Ho Chi Minh City 3 Nights 4 Days Itinerary — Solo, Practical
A basic 3-nights-4-days plan for Ho Chi Minh City: rest on arrival day → walk District 1 on day 2 (Reunification Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, Ben Thanh) → the Cu Chi Tunnels or a slow city day on day 3 → airport on day 4 (prices and hours checked 2026-10-08). Don't do both Cu Chi and the Mekong. Pick one.
Late arrival or a short stay: choose your evening
Revisit your first-night plan after actually checking in, rather than relying on the flight's arrival time. Immigration, baggage collection and the journey do not take a fixed amount of time.
- Tired after check-in
- Keep dinner near your accommodation and rest. There is no need to fit sightseeing, a bar and karaoke into the same night.
- Only one free evening
- Choose dinner plus one priority: a walk, café, bar or singing. Keep the stops in a convenient area and save your accommodation address for the return trip.
- Going out late
- Check the travel estimate and admission availability. Rabbit Bar closes at 04:00; ask the venue whether your preferred session fits the remaining time and wait for its reply.
Evening options · Late-night transport
Saigon Centre at 65 Lê Lợi is another indoor option for the evening. Its official guide lists food and beverage outlets at 10:00–22:00; other shops close at 21:30 Monday–Thursday and 22:00 Friday–Sunday. Check individual outlets and last orders before visiting. Saigon Centre · 2026-10-28
How do you plan 3 nights in Ho Chi Minh City? — Overview (dry season, Dec–Apr)
Rest on arrival day, walk the District 1 sights on day 2, pick either the Cu Chi Tunnels or a slow city day on day 3, and leave time for the airport on day 4.
| Day | What to do |
|---|---|
| Arrival day | Grab → hotel → exchange cash → check SIM → pho. No sightseeing. |
| Day 2 daytime | Notre-Dame Cathedral · Central Post Office · Reunification Palace · Ben Thanh. Banh mi for lunch. |
| Day 2 evening | Walk Nguyen Hue → dinner in Le Thanh Ton. Keep the night short. |
| Day 3 | Cu Chi, or cafés + malls in town. One rooftop in the evening. |
| Day 4 morning | One last street. Be at the airport 3 hours before. |
Day 2: District 1 on foot
The Reunification Palace, the cathedral, the Central Post Office and Ben Thanh Market are close together, so walk. The museum opens at 07:30; start early before the heat.
- 08:00 War Remnants Museum. 1.5–2 hours. Online tickets on the official site since February 2026.
- 10:00 Independence (Reunification) Palace. About 10 minutes on foot from the museum. 1.5 hours.
- 12:00 Banh mi for lunch.
- 13:00 Notre-Dame Cathedral (outside) → Central Post Office. They are right next to each other.
- 14:30 Ben Thanh Market. Daytime trading until about 18:00.
- Evening: walk Nguyen Hue → dinner on Le Thanh Ton. Keep the night short. → night guide
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How much are tickets and when do places open? (checked 2026-10-08)
| Place | Hours | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| War Remnants Museum | Daily 07:30–17:30 (tickets until 17:00) | 40,000 VND | Online tickets since 2026-02 |
| Independence Palace | 07:00–18:00 | Combined 80,000 VND · palace only 40,000 VND | New prices from 2026-05-01 |
| Central Post Office | Mon–Fri 07:00–17:00 · Sat 07:00–18:00 · Sun 08:00–18:00 | Free | 20–30 min |
| Notre-Dame Cathedral | Under restoration (open for Mass only) | — | Outside only |
| Ben Thanh Market | Daytime approx. 06:00–18:00 | Free | Cash rather than card |
| Cu Chi Tunnels (Ben Duoc) | 07:00–17:00 | Foreigners 85,000 VND | About 70 km from District 1 |
Foreigner prices at Ben Dinh (Cu Chi) differ between sources, so they are not listed. Saigon Skydeck and Landmark 81 SkyView prices were left out because no official figures were found.
Day 3: Cu Chi or the city
Cu Chi Tunnels are 50–70 km from District 1: 1.5–2 hours each way by car, 2.5–3 hours by bus. With the round trip and the visit it takes most of the day, so do not put Cu Chi and the Mekong in the same trip.
A slow city day: café in the morning → Metro to Thao Dien in the afternoon → one rooftop in the evening. If you want a Le Thanh Ton bar, this is the night.
Rainy season (May–Nov)
The rainy season runs roughly mid-May to November. Mornings are usually clear, and showers or thunderstorms often start around 15:30. The dry season also gets the odd shower.
Spend 3–6 pm indoors: malls, cafés, sky bars. Walk in the morning and at night. If rain is forecast, cancel Cu Chi and stay in town.
Le Thanh Ton bars: one place on the night of day 3. Don't go into the alley on your first night.
Getting around: Grab and Metro Line 1
Inside District 1, walk or take Grab. Fares are in the Grab guide.
Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien), opened 2024-12-22, runs from District 1 to Thao Dien. Useful stations in order: Ben Thanh → Opera House → Ba Son → Van Thanh Park → Tan Cang → Thao Dien → An Phu.
- Fares: single 7,000–20,000 VND cash, 1-day pass 40,000 VND, 3-day pass 90,000 VND
- Payment: cash, or tap a Visa or Mastercard at the station
- Hours: most sources say from about 05:00 to 22:00 (23:00 Fri–Sun), but they differ slightly, so check the station notice.
- Ben Thanh station has six exits and sources number them differently, so follow the signs inside the station to the Ben Thanh Market (Chợ Bến Thành) exit.
Day 4: the airport
- See one last alley, and reach the airport 3 hours before an international flight.
- Tan Son Nhat international flights use T2. On 5 October 2026, operator ACV reported a target of 24 December for Long Thanh commercial operations; plans may change. Confirm your departure airport and terminal with your airline. Báo Xây dựng · 2026-10-05
7 things before you fly
- Data. Buy an eSIM in advance so you can call a Grab as soon as you land. → first-day checklist
- Grab app. Install it and add a card before you leave, but carry cash in case the card is declined.
- Change a little on day one. Grab and dinner money at the airport, the rest at city counters. → exchange guide
- Stay in District 1. The day-2 walk works as written. → where to stay
- Day-2 admissions: 120,000 VND. Museum 40,000 + palace combined ticket 80,000. The post office and market are free.
- Rainy season: umbrella and shoes that can get wet.
- Check the airport on your return ticket because of the Long Thanh opening target in December 2026.
Sources
- War Remnants Museum hours, price, online tickets — Tuổi Trẻ News, 2026-02-12
- Independence Palace prices from 2026-05-01 — Independence Palace official site
- Notre-Dame restoration — Thanh Niên, 2025-12-11
- Cu Chi (Ben Duoc) price and distance — VnExpress, 2025-04-11
- Metro Line 1 fares and payment — VnExpress, 2024-12-30
- Metro Line 1 stations — Wikipedia
- Long Thanh airport opening target — Báo Xây dựng, 2026-07-13
Prices and hours can change. Figures follow the dated sources above; on-site and in-app information comes first.
FAQ
Can the Cu Chi Tunnels be done in half a day?
With the round trip, it takes most of the day. Better not to put both it and the Mekong in the same trip.
Can I go inside Notre-Dame Cathedral?
Not as a tourist in 2026: it is under major restoration and opens only for Mass. The Central Post Office next door is free to enter.
How much is the Independence Palace ticket?
From 2026-05-01 the combined ticket (palace and exhibition) is 80,000 VND for adults and the palace-only ticket is 40,000 VND. Open 07:00–18:00.
Where does the Metro go?
Line 1 runs from Ben Thanh past Thao Dien and An Phu to Suoi Tien. Singles are 7,000–20,000 VND cash; a 1-day pass is 40,000 VND.
Is a 3-night trip OK in the rainy season?
Yes. Showers often come around 15:30, so walk in the morning and move indoors in the afternoon.
Rabbit Bar (hostess bar & karaoke, Le Thanh Ton 15B alley)
If it's Le Thanh Ton on night 3 — Rabbit Bar. Message us from the alley entrance and the manager will come meet you.
- Hours
- Daily 20:00–04:00 · same-day booking OK
- Where
- Le Thanh Ton 15B alley, District 1 (Japan Town). Message us at the alley entrance and the manager will come to meet you.
- Hall/bar
- $6 table charge per person + drinks
- KTV
- Soju set 1,500,000 VND per person for 1 hour · 2,000,000 VND for 2 hours (2 people for 2 hours: 4,000,000 VND)
Drinks ordered outside the set and other optional items (such as the hall hostess drink and seating fee) are billed at menu prices (check before you order). In-store information on the day takes priority.
Hem 15B Le Thanh Ton, District 1, HCMC