Watch Ho Chi Minh City awaken after morning hotel pickup by your guide. Travel in a climate-controlled vehicle to Tao Dan Park, and take a short walk with your guide to see locals perform their daily prayers and exercise.
Next, visit a fresh market where vendors sell live fish, dried meats, fresh vegetables and housewares. Enjoy a bowl of pho noodle soup for breakfast, sitting with locals at popular Pho 24 restaurant. Then sip Vietnamese coffee at one of the city’s busiest cafés.
Return to your air-conditioned vehicle to see Reunification Palace (aka Independence Palace), site of dramatic events during the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Take a short walk to Dong Khoi Street and Nguyen Hue Boulevard, known for boutiques and French colonial buildings including Saigon City Hall, Saigon Opera House, Central Post Office and Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral. Nearby, spot the Saigon River and Vietnam's highest building, Bitexco Tower.
Browse stalls filled with t-shirts, ceramics and more at vibrant Ben Thanh, then have lunch at a local restaurant. Afterward, return to your hotel for about two hours of free time before resuming your tour in the evening.
Your evening tour proceeds on the back of a motorbike — a classic mode of transport in Vietnam. Travel from location to location, sampling a range of delicious foods with your local guide. Stop at several stalls to try dishes that may include fresh seafood, Vietnamese crepes and hearty soups. Your dinner is accompanied by beer or rice wine. Soak up the night life and local culture until your guide returns you to your hotel to end your tour.
