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Saigon City Tour: Explore Culture and History
4.9
30 Ratings
Hiep Phuoc
Experience a comprehensive private tour of Ho Chi Minh City with a local guide. Explore the city’s history, culture, and landmarks, and enjoy a flexible itinerary tailored to your interests. Don’t miss the chance to visit the Saigon Skydeck for a stunning view of the city.
Experience a comprehensive private tour of Ho Chi Minh City with a local guide. Explore the city’s history, culture, and landmarks, and enjoy a flexible itinerary tailored to your interests. Don’t miss the chance to visit the Saigon Skydeck for a stunning view of the city.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- The Independence Palace - This palace serves as a time capsule from 1975. Visitors can view two original tanks used during the palace’s capture, which are parked on the grounds. Formerly the residence and office of the French Governor of Cochin-China, the palace features lush gardens, secret rooms, antique furniture, and a command bunker. It…
- The Independence Palace - This palace serves as a time capsule from 1975. Visitors can view two original tanks used during the palace’s capture, which are parked on the grounds. Formerly the residence and office of the French Governor of Cochin-China, the palace features lush gardens, secret rooms, antique furniture, and a command bunker. It continues to host significant events in Ho Chi Minh City, including APEC summits.
- Central Post Office - A must-see in Saigon: Designed by Alfred Foulhoux, this building boasts arched windows and wooden shutters, reminiscent of its late 19th-century prime.
- Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral - A must-see in Saigon: Situated in Paris Square, the cathedral was named Notre Dame following the installation of the ‘Peaceful Notre Dame’ statue in 1959. In 1962, the Vatican elevated it to a basilica, officially naming it Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica.
- Saigon Opera House (Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theater) - A must-see in Saigon.
- People’s Committee Building - A must-see in Saigon: Originally built as a hotel in 1898 by French architect Gardes, it now functions as a city hall and stands as one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
- Emperor Jade Pagoda - Located in District 1, this is one of the oldest pagodas in Saigon, approximately a ten-minute drive from the city center.
- Ben Thanh Market - Situated in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1, Ben Thanh Market is an excellent spot for purchasing local handicrafts, branded goods, Vietnamese art, and other souvenirs. Inside, there are food stalls offering hawker-style Vietnamese cuisine, and visitors can enjoy a cold drink to cool off when bargaining becomes overwhelming. The market is large and can be challenging to navigate, especially during the hottest part of the day, but it is definitely worth a visit.
- War Remnants Museum - A must-see in Saigon: Opened to the public in 1975, the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City was once called the ‘Museum of American War Crimes.’ It serves as a stark reminder of the lengthy and brutal Vietnam War, featuring graphic photographs and American military equipment. Exhibits include a helicopter with rocket launchers, a tank, a fighter plane, a single-seater attack aircraft, and a conventional bomb weighing 6,800kg. These weapons were used by American troops against the Vietnamese between 1945 and 1975.

What's Included
- Full Entrance Fees Included
- Complimentary Mineral Water
- Professional English-Speaking Guide in Saigon
- Local Restaurant Lunch
- Cruise Port Pick-up and Drop-off
- Private Transportation with Experienced Driver
- Full Entrance Fees Included
- Complimentary Mineral Water
- Professional English-Speaking Guide in Saigon
- Local Restaurant Lunch
- Cruise Port Pick-up and Drop-off
- Private Transportation with Experienced Driver
What's Not Included
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- Lunch and beverage/drinks
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- Personal expenses
-
- Other expenses not clearly mentioned in the Inclusion part
-
- Lunch and beverage/drinks
-
- Personal expenses
-
- Other expenses not clearly mentioned in the Inclusion part
Additional Information
- Our itineraries are adaptable and can be modified to ensure you have an exceptional local experience.
- Our private tour guide will conduct the tour in Ho Chi Minh City in a highly flexible manner to align with your interests and hobbies until it’s time to return to the cruise port.
- 7:30-8:00 AM: Our driver will greet you with a sign displaying your…
- Our itineraries are adaptable and can be modified to ensure you have an exceptional local experience.
- Our private tour guide will conduct the tour in Ho Chi Minh City in a highly flexible manner to align with your interests and hobbies until it’s time to return to the cruise port.
-
7:30-8:00 AM: Our driver will greet you with a sign displaying your name at the Phu My port gate (a 2 to 5-minute shuttle bus ride from the ship to the gate) and depart for Saigon, approximately a 1.5-hour journey by private mini-van.
• Our Tour Guide will welcome you in Saigon Center, where you will begin your day with the Saigon City Tour. -
We’ll explore the history and culture of Saigon with visits to:
• Local Wet Market
• The Jade Emperor Temple
• City Hall
• Opera House
• Central Post Office
• Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral -
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant featuring Pho (noodle soup).
• Saigon Skydeck on the 50th floor - Enjoy a spectacular view of Saigon.
• War Museum or Reunification Palace - Our guide will bid you farewell, and the driver will return you to the ship.
Location
Hiep Phuoc
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(30 Ratings)
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Mike_b
Mar 29, 2026
Ho Chi Minh City / Siagon Half Day City Tour from Cruise Port - Khoa was a wonderful young man. He found us at the meeting location very quickly. He gave us much insight about Vietnam and the history during our ride from the cruise port into the city. The car was nice (very clean and comfortable). The driver also did a great job.
Khoa gave us some choices for stops on our tour. Explained many things about the temples and pagodas and how the people have many options and how they utilize the facilities. We had very interesting discussions about Vietnam history over the centuries and how the people live today.
Review provided by Viator
Michael_a
Mar 21, 2026
A great intro to Saigon - Whilst two of our party had previously spent time in HCM City, the other two had not so we chose this tour as an introduction to the main sights, it did not disappoint.
Our guide, May, and driver, Mr Lam, were great. Our transport was a comfortable air conditioned mini-van with plenty of room for all of us.
May was an expert and friendly English speaking guide and she asked us right at the start if there was anything in particular that we wished to do or see. We went with May’s suggestions and she did not disappoint.
Excellent value and a lot of fun. Thank you.
Review provided by Viator
Maryse_l
Feb 15, 2026
Great day with our tour guide May - Very good communication with our tour guide May.
She was on time and spoke very good English. She adjusted our schedule for us to stop and have an egg coffee at her favourite place.
We have learned so much from her and she was able to answer our questions. She even had a friendly quiz for us. We had a great day. She took lots of pictures of us. We highly recommend May.
M and R from Canada
Review provided by Viator
Matthewb_l
Feb 2, 2026
Florida Friend Group of 12 - Khang was awesome! He took great care to explain everything to us and make sure we were able to see all of the sights in a short amount of time! We even fit in some time at the market. Thank you for your hospitality Khang!
Review provided by Viator
Linda
Feb 2, 2026
Great tour - Khang was very friendly and knowledgeable and made our experience fun. The restaurant he took us to for lunch was delicious. I would recommend him!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Teresita
Jan 22, 2026
Penny is excellent tour guide knowledgeable, flexible and cater to the guest’s preferences! Lam the driver excellent. - We enjoyed and recommend tour guide Penny and Lam Kapol. Flexible, knowledgeable and experienced. She cater to the preferences of the guests. She looks after our safety
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Victoria
Dec 26, 2025
Sites, food, people; Saigon. - Titus did a great job of making this trip feel special and it was convenient when traveling from a cruise port. And the food was amazing!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Linda_y
Dec 16, 2025
Our tourguide Le was... - Our tourguide Le was great! He is such a funny guy which blends well with our group. Le has a wealth of knowledge about Vietnam history. The second we got in the car, he started sharing about the history which is helpful because it was about 1.5 hours drive from our pickup to our tour place.
Review provided by Viator
Maureen_n
Dec 15, 2025
Great day in Phu My - We had a fabulous guide May Cam Nhung and driver on a private day tour to Phu My. While the drive to and from the port to downtown Saigon is long, our car was very comfortable. May contacted us a day or two before we arrived and meeting up was a breeze. May expertly guided us through the Central Post Office, Independence Palace, the War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market. We even had time for a delicious lunch of Pho at a local restaurant.
We appreciated the care and highly recommend May!
Review provided by Viator
Gary_e
Apr 7, 2026
Touring Ho Chi Minh City with Terry - Ho Chi Minh City was very…
Very busy, very temple-y, and the markets were very inner city Asian. Traffic was very crazy, and crossing the street was an Olympic sport.
Terry was an excellent guide; accommodating, and took good care of us.
If you don’t want to see the War museum, don’t. It will be assumed that you want to see their memorial of the war Vietnam won.
Review provided by Viator