Ho Chi Minh City

Meet the Locals

Benefit from pick-up at your hotel in selected areas of Ho Chi Minh City, and then head by taxi to a local district which is known as a street food paradise to taste authentic banh xeo and banh khot (rice pancakes) away from the tourist crowds. Stroll along a street known for its barbecue seafood vendors and head to a local-favorite restaurant to taste the best bo la lot" (beef in wild betel leaves). Sample a tasty Bot Chien, pan-fried rice cakes with egg and spring onions which is cooked by a local chef with over 25 years experience, and then quench your thirst with a sugar cane juice mixed with a little orange. Continue your food adventure with an authentic banh mi (sandwich) and experience the perfect fusion of 4 delicious flavors with one bite! Walk into the old apartments of Nguyen Thien Thuat, where you can join the locals and try the best barbecue seafood or meat with some local beer and homemade Vietnamese rice wine. Cap off your Saigon street food tour at the night flower market by enjoying an amazing dessert which is coconut ice cream, avocado ice cream or grilled bananas with coconut milk. Your street food guide will take a taxi to go with you get back to your accommodation.

Following a fun ride on the back of your scooter, your first stop is a beef noodle soup called Bun Bo Hue. Following this soup, you will sample Vietnamese savory crispy pancakes at district 3 in a hidden eatery. The third stop is in district 10, where in the middle of a colorful wholesale flower market you will experience how to make steamed rice rolls. Afterwards, try out one of the rolls with fresh herbs, sauce and a sugarcane juice. Hop on the scooter and get to another area to enjoy the most popular street food in Vietnam, Banh My. This food is listed as the number one street food that Vietnamese people eat almost every day, due mainly to its convenience and great taste. Afterwards, you will drive over Nguyen Van Cu Bridge to admire the whole view of Saigon, you will see some stilt houses along the way and enjoy the fresh cool breeze from the river. More food is coming, and you will stop at district 4 and sit on plastic chairs among many locals at a local eatery to have grilled pork with noodles, herbs and vegetables. The last top will be at a place for dessert, where you can have flan cakes or a coconut ice cream as an option. After this unique journey through local flavor, you will be dropped back at your nearby hotel.

After being picked up from your hotel at 8:00 AM by your private car and tour guide, drive for 2-hours out of Saigon to the port. Take a leisurely cruise on the Tien River to see 4 islets which are represented as four mythical animals in Southeast Asia: Dragon, Kirin, Tortoise, and Phoenix. Visit a honey bee farm and taste a delicious honey tea with lemon known for its health properties. If you are feeling adventurous, take the opportunity to stop at a local python farm. Continue to a coconut candy workshop to see how the delicious candies are made by hand. Next, listen to some Don Ca Tai Tu, a genre of traditional folk music. Relax on a rowing boat cruise as you journey through a mangrove palm canal. Continue the trip with a horse-drawn carriage ride through the village to experience the way locals traveled in the 19th-century. Finally, head to the Vinh Trang Pagoda in My Tho Town. This ancient building is considered to be the biggest and oldest pagoda in southern Vietnam and was influenced by Asian and Western architecture and culture. End the tour at around 5:00 PM where you will be returned to Saigon.

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 Banh Xeo and Banh Khot (South and Central rice pancakes), and learn how they are made from a chef with over 20 years experience before riding down hidden alleyways, where you will encounter old apartment buildings. Go on a short adventure to climb up to the top of some old buildings and see the contrasting architecture between modern and authentic Saigon. You can even visit a local pagoda which was built inside an old apartment by a female monk. Visit the biggest night flower market and soak up the wonderful bouquets. Take a short walk around the area, and get a special gift from your guide. Go deep into a true maze of local market to have an authentic local experience by grilling banana cakes. Next, drive to District 5 and pass a street famous for its oil paintings. Stop at a local restaurant to savor some bún chả (grilled pork with noodles, Hanoi style), known as “Obama Noodles” after President Obama and Anthony Bourdain tried them in 2016! Venture into District 10, where the city’s street food scene really thrives. Excite your taste buds with a heavenly dish of coconut ice cream at a shop established in 1975. Watch as the owner prepares some coconut ice cream right before your eyes. Take a spin around the city for enticing views of the night life, and experience the hustle and bustle of 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 food and motorbike tour in District 4, where you will enjoy a seafood or meat meal of 3 different dishes and an authentic food challenge! Try some balut (boiled, fertilized egg) and tuck into a dessert of flan cake with caramel, coffee and coconut milk. Wash it all down with beer, soft drinks, mineral water or homemade Vietnamese sticky rice wine.

On day 1, start your day with an 8:30 AM pick-up from your centrally located hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. Then head to the city of My Tho by bus. During the 1.5-hour bus drive to My Tho, learn about the cultures of the local people and enjoy the nice scenery of green rice fields. Visit Vinh Trang pagoda, the biggest pagoda in Mekong Delta. Continue to My Tho and take a boat trip along Mekong River. During the cruise, see fish cages and floating houses on the river. The boat will take you to a small canal, where you can escape the busy town. The cruise through the coconut trees lined canal will take you to a coconut island in Ben Tre. Disembark, walk around the village and visit a local family to enjoy tropical fruit, taste honey tea, honey wine and listen to Vietnamese traditional music, performed by the villagers. Continue walking on the village’s road to a coconut candy shop to learn how to make candy and see some handicrafts made from coconut trees. Take a walk through the village and discover many kinds of fruits, flowers, trees, and local houses. Take your time and take nice photos while enjoying the natural scenery. Then, head to a local restaurant and enjoy a local Vietnamese lunch under the tree shade. After lunch, have free time to walk or bike around the village, then travel by ferry and bus to Can Tho, the heart of Mekong Delta. Stay overnight in the hotel. On day 2, enjoy a 6:30 AM breakfast and then take a leisurely boat trip to explore the picturesque tributaries of the Lower Mekong river. After, proceed to visit the Cai Răng floating market, which is the liveliest in the whole region. Take in the beautiful scenery and the daily activities of the locals who live along the Mekong canals. Next, you will roam through the village, see fruit gardens and visit a rice husking mill and a rice noodles making shop. Then, head back to the riverside for lunch before traveling back to Ho Chi Minh where you will arrive at around 5:00 PM with unforgettable memories.

After pick-up from your hotel at 07:30, depart Ho Chi Minh City and journey to Vinh Trang pagoda, one of the largest in the Mekong Delta. Admire its ornate facade and large Buddha statue. Then, cruise along the Tien River to experience life in the Mekong Delta up close. Pass by 4 small islands - Phoenix, Unicorn, Dragon and Tortoise Island - see lush tropical trees and the typical stilt houses of the fishing villages as you make your way through the narrow canals by rowing boat. Stop for lunch in an orchard garden and then learn how to make coconut candy. Sample sweet pieces of the candy and buy some of your favorites to take home. Savor a snack of fresh fruits and honey tea as locals entertain you with Vietnamese traditional folk music. Return to the minibus for the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City, where you will arrive at approximately 17:00.

Your tour begins hotel pickup in Ho Chi Minh City between 7:30 AM and 8:00 AM. Travel by minivan or bus to My Tho, a city situated on the Mekong Delta. Take part in a variety of activities that will offer you the chance to get to know Vietnam. Hop aboard a horse-drawn cart and admire the coconut trees that dominate the landscape. Row down the canal in a small boat, then cycle down provincial roads to see the rice fields, pineapple plantations, orchards, and small hamlets. Ride a motorboat down the mighty Mekong River and see Dragon Island, Phoenix Island, and Turtle Island. Stop at the famous Unicorn Island and visit a local bee farm. Taste natural honey along with honey wine, rice wine, and banana wine. Walk through the village, then visit a coconut candy workshop and learn how to make coconut candies. Hop back on the motorboat and travel along lush green canals to a local restaurant where you'll enjoy a Vietnamese lunch. Venture to another part of the island and enjoy tropical fruit as you listen to traditional south Vietnamese music. If you choose the "Luxury Tour Group Tour" option then after this delicious snack, you will take you back to My Tho to visit the Vinh Trang Pagoda. Enjoy the convenience of hotel drop-off once the bus has returned you to Ho Chi Minh City.

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.

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.

Depart at 8:00 AM from your Ho Chi Minh City hotel and head to the Mekong Delta by minivan or bus. Enjoy an unforgettable 2-hour drive to the Mekong Delta along the provincial roads down in the Southern region of Vietnam. Pass rice paddies, pineapple plantations, orchards, and small hamlets.  You'll arrive in My Tho at approximately 10:00 AM where you will ride on a local motorboat past Dragon Island, Phoenix Island, and Turtle Island. Stop at the famous Unicorn Island to visit a natural beekeeping farm, and taste honey wine, rice wine, and banana wine. Then take a walk through the village and row along the coconut canal to see daily local life in the Mekong Delta. Continue your motor boat trip to Ben Tre province to visit a handmade coconut candy workshop. Then transfer to a small motor boat and travel along the lush, green canals, stopping at local Vietnamese restaurant for some traditional food. Later on, enjoy various types of tropical fruits at the orchard garden and listen to traditional music. At the end of the tour, a local boat will take you back to My Tho. From there a bus will drive you back to Ho Chi Minh city, arriving at around 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM.