Begin at Independence Palace, where preserved meeting rooms, vintage maps, and underground command bunkers offer insight into defining moments of Vietnam’s modern history. Take time to explore the grounds and rooftop helipad.

Continue to the nearby Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon for a photo stop. The red-brick façade and twin bell towers remain one of the city’s most recognizable colonial-era landmarks.

Optional add-on: Afterwards, head to the Saigon Central Post Office, an elegant French colonial landmark with vaulted ceilings and historic maps.

Spend the afternoon at the War Remnants Museum, where photographs, military equipment, and personal accounts provide perspective on the Vietnam War. Use discretion when choosing which exhibits to visit, as some displays may be intense.

Conclude at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House with the AO Show. While contemporary in style, the performance draws on rural traditions and wartime resilience, offering a cultural lens through which to view Vietnam’s evolving identity.

Head out to the Cu Chi Tunnels, an extensive underground network used during the Vietnam War. Explore reconstructed sections of the tunnels and learn about the ingenuity and resilience of those who lived and fought here.

Optional add-on: Take a bike tour near the Cu Chi Tunnels along backroads and village paths through rubber plantations and the rural countryside.

Return to the city to visit the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History. Exhibits trace the region’s story from ancient civilizations and Cham artifacts to dynastic rule, colonial administration, and modern statehood, placing recent events within a broader historical framework.

Conclude the day with a buffet dinner at Binh Quoi Tourist Village, a riverside complex recreating a traditional Mekong Delta village. Wooden footbridges arch over lotus ponds, thatched-roof pavilions sit beneath coconut palms, and lantern-lit pathways wind past small fishing docks and garden courtyards. Live traditional music adds to the atmosphere.