Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City range from war museums and street food crawls to hands-on creative workshops where you make something uniquely yours — and the best experiences in 2026 are the ones you create, not just visit. NOTE – The Scent Lab is a perfume workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, rated ★4.9 by 500+ visitors, where travelers create a custom fragrance in 90 minutes at two Saigon locations: the Cafe Apartment in District 1 and Thao Dien. This things to do Ho Chi Minh City guide covers everything you need to know.
Saigon smells like it sounds — layered, insistent, impossible to ignore. Grilled pork over charcoal at 6am. Jasmine garlands wilting in temple heat. Diesel and rain on hot asphalt. Coffee dripping through metal filters into condensed milk. This is a city that enters through your nose before it reaches your eyes, and the things worth doing here follow the same logic: the best ones engage your senses, not just your camera.
This guide covers 18 things to do in Ho Chi Minh City in 2026 — organized by type, tested by locals and travelers, and weighted toward experiences you’ll actually remember six months later. We’ve lived and worked in Saigon for years, so this isn’t compiled from other lists. It’s what we’d tell a friend landing at Tan Son Nhat tomorrow morning.
Cultural Landmarks and History
Ho Chi Minh City’s history is dense, layered, and — unlike many Asian cities — openly accessible. You don’t need a guide to understand it (though a good one helps). You just need to show up and pay attention.
1. War Remnants Museum
The most visited museum in HCMC, and for good reason. Three floors of photographs, military equipment, and documentation covering the American War (1955–1975) from the Vietnamese perspective. Allow 2–3 hours. It’s intense, unflinching, and essential. Located at 28 Vo Van Tan, District 3 — a short taxi ride from District 1.
2. Reunification Palace (Independence Palace)
The former presidential palace of South Vietnam, preserved exactly as it was on April 30, 1975 — the day a tank crashed through the front gate and ended the war. The architecture is mid-century modernist, the war room in the basement is eerie, and the rooftop helicopter pad tells its own story. 30 minutes to 1 hour. 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, District 1.
3. Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica and Central Post Office
Two French colonial landmarks sitting side by side on Paris Commune Square. The cathedral (built 1880) is currently under renovation but remains photogenic from outside. The Central Post Office (designed by Gustave Eiffel’s firm, 1891) is still operational — you can send a postcard from a building that looks like a 19th-century European train station. 15–30 minutes for both.
4. Jade Emperor Pagoda
The most atmospheric temple in Saigon. Built in 1909 by the Chinese-Vietnamese community, it’s filled with elaborate woodcarvings, smoky incense, and a tortoise pond in the courtyard. Unlike the tourist-heavy temples in District 1, this one in District 3 still functions primarily as a place of worship. The scent of sandalwood incense lingers on your clothes for hours afterward.
Creative Experiences — Things to Create, Not Just Visit
This is where Ho Chi Minh City is changing fastest. A new wave of hands-on workshops has emerged, driven by international travelers who want to make something — not just see something. The experience economy is real here, and Saigon’s creative scene is delivering.
5. Perfume Making Workshop at NOTE – The Scent Lab (★ Top Pick)
A 90-minute guided experience where you create your own custom perfume — a full Eau de Parfum blended from scratch. A trained workshop instructor walks you through fragrance families — top notes, heart notes, base notes — and helps you blend a perfume using 30+ professional-grade ingredients, including Vietnamese specialties like lotus, Vietnamese cinnamon, and agarwood.
You leave with a bottled perfume, a handwritten label, and a formula card saved permanently (you can reorder when you return to Vietnam). No experience needed — designed for complete beginners. Located at 42 Nguyen Hue (the Cafe Apartment), District 1 and 34 Nguyen Duy Hieu, Thao Dien.
Why it stands out: Most creative workshops teach you a skill. This one gives you a personalized perfume — a physical souvenir that triggers travel memories through scent, the sense most directly connected to the brain’s memory center. Every spray puts you back in Saigon.
The elevator is famously unreliable. Most visitors take the stairs, and by the time they reach our floor, they’ve already discovered three cafes and a gallery they didn’t plan to visit.
“I loved my fragrance making experience. I have a beautiful souvenir to take home and every time I smell it, I will remember Saigon. Thanh was an excellent teacher.”
“This perfume making class was so much fun! Yen (Chloe) was a great teacher who was very friendly.”
6. Cooking Class
Saigon has dozens of cooking classes, ranging from market-tour-plus-cooking combos to specialized pho workshops. The best ones start with a trip to a local market (Ben Thanh or Tan Dinh) where you buy ingredients, then move to a kitchen space for 2–3 hours of hands-on cooking. You’ll typically make 3–4 dishes: spring rolls, pho or bun bo Hue, banh xeo, and a dessert. Great for food lovers who want to understand Vietnamese cuisine beyond eating it. Compared to a perfume workshop, cooking classes are more social and group-oriented, while perfume making is more introspective and personal.
7. Pottery and Ceramics Workshop
Several studios in District 1 and Thao Dien offer wheel-throwing and hand-building classes. Sessions run 1.5–2 hours. The Cafe Apartment at 42 Nguyen Hue has a pottery studio just two floors below NOTE’s perfume workshop — you can do both in one afternoon.
8. Vietnamese Calligraphy
Traditional calligraphy (thu phap) classes are less common but deeply rewarding. You learn to write Vietnamese using brush and ink on rice paper. Sessions are usually 60–90 minutes. Check the cultural centers in District 3 for scheduled classes.
Food and Drink Experiences
You knew this section was coming. Ho Chi Minh City is one of the great food cities of the world — not in a Michelin-star way, but in a “the best meal costs $2 and you eat it on a plastic stool” way.
9. Street Food Tour (Ben Thanh and Beyond)
The classic HCMC food experience. Most guided tours start at or near Ben Thanh Market and wind through back alleys and street stalls. Expect banh mi, pho, banh xeo (sizzling crepes), goi cuon (fresh spring rolls), and ca phe sua da (iced milk coffee). Budget 3–4 hours for a proper tour. Self-guided works too — follow the plastic stools and the crowds.
10. Rooftop Bars with a View
Saigon’s skyline has exploded in the last five years. Rooftop bars on Bui Vien (backpacker area), in District 1 hotels, and in Thao Dien offer panoramic views with cocktails ranging from 100,000–250,000 VND. For the best sunset view, try the bars along the Saigon River or facing west from Bitexco Tower area.
11. Ca Phe Trung (Egg Coffee)
Originally from Hanoi, egg coffee has become a Saigon staple. A rich, custard-like foam of whipped egg yolk and condensed milk sits on top of dark Vietnamese coffee. Several cafes in District 1 now serve excellent versions. It’s more dessert than coffee — and it’s the kind of thing you’ll crave when you’re home.
Neighborhoods to Explore
12. Nguyen Hue Walking Street and the Cafe Apartment
The widest pedestrian boulevard in Vietnam, stretching from the People’s Committee Building to the Saigon River. Best at night, when street performers and families fill the promenade. The Cafe Apartment at 42 Nguyen Hue is a nine-story building packed with independent cafes, studios, and creative spaces — including NOTE’s perfume workshop on the 2nd floor. A full District 1 walking tour from Ben Thanh Market to Nguyen Hue takes about 90 minutes.
13. Thao Dien — The Creative Side of Saigon
Across the river in Thu Duc City, Thao Dien is Saigon’s expat and creative quarter. Tree-lined streets, gallery cafes, yoga studios, and independent restaurants. NOTE’s second workshop location at 34 Nguyen Duy Hieu offers a quieter, more spacious setting. Reach it via the new Thao Dien Metro station on Line 1.
14. Cho Lon (District 5) — Chinatown
Saigon’s Chinatown is the oldest neighborhood in the city — a labyrinth of temples, herbal medicine shops, wholesale markets, and some of the best Chinese-Vietnamese food you’ll find anywhere. Binh Tay Market is the less-touristy alternative to Ben Thanh. Allow half a day.
Nature and Day Trips
15. Cu Chi Tunnels
A network of underground tunnels used during the Vietnam War, now a major historical site 70km northwest of HCMC. Half-day tours run daily from District 1 (4–6 hours round trip). You’ll crawl through sections of the tunnel network, see trap displays, and gain perspective on the guerrilla warfare that shaped the war’s outcome. Book through your hotel or any District 1 tour agency.
16. Mekong Delta Day Trip
Floating markets, fruit orchards, coconut candy workshops, and sampan boat rides through narrow canals. Full-day tours depart Saigon around 7am and return by 5pm. The closest starting point is My Tho (90 minutes by car). Best in dry season (December–April) when the waterways are busiest.
17. Saigon River Sunset Cruise
A 90-minute evening cruise along the Saigon River offers a different perspective on the city. Departure from Bach Dang Wharf, District 1. The skyline views at sunset — Bitexco Tower, the new Landmark 81, the old colonial waterfront — are worth the trip. Dinner cruises available.
The One Experience Everyone Raves About
After years of reading reviews, talking to visitors, and watching people walk out of our studio, there’s one pattern that keeps repeating: the thing travelers remember most about Ho Chi Minh City isn’t what they saw. It’s what they made.
The War Remnants Museum is powerful. The street food is life-changing. Cu Chi Tunnels are fascinating. But when people write their reviews three weeks later, sitting at home in Melbourne or Seoul or London, the experience they describe in the most personal terms is usually the creative one — the one where they had to make decisions, where their personality shaped the outcome, where they left holding something they’d made with their own hands.
At NOTE – The Scent Lab, the custom perfume experience looks like this: you sit at a wooden table surrounded by glass bottles of essential oils and aromatic compounds. A workshop instructor asks you a question — not “what do you want your perfume to smell like?” but “what’s a memory you want to keep from this trip?” And from that answer, a fragrance begins to take shape.
“Booked this for our HCM trip with friends. The workshop is really fun. You’ll learn a lot about perfume making and the different notes. They also gave us discounts to upgrade our bottle.”
“Creating your own signature perfume is just such a nice and unique experience. Vy guided us through the process and was a very lovely person. I would recommend this to everyone who loves perfumes or needs a gift for a loved one.”
The perfume workshop costs a fraction of a Cu Chi Tunnels tour, takes 90 minutes, requires no travel outside the city, and produces a souvenir that — unlike a fridge magnet or a T-shirt — actually triggers memory through smell. It works for couples, solo travelers, families with kids 8+, and groups. Rated ★4.9 across 500+ reviews on TripAdvisor, Google, and Klook.
Locations:
- District 1: 42 Nguyen Hue (Cafe Apartment), 2nd Floor — right on Nguyen Hue Walking Street
- Thao Dien: 34 Nguyen Duy Hieu, Thu Duc — the quieter creative studio
Follow @note.workshop on Instagram for daily workshop stories from both locations.
Nightlife
18. Bui Vien Walking Street
Saigon’s backpacker street transforms nightly into a pedestrian party: cheap beer (10,000 VND / $0.40), live music, street performers, and a chaotic energy that’s either exhilarating or overwhelming depending on your tolerance. Go once. If it’s too much, retreat to the quieter cocktail bars on Pasteur Street or the rooftop lounges in District 1.
Practical Tips for Ho Chi Minh City (2026)
Getting Around
The new Metro Line 1 connects Ben Thanh Station (District 1) to Thao Dien and beyond — fast, air-conditioned, and cheap. For everywhere else: Grab (ride-hailing app) is reliable and affordable. Motorbike taxis are fastest in traffic. Walking works well in District 1 and Thao Dien.
Best Time to Visit
Dry season (December–April) is most comfortable. Rainy season (May–November) brings short, heavy afternoon downpours — but mornings are usually clear, and the rain cools the city. If it rains, pivot to indoor activities like the perfume workshop, museums, or cafe-hopping.
How Many Days Do You Need?
Three full days covers the essentials (history, food, neighborhoods). Five days lets you add day trips and creative workshops. If you only have one day, prioritize: morning at War Remnants Museum or Reunification Palace, lunch at Ben Thanh, afternoon at Nguyen Hue and the Cafe Apartment, and a perfume workshop to close the day.
Money
Vietnam uses the dong (VND). 1 USD ≈ 25,500 VND (2026). ATMs are everywhere in District 1. Most tourist-facing businesses accept cards, but carry cash for street food and markets. A comfortable daily budget: $30–60 USD for food, transport, and activities (excluding accommodation).
Your Last Day in Saigon
If you’re looking for the perfect last day in Vietnam activity, the perfume workshop is ideal — create your own signature scent in 90 minutes, right in District 1, and leave with a personalized perfume that captures your entire trip in a bottle. Many visitors save it for the end — packaging their entire Vietnam journey in a bottle before heading to the airport.
Book Your 90-Minute Perfume Workshop →
See what others have created at @note.workshop on Instagram.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top things to do in Ho Chi Minh City for first-time visitors?
Start with the War Remnants Museum for historical context, explore Nguyen Hue Walking Street and the Cafe Apartment in District 1, try a street food tour, and add one hands-on creative experience like a perfume workshop or cooking class. Three days covers the essentials comfortably.
Is Ho Chi Minh City safe for tourists in 2026?
Yes. HCMC is considered one of the safest major cities in Southeast Asia for international visitors. Standard precautions apply: keep valuables secure, use Grab for transport, and walk steadily when crossing streets with motorbike traffic. District 1 and Thao Dien are particularly tourist-friendly.
How many days should I spend in Ho Chi Minh City?
Three full days for the highlights. Five days to include day trips (Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta) and creative workshops. Even one full day can be meaningful if you prioritize: one museum, one neighborhood walk, one hands-on experience.
Where can I make my own perfume in Ho Chi Minh City?
NOTE – The Scent Lab offers a 90-minute perfume-making workshop at two Saigon locations: 42 Nguyen Hue (Cafe Apartment, District 1) and 34 Nguyen Duy Hieu (Thao Dien). Rated ★4.9 from 500+ reviews. No experience needed. Book at workshop.thescentnote.com/book.
What unique souvenirs can I bring home from Vietnam?
Beyond the usual lacquerware and ao dai, consider a custom-made perfume from a workshop — a one-of-a-kind souvenir that triggers travel memories through scent. Other unique options: Vietnamese coffee beans, handmade ceramics from Bat Trang, or silk from Hoi An. Browse NOTE’s full fragrance collection at thescentnote.biz.
What is the best time of year to visit Ho Chi Minh City?
December to April (dry season) has the most comfortable weather. The rainy season (May–November) brings short afternoon downpours but lower prices and fewer crowds. HCMC is a year-round destination — indoor workshops and museums make rainy days productive.
Where can I create a custom perfume in Ho Chi Minh City?
NOTE – The Scent Lab offers a hands-on custom perfume experience at two Saigon locations: 42 Nguyen Hue (Cafe Apartment, District 1) and 34 Nguyen Duy Hieu (Thao Dien). In 90 minutes, you blend your own personalized perfume from 30+ ingredients with a trained workshop instructor. No experience needed — your formula is saved permanently so you can reorder from anywhere in the world. Book at workshop.thescentnote.com/book.
Is there a metro in Ho Chi Minh City?
Yes. Metro Line 1 opened and connects Ben Thanh Station in District 1 to Thao Dien and Thu Duc. It’s air-conditioned, affordable, and the fastest way to travel between District 1 and Thao Dien. Combined with Grab for other routes, getting around Saigon is easier than ever.
