassical museum building with tall columns, a front staircase and a red flag
The museum's colonnaded front.

The museum is at 65 Ly Tu Trong, Saigon Ward. It is open 08:00 to 17:00, Monday to Sunday, including public holidays and Tet. Admission is VND 60,000 per person per visit from 1 October 2026.

Museum of Ho Chi Minh City
65 Ly Tu Trong, Sai Gon, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Late morning: Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office

Twin red-brick bell towers and a white statue of the Virgin Mary in front of the cathedral under a blue sky
The cathedral's brick facade and bell towers.

The post office stands next to the cathedral. The cathedral is shedding its scaffolding after nearly nine years of restoration, and visitors gathered outside it during the work. No visiting hours are published, so plan the cathedral as a look from the square. Two gold-plated crosses went up atop the towers on 19 March 2026.

Yellow colonial building with a large clock above the arched entrance and visitors crossing the square
The post office facade with its clock.

The post office was built between 1886 and 1891 and is now a tourist attraction. Inside are two painted maps made just after it was built. It is open 07:30 to 18:00 and free, and 30 to 60 minutes is enough. The cathedral is at 01 Paris Commune Square and the post office at 02 Paris Commune Square.

Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon
01 Cong truong Cong xa Paris, Quan 1, Ho Chi Minh 70000, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Lunch: Ben Thanh Market (Chợ Bến Thành)

Covered market hall with hanging woven lamps and fruit stalls along a wide aisle
A fruit aisle inside the market hall.

No operator hours were found. Guides give 06:00 to 18:00 for the day market and 06:00 to 22:00 in the header, and a third gives 07:00 to 20:00.

Arrive between 07:00 and 18:00, where all three overlap. The northern gate is where fresh fruits, fish and poultry are sold. The market is next to Ben Thanh station on Metro Line 1.

The night market opens daily from 19:00 to 24:00. See Ben Thanh Market: Hours, Night Market and Visit Guide.

Ben Thanh Market (Cho Ben Thanh)
Ben Thanh, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Afternoon: Museum of Vietnamese History

Yellow building with a pagoda-style red tiled roof tower seen from below through tree branches
The history museum's pagoda-style entrance building.

The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday. The morning session is 08:00 to 11:30 and the afternoon session is 13:00 to 17:00. Admission is VND 60,000 per visit. Children aged 6 to 16, pupils and students visit free.

If Day 3 is a Monday, skip this stop: the museum is closed on Monday.

Museum of Vietnamese History, Ho Chi Minh City
2 Nguyen Binh Khiem, Sai Gon, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Evening: Nguyen Hue Walking Street

On weekend evenings the whole boulevard is closed to vehicles. It runs from City Hall to the Saigon River waterfront.

Nguyen Hue Walking Street
QPF3+JF9, Sai Gon, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Who this plan suits (and who should skip it)

Long vaulted hall with a curved glass-and-iron ceiling and shop counters along the walls
The main hall inside the post office.
  • First-time visitors who want sights with published hours: the palace, the War Remnants Museum, Saigon Skydeck, Cu Chi and the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City all list them.
  • Visitors who need English: the War Remnants Museum has English translations on its boards, and the palace audio guide includes English.
  • Early risers: the palace opens at 07:00, and Cu Chi opens at 07:00.
  • Skip the palace in shorts or a sleeveless top, because it asks for polite attire.
  • Skip the Museum of Vietnamese History on a Monday.

How to get around Ho Chi Minh City

Wide wet pavement with a lotus pond on the right, a bronze statue on the left and office towers behind
The walking street in the daytime.

Metro Line 1 has 14 stations, including Ben Thanh and Opera House. A daily pass costs VND 40,000 and a three-day pass VND 90,000. From 15 October 2026 tickets are also sold in the VNeID app.

The city says passengers on 134 bus routes travel free from 1 July to 31 December 2026. The programme excludes interprovincial routes. For Cu Chi, see the bus routes under Day 2.

More options are in Getting Around Ho Chi Minh City: Free Bus, Metro, Grab and Metro Line 1 in Ho Chi Minh City: Fares, Hours, Stations. From the airport, see Tan Son Nhat Airport to the City: Bus, Grab, Taxi.

When to go and how long

Lit fountain shaped like a lotus flower at night with illuminated buildings behind
The lotus fountain on the walking street at night.

Open Day 1 at 07:00. Reach the War Remnants Museum before its counter closes at 17:00. Go up Saigon Skydeck after that, because it is open until 21:30 and the last ticket is sold 45 minutes before closing.

Cu Chi closes at 17:00, so Day 2 needs a morning start. On Day 3 the Museum of Vietnamese History breaks for lunch between 11:30 and 13:00, so see it after Ben Thanh Market.

Nguyen Hue is closed to vehicles on weekend evenings. Put Day 3 on a Tuesday to Sunday to include the Museum of Vietnamese History. If Day 3 must fall on a Monday, swap it with Day 1 and keep the museum for another day.

Nearby and how to combine it

Pink temple facade with green roof tiles seen through a pine tree
The pagoda's pink front hall.

With spare time, add the Jade Emperor Pagoda at 73 Mai Thi Luu Street, open 07:00 to 18:00 daily. Binh Tay Market at 57A Thap Muoi Street is open 07:00 to 18:00. Neither has an operator page.

Wide market aisle between stalls selling rows of sandals and shoes, seen from a balcony
A shoe aisle inside the market. Photo: Syced / Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) (CC0)

The full list of sights is in Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh City: Sights, Hours and Fees. For monthly costs, see Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living 2026: Rent, Bills, Food. More guides are in the tours hub.

Before you go

  • Wear polite attire at the palace, with no shorts or sleeveless shirts.
  • Carry VND 80,000 for a general adult palace ticket and VND 60,000 for each of the three museums.
  • Buy War Remnants Museum tickets online on the museum’s official ticketing website.
  • Foreign visitors to Cu Chi pay two tickets, VND 35,000 and VND 100,000.
  • Leave food and drink outside Saigon Skydeck.
  • Buy a three-day metro pass for VND 90,000 if you ride the metro often.

Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (Independence Palace on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), War Remnants Museum on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Cu Chi Tunnel Ben Duoc on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Museum of Ho Chi Minh City on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Saigon Central Post Office on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Ben Thanh Market on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), HCMC History Museum on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Nguyen Hue Walking Street on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Jade Emperor Pagoda on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by Kim Khoi Tran, Dat Huynh, Jeffrey Marrs, O Chan Cong, Raymond, Google Maps contributor, Han HAN, Gemma Cope, Paul Felstein, Enrique Ruiz Uruena, yuichi sasaki, Brian Loh, Philipp.

↑ Contents

Step by step

  1. Day 1: palace, museum, SkydeckStart at Independence Palace from 07:00, reach the War Remnants Museum before its counter closes at 17:00, then go up Saigon Skydeck, open to 21:30.
  2. Day 2: Cu Chi TunnelsGo to the Cu Chi Tunnels at Ben Duoc, open 07:00 to 17:00. Foreign visitors pay VND 35,000 plus a VND 100,000 guide ticket.
  3. Day 3: museums, cathedral, marketOpen with the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City from 08:00 and see the cathedral and post office. Eat at Ben Thanh Market, then visit the Museum of Vietnamese History if it is not Monday.

Not confirmed: The cathedral has no published visiting hours, so the plan treats it as an exterior stop. Time per stop comes from airline travel guides, not operators. Ben Thanh Market has no operator hours. Skydeck's page is undated.

Common questions

Is 3 days enough for Ho Chi Minh City?

Three days fit the palace, the War Remnants Museum, Saigon Skydeck, a Cu Chi day trip and two city museums when the plan follows published hours. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the palace and 2 to 3 for the War Remnants Museum.

How should you order 3 days in Ho Chi Minh City?

Use Day 1 for the palace and the War Remnants Museum, with Saigon Skydeck in the evening. Keep Day 2 for Cu Chi, open 07:00 to 17:00. Use Day 3 for the city museums, the cathedral area and Ben Thanh Market.

Which day should you visit Cu Chi?

The site is open every day from 07:00 to 17:00, so any day works. Day 2 puts it between the two museum days, which keeps Day 3 on a Tuesday to Sunday for the Museum of Vietnamese History.

What is closed on Monday?

The Museum of Vietnamese History is closed on Monday. The Museum of Ho Chi Minh City is open Monday to Sunday.

Is there a multi-day metro pass?

A daily pass costs VND 40,000 and a three-day pass costs VND 90,000. Metro Line 1 has 14 stations, including Ben Thanh and Opera House.

How much do the main tickets cost?

The palace general ticket is VND 80,000. The War Remnants Museum is VND 60,000 and Saigon Skydeck VND 240,000. Cu Chi is VND 35,000 plus a VND 100,000 guide ticket for foreign visitors.

Can you do the palace and the War Remnants Museum in one day?

The palace opens at 07:00, and the museum counter closes at 17:00. Start at the palace, then go to the museum.

Are the city buses free?

The city says passengers on 134 bus routes travel free from 1 July to 31 December 2026. The programme excludes interprovincial routes.

Places in this guide

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

Spotted an error? Report it.