What this trip is really like
One base, three days: the tunnels at Cu Chi with lunch in a village on the way back, a delta day on small boats and bicycles at a family orchard, and half a day in the alleys of Saigon where the city really lives.
Three nights, one hotel, no domestic flight — this trip keeps things simple if Ho Chi Minh City is the only Vietnam stop you need. It works equally well as a short city break on its own or as one leg of a longer Southeast Asia trip that also takes in Cambodia, Laos or Thailand.
The two full days out are built around Cu Chi Tunnels and the colonial centre on one day and the Mekong Delta on the other, leaving your last morning free before you fly out. The trip runs comfortably for most of the year; from around June to September, short afternoon downpours are common but rarely change the plans for the day.
Trip highlights
- Cu Chi Tunnels, the wartime tunnel network built during the struggle for independence
- Half a day on foot through the colonial quarter, including Notre Dame Cathedral and the Opera House
- A full day in the delta near My Tho, partly by boat and partly walking through the villages
- One hotel for the whole stay, with no domestic flight needed
The trip, day by day
Day 1 — Land in Ho Chi Minh City, first coffee in an alley
Ho Chi Minh City, still commonly called Saigon, is Vietnam's largest and most commercial city — busier and more modern than Hanoi, but with its own stretch of colonial-era buildings. After you land, most of the afternoon is free to settle in, with time for an optional walk through the central districts.
Day 2 — Cu Chi tunnels, village lunch
Today is spent at the Cu Chi Tunnels, the underground network Vietnamese resistance fighters built and used during the long fight for independence. Your guide leads you through the sections open to visitors and the exhibits explaining how the tunnels were built and used.
Day 3 — Mekong Delta by boat and bicycle
Two hours of driving to the southwest puts you in the country's rice bowl. A boat runs down the Vam Xep canal to a small islet, where the walk goes past orchards and homes; there are stops at a bee farm for honey tea and fruit, at a workshop making coconut candy, and for a row-boat trip along one of the narrower channels. A motorised boat brings you back via My Tho.
Day 4 — Saigon's centre, then the airport
Once you have checked out, half a day on foot takes in the former Presidential Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street, the Continental Hotel, the Opera House and City Hall. The transfer to Tan Son Nhat International Airport follows.
What's included
- Your rooms, twin or double with breakfast, in the hotel grade you pick with us — family-run guesthouses where they exist, small hotels elsewhere
- Every meal the day-by-day marks as included; we lean towards places locals eat rather than hotel restaurants
- A guide from the region who speaks English and grew up with the places on the route
- Your own air-conditioned car or minivan with driver for every transfer and touring day
- Entrance fees to every site named in the itinerary
- The boats, cruises and activities written into the plan
- Government taxes and service charges — the quote we send is the amount you pay
Not included
- Flights and trains, international or domestic — we quote these separately so you can see the real cost
- Visa fees and visa arrangements
- Travel insurance, which we ask every guest to carry
- Drinks, laundry, phone calls and anything else personal
- Early check-in, late check-out and room upgrades
- Tips for your guide and driver — customary here, at your discretion
- Extra sightseeing or vehicle use beyond the written plan
- Costs caused by weather, road closures or other events outside anyone's control, settled on the spot
- Bank transfer charges
Book this trip
- Days
- 4 days / 3 nights
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Send us your dates and who is travelling. We check the hotels and guide we would use, suggest changes if the season calls for them, and come back with a firm price. Nothing is charged until you say yes.