The 8 Best Day Trips from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City is a maze of chaotic madness – a concrete metropolis of vast scope and vitality. But it can be too much at times, so let’s have a look at the best day trips for you to escape Saigon.
1. Ba Den Mountain
Hiking Trail, Shrine
This dead volcano, also known as Black Virgin Mountain, has the best views in all of southern Vietnam. The mountain carries significant religious meaning to the people in the area, and there’s even a myth about a girl who killed herself here. The drive takes about two hours from Ho Chi Minh City. You can hike the mountain or take the easy route and opt for the cable car instead.
2. Can Gio Mangrove Forest
Forest
The Cần Giờ (pronounce cun yuh) Mangrove Forest is a Unesco biosphere reserve 40km (25mi) south of Ho Chi Minh City that features a unique wetlands ecosystem and a number of rare plant and animal species, including saltwater crocodiles and many kinds of migratory birds. It’s possible to get to this area on your own, but we recommends you go with a trusted tour company to get the most out of your excursion.
3. Cu Chi Tunnels
Memorial, Museum
5. Cai Be Floating Market
Market
6. Cat Tien National Park
Natural Feature, Park
If you’re really looking to get into nature, then Cat Tien National Park is for you. The park has various types of old growth forests and some fascinating wildlife – gibbons, sambar deer, wild boars, black-shanked doucs and even crocodiles. However, the drive does take nearly four hours, so you might want to consider making it a two-day journey. It’s doable in one, but eight hours on the road really detracts from the experience.
7. Ben Tre
Market, Natural Feature
Most tour companies highlight tours to Mỹ Tho, but those are pre-packaged excursions where giant tour buses bring hundreds of tourists to the same spots day after day. It’s cookie-cutter travel. Bến Tre, on the other hand, is less developed and more authentic. The town is famous for its coconut candy, and you can visit the factories where they make this treat – also the farms where they collect the coconuts. Furthermore, it’s easy to arrange a sampan ride through lush river canopies just as you see on every travel brochure about the Mekong.
8. Cao Dai Temple
Buddhist Temple, Building, Cathedral, Church, Mosque
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.