Visiting for a few days
The guides a short-stay traveller needs, in the order you need them. Staying longer? Start with living in Saigon.
Before you land
- Vietnam Visa Exemption: Who Enters Without a VisaCitizens of the countries in Resolution 44/NQ-CP stay 45 days visa-free for any purpose. A separate list of European countries gets 45 days for tourism only. Your passport must be valid at least 6 months. Other countries have agreement-based stays from 14 days to 90 days.Verified
- Vietnam E-Visa for Ho Chi Minh City: Apply, Fees and Tan Son Nhat ArrivalApply on evisa.gov.vn from outside Vietnam. The e-visa is valid up to 90 days, for single or multiple entries. The fee is US$25 for single entry and US$50 for multiple entry. Processing takes no more than 3 working days. At Tan Son Nhat, present the e-visa to the immigration officers.Verified
- SIM Card in Ho Chi Minh City: eSIM and RegistrationTo register a mobile SIM as a foreigner, show a passport still valid for your stay in Vietnam, or an electronic identity account. Register in person at a carrier point or an authorised point, or online in the carrier's own app. Service starts only after registration is complete. Viettel takes the physical passport, never a picture of it.Verified
- ATM Fees and Cash in Ho Chi Minh City: Bank LimitsOnly the bank that issued your card may charge you under its own published schedule. Your home bank's schedule therefore sets your fee. TPBank still lists VND 55,000 for a foreign Visa under VND 5,000,000, and BIDV's only foreign-card line is a 2018 file. Vietcombank lets its own cards take VND 10 million per withdrawal.Verified
- Currency Exchange in Ho Chi Minh City: Legal Places, RatesExchange at a bank counter, or at an agent counter that shows a sign naming its authorising bank. Foreign-exchange services may be provided only after the State Bank approves in writing. Buying or selling foreign currency at an organisation not permitted to exchange it draws a warning below US$1,000 and a fine of VND 10-20 million from US$1,000.Verified
- QR Payments for Foreigners in Vietnam: What Works in SaigonScan with your home-country app if your country is linked to Vietnam's VietQRGlobal network: China, Korea and Singapore joined in 2026. Otherwise verify a MoMo wallet with your foreign passport and top it up from a Visa, MasterCard or JCB debit card at VND 2,200 plus 2%. Metro gates take contactless bank cards.Verified
Getting in and around
- Tan Son Nhat Arrival: Immigration, Pre-Arrival Form, CashInternational flights use the T2 terminal. Tan Son Nhat is a listed e-visa gate. A pre-arrival declaration has run here since April 2026. The newest dated text found, 25 June 2026, calls it encouraged and gives the window as on arrival or up to three days before. Declare cash above US$5,000 or VND 15,000,000 to customs.Verified
- Tan Son Nhat Airport to the City: Bus, Grab, TaxiInternational flights land at T2, and domestic flights use T1 or T3 depending on the airline. Bus 152 runs to Ben Thanh Market until 22:00, and the bus 109 fare was reported as VND 5,000 to 6,000 in April 2025. Grab pickup at T3 is on level 1 by the PNA parking building.Verified
- Getting Around Ho Chi Minh City: Free Bus, Metro, GrabCity buses are free on 134 routes until 31 December 2026, with a card, e-wallet or app check from 1 October. Bus 152 to the airport is free. Metro Line 1 costs VND 7,000 to VND 20,000 a trip in cash. The waterbus costs VND 15,000.Verified
- Grab vs Xanh SM vs Be in Ho Chi Minh City: Fares ComparedGrabCar is cheapest for the first 2 km at VND 28,473 on the operators' own pages. Xanh SM Car is VND 30,500 and Be beCar VND 31,501. Per km after that GrabCar is also lowest at VND 9,818. Grab adds a 4% fee on foreign cards.Verified
- Metro Line 1 in Ho Chi Minh City: Fares, Hours, StationsA single trip on Metro Line 1 costs VND 7,000 to VND 20,000 in cash, by distance, or VND 6,000 to VND 19,000 non-cash. A day pass costs VND 40,000. In the August 2026 timetable trains ran from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday to Sunday.Verified
- Ho Chi Minh City Bus Guide: Free Fare, Tap Rules, 13 Changed RoutesCity buses are free on 134 routes from 1 July to 31 December 2026. Since 1 October each free ride is tied to a tap-in with an ID, VNeID, bank card, e-wallet or MultiGo. As a tourist, tap a chip or contactless bank card on the reader. Thirteen routes changed path on 10 October.Verified
- Long Thanh Airport: Opening Date, Flights, Getting ThereLong Thanh opens in part on 24 December 2026, ACV's newest target. Domestic and short-haul international flights go first, at up to 366 flights a week. Plan on a taxi or car by expressway; the planned express bus from Saigon Bus Station takes 60 to 70 minutes, and rail comes after 2030.Verified
Staying safe
- Ho Chi Minh City Safety and Scams: Reported Risks and Who to CallNo official text names areas of Ho Chi Minh City to avoid. City police say property crime fell by more than 29% in 2025. The tourism department says aggressive solicitation and overcharging occur at some locations, and online booking scams are increasingly sophisticated. Call 113 for the police.Verified
- Ho Chi Minh City Emergency Numbers: Police, Fire, MedicalCall 112 if you cannot tell which service you need. Call 113 for the police, 114 for fire and 115 for a medical emergency. Calls to 112 are free and the line works 24 hours. The older numbers still operate normally.Verified
- Tipping in Ho Chi Minh City: When to Tip, What to PayPay the listed price. A tip is a habit around tourist locations, personal services and alcohol. Tipping is never forced. Everyday quan diners serving rice, pho or bun bo expect nothing. A seller who charges above the listed price owes you the difference back.Verified
- Food Poisoning in Ho Chi Minh City: What to Do, Who to CallStop eating the suspect food, keep it, and replace fluids with oresol. Go to a medical facility at once for high fever, severe dehydration or blood in the stool. The 115 line is for Vietnamese speakers only. In English, call FV Hospital's ambulance hotline or go to Vinmec Central Park.Verified
What to do
- Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh City: Sights, Hours and FeesStart with Independence Palace, open 07:00 to 18:00, and the War Remnants Museum, open 07:30 to 17:30. Add Saigon Skydeck for the view, open 09:30 to 21:30. The day trip with published hours and fees is the Cu Chi Tunnels, open 07:00 to 17:00.Verified
- Ho Chi Minh City in 3 Days: Itinerary With Hours and FeesSpend Day 1 at Independence Palace from 07:00, the War Remnants Museum, open to 17:30, and Saigon Skydeck, open to 21:30. Give Day 2 to the Cu Chi Tunnels, open 07:00 to 17:00. Use Day 3 for the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, from 08:00, the cathedral area and Ben Thanh Market.Verified
- Best Time to Visit Ho Chi Minh City: Dry and Rainy MonthsThe best months to visit Ho Chi Minh City are December to April, the dry season. January, February and March are the driest. The rainy season runs from May to November, and September is the wettest month. Tet 2027 is a public holiday from 4 to 10 February.Verified
- Where to Stay in Ho Chi Minh City: Areas and Hotel PricesFor a first visit, the former District 1 is where walking is practical, with mid-range doubles at VND 1,200,000 to 2,000,000 a night. The former District 3 costs VND 800,000 to 1,500,000 and sits 10 to 20 minutes on foot from it. Binh Thanh and Phu Nhuan run VND 700,000 to 1,400,000.Verified
- War Remnants Museum: Tickets, Hours and Visit GuideFrom 1 October 2026 a standard ticket to the War Remnants Museum is VND 60,000. The museum is open 07:30 to 17:30 every day, holidays included. The ticket counter at the Vo Van Tan gate closes at 17:00. Tickets are sold at the counter or on the museum's own ticketing site.Verified
- Independence Palace: Tickets, Hours and Visit GuideA general ticket to Independence Palace covers the exhibit and the palace and costs VND 80,000 for adults. A palace-only ticket is VND 40,000. Visiting hours are 07:00 to 18:00, every day including holidays. Prices are valid from 1 May 2026.Verified
- Cu Chi Tunnels: Ben Duoc vs Ben Dinh ComparedAdult visitors to the Cu Chi Tunnels pay a city fee of VND 35,000. Foreign visitors pay that fee plus a VND 100,000 guide ticket from 1 February 2026. Ben Duoc has the memorial temple and the liberated zone; Ben Dinh has the M41 tank wreck. Both open 07:00 to 17:00 daily.Verified
- Mekong Delta Day Trip From Saigon: Tour or BusA Mekong day trip from Saigon to My Tho and Ben Tre means 1.5 to 2 hours' driving each way. Group tours charge VND 800,000 to VND 1,190,000 per adult, with hotel pickup, boats and lunch in the price. A public bus to My Tho costs VND 85,000 for a seat from Mien Tay Bus Station.Verified