Ho Chi Minh City With Kids: Where To Stay, Eat & Best Things To Do
Welcome to our family-friendly travel guide to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam! We’ve pulled together our favourite places to stay, family activities, shopping spots, practical travel tips and things parents probably won’t realise until they actually visit with kids.
Ho Chi Minh City honestly feels completely different to the rest of Vietnam. It’s bigger, faster, more modern and far more overwhelming at first, especially if you’ve arrived from quieter places like Hoi An or Ninh Binh. But once you settle into the rhythm of the city, it becomes one of the easiest places in Vietnam for food, shopping, cafés and organised tours.
We stayed 3 nights in Ho Chi Minh City, which felt like a good amount of time for families. It gave us enough time to explore District 1, take a city tour, visit markets and shopping centres, and slow down slightly before flying home. You can easily do two nights if you want to shop, and that’s it.
Looking for more family-friendly tours and activities in Ho Chi Minh City? Browse our Ho Chi Minh City activities link below & we also have more details about the activities we enjoyed further down in this post!
Key Facts
When to visit
The best time to visit Ho Chi Minh City is generally between December and April, when conditions are drier and slightly less humid.
How to get there
Most international families arrive at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, located around 20-30 minutes from District 1, depending on traffic. Domestic flights from places like Da Nang, Hanoi and Nha Trang are frequent and usually very affordable.
How to get around
Grab was absolutely essential for us in Ho Chi Minh City. The city is huge, traffic is heavy, and while some areas of District 1 are walkable, most families will use Grab multiple times per day.
Best Things To Do in Ho Chi Minh City
KissTour City Tour
One of the most memorable things we did in Ho Chi Minh City with the kids was the KissTour scooter tour. At first, the idea of jumping on the back of scooters in Ho Chi Minh traffic sounded completely overwhelming, but honestly, it ended up being one of the best ways to experience the city.
KissTour is a female-led motorbike tour company that takes you through different districts, local food spots, flower markets and hidden parts of the city you’d never normally see from a Grab car or walking around District 1. The tours are private or small group, and hotel pickup is usually included if you stay in the central districts. The City tour, you visit the famous 1800 post office, Book Street, a monk memorial (note this does contain graphic imagery of deceased monks during the Vietnam War), a secret cafe with hidden tunnels, and then visit the flower markets and have lunch at a local restaurant, and lastly finish off with a tour of a Chinese temple in Chinatown.
Tours usually run for 3.5-4 hours, depending on the option you choose, and prices vary based on whether you book a city tour, food tour, or night tour. Check out their website for more information, or the reel that we did about our experience!
Shopping in District 1
If you want to shop in Ho Chi Minh City, District 1 is where most families will spend their time. It has everything from luxury malls to cheap markets, souvenir stores and huge international brands.
Some of the main shopping areas we’d recommend include:
- Saigon Centre / Takashimaya
- Vincom Center Dong Khoi
- Ben Thanh Market
- Saigon Square
- Nguyen Hue Walking Street
- Dong Khoi Street
Saigon Centre and Vincom are the easiest shopping centres for kids because they’re air-conditioned, modern, and offer plenty of food options, cafés, and bathrooms. Saigon Square is better for cheaper shopping, replica items and bargaining.
Apartment Cafes
The Apartment Cafés on Nguyen Hue Walking Street are one of Ho Chi Minh City’s hidden gems. Behind what looks like an old apartment block, you’ll find multiple levels of cafés, boutiques and dessert shops, all with their own character.
A tip most people don’t know until they get there: there’s only one lift for the whole building. It gets busy, especially in the afternoon, and you’ll need to pay a small fee to use it. Most cafés will refund the cost when you buy a drink, but if there’s a queue, just take the stairs. The building is old and a little rough around the edges, but that’s part of what makes it such a fun place to explore.
Hidden Bunker Cafe (District 3)
This was one of the most interesting things we found in Ho Chi Minh City. It looks like a normal café from the outside, but hidden underneath is a secret weapons bunker used during the Vietnam War. The entrance is easy to miss and most tourists have no idea it’s there. What makes it particularly good for families is that it’s a much more engaging way for older kids to learn about Vietnam’s history than walking through another museum. It also gives you a chance to explore District 3, which feels much more local than the tourist-heavy streets of District 1.
Bitexco Skydeck
The Bitexco Skydeck is a great way to see just how massive Ho Chi Minh City really is. Most people rush up for the view, but we’d recommend going around sunset. You’ll see the city during daylight, then watch it completely transform once the lights come on. Something we didn’t expect was how useful it was for getting our bearings. The city feels huge at street level, but from above you can actually see where District 1 sits, how the Saigon River winds through the city and just how many skyscrapers have popped up in recent years
Central Post Office
Most people stop here for a photo and move on, but it’s worth stepping inside. The building is beautiful, but the little details make it interesting. We’d recommend buying a postcard and sending it home while you’re there. The post office still uses traditional stamps, which feels like a bit of a novelty these days.
Cu Chi Tunnels Speedboat Tour
If you want to see the Cu Chi Tunnels, then we recommend that you do the Cu Chi Tunnels speedboat tour through GetYourGuide. This option is better for families because Ho Chi Minh traffic can be brutal.
The tour starts early with hotel pickup, then you board a speedboat along the Saigon River. This ended up being a highlight itself because you slowly watch the city disappear from skyscrapers and chaos into jungle, riverside homes and quieter villages. It also massively reduces the long drive time compared to bus tours.
Once you arrive at Cu Chi, you get to see how families and soldiers lived underground during the Vietnam War. You can walk through sections of the tunnels and see hidden trapdoors, underground kitchens, and tiny sleeping areas. The tunnels are much smaller, hotter and more claustrophobic than most parents expect, so if you don’t like confined spaces, this probably isn’t for you.
Most tours are around half a day and include hotel transfers, guide, tunnel entry and snacks. We’d recommend this more for older kids who can better understand the history and handle the underground sections. Closed shoes, hats and lots of water are essential because the humidity here is intense.
Where to stay in Ho Chi Minh City
For families, we’d strongly recommend staying in District 1. It gives you the easiest access to restaurants, shopping centres, cafés, attractions and tours without spending huge amounts of time stuck in traffic.
We stayed at Me Saigon Boutique Hotel in District 1 and honestly think the location is one of the biggest reasons families would like to stay here. You can walk to Ben Thanh Market, Saigon Square, cafés, restaurants, convenience stores and most of the main shopping areas. The rooms felt modern, clean and surprisingly quiet considering how chaotic Ho Chi Minh City is outside. The hotel also has a rooftop pool, which honestly became a lifesaver in the afternoon heat after walking around the city with kids all day. Breakfast was included, and plenty of easy food options were nearby, which made things much easier for the family.
Favourite Places to Eat in Ho Chi Minh City
Below is a list of our recommended family-friendly restaurants and cafes in Ho Chi Minh City that also offer gluten-free options.
- Ngoi
- Xoai
- Oasis Cafe
- Hong Phat
- Bếp Mẹ Ỉn
- Secret Garden
- Vo Roof
