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Ho Chi Minh City Meet the locals

Our most recommended Ho Chi Minh City Meet the locals

Ho Chi Minh: 11 Tastings Street Food Tour by Motorbike

1. Ho Chi Minh: 11 Tastings Street Food Tour by Motorbike

Embark on a motorbike trip around 5 of Ho Chi Minh's colorful districts and hidden streets. Immerse yourself in Saigon's culture, blend into local nightlife, and eat mouthwatering local dishes. You'll ride on a pillion behind the drivers to enjoy the unique atmosphere with your guide and other travelers and create unforgettable memories of Saigon. Try the best local foods and enjoy the amazing ride on the back of a scooter. First, hop on the scooter and head into the crowded roundabout and exciting Saigon traffic on the back of your scooter.  Next head to the Ho Thi Ky wholesale flower market. Take a walk in the market and sit down to learn how to make a crispy banana cracker. Continue to ride through the alleys, passing commercial streets and food vendors. After taking in some unbeatable views from your scooter, stop at a local food place for pho (beef noodle soup) and Banh My, Vietnam's most famous street food. After your meal, your experienced driver will take you to one of the most famous street food areas in Saigon with great diversity in both cuisine and culture. Last but not least, discover the best place for dessert at a local favorite spot in district 4. Sit at a small table and chat with your tour guide. Get to know more about the local life and the ingredients of Vietnamese cuisine. The menu for the 11 tastings includes: • Grilled Oyster with Black Pepper Sauce and Grilled Oyster with Quail Eggs • Bun Bò Hue: A unique Beef Noodle Soup (not pho that you can find everywhere) • Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce • Mini Rice Pancake with Shrimp. Enjoy them wrapped in fresh herbs and salad • Chuoi Nuong: Grilled Banana with Coconut Milk Sauce. A mix of sweet and salty • Crispy Banana Cracker (the best snack from local recommendations) • Bánh Mì: Traditional Baguette with Sausage, Butter, and Meat (No.1 street food in Vietnam) • Banh Trang Nuong: A great mix of Melted Butter, Cheese, Egg, and Vietnamese Sausage • Cold Sugar Cane Juice with Kumquat • Jasmine Tea: A traditional drink in local Vietnamese restaurants • Dessert with Bánh Flan: Flan Cake or Sweet Soup at a popular place for locals

Ho Chi Minh: Motorbike Street Food Tour with Local Students

2. Ho Chi Minh: Motorbike Street Food Tour with Local Students

Sample 5-6 of the best street foods in Ho Chi Minh City, along with 2 drinks and a dessert, on a guided food tour. Visit the places where actual locals go with your guide and gain insights into Vietnamese culture. Sample must-have food and drinks, including banh mi, noodle soup, beer, and more. After pickup from your hotel by motorbike, you will have a chance to see the real Ho Chi Minh City away from the crowds of tourists. Stop at local street food hubs where locals gather and socialize. Explore and immerse yourself in the local culture in the craziness of Saigon's traffic and markets. Eat and sample 8 must-have treats in the city's back alleys. Warm up your taste buds with Bun bo hue beef noodle soup. Then, take a stroll, trying grilled pork with ride noodles on the way. Next, try the traditional Vietnamese banh mi sandwich before enjoying a refreshing sugar cane drink. Next, discover Vietnam's best culinary hidden gem: chuoi nuong grilled banana with coconut milk. Sample this traditional sweet and salty mix of tropical fruits and coconut milk sauce. Then, have a sit-down and relax, sipping a Saigon beer on the terrace of a local restaurant. Then, watch your banh xeo Vietnamese savory crispy pancake being made in front of you. Finally, finish off with the perfect treat, a sweet soup dessert. Be taken back to your hotel, having sampled the must-have delicacies of Ho Chi Minh and experienced Vietnamese culture with your student guide.

Ho Chi Minh: Water Puppet Show Ticket

3. Ho Chi Minh: Water Puppet Show Ticket

Enjoy a performance of fascinating Vietnamese art during a traditional 45-minute water puppet show. The stories told with water puppets are closely associated with the spiritual life of Vietnamese people, especially in the countryside. The stage for the show is the surface of a water pool. Puppeteers demonstrate their clever skills by managing puppets with long bamboo rods and a string mechanism under the surface of the water. A traditional Vietnamese orchestra provides musical accompaniment. The puppets act out the stories told by the songs, which reflect the peaceful life of the Vietnamese countryside.

Ho Chi Minh City: Private Street Food Evening Walking Tour

4. Ho Chi Minh City: Private Street Food Evening Walking Tour

Get lost in the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh as you follow your guide on an insightful stroll through the city's night markets. Join this private tour to learn all about the Vietnamese street food culture and taste a wide variety of popular delicacies. Try some traditional drinks and enjoy a dessert at the end of your tour. Your local street food guide, who has a huge passion with Vietnamese street food will pick you up at your accommodation by taxi or Grab car then leave the tourist area behind and start your food adventure to non-tourist district, a street food paradise, while tasting ‘Bánh Xèo” and “Bánh Khọt” – The Central, and South’s Rice Pancake with a lot of fresh Vietnamese vegetables and herbs. Stroll along a street known for its barbecue seafood vendors and head to a local-favorite restaurant to taste the best "Bò Lá Lốt" (Beef in Wild Betel Leaves) or the specialty "Bánh Canh"- Special Pork Noodle Soup or Thick Noodles Soup with Grilled Chopped Fish . Your immersion in mouth-watering food continues as you head to the alleys of food in the street food district and sample a tasty “Bột Chiên", Pan - Fried Rice Cakes with egg and spring onions which is cooked by a local chef with over 25 years experience or enjoy Steamed Rice Rolls "Bánh Cuốn" are thin sheets of steamed rice batter filled with ground pork and minced wood ear mushrooms. The rice rolls get a glaze of scallion oil and a sprinkle of crispy fried shallots, then served on a bed of fresh thinly sliced cucumbers, chopped lettuce, Vietnamese herbs, blanched bean sprouts and slices of Vietnamese sausage (Chả Lụa). Quench your thirst with a sugar cane juice mixed with a little orange. Next up on your food adventure is tasty Banh Mi - Saigon Baguette. You will experience the perfect fusion of 4 delicious flavors just after the first bite. Walk into the heart of district 3 and explore the old apartments has the name Nguyen Thien Thuat, which is home to dozens of famous Vietnamese street food that will tempt your stomach. On the corner of Seafood alley, you will sit like the locals, and get munching, crunching, sipping and slurping delicious BBQ seafood (if you are allergic to seafood, it will be replaced by BBQ meat). Have local drinks with Saigon special beer or soft drink, mineral water and especially homemade Forest Banana Sticky Rice Wine which is brewed in a clay pot with bananas picked from huge banana trees in the depth of the forest. Cap off your Saigon street food walking tour at the night flower market and street food paradise by enjoying an amazing dessert which is coconut ice cream or avocado ice cream. Your local guide will take a taxi or Grab car to go with you get back to your accommodation.

Ho Chi Minh: City Highlights & Saigon Unseen Motorbike Tour

5. Ho Chi Minh: City Highlights & Saigon Unseen Motorbike Tour

Get the perfect introduction to Saigon life on this half-day guided tour. Zip through the traffic on the back of a motorbike in a group no larger than 5. Explore the bustling streets, colorful markets, and must-see highlights to hidden alleyways, and ancient apartments. Combo City Highlights & Saigon Unseen itinerary: Explore beautiful local alleyways where Vietnamese families work, live, and socialize. Visit the famous Chinatown - the biggest and oldest in the world – where you will find out more about the traditional values and the lifestyles of the mixed cultures in Saigon. Discover city highlights such as the French Quarter's Notre-Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office. Admire the architecture of the Saigon Opera House, the city hall of the city, Nguyen Hue Walking Street and have a great photo with beautiful apartment cafes. Uncover hidden gems of the city such as the The Venerable Thich Quang Duc Monument. Explore Ho Thi Ky Wholesale Flower Market - the largest flower market in the city. Explore the Cambodian Market with a cold drink and snack Visit the Thien Hau Pagoda (Mother of Sea) which was built by the Chinese in 1760 in order to bring their religious beliefs to Viet Nam. On the way back to your hotel pass by Nguyen Trai street located in district 5 which is famous for hundreds of fashion shops along the street.

Ho Chi Minh City: Local Food and Sights Motorbike Night Tour

6. Ho Chi Minh City: Local Food and Sights Motorbike Night Tour

Discover the busy nightlife and local foods of Ho Chi Minh City on a guided tour by motorbike. Immerse yourself in the city's vibrant culture by tasting a variety of delicious traditional dishes. Start out by eating grilled pork vermicelli and spring rolls, one of the traditional dishes in Vietnam. The next place you will visit is the weapons bunker, which is very special and was used to attack the independence palace in 1968. Up next, visit one of the biggest flower markets in Saigon, located in District 10. Enjoy the traditional rice paper baked with eggs, small shrimp, cheese, scallions, pork, and special local sauce. then we'll go around and see the local way of life. After that, move to Chinatown and visit one of the biggest ghost apartment buildings in Saigon where the building with thousands of rooms is uninhabited. Here you will be presented with real ghost stories by the guide. Back to the tour, venture to Nguyen Trai Street, a busy street where almost everything is sold, from clothes to souvenirs. After that, on Nguyen Van Cu Bridge, take in views of the city in the glow of the night. Enjoy a peaceful moment while looking at the Saigon River. Move through the districts to visit District 7 and see the starlight bridge, a place worth visiting. Hear the story of a land full of swamps that transformed into a very beautiful city. Continue to District 4, regarded as the smallest district. Many people from other places in Vietnam move to live here, so the lifestyle and traditions of the residents are extremely varied there. Before drop-off back at your hotel, have a dessert like a tropical fruit smoothie or caramel flan.

Ho Chi Minh City: Private Street Food Motorbike Tour

7. Ho Chi Minh City: Private Street Food Motorbike Tour

Eat your way through Ho Chi Minh City - formerly Saigon - and taste the best street food at night. Meet your English-speaking guides in the evening, and climb on the back of a bike to immerse yourself in the crazy traffic. Join thousands of other motorbikes as you ride the streets and your driver takes you through notable neighborhoods, including District 3 where the locals live. Stop to enjoy some "Bánh Xèo" and "Bánh Khọt" (South and Central rice pancakes), and learn how they are made by a chef with over 20 years of experience. Climb up to the top of old buildings and see the contrasting architecture between the modern and the traditional. You can even visit a local pagoda which was built inside an old apartment by a female monk. Explore the biggest night flower market and street food paradise then soak up the wonderful bouquets. Take a short walk around the area and immerse yourself into the flow of Vietnamese cuisine dating back thousands of years and get a special gift from your guide. Go deep into a true maze of the local market to taste authentic food which is Banana Girdle Cake or "Bánh Tráng Nướng" Vietnamese pizza grilled on charcoal fire. Next, drive to the heart of District 10 and stop at a local 2nd-generation restaurant since 1975 to savor the best Vietnamese Beef Stew "Bò Kho" in the clay pot. Bò Kho is packed with tender, fall-apart braised chunks of beef loaded with herbs, aromatics, and a delicious broth that go perfectly with Vietnamese baguette! Venture into District 5, where the city’s street food scene really thrives. Reward your taste buds with a heavenly dish of coconut ice cream at a local shop. Watch as the owner prepares some coconut ice cream right before your eyes. Take a spin around the city for enticing views of the nightlife, and experience the hustle and bustle of the fashion street. Squeeze through narrow alleyways that cars can’t access, and journey along the banks of the Saigon River with a welcoming breeze. End your motorbike street food experience in District 4, where you will enjoy a seafood meal of 3 different dishes (if you are allergic to seafood, it will be replaced by BBQ meat). Tuck into a nice dessert of flan cake with caramel, coffee, and coconut milk. Wash it all down with a local beer or soft drink, mineral water, and homemade Forest Banana Sticky Rice Wine, brewed in a clay pot with bananas picked from huge banana trees in the depth of the forest.

Ho Chi Minh: Private Can Gio Mangrove Forest Day Tour

8. Ho Chi Minh: Private Can Gio Mangrove Forest Day Tour

Your tour begins at 8:00 AM, at which point you will be collected in a private car from your hotel. After a 40-minute drive, you will reach the Binh Khanh Ferry from where you will depart to Can Gio by boat. Once there, you will drive towards the Can Gio mangrove forest where you can admire the beauty of the green trees along the road. At 10:00 AM, you will have time to explore the mangrove forest, enjoying the fresh air and understanding the locals’ daily lives living along the river banks. You can also learn about the typical flora of mangrove forests and the other types of fauna at the local fishing hamlet. Furthermore, you will go through the forest on a canoe to visit the Reserve Bats Lagoon and the crab pond, before encountering and feeding a herd of deer which is friendly to man. Whilst here, you will also experience a crocodile farm where you can learn the process of hatching crocodiles and witness them in their natural environment. After that, you will venture toward the center of Vam Sat to observe the immensely panoramic views of the Vam Sat mangrove forest from the Tang Bong tower. Whilst there, you can also challenge yourself by crossing a suspension bridge. At 1:00 PM, you will have time for lunch at the Carrot Restaurant, before continuing with your tour in the afternoon. At 2:30 PM, you will go to Monkey Island to see over 1,000 monkeys that are living there. At 3:30 PM, you will return to the Binh Khanh ferry and drive directly to Saigon, where your tour ends at around 5:00 PM.

Saigon City Motorbike Tour

9. Saigon City Motorbike Tour

Be shown this amazing city by a real local who speaks English and has excellent driving skills. Explore the different parts of the city from the tourist attractions to local areas and from the wealthy suburbs to the hidden slums. Discover at least seven districts, each known for different things. At district 1, see Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, Student Bet coffee style park, and Nguyen Hue walking street. See the beautiful French colonial architecture and watch the local youth activities to understand why Saigon is known as a promised land in Vietnam. In district 3 learn about the Venerable Thich Quang Duc Monument. Thich Quang Duc monk burned himself to death to protest against the persecution of Buddhism during the Vietnamese War in June 1963. Explore some of the oldest buildings in Saigon and the typical shopping streets and small markets. This district is a desirable area for the middle-class with a quiet and tranquil atmosphere and French architecture villas. Head to district 10 for the best flower market in Saigon. If you are a flower lover, make sure you do not miss this biggest wholesale market. Immerse yourself in many kinds of tropical and imported flowers with the most reasonable prices in town. District 5 and 6 are home to China Town and the most active shopping streets and traditional markets that locals go to. You can wander through the roosters and birds market, fabric market, traditional Chinese medicine market, and the biggest motorbike accessories market in Saigon. Learn why China Town in Saigon is different and how the Chinese and Vietnamese people live together and trade in Saigon. Discover the real local town along the Saigon River in district 8 and 4. This is the time for a truly deep view inside the real life of normal local people. Some still live in slums on the other side of Saigon River and some are luckier with little homes in the car-free zone. Then head to the typical expat area of district 7, known as Japanese and Korean town. Unlike the other places you see on your tour, the Southern Saigon area is totally different with a brightly organized gated community.

Saigon Slum Tour with Motorbike

10. Saigon Slum Tour with Motorbike

Begin your 4-hour tour with a pick-up from your hotel at 8:00 AM. On this tour, you will discover Ho Chi Minh City, also informally known by its former name of Saigon. Saigon is seen as the center of frenetic commercial activities, a fast-growing environment and a land of contrasts - between rich and poor, country and city, past and present.  Receive a full view of the city in just a few hours while sitting on the back of a motorbike like the locals. Experience the difference between the touristic hub of Saigon and the slums inside the city center as well as outside. Visit the slums in the old mafia area and the slums along the river through districts 5 to 7. Witness the slums in process of dismantling and re-construction.  Learn more about the local guide's views and thoughts and hear about the life in the slums. You will also visit the charity food stall, where they sell a meal with rice for only 2,000 VND. This tour shows you the contrast of the city and tells you about Vietnam's society after the war, the bustling city and how people make a living in the slum areas, giving you a different perspective on Saigon and a better understanding of the city.

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Frequently asked questions about Ho Chi Minh City

What top attractions are a must-see in Ho Chi Minh City?

What are the best day trips and excursions from Ho Chi Minh City?

The best day trips and excursions from Ho Chi Minh City are:

Cu Chi Tunnels

Other Sightseeing Options in Ho Chi Minh City

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What people are saying about Ho Chi Minh City

Overall rating

4.7 / 5

based on 3,735 reviews

My partner and I booked a half day tour for Cu Chi Tunnels and were looking forward to it as it holds a significant place in the history of Vietnam. Our day started with an on-time pick up from Quan 1 and then with several other pick ups from around. Once everyone was onboard, our super friendly, highly informative and welcoming host Tu first briefed us about the itinerary and then gave an elaborated insight of Cu Chi Tunnels, the war, the aftermath of the war etc. While he explained us the whole scenario he ensured that it was narrated in a tasteful manner. Tu is an extremely warm person, eager to answer all your questions and didn't rush into the process of explaining anything or showing around the place. He ensured we all were safe at all times, were well behaved amongst each other and had a good time as a group. I would highly recommend everyone to book a tour with them and if you are lucky, you would have To as your host!

We had one of the most memorable nights during our time in Vietnam with Lisa and Robert on the tour. They did an awesome job in introducing us to the street food scene in Saigon but what we enjoyed the most was their amazing company and their willingness to share their stories with us. You will have one of the best nights in your life if you go on a tour with Lisa and Robert! Will highly recommend, not only for the introduction to Saigon’s food scene but also to get under the skin of the people and the culture of Vietnam.

Chau, our tour guide was absolutely fantastic and very informative. quite a lot of the trip was spent traveling to the attractions but that was expected. If you wanted more time at each attraction then it may be worth booking the Cu Chi and Mekong delta on separate days but if you have little time in HCMC then it's worth doing.

Amazing experience with a professional guide girl with a perfect sense of humor. Unfortunately I cannot recall her name, we were on the tour on 12.3. I fully recommend this tour. The only small problem was the waiting time at the shooting range because it was a little loudly for those who did not want to shoot.

It was a great chance to learn about vietnam side during the war.