Vietnam's biggest and most energetic city (formerly Saigon): a French colonial cathedral and post office, the Independence Palace, the War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh Market and late-night Bui Vien street. Street food is cheap and delicious, and the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta are day trips away. In winter MIAT flies non-stop from Ulaanbaatar. Mongolian citizens stay 30 days visa-free.
🛂 Visa: Visa-free · 30 days✈ Flight: 6.5h · direct☀ Best months: December, January, February, March
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: December, January, February, March.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Ben Thanh Market★ 4.1 (60,000)
ShoppingFreeMarket 6:00–18:00; outdoor night market ≈18:00–23:00
The city's 1914 landmark market with its famous clock gate: fabrics, coffee, dried fruit, souvenirs and food stalls inside. Always haggle; a night market sets up outside in the evening.
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goVietnam is visa-free for Mongolians, so preparation is easy: passport, return ticket, insurance.+
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Visa: 30 days visa-free
Since 7 March 2024, Mongolian citizens with an ordinary passport can stay in Vietnam up to 30 days visa-free (not for work or paid activity). Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months, have blank pages, and you need a return ticket. For more than 30 days, get an e-visa on evisa.gov.vn (single entry $25, up to 90 days).
Tip: Only evisa.gov.vn is official; look-alike private sites charge extra.
In winter MIAT flies Ulaanbaatar–Ho Chi Minh City non-stop (twice a week, ~6.5 hours); check the schedule on miat.com. At other times you connect via Seoul, Hong Kong or Bangkok — buy both legs on one booking so your bag is checked through.
International hospitals are expensive, so travel insurance is a must. Street food, markets and taxis are mostly cash, so get dong (₫) from an ATM after landing or exchange US dollars. Declare foreign currency over $5,000 at customs.
Tip: Many shops and restaurants close over Tet (Lunar New Year) — plan for it.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityTan Son Nhat Airport (SGN) is inside the city, close to District 1; international flights use Terminal 2.+
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Bus 109 — the cheapest
The yellow bus 109 runs to Ben Thanh Market and 23/9 Park (near Bui Vien): 15,000₫, plus 15,000₫ for large luggage, ≈45 minutes, every 15–25 minutes from 5:30 to 22:40. Since April 2025 it leaves from Terminal 3, so take the free shuttle over from Terminal 2.
Book a car in the Grab or Xanh SM app for a fixed upfront price and board at the marked pick-up point outside arrivals. For metered taxis pick Vinasun or Mai Linh; turn down people approaching you inside the hall offering a 'taxi'.
With children or a late arrival, a pick-up booked through your hotel is the calmest option. It costs a little more than Grab, but the driver waits with your name on a sign.
Tip: Be wary of anyone offering a 'free transfer' you did not book.
📶Phone and internet+
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SIM at the airport
Viettel, Vinaphone and Mobifone have counters in the arrivals hall: a tourist SIM costs ≈185,000–500,000₫ for up to 30 days. Airport prices are higher than in city shops; registration uses your passport.
🚇Getting aroundDistrict 1's main sights are close together, so walk; use Grab or the metro for anything further.+
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Grab, Xanh SM — cars and motorbikes
The most used transport: a car (GrabCar) or motorbike taxi (GrabBike) with a fixed upfront price, cash or card. With children choose a car. Xanh SM electric taxis work the same way.
The Ben Thanh–Suoi Tien line has 14 stations: a single trip costs 7,000–19,000₫, an unlimited day pass 40,000₫, a 3-day pass 90,000₫. Children under 6 ride free. Handy for the Suoi Tien theme park.
Motorbikes won't stop, they flow around you: cross at the lights, or walk at a calm, steady pace — never stop suddenly or run. Pavements are mostly motorbike parking, so watch your step.
💳Money+
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Dong and ATMs
Notes have many zeros, so don't mix up look-alikes such as 20,000₫ and 200,000₫ (both blue). Vietcombank, BIDV and TPBank ATMs are reliable; gold shops around Ben Thanh Market exchange US dollars at good rates.
Cards work in hotels, supermarkets, malls and larger restaurants; street food and markets are cash. At Ben Thanh Market start haggling at about half the first price, while restaurants and shops have fixed prices. Tipping isn't required.
🍜FoodSaigon food is sweeter and more herb-heavy than Hanoi's; street food runs day and night.+
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What to eat
Com tam — broken rice with grilled pork chop (Saigon's breakfast); hu tieu — noodle soup; banh mi; banh xeo — crispy pancakes you wrap in greens; oc — seafood and snail joints; ca phe sua da — iced milk coffee. For children, fried rice, grilled ribs and fruit.
Tip: Eat where the locals are crowding — high turnover means fresh food.
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Water, ice and hygiene
Don't drink tap water — use bottled water. Bigger cafés and restaurants use factory ice. There have been cases of methanol poisoning from fake spirits, so avoid loose or unbranded alcohol.
On a first visit, a guided evening food tour on foot or by motorbike is the quickest introduction. Ben Thanh Market's food stalls and the seafood on Vinh Khanh street in District 4 come alive at night.
Police 113, fire 114, ambulance 115 — 24 hours. Operators usually speak only Vietnamese, so asking hotel staff or a Vietnamese speaker to call is faster.
Phone and bag snatching from motorbikes is the most common crime in District 1 and Bui Vien: don't hold your phone on the traffic side, and carry your bag on the side away from the road. Cyclos and unmetered taxis overcharge — agree the price first or use Grab.
FV Hospital, Vinmec Central Park, Family Medical Practice and Raffles Medical have English-speaking doctors and emergency care. Call your insurer's assistance line first and they will direct you to a hospital that bills them directly.
Cover shoulders and knees in pagodas, churches and the Independence Palace; some pagodas ask you to take shoes off. Don't stand in front of people praying to take photos.
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Dealing with people
Raising your voice in an argument means losing face in Vietnam — stay calm and smile. Show respect to elders and hand things over with both hands. Don't touch people's heads.
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Politics and the law
Don't insult the state or Ho Chi Minh, and don't tear banknotes. Drug penalties are extremely severe.
Grab is the go-to for taxis, motorbikes and food delivery; Xanh SM electric taxis are a good alternative. Prices are shown upfront, so there is no haggling.
The airport is in the city, but traffic is heavy at rush hour and in the rain, so leave early and allow plenty of time for an international flight. International flights depart from Terminal 2.
The visa-free period counts from your arrival day; overstaying means a fine at exit and may affect future entry. Spend leftover dong before changing it at the airport.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
7:30–17:30 (tickets until 17:00)
Vietnam's best-known museum of the war: helicopters, tanks and planes in the yard; photographs and the effects of Agent Orange inside. Moving, and some halls are too heavy for young children.
CulturePalace 40,000₫ (children 10,000₫); with exhibition 80,000₫ (children 20,000₫)7:00–18:00
The South Vietnamese presidential palace whose gate a tank crashed through on 30 April 1975, ending the war. 1960s furniture, the underground command bunker and the rooftop helicopter remain as they were.
Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office★ 4.4 (50,000)
CultureFreePost office ≈7:00–19:00; cathedral interior open for Mass only during restoration
A cathedral built in 1880 with red bricks shipped from France, and next door the iron-framed Central Post Office designed with input from Eiffel's firm. The cathedral has been under restoration since 2017; new crosses went up in March 2026 but the interior is closed to tourists — the square outside is open.
Culture≈125,000–135,000₫ (foreign visitors); tours ≈$25–607:00–17:00 (tickets until 16:00)
A wartime network of more than 200 km of tunnels dug by guerrillas: crawl through narrow passages and see traps and hideouts. 1.5–2 hours from the city; an adventure for older children, but tight for small kids or anyone with asthma.
City240,000₫ (ages 4–12 160,000₫, under 4 free)9:30–21:30
An observation deck on the 49th floor of the landmark Bitexco tower with its helipad: 360° views of the Saigon River and the city. Go at sunset to see the city by day and by night.
NatureTour ≈$25–60Leaves 7–8 am, back in the evening
My Tho and Ben Tre, about 2 hours from the city: boat rides along palm-lined canals, a coconut candy workshop, fruit orchards and folk music. A calm, easy trip for families.
Kids60,000₫ (children 40,000₫, under 1 m free)7:00–17:30
Founded in 1864, one of the oldest zoos in the world: elephants, tigers, giraffes, monkeys, a botanical garden with centuries-old trees and children's rides. Close to the centre.
Kids220,000₫ (children 0.8–1.4 m 180,000₫, under 0.8 m free)Weekdays ≈9:00–18:00, weekends 8:30–18:00
The city's biggest water park: long slides, a wave pool, a lazy river and a shallow area for little ones. The best hot-day option for families; crowded at weekends.
A wide pedestrian boulevard from the French-era City Hall to the Saigon River: fountains, the Ho Chi Minh statue and an old apartment block full of cafés. Where families stroll and watch street performers in the evening.
CultureFree7:00–18:00 (longer on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month)
A Taoist temple built by the Chinese community in 1909: carved wood and deity statues in clouds of incense, and a turtle pond. Famous for the hall of Kim Hoa, where people pray for children.
