12 Best Places to Visit Near Ho Chi Minh City

Going out on a short day trip is always a great idea for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle. Contrary to the vibrant city, there are many peaceful tourist destinations in Ho Chi Minh for you to admire. Here are our top picks of the best places to visit near Ho Chi Minh City.

1. Cu Chi Tunnels

When talking about Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), people frequently think of it as Vietnam’s most contemporary and dynamic city, yet it’s also bearing its own historical marks. Not too far from Ho Chi Minh City centre which is only 57km away, there is a fascinating underground network called Cu Chi Tunnels. These tunnels spanned over 220km and played an important role in Vietnam's extensive struggle for freedom during the Vietnam War. 

When you visit, you will get the opportunity to explore an underground village, including a school, hospital, and working offices. You can also see fighting bunkers and perilous booby traps, experience shooting with an AK47, M16, or machine gun, and sample local specialities like steamed tapioca and hot tea, which were the major foods during the conflict. 

Keep in mind that if you have even a mild case of claustrophobia, you should consider not going down to the tunnels as the space is very tight in some areas. 

Cu Chi Tunnels is one of the most popular places to visit near Ho Chi Minh City that you should not miss, so get ready to drive through the countryside and learn about Vietnam's history and culture by joining our Cu Chi Tunnels Tours. 

Hidden in Cu Chi Tunnel

2. Vung Tau

Vung Tau is an excellent choice for a weekend getaway because it is geographically close, only two hours away by bus or shuttle, offers a variety of activities, and has an abundance of good seafood.

Vung Tau, as a seaside city, is mainly known as a beach destination, but it also has a city core. Because the city is located on a peninsula, it has multiple beaches, the most accessible and popular of which are Font Beach and Back Beach. With a long stretch of shoreline, the rear beach Back Beach is regarded as the best of the beaches here. Font Beach, on the other hand, is directly in the city centre, making it easier to get there, but anticipate it to be busier as a result.

Vung Tau at night

3. Dalat

Similar to Vung Tau, Dalat is also a famous option for a weekend escape for Saigonese and a trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat is very easy to do. The city has a lot of fascinating landmarks. Its lakes and waterfalls have always been major tourist attractions, as have Emperor Bao Dai's Summer Palace and Buddhist pagodas. The French Quarter, located not far from the city centre, has a considerable number of well-preserved French homes and chalets.

Not only a beautiful city, but Dalat also offers travellers some thrilling activities which you can only find here such as Dalat Canyoning, Dalat white water rafting,...

4. Dong Nai

Dong Nai is a place to visit near Ho Chi Minh City with beautiful waterfalls and streams that captivate visitors with a uniquely poetic and romantic panorama of Vietnam's Southeast. As a rich land with over 300 formed and developed by the Dong Nai river, it brings fertile alluvial soil, making it's a perfect home to a diverse ecosystem, now preserved in Nam Cat Tien National Park.

Many ups and downs in history have developed a distinct national identity for this sub-cultural region. Dong Nai has a rich folklore legacy because it is home to several ethnic groups, the majority of which are Vietnamese. There are also Chinese, Xieng, Cho Ro, Cham... 

5. Ben Tre

Ben Tre, the Mekong Delta's coconut capital, is a 20-minute boat journey from My Tho (and then a 10-minute xe om ride). Many Mekong Delta day tours from Ho Chi Minh City stop in Ben Tre, which offers a number of intriguing waterways and river islands to visit, as well as various coconut candy factories.

The town is famed for its coconut candy, and you can tour the companies that create it as well as the farms where the coconuts are collected. Furthermore, it is simple to schedule a sampan ride along with the Mekong's lush river canopies, as seen in every vacation brochure about the Mekong.

Boat trip in Ben Tre

6. Tien Giang

Because the Mekong Delta produces two-thirds of the fruit consumed in Vietnam, tasting the fruits should be done when being here. Fruit orchards, which may be found across the region, are ideal for this. Cai Be Fruit Orchard in Tien is the largest fruit orchard in the delta, and it serves a variety of tropical fruits. During your visit to the orchard, you can select ripe fruit directly off the trees and enjoy it.

7. Can Tho

Can Tho be 197km from Ho Chi Minh City, which is considered the capital of Vietnam's Mekong Delta region, one of its largest cities, and the location of the Cái Răng floating market? Here, you'll witness hundreds of boats loaded with more fruit kinds than you could ever imagine. Despite being a huge, relatively industrialized city, Cn Th also functions as a cultural hub for the neighbouring rural areas. The good thing about this city is that you may have the best of both worlds: excellent accommodations in the city centre, as well as convenient day, trips to explore the charming farming settlements. It takes about four hours to go to Can Tho from Ho Chi Minh by bus.

Cai Rang Floating market in Can tho

8. Bac Lieu

A huge bird sanctuary, about 5 km (3 miles) from the township of Bac Lieu, is home to 46 kinds of birds, including the endangered painted stork and little king cormorant. Within a 951-acre mangrove habitat, an estimated 40,000 birds live. The greatest time to visit is during the rainy season, which lasts from May through October. Visit around the morning or dusk hours, when thousands of birds take to the skies.

9. Tay Ninh

Tay Ninh is situated to the northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, 95 kilometres away from the city centre and home to one of Vietnam’s most intriguing indigenous religions, Cao Daism. 

Caodaism, which was founded in 1926, is a monotheistic religion in which Cao Dai is revered as the creator of the cosmos. The temple at My Tho is a smaller branch of the larger Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh (also known as the Holy See Temple) that was established in the early 1970s. The brightly coloured tower, which is decked out in every colour of the rainbow and then some, features stunning wooden sculptures of deities, finely painted iron grillwork, and attractive tiles. Such a riot of colour and design needs to be seen to be believed.

10. Phu Quoc Island

Phu Quoc island is one of the most attractive places to visit near Ho Chi Minh City, especially for beach lovers. The island has picturesque beaches, romantic sunsets, evergreen woods, and a tranquil ambience, making it a perfect vacation location for anyone wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. The northern section of the island is relatively unspoiled due to its position as a UNESCO-listed national park, but there are plenty of opulent resorts, quirky bars, and quaint cafes along the southern coastline. It is located 45 kilometres west of Ha Tien in the far south of Vietnam.

Besides lounging at the beach, reclining in the sun and sipping delicious cocktails, and eating fresh fish, you can also want to keep yourself a little more active with such activities as snorkelling, scuba diving, kayaking, or spend the entire day at the Vinpearl Land amusement park in Phu Quoc.

Phu Quoc Island

11. Con Dao Island

Con Dao island is a peaceful paradise on Vietnam's southern coast, featuring white sand beaches, rich flora, unusual wildlife, and some of the best scuba diving in the region.

Con Dao is a group of 16 archipelagos located on the mainland, 80 kilometres from the Mekong Delta region, and 230km from Ho Chi Minh City. Because of its isolation and history as a penal colony, the island has stayed unusually pure; as a result, 80% of the island is still forested.

Island hopping and diving are popular activities on the Con Dao Islands, where you may explore most of the uninhabited islets and see stingrays, barracudas, moray eels, and dugongs. Because it is a national park, you should make arrangements with the Con Dao National Park Headquarters (29 Vo Thi Sau, Con Dao District, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province). Hon Bay Canh Island is well-known for its turtle breeding grounds, so if you visit between June and September, you might even get to see turtles laying eggs.

Con Dao Beach

12. Mui Ne (Phan Thiet)

Mui Ne and Phan Thiet are located about 200 km North of Ho Chi Minh City. These traditional fishing communities, when combined, are quickly becoming popular leisure destinations. Although resort-style complexes have been built along the coastline, the lives of the fishing towns have remained unaffected, and Mui Ne's long beach is quiet and serene, ideal for walks, running, and watching the stunning sunsets. Not to mention, the beach here is also the premier destination in Southeast Asia for kitesurfing and a variety of water sports.

Coming to  Mui Ne, you absolutely can not miss the Sahara-alike-sand dune which is Red Sand Dune and White San Dune. Whether you jump, slide or simply run through the dunes, it is exceptionally difficult to not let their beauty overwhelm you.

Mui Ne beach

In summary, with the convenience of transportation, you can easily get to these places to visit near Ho Chi Minh City, whether a day trip or several days, it's all worth it. Visit BestPrice Travel and join our Ho Chi Minh tours as we will take you to the best surroundings area as well as the best experiences you can get.

Minah Trinh

Image Souce: Internet