So you’re based in Ho Chi Minh City — or passing through — and you’ve got a day to spare. Good news: some of Vietnam’s best stuff isn’t in the city itself. It’s a couple of hours outside.
Cu Chi’s underground tunnels, the Mekong Delta’s maze of rivers, Vung Tau’s beach-and-seafood scene. Even a UNESCO biosphere reserve full of monkeys and crocodiles. All doable in a day from Saigon.
Here are 8 of the best day trips from Ho Chi Minh City — what they are, how long they take, and what you’re actually getting into.
1. Cu Chi Tunnels
The Details
Distance from HCMC: ~60km northwest — 1–1.5 hours by car or bus
Best for: History buffs, war-history travelers, anyone who wants to crawl through an actual tunnel
Price: 125,000 VND entrance (~$5 USD); guided tours from 249,000 VND (~$11 USD)
You know the story: an enormous underground network used by the Viet Cong during the war — living quarters, hospitals, kitchens, all of it underground. What you don’t get from reading about it is how cramped it actually feels inside those tunnels.
I’ve been three times now. Each time, the same reaction: how did people live here for weeks at a time? The tunnels have been widened for tourists (they’re bigger than the originals), and they’re still tight. The original ones? I’m 5’8" and I wouldn’t make it 20 meters.
You’ll crawl through a section. See how they disguised trapdoors. Visit the shooting range if you want to fire an AK-47 (you do).
Half-day is enough. Morning trips leave around 7:30–8am, back by 1–2pm. Afternoon sessions also run but it gets hot. Take water.
2. Mekong Delta — Ben Tre
The Details
Distance from HCMC: ~80km south — 1.5–2 hours by car
Best for: River life, coconut candy, sampan boat rides, fruit orchards, seeing rural Vietnam
Price: From 1,000,000 VND per person (~$40 USD) for a full-day group tour
The Mekong Delta is the whole reason southern Vietnam grows the country’s rice, fruit, and vegetables. A day trip to Ben Tre — one of the less touristy delta provinces — gets you on the water, through the canals, and into places that feel a long way from Saigon’s traffic.
You’ll ride a motorboat down the river, then switch to a rowboat for the narrow palm-shaded canals. Stop at a coconut candy workshop. Walk through fruit orchards. Eat lunch on an island. There’s even a “fish toilet” — yes, that’s what it sounds like — if you take the really local route.
Ben Tre is better than My Tho for this. Fewer crowds, more authentic. An AN Tours Vietnam private tour covers it all, with air-conditioned transport from your hotel and a local guide who actually grew up in the delta.
Full day, 7:30am–5pm. Wear light clothes. Bring insect repellent.
3. Vung Tau Beach City
The Details
Distance from HCMC: ~100km southeast — 2–2.5 hours by car, or 1.5 hours by high-speed ferry
Best for: Beach, seafood, the Christ the King statue, banh khot (mini savory pancakes)
Price: Ferry ~250,000 VND each way (~$10 USD); private car tour from 1,200,000 VND (~$48 USD)
Vung Tau is Ho Chi Minh City’s closest beach escape. It’s not a world-class beach — if you’ve been to Phuket or Bali, you’ll notice the difference — but the town itself has a lot going on.
Climb (or take the gondola up) to the Christ the King statue — smaller than Rio’s but still impressive at 32 meters — for the view over the bay. Eat banh khot at a sidewalk spot. Walk the beachfront promenade. Visit the Whale Temple if you’re into local marine folklore.
The hydrofoil ferry from HCMC takes about 90 minutes. Private car is more comfortable and gives you flexibility. A full-day private tour from AN Tours Vietnam covers Christ Statue, the beaches, and the best banh khot spots.
Best for: a relaxed day by the sea with good seafood and zero itinerary pressure.
4. Can Gio Mangrove Forest — Monkey Island
The Details
Distance from HCMC: ~50km southeast — 1.5–2 hours by car, or bus + ferry
Best for: Wildlife, mangroves, war history, something different from the usual tours
Price: Entrance ~35,000 VND; guided tours from 1,000,000 VND per person
Can Gio is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — 80,000 hectares of mangroves that were nearly destroyed by Agent Orange during the war. Now it’s one of the most biodiverse spots near HCMC. And yes, there are monkeys. Hundreds of them.
You’ll visit the Rung Sac guerrilla base (rebuilt life-size models of the Viet Cong camp), feed crocodiles at the sanctuary (if that’s your thing), and watch monkeys do what monkeys do — which is steal your snacks if you’re not careful. Avoid carrying visible food. They’re fast.
The beaches here aren’t the draw. The mangrove boat ride is. You glide through narrow canals under a canopy of trees, and for a few minutes it feels like you’re nowhere near a city of 9 million people.
Bring insect repellent. Serious about this. The mosquitoes here don’t mess around.
5. Cao Dai Temple & Cu Chi Tunnels Combo
The Details
Distance from HCMC: Tay Ninh is ~100km northwest — 2 hours by car
Best for: Seeing two completely different attractions in one day
Price: Combo tours from 600,000–800,000 VND (~$25–35 USD)
This is the “two for one” day trip. You visit the Cao Dai Holy See in Tay Ninh for the midday service (it’s a fascinating religion — mixes Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, and Confucianism) and then head to Cu Chi Tunnels in the afternoon.
Watching the Cao Dai service is surreal. Followers in white, yellow, blue, and red robes. The Divine Eye symbol everywhere. A choir sings. The whole thing feels like a blend of every major religion you’ve ever heard of — because it is.
Then, two hours later, you’re crawling through a war tunnel. Not many places offer that kind of contrast in a single day.
Open-tour buses do this route for a reasonable price. Private tours are more comfortable and let you skip the souvenir stops.
6. Farm Tour & Cooking Class (HCMC Outskirts)
The Details
Distance from HCMC: ~30km from city center — 45 minutes by car
Best for: Food lovers, families, hands-on travelers who want to cook, not just eat
Price: From 1,150,000 VND per person (~$46 USD) — private tour, all ingredients included
Not all day trips need to be hours away. AN Tours Vietnam runs a half-day Farm Tour and Cooking Class on the outskirts of HCMC — you visit an organic farm, pick your own vegetables, and cook a full Vietnamese meal with a local chef.
You know that feeling when you eat pho at a restaurant and wonder how they get the broth so good? This is where you find out. The farm grows everything from herbs to morning glory to the specific type of banana leaf used for wrapping nem. You’ll use it all in the cooking session.
Half-day format means you’re back in the city by early afternoon, with enough time to explore more or just take a nap after the feast. We brought a group of four Australians here last month — they all agreed it was the most fun they had in Saigon.
Booking: Available through AN Tours Vietnam — WhatsApp/Zalo: +84 70 6666 520
7. Ho Tram Beach
The Details
Distance from HCMC: ~125km southeast — 2–2.5 hours by car
Best for: Quiet beach, resort-lounging, fewer crowds than Vung Tau
Price: Free (public beach); resort packages vary
If Vung Tau is too busy for you, Ho Tram is the answer. It’s further down the coast, quieter, and the beach is genuinely cleaner. The sand here is the kind you actually want to lie on.
The Grand Ho Tram Strip is the big resort in the area — Vegas-style casino, pool, golf course, multiple restaurants. But you don’t have to stay there to enjoy the beach. The public stretch is just as good, especially on weekdays when it’s nearly empty.
Ho Tram works best as a slow day trip. Leave HCMC by 8am, arrive by 10:30, spend the day on the beach or at a resort pool, eat fresh seafood for lunch, head back by 4pm. Simple.
8. Saigon City Tour by Scooter — The “You Don’t Even Need to Leave” Option
The Details
Distance: Zero — it’s in the city
Best for: First-timers, short-on-time travelers, anyone who wants to see Saigon with a local
Price: From 890,000 VND per person (~$35 USD) for a half-day private tour
Technically not a day trip — you never leave HCMC — but it deserves a spot on this list because the city itself has more to see than most travelers realize. And doing it by scooter (on the back of a local’s bike) is the only way to do it right.
AN Tours Vietnam’s Saigon Unseen Motorbike Tour hits the places buses can’t reach: the alleys, the hidden markets, the backstreet workshops. You’ll see the Reunification Palace, the Central Post Office, and the Jade Emperor Pagoda from the outside — but the real tour is in the neighborhoods behind them.
Half-day, either morning or afternoon. If you go in the afternoon, you’ll catch the street food vendors setting up. I always tell people: do this on your first day in Saigon. It gives you the lay of the land better than any map.
Booking: Available through AN Tours Vietnam — WhatsApp/Zalo: +84 70 6666 520
What to Know
- <strong>Start early.</strong> Most day trips involve 1–2 hours of driving. Leave by 7:30–8am to maximize your time.
- <strong>Book ahead for private tours.</strong> Group tours are cheaper but you’ll wait for other people. Private tours cost more but run on your schedule.
- <strong>Bring cash.</strong> Markets, small restaurants, and entrance fees are cash-only in most places.
- <strong>Pack for humidity.</strong> June means hot and sticky everywhere. Light clothes, sunscreen, a hat. And insect repellent if you’re going to Can Gio or the Mekong Delta.
- <strong>Skip the set menus.</strong> At Vung Tau’s seafood stalls, order what you see in the tanks, not what’s on a pre-printed menu.
Quick Reference
- <strong>Cu Chi Tunnels</strong> — Half-day, 60km NW, from 125,000 VND entry
- <strong>Mekong Delta (Ben Tre)</strong> — Full-day, 80km S, from 1,000,000 VND/person
- <strong>Vung Tau</strong> — Full-day, 100km SE, from 250,000 VND ferry each way
- <strong>Can Gio Mangrove Forest</strong> — Full-day, 50km SE, from 35,000 VND entry
- <strong>Cao Dai Temple + Cu Chi</strong> — Full-day, 100km NW, from 600,000 VND/person
- <strong>Farm Tour & Cooking Class</strong> — Half-day, 30km, from 1,150,000 VND/person
- <strong>Ho Tram Beach</strong> — Full-day, 125km SE, free (public)
- <strong>Saigon City Tour by Scooter</strong> — Half-day, in-city, from 890,000 VND/person
The Short Version
If you’ve only got one day, do the Mekong Delta. If you’ve got a half-day, do Cu Chi. If you want a relaxed day by the sea, go to Vung Tau or Ho Tram depending on your crowd tolerance.
For everything else — farm cooking, mangrove monkeys, scooter city tours — AN Tours Vietnam has you covered. Reach out on <strong>WhatsApp/Zalo: +84 70 6666 520</strong> to book anything on this list, or check out the <a href="https://antoursvietnam.com/vietnam-travel-visa-service/">Vietnam visa service</a> if you’re still planning your trip.
