Ho Chi Minh City 3-Day Itinerary: Museums, Cu Chi, Cho Lon

What is the best 3-day itinerary for Ho Chi Minh City?

Spend day one in the old District 1 and District 3: the War Remnants Museum at 07:30, the Independence Palace and the HCMC Museum, then Nguyen Hue at sunset. Give day two to the Cu Chi tunnels, open 07:00–17:00. On day three, explore Cho Lon’s market and temples, then head up the river to Thao Dien.

Three days is enough for the city’s history, one classic day trip and a feel for its neighbourhoods. The plan puts the heaviest museum first, while you are fresh, keeps the long Cu Chi day in the middle, and ends with markets, temples and a ride on the river or the metro, the city’s newest way to get around.

It assumes you sleep in the old District 1 or nearby, close to the Opera House or Ben Thanh metro stations (see where to stay in Ho Chi Minh City), and that you are free from the morning of day one. If you land in the evening, start with dinner on Nguyen Hue and begin the plan the next morning.

Hours and fees come from the venues’ official pages and dated news on 16 October 2026; several museum prices rose on 1 October 2026. With a week, the Ho Chi Minh City 7-day itinerary has room for the Mekong Delta as well.

What do the three days look like at a glance?

Each day has one area and one indoor fallback. Day one is the museums and palaces of the old centre, day two the Cu Chi tunnels, day three Cho Lon and the riverside. The table lists official hours and fees from October 2026, what to book ahead and what to do if a storm arrives.

The order is flexible except for one point: put Cu Chi on the day with the best forecast, because it is the only part of the plan that is mostly outdoors and an hour or more from the centre. Days one and three can swap freely.

Every museum on day one is indoors, which makes it the natural choice for a wet day in the rainy season, when Vietnam’s tourism authority describes a dependable afternoon downpour lasting a few hours (Vietnam Tourism).

How should you spend day one in the old centre?

Arrive at the War Remnants Museum for its 07:30 opening, walk to the Independence Palace for late morning, and after lunch see the HCMC Museum in the former Gia Long Palace. End at Nguyen Hue walking street at sunset, or take the waterbus from Bach Dang for the river at dusk.

The War Remnants Museum, at 28 Vo Van Tan, opens every day from 07:30 to 17:30, with the ticket counter closing at 17:00, and now sells tickets online (SGGP). From 1 October 2026 the fee is 60,000 VND, with school and university students admitted free (Tuoi Tre). Vietnam’s tourism authority calls it a sombre experience, with graphic photographs (Vietnam Tourism), so give yourself time afterwards.

The Independence Palace opens daily from 07:00 to 18:00; adults pay 80,000 VND, students and older people 40,000 VND, and children aged 6–15 pay 20,000 VND (Independence Palace). A 500,000 VND camera fee introduced on 1 August 2026 applies only to commercial shoots, not to ordinary visitors (Tuoi Tre).

The HCMC Museum at 65 Ly Tu Trong opens from 08:00 to 17:00 every day, and its tunnel area has been temporarily closed for re-curation since a December 2025 notice (HCMC Museum notice). Nearby, the Notre-Dame Cathedral is still under restoration, with tower work reported by the Archdiocese of Saigon in June 2026 (Archdiocese of Saigon), so check access on the day.

How do you do the Cu Chi tunnels on day two?

Leave early by tour or private driver, aiming to arrive soon after the 07:00 opening, before the heat and the main tour wave. Foreign visitors pay a 35,000 VND entry fee plus a 100,000 VND service and guide ticket. Be back in the city by mid-afternoon to rest before an evening of food.

The Cu Chi Tunnels Historical Site says it is open every day from 07:00 to 17:00 (Cu Chi Tunnels Historical Site), and its notice raised the service and guide ticket for foreign visitors from 90,000 to 100,000 VND from 1 February 2026, on top of the 35,000 VND entry fee (Cu Chi notice). Check whether a tour price includes both.

Vietnam’s tourism authority describes two entrances to the tunnel network, Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc, with Ben Duoc the further from the city (Vietnam Tourism). Ask any operator which one you are going to. The crawl sections are tight, so read are the Cu Chi tunnels worth it if you are unsure about enclosed spaces.

The FCDO says compliance with road laws is poor in Vietnam and motorbike travel is much riskier than in the UK, so take a tour bus or a car rather than riding out yourself.

What should you do on day three in Cho Lon and by the river?

Start early in Cho Lon, before the heat, at Binh Tay Market, and visit Thien Hau Pagoda nearby. After lunch, head to Thao Dien by waterbus from Bach Dang or by Metro Line 1 from Ben Thanh for riverside cafés, then come back for a last dinner in the centre or Cho Lon’s night street.

Vietnam’s tourism authority recommends exploring Cho Lon on foot, from Binh Tay Market, a colossal wholesale trading centre, to Thien Hau Pagoda, which honours the goddess of the sea (Vietnam Tourism). The Cho Lon night street in Binh Tay ward runs from 18:00 to midnight daily (Tuoi Tre) if you would rather come back after dark.

The Saigon Waterbus stops at Bach Dang, Thu Thiem, Ba Son, Binh An, Thao Dien and further upstream, and a trip costs 15,000 VND (Saigon Waterbus). Check the departure schedule on its website on the day.

Metro Line 1 also reaches Thao Dien from Ben Thanh, running from 05:00 until 22:00 on weekdays and 23:00 at weekends (Tuoi Tre); single fares are 7,000–20,000 VND in cash or 6,000–19,000 VND cashless (SGGP). Going out by boat and back by train makes a neat loop.

Which ticket prices changed in 2026?

Three changes matter. City-run museums, including the War Remnants Museum, the HCMC Museum and the Fine Arts Museum, rose to 60,000 VND on 1 October 2026. The Cu Chi service and guide ticket for foreign visitors rose to 100,000 VND on 1 February. The Independence Palace’s new camera fee applies only to commercial shoots.

Tuoi Tre reported that the new museum fee applies to domestic and international visitors alike, with school and university students admitted free and a 50% discount for older people and some other groups, who must show identification (Tuoi Tre). Older guides quoting 40,000 VND for the War Remnants Museum are out of date.

Some older tourism pages repeat the same hours and price for every sight; rely on the venues’ own pages and the dated notices linked here instead. If a tour price looks low, check whether it includes the Cu Chi service ticket and museum entry.

How do you get around for three days?

Walk within the old District 1, use Metro Line 1 or the waterbus for the riverside, and take ride-hailing cars or taxis to District 3, Cho Lon and the airport. A tour bus or private car is best for Cu Chi. Keep phones and bags away from the kerb, because bag-snatching from motorbikes is common.

Metro Line 1 has 14 stations over 19.7 km between Ben Thanh and Suoi Tien (VnEconomy), with trains every six to eight minutes at peak times; you can pay with bank cards, e-wallets and QR codes (Tuoi Tre). A 1-day pass costs 40,000 VND (SGGP).

From Tan Son Nhat, bus 109 links terminal T3 with the Saigon bus station via Pham Ngu Lao for 8,000–15,000 VND, and route 152 serves terminals T1 and T2 via Ben Thanh (VOH).

The FCDO says bag-snatching by thieves on motorcycles is common and petty crime rises at Christmas and Tet. Hold your phone on the side away from the road, and wear a helmet on any motorbike taxi.

How do you adjust the plan for heat, rain and holidays?

In the wet season, from May to October, put outdoor stops before lunch and museums in the afternoon. In April and May, when highs average 34.5–34.9°C, rest at midday. From October, check the tide forecast before evening walks near the river, and around Tet expect crowds but open museums.

The WMO 1991–2020 normals show 13–19 rain days a month from May to October and only one or two from January to March. On 10 October 2026 high tides flooded several streets, with peaks expected between 16:00 and 18:00 (Tuoi Tre), so on high-tide days avoid low riverside streets in the late afternoon.

Tet falls on 6 February 2027, with public-sector workers off from 4 to 10 February (Tuoi Tre). The Independence Palace and the HCMC Museum both say they open on holidays and at Tet (Independence Palace; HCMC Museum), so the day-one plan still works, but book transport early.

For month-by-month detail, see the best time to visit Ho Chi Minh City.

Should you swap Cu Chi for the Mekong Delta?

Only if the delta interests you more than wartime history, and preferably in the dry season. Ben Tre is about a two-hour drive each way, so a Mekong day is longer than Cu Chi. Doing both in three days leaves no time for the city, so save the second trip for the 7-day plan.

Vietnam’s tourism authority puts Ben Tre about a two-hour drive from a Ho Chi Minh City hotel and recommends eco-tours or cycling tours to see village life (Vietnam Tourism). Factor in the return, and a delta day becomes most of your waking hours.

The FCDO says flooding is common in the Mekong Delta in the rainy season and that the tropical cyclone season normally runs from May to November. If your three days fall in the wet months, Cu Chi is the safer bet; if they fall between December and April, either works.

Is three days enough for Ho Chi Minh City?

Yes, for the city’s history and one classic day trip. Three days covers the War Remnants Museum, the Independence Palace, the HCMC Museum, the Cu Chi tunnels and Cho Lon at a sensible pace. Add days for the Mekong Delta, the museums you skipped or simply more of the city’s food.

For a longer stay, the 7-day itinerary adds day trips, and things to do in Ho Chi Minh City has more ideas. If you are travelling on, compare Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang by train or plane.

Check entry rules in our Vietnam e-visa guide, and compare tour marketplaces in GetYourGuide vs Viator vs Klook before booking Cu Chi.