Vietnam Travel Guide 2023: Budget, Itinerary, Tips (Ho Chi Minh Edition)

Another month, another blog! It's been over a month since my last blog post and that's because I'm currently in Washington. My 2023 Vietnam guide is long overdue and I can't wait to share what I experienced, as well as many of the things you can do in Ho Chi Minh!

Just like Japan and Bali, Vietnam was nothing short of amazing, and I'm so happy to have been able to bring my dad and Inna here for food (and caffeine) trips. Keep than that to learn more about what it's like in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam!

Traveling to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam from the Philippines

Here are the Vietnam travel requirements for Filipinos:

• A passport valid for at least 6 months
• Boarding pass and proof of return flight
• Hotel booking confirmation (for immigration in case they ask)
• eTravel QR code for PH departure and arrival

Remember: Filipinos do NOT need a visa to enter Vietnam, provided that their stay is up to 21 days long. Anything longer than that will require an eVisa, which is good for up to 90 days.

We flew from Metro Manila via Cebu Pacific, as always! I know Cebu Pacific is known for delays, and for this trip, we were delayed for almost 3 hours. Not the worst, but it was a bit of an inconvenience, considering it was a red-eye flight. 

For the flight, we paid 5,423.72 PHP per person. It wasn't a piso sale, otherwise, it would have been in the 4,000 PHP range, so I recommend waiting for that ultimate sale to save more! The fare also did not include extra luggage, which would cost 1,200 PHP for 20kg per trip.

Immigration went smoothly, no questions asked going to Vietnam and upon arrival. Arrival in Vietnam was smooth and there were no lines, we just went through after immigration and was out of the airport in less than 30 minutes. 

Internet Connection

We had no trouble with Internet connection in Ho Chi Minh throughout our stay. The WiFi in the AirBnB we stayed at was fast, and you'll find WiFi in most restaurants and cafes, making it a haven for digital nomads.

To ensure I had Internet everywhere, I decided to purchase a sim card for 150,000 VND (350 PHP), which was good for 10 days with unlimited Internet. I only bought one and used my phone as a hotspot for my dad and sister to connect. There was no trouble with the signal and we had Internet regardless of where we were.

Getting Around Vietnam

In Ho Chi Minh, it's possible to commute to get to different places. However, the best course of action for a group of 3 was to book a GrabCar, as Grab rates are way more affordable compared to the Philippines. Whenever I needed to go on my own and was too lazy to walk, I took a GrabBike.

I highly recommend using Grab, as I have heard that taxicabs can be similar to the Philippines where they quote high prices, especially when coming from the airport. This isn't sponsored, but I do appreciate how cost-effective Grab is, especially with their different promos available for both food and transportation. Some days, I would use GrabFood and get major discounts!

Where to Stay in Vietnam

I mentioned sometimes being too lazy to walk, and yes, we ended up walking to a lot of different attractions and restaurants because we chose an AirBnB within walking distance of almost everything. Besides that, it was in the center of District 1, where most tour buses can pick us up from (that saved me more time and money compared to going to a certain meetup point for tours).

The AirBnB we stayed at operates as a hotel. It isn't the most luxurious, but it was very spacious for 3 people with a clean, modern bathroom (this is super important for me).

You can find the AirBnB here. The place is called Tien An Hotel and you can find it on Google Maps as DNGO Home.

It also offered everything necessary for a comfortable stay, including WiFi, toiletries, daily cleaning, laundry (a bit expensive), drinking water and a kettle, refrigerator, smart TV (with Netflix), and shared kitchen facilities if needed. Service was also great but they aren't fluent in English, so make sure you have Google Translate!

Again, the location was amazing, and one of the reasons why I'll be checking in here the next time I'm in Ho Chi Minh. It was within walking distance of the Ben Thanh Market, Bui Vien Street, Independence Palace, and more! You're also neighbors with many restaurants, convenience stores, and pharmacies. 

Besides that, it's a less than 10-minute walk from public transportation, if you choose to commute around the city. 

My Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam DIY Itinerary

I'll be making this a quick itinerary with links to the tours we made and some travel tips to make things even more enjoyable. All my tours were booked via Klook, so make sure you save more and use my code ISSAPANDAS for extra discounts!

June 7 - Arrival

We arrived at around 2:00AM and we got an early check-in for 850 PHP. Since we had a red-eye flight and experienced a 3-hour delay, it was best to sleep in and spend our day in Ben Thanh Market, just so we could prepare for full days of walking in the coming week.

June 8 - DIY Tour Around District 1

While most tourist attractions were walkable, it was more convenient to take the Hop On Hop Off bus. Sounds extremely touristy, but we got to go to most of the major tourist attractions within District 1 while we enjoyed the cool weather on the second level of the bus. 

We headed to these attractions:

• Saigon Opera House
• The War Remnants Museum
• Ho Chi Minh Campaign Museum
• Independence Palace
• Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral
• Saigon Central Post Office

I booked the HOHO bus via Klook, which was easy to purchase and redeem. You just need to pick up your ticket at the Saigon Opera House, then you can get on the next bus and explore. 

June 9 - Stand Up Paddle Boarding

There will always be one day I try something new (and drag my family along). This time, it's SUP, another fun activity booked via Klook. It's a bit further out from the city but we got a private class with a fantastic instructor. 

Just make sure you ready your arms because it will be a LOT of paddling, and some core work staying on the paddleboard!

June 10 - Rest

Whenever we had rest days from tours or activities, I would take 1-2 pole classes at Pole Cat Studio, which offered affordable class packages. We also tried a lot of Vietnam's coffee, which I don't recommend doing. One coffee a day will be enough to keep you up, and two coffees will have you jumping!

We also had dinner at Pho Viet Nam, a Michelin-recommended restaurant with authentic pho. Definitely was the best bowl of pho I've ever had!

June 11 - Pilgrimage Day Tour

The Pilgrimage Day Tour was a very interesting one, and while I recommend taking it, I need to warn you that this is a Vietnamese tour, so our tour guides didn't speak English. Fortunately, there was one other tourist with us who also made the same "mistake," but it ended up being an amazing day, especially in the Ba Den Mountain! Another huge plus is that the tour included lunch and snacks, though I wish we had more time to spend in Sun World Ba Den Mountain. 

To avoid making the same mistake I did, take the shuttle bus so you have more time to explore Ba Den Mountain and purchase your Cable Car tickets in advance. 

Take note that this tour did not include the Cable Car ticket heading up to Ba Den Mountain, but you can purchase it via Klook rather than falling in line in the ticket booth. We just needed to scan our QR code and we were good to go. In my opinion, I'd rather spend the entire day in the peak!

June 12 - Mekong Delta Tour

I really enjoyed this full-day Mekong Delta tour because the tour guide and fellow tourists with us were amazing! We also got to have a good lunch and lots of snacks, which included taste-testing local wine that tasted like straight-up vodka. 

It was quite a trip because we got to experience another side of Vietnam, making it worth the long-ish trip to and from Ho Chi Minh.

June 13 - Rest

After two straight days of tours, we deserved a break (and more pole classes). I still managed to make the mistake of drinking coffee before pole class, and more coffee again afterward. 

While Vietnamese coffee is extremely strong, it's also delicious and addicting. I'm wondering if there are any decaf options or if I'll sound like a coward asking for decaf next time?

We went to Ang-E Coffee, which had the best iced white coffee that I still dream about. Nothing could top it (so far).

June 14 - Can Gio Tour

This full-day tour consisted of exploring Monkey Island, Hoa Ca Crocodile Farm, and the Sac Mangrove Forest, followed by the Can Gio Market and lunch by the Can Gio beach (it wasn't impressive, so manage your expectations).

I loved how friendly the monkeys were, though they were very intrusive and there's the possibility they can steal anything you're holding or wearing, so keep your phones, caps, and sunglasses hidden! 

There will be an option to avail of the boat ride going back from the Sac Guerilla Forest back to the entrance of Monkey Island for almost 300 PHP per person. We opted out of it and decided to walk back, which only took less than 20 minutes. 

June 15 - Cu Chi Tunnels Tour

Exploring the Cu Chi Tunnels was definitely interesting and worth experiencing. To see how Viet Cong soldiers lived during the war, along with the bunkers and booby traps, was an eye-opener, just as much as the War Remnants Museum. 

Can you believe that the tunnels were widened for tourists? We opted to crawl through the actual tunnel, which was about 50-70 meters long and an extremely tight space. If you're claustrophobic or easily panic, I do NOT recommend taking this part. It's a very tight squeeze and might feel overwhelming, even I was a bit panicked while crawling as the space got tighter and tighter. 

Since this was a half-day tour, we got home early enough to check out the Cafe Apartment, which is filled with, you guessed it, restaurants and cafes. We got to have late lunch in 42 Nguyen Hue Coffee, which offered vegetarian meals, and dessert at Dosh Coffee, which had yummy donuts.

June 16 - Rest

More pole classes and over-caffeinating myself with robusta coffee! Pro-tip: Don't take pole classes after having a lot of coffee, the dizziness will leave you so out of balance. Today was also Cashless Day, so there was a huge food fest! We ate a lot of good food and weirdly paid via cash, haha. I live for food markets, so it was nice eating as much as our stomachs could.

We also went to Little Hanoi, which someone recommended for their egg coffee. Absolutely delicious, it was my first time trying authentic egg coffee and it didn't disappoint. I swear, Vietnam has the best coffee and cafes!

June 17 - Dinner Cruise

For my dad's birthday, we went on a dinner cruise, though it wasn't the most memorable. While a dinner cruise was fun to experience, I would recommend celebrating big events in other ways, such as a seafood buffet!

June 18 - Rest and Souvenir Shopping

It was Father's Day! We went around Ben Thanh Market for souvenir shopping and put my haggling skills to the test. Make sure you negotiate well and get the best deal. A lot of times, prices are up to 70% higher than they should be. ;) 

For Father's Day dinner, we had unli-KBBQ in Bros BBQ, which was amazingly good and worth the 1-kilometer walk from our accommodation. I was so addicted to their cheesy corn and beef bulgogi, I still think about it until now. We also decided to walk back home to help our stomachs digest all the meat we ate, LOL. 

June 19 - Roam Around District 1 + Flight

On this day, I decided to have my last two pole classes after checking out of our hotel. We left our luggage so we could have lunch, roam around District 1, and do last-minute souvenir shopping before heading to the airport. 

My Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Travel Budget

What's the damage?

• Flight tickets: 16,275 PHP
• Travel tax: 4,850 PHP
• Luggage (20kg round trip): 2,090 PHP
• Baggage penalty: 4,200 PHP
• Travel insurance: 1,950 PHP
• AirBnB: 21,225 PHP
• Food and groceries: 22,000 PHP
• Sim card: 350 PHP
• Pole classes: 3,125 PHP
• Souvenirs: 3,825 PHP
• Transportation (all Grab): 2,300 PHP
• Tours: 24,300 PHP
• Hop On Hop Off Bus: 1,716 PHP
• Stand Up Paddle Board: 3,535 PHP
• Pilgrimage Day Tour: 3,651 PHP
• Ba Dem Mountain Cable Car: 2,257 PHP
• Can Gio Tour: 4,407 PHP
• Mekong Delta Tour: 3,652 PHP
• Cu Chi Tunnels: 2,610 PHP
• Dinner Cruise: 2,042 PHP
• Miscellaneous tour fees and tips: 430 PHP
• Entrance fees: 490 PHP
• Miscellaneous fees (ATM fees, laundry, tips, etc): 720 PHP

Total: 108,000 PHP (36,000 PHP/person) for 13 days

Not bad! You can spend less if you don't make the same mistake as I did and weigh your baggage prior to going to the airport. I also spent on pole classes, which also made a bit of a dent in my allowance, but pole is a must for me. :)

Another way I got to save a lot was through Klook and their various promos! I got to save even more using promo codes and waited for their sales, making it more sulit. If you plan on booking via Klook, make sure to use my code ISSAPANDAS for 3-5% off on activities and hotels.

I hope to go back to Vietnam soon, and not just to Ho Chi Minh. I'd love to explore Hanoi and Da Nang one day, with a quick pit stop to HCMC for the banh mi and pole class! For now, I'm enjoying the cold here in the USA. ;)

Hope this Vietnam travel guide helped you out! Next up will be Japan's theme parks (hello, Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea, and Universal Studios Japan), feel free to share your thoughts or ask questions below, I'll answer ASAP!