Overview Ho Chi Minh City a day tour from Phuoc An Port
Ho Chi Minh City tour 1 day from Phuoc An Port covers the main sights of the city in one day and brings you back to the ship on time.
The driver takes a memorial photo with two passengers who have just arrived at Phu My Port
Your trip starts at the War Remnants Museum and Reunification Palace, two places that explain a lot about the war and Vietnam’s recent history.
Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office come next, and the two buildings stand next to each other. Lunch is at a local restaurant with Vietnamese dishes.
After lunch, you’ll go to People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Thanh Market in the city center, where daily life looks very different from the city center.
Ho Chi Minh City tour 1 day from Phuoc An Port itinerary
08:00 am: Meet the Vietnam Trails Travels team
The Ho Chi Minh City tour full day from Phuoc An Port starts at 08:00, when your guide meets you outside the port after the ship arrives. The driver drives to the city center from there.
09:30 am: War Remnants Museum
The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City opened in 1975 and tells the story of the Vietnam War through photographs, documents and military equipment.
The indoor galleries are filled with photographs, and some of them are hard to look at.
Outside, American military equipment from the war is on display, including a helicopter, a tank, a fighter plane and an attack aircraft. A bomb weighing 6,800 kg is also part of the collection.
Time here: about 60 minutes
10:30 am: The Independence Palace
Reunification Palace, called Independence Palace before 1975, stands on the site of the former residence of the French governor of Cochinchina.
South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem ran the government from the palace until he was killed in a coup in 1963.
The building became known around the world on 30 April 1975, when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its main gate, which marked the end of the Vietnam War.
Today it is one of the main sights in Ho Chi Minh City. Two of the tanks from that day are parked on the grounds, and the rooms inside still look much as they did in the 1970s.
A visit also covers the gardens, the period furniture and the underground command bunker.
Time here: about 60 minutes
11:30 am: Central Post Office
The Central Post Office is the first stop of Ho Chi Minh city full day from Phuoc An Port and is one of the best-preserved buildings from the French colonial period.
It stands right next to Notre Dame Cathedral, so the two sites can be visited together.
The architect was Alfred Foulhoux, and the building dates from the late 19th century.
Arched windows and wooden shutters are still part of the design, and they give a good idea of what the city looked like under French rule.
Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica stands in Paris Square in District 1 and was built by the French between 1863 and 1880.
The red brick façade follows the neo-Romanesque style, and the bricks were brought over from Marseille.
Two bell towers rise to close to 60 metres and hold six bronze bells.
The name Notre Dame came after the statue of Our Lady of Peace was placed in front of the building in 1959, and in 1962 the Vatican gave the church the title of basilica.
Time here: about 15 minutes
12:15 pm: Saigon Opera House (visiting outside)
The Saigon Opera House stands at the corner of Le Loi and Dong Khoi streets in District 1, a short walk from Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office.
The French built it between 1897 and 1900, and the three-storey building has since been restored and seats about 800 people.
Opera is only part of the program. Ballet, concerts, plays and Vietnamese traditional dance are also staged there, and upcoming shows are announced at the building.
Time here: about 15 minutes
12:30 pm: Lunch
The group stops for lunch at a local restaurant close to the sights, where the menu is Vietnamese food.
Time here: about 60 minutes
01:30 pm: People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City (photo stop outside)
The People’s Committee Building stands at the end of Nguyen Hue walking street in central Ho Chi Minh City and serves as the city hall today.
French architect Paul Gardès designed it, and it was built between 1902 and 1908 as the Hôtel de Ville of colonial Saigon.
Carved decorations and detailed reliefs cover the walls, and a statue of Ho Chi Minh stands in front of the main building.
The façade is lit up in the evening, so late afternoon and early night are good times to see it.
Time here: about 15 minutes
01:45 pm: Ben Thanh Market
Ben Thanh Market is in Ben Thanh Ward of Ho Chi Minh City and sells handicrafts, clothing, Vietnamese art, coffee and other souvenirs.
Food stalls inside serve Vietnamese street food, and they are also a good place to sit down with a cold drink between rounds of bargaining.
The market is large and the aisles can be confusing, so morning or late afternoon works better than the middle of the day, when the heat is at its worst.
After dark, the restaurants around the edges open for the evening, and the streets nearby fill with the smell of fried noodles and grilled fish and meat.
Time here: about 60 minutes
03:00 pm: Transfer from Ho Chi Minh to Phuoc An Port
You will return to the private car after shopping at Ben Thanh Market. If time allows, you can ask the driver to stop at some places on the way back to the port to take photos and foods.
04:30 pm – 05:00 pm: Drop-off at Phuoc Port
Depending on the traffic, the Vietnam Trails Travels team drops you off at Phuoc An Port around 04:30 pm – 05:00 pm.
Our team helps you unload your luggage from the vehicle. You should check your belongings one more time to make sure you don’t leave anything in the car.
The driver and guide say goodbye. Ho Chi Minh shore excursion from Phuoc An Port
