• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

leah b lively

Welcome to Leah B Lively! A blog filled with guides to help you make your travel dreams a reality. @leahblively

  • Home
  • Start Here!
  • Travel Destinations
    • Italy
      • Cinque Terre
      • Rome
      • Venice
    • United States
      • Austin – TX
      • Minnesota
      • Napa – CA
      • Park City – UT
      • Sonoma – CA
      • Waco – TX
      • Washington DC
    • Vietnam
      • Ha Long Bay
      • Ho Chi Minh City
  • Lifestyle
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
Home / Travel / Vietnam / Girls Trip to Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City Guide

Girls Trip to Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City Guide

Girls Trip, Vietnam

In 2018, one of my best friends traveled across the world for 4 months exploring all over Australia, Oceania, and Asia. Another friend and I knew we had to take this opportunity to visit Morgan during her journey. We had both really wanted to visit Vietnam and when we saw an amazing flight deal we just had to book it right away!

We started and ended our Vietnam trip in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon).

Getting to Ho Chi Minh City

Trista and I flew in to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, conveniently located right in Ho Chi Minh City. I’m not sure if this is typical, but going through customs and getting our visa at arrival was a relatively quick and painless process.

We decided to get a Visa On Approval letter several weeks prior to our travels, as we read this is the easiest and cheapest method of obtaining a visa for those visiting from the United States.

We used the Vietnam Visa Center website and they emailed us a copy of our Visa on Approval within just a few business days. With the VOA letter, we were also provided instructions on what to bring to the immigrations desk.

When we went to Vietnam, we needed to bring US cash for stamping fees and 2 passport size pictures (you can get your these at a Walgreens Photo – they’ll take your photo and print the small prints for you).

Other Important Information

Vaccinations: Make sure to check with your physician before your trip to discuss which vaccines are recommended for travel to Vietnam. My physician recommended I get several vaccines, including Hepatitis A and Typhoid.

Currency: 1 Vietnamese dong currently equates to .000043 US dollars. You can check with your bank to see if you can get Vietnamese dong before your trip. We did this, but the bank to order it which took several days so I would recommend doing this well in advance of your trip!

What to do in Ho Chi Minh City

Relax at the spa

l’Apothiquaire Spa

After 3 flights and 2 long layovers, we started our first day in Vietnam at the spa. I think spending our first morning at this spa was honestly the only reason we were able to pack so much in the 5 days we had in Vietnam without getting burned out. Highly recommend!

We spent an entire morning at the l’Apothiquaire Spa in Ho Chi Minh City where we enjoyed a fun and relaxing morning complete with a massage, facial, pedicure, and delicious lunch by the pool. The facial and massage were the best I had ever had and everything was so much cheaper than similar services in the US.

l’Apothiquaire Spa offers several Haute Couture Packages. We opted for the Half Day of Beauty package which also included transportation to and from our hotel.

Explore the city

Saigon Central Post Office

Ho Chi Minh City is a unique city to explore. From historic districts filled with street vendors to religious temples, there are so many different pieces of history and culture to observe and admire.

The Saigon Central Post Office is a stop-worthy historical landmark. It was built in the late 19th century while Vietnam was a part of a French colony.

In addition, you’ll find modern cafes, American businesses, and skyscrapers with rooftop bars.

Tour the Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta

One of my favorite things we did in Vietnam was a Mekong Delta Tour. We booked this affordable all day excursion through TripAdvisor here, which conveniently included transportation to and from our hotel.

On this tour we took a boat cruise along the River Ham Luong, stopping along the way at several local work shops. We witnessed locals weaving mats by hand, turning coconuts in to food products (wasting almost nothing), and brick making. There was also an incredible lunch with delicious local fruit.

We had an amazing tour guide that was super knowledgable and kept us laughing all day. I’m not sure if all of their tour guides are funny, but Honey Typhoon was hilarious! This tour was an experience I won’t forget.

Ho Chi Minh City is an exciting, bustling city that was so much fun to explore. With it being my first time in Asia, I was a little shocked that I didn’t see many American tourists (barely any at all) during our visit. And from our experience, most people we encountered did not speak any English aside from those in hospitality jobs like hotel front desk concierges, waiters, and tour guides. This made us feel like real world travelers immersed in the city and culture as opposed to tourists.

I would highly recommend putting Vietnam on your bucket list if it’s not already!

While we were in Vietnam, we also went to Hanoi and took an incredible cruise around the breathtaking natural wonder, Ha Long Bay.

Pin
Share

November 13, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Subscribe to get the latest

free goodies straight to your inbox

Previous Post: « The Ultimate Way to Explore Ha Long Bay
Next Post: Sonoma County: The Cutest Towns to Visit »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hey! It is nice to meet you!

I'm Leah! Welcome to my travel & lifestyle blog ~ Leah B Lively. So glad you're here! Read More…

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Search by Category

Follow @leahblively on Instagram to come along on my latest adventures!

I’ve found that the places you stumble upon when I’ve found that the places you stumble upon when traveling, those that weren’t on your itinerary, end up making some of the best memories ✨
.
When visiting Austin last February, Joanns was one of those places! It was a windy, rainy day & when we saw this inviting, tropical covered patio on South Congress (close to the I Love You So Much mural) we just had to stop!
.
Highly recommend if you’re ever in Austin 🤍
“Keep your head and your heart in the right dire “Keep your head and your heart in the right direction and you’ll never have to worry about your feet”
.
Just a little inspirational quote to kickoff your Sunday ✨and a pic from the beautiful Ha Long Bay.
Relax, adventure, repeat ✨🌲 Post on our wint Relax, adventure, repeat ✨🌲

Post on our winter getaway ❄️ to @cuyunacove is now on the blog! 
.
With everything you need to know to plan your own adventure up north & explore Cuyuna this winter! Link in bio!
.
#cabinlife #cozycabin #cabin #cuyuna #winterwonderland #wintertravel #roadtrip #midwest #travelgirlsgo #travelgirlshub #adventuretime #mytruenorth #minnesota #upnorthmn #cozyvibes #midwesttravelbloggers #leahblively
Mitch and I will be here the next couple of days - Mitch and I will be here the next couple of days - relaxing in this cozy cabin and doing some outdoor adventures! ❄️ Couldn’t think of a better way to finish 2020 🤍
.
Where is here you ask? @cuyunacove is Crosby, MN - just over a 2 hour drive from Minneapolis / St Paul! 
.
The cabins are beautiful and right next to some amazing trails for fat fire biking and snowshoeing! Perfect for a relaxing or adventurous trip (or a little mix of both like we’re doing 😉)
Merry Christmas Eve ✨ . Is Christmas Eve or Chri Merry Christmas Eve ✨
.
Is Christmas Eve or Christmas Day your favorite? I love the anticipation of Christmas morning, but Christmas Eve just always feels so magical ❤️
.
Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday 🌲
Happy first day of winter❄️ ❄️ ❄️ . W Happy first day of winter❄️ ❄️ ❄️ 
.
Wishing we had snow to photograph at home, but no such luck! So this old wintery pic will have to do 😉
.
Fingers crossed we get a white Christmas here in Minneapolis!! ❄️ ⛄️ 
.
.
.
#parkcity #minnesota #snow #winterwonderland #ilovesnow #whitechristmas #minneapolisblogger #midwesttravelbloggers #midwestgrammers #wanderlust #whitechristmas #travelcouplescommunity #leahblively
First time doing Christmas cards!🎄 I thought th First time doing Christmas cards!🎄 I thought this year, more than ever,  people might like some mail this holiday season ❤️🤗
. 
This pic is from our New Years ✨vacay (almost a whole year ago) in Park City - where we kicked off 2020. 
.
If you love to ski (or just love to look at beautiful 🏔) and you haven’t been to Park City, definitely add it to your list of must visit places (& save this post for the future✨) 
.
Because I’ve got a full Park City guide on the blog! Link in bio 😉
  • Category Index
  • Sales Page
  • Pricing

Copyright © 2021 · Glamour Theme by Restored 316