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Have you been to solo female travel? If not yet, I’m calling all solo female travelers!

Honestly, I love Ho Chi Minh City. If you’re ready to experience the country’s most vibrant and diverse city, then pack your bags and plan your trip. I wanted to experience solo female travel and test myself outside my comfort zone. It was a revelation. Let’s start with the simple challenges, which are what make life enjoyable. Overcoming them is what makes them meaningful. I always remember my first solo trip to Saigon.

If you’re considering this for the first time, read this: Solo Female Travel Tips: Overcome Fear and Travel Confidently with just a little preparation, you can have a wonderful trip without feeling too nervous about being alone.

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Table of Contents

Why did I solo female travel to Vietnam?

Planning a budget trip to Vietnam is easy, as it has become the top choice for backpackers due to its affordable travel costs. Moreover, you can encounter footpaths and coastal roads that lead to remote villages, where all you need is a hammock and time for rest and reflection.

There are many budget-friendly solo travel destinations to choose from, but Ho Chi Minh City is perfect for those on a tight budget. With so many things to do and see, you’re sure to be delighted.

Are you planning a trip to Vietnam or other countries ? If you are one of those people who love to travel alone, then consider visiting Vietnam. I was happy during my three-day tour in Saigon, and it made me to in love with the city in a short period. My three-day solo budget trip will motivate you to visit where I’ve also shared my own travel experiences.

Let’s find out all the solo travel tips and itinerary ideas to enjoy your first visit as a solo female traveler.

Are 3 days enough in Ho Chi Minh City?

There are numerous activities in Ho Chi Minh City, so I suggest visiting for at least 3 days, which is sufficient for a first-time solo female traveler. In this tour program, I’ll show you the best way to experience the best of this bustling city and its surrounding regions in a short amount of time.

As a first-time solo female traveler, it’s essential to have a well-organized trip plan before embarking on your journey alone. Below is my recommendation for arranging tours with the best deals.

Klook Travel — Activities, tours, attractions
Agoda — Hotel
Viator — Tours & Activities
Hotel Combined — Hotels & Hostel Bookings
Kayak — Hotel, Flight & Car Rental
GetYourGuide — Tours & Attractions

For my blissful experience, you can join any day trip as long as 24 hours before your action begins for a discount.

Is Vietnam suitable for solo female Travel?

It’s safe to travel to Vietnam by yourself. Vietnamese people are friendly and hospitable. They always help tourists and are very cooperative in guiding them to the best destinations. Don’t worry about cultural norms and language barriers. You can communicate in English with almost everyone in the tourist areas.

My solo trip was completely safe. I also enjoyed the Mekong Delta and Halong Bay tour, during which I met some solo female travelers. They’re backpacking and safely touring around Vietnam. However, as a solo female backpacker, it’s essential to bear in mind some important considerations and tips.

What is the best area to stay in Ho Chi Minh?

If you’re a solo travelers for the first time in this city , I recommend staying in District 1. It is very convenient to access all major attraction areas and has plenty of choices for food and accommodation.

However, if you prefer a more backpacker vibe, then Pham Ngu Lao Street (known as the Backpacker District) is where you’ll find some of Ho Chi Minh’s best hostels and budget guesthouses.

Solo female travel – Hotel Review

I stayed two nights at La Felix Hotel, a 3-star hotel located in Pham Ngu Lao, which is within proximity to Bui Vien Walking Street and Zen Plaza. There is a convenience store next to the hotel, making it easy for me to purchase the necessary items. Furthermore, the location is ideal for enjoying a walking tour, shopping, and savoring the best street food.

The hotel rates are also affordable and reasonable. I loved the elegant interior, and my room was equipped with all modern amenities and facilities. They offer complimentary Wi-Fi and a buffet breakfast for all guests. Staff are very friendly and helpful as well.

How to get around by myself ?

The best way to get around Ho Chi Minh is by walking. If walking is too strenuous, then the next best option is to easily get around the city by taxi, motorbike, or even bicycle. There are also transportation apps, like Grab, that can help you find your way around with ease.

If you want to explore Ho Chi Minh by yourself, you don’t need to worry about the language barrier because most of the people there know how to communicate with foreigners. One of the advantages of Ho Chi Minh is that it has limited car traffic, and the air quality is significantly better than in other major cities.

What should I do in Vietnam for 3 days?

Here is my solo travel plan and recommendation, it is less hassle and you will definitely enjoy it.

Spend the first day getting to know the city and tasting Vietnamese food, so I booked a Saigon student-guided city tour with a motorbike in advance and enjoyed Vietnamese coffee in the evening.

On day two, you’ll take a full-day trip to Cu Chi Tunnels & Mekong Delta tour to see how locals live on the water, followed by experiencing Ho Chi Minh City’s thriving nightlife.

On your final day, consider taking the Discover Saigon’s Local Sites and Culture by Motorbike tour, which is an excellent option if you have time before leaving.

Let’s break down the complete itinerary:

Day 1: Afternoon

On arrival day, I joined the Saigon Student Volunteer City Tour with OneTrip, which is incredible and gives the best travel experience during the trip.

Check out my full article and honest review on a motorbike student tour with popular tourist attractions here.

Day 1: Evening — Explore Street Food Market with a local Vietnamese friend.

This evening, I would prefer to enjoy the nightlife in HCM, so my local friends brought me to explore Bui Ven Night Market, which is within walking distance from my hotel.

Not only will you find Vietnamese dishes here, but also a variety of delicacies from around the world, including Korean, Indian, and Thai Cuisine. However, we chose a street food shop and chit-chatted. They made my night perfect in Vietnam, and it was one of my enjoyable moments during the solo trip.

Day 2: From Ho Chi Minh: Cu Chi Tunnels & Mekong Delta

Highlights

Enjoy a VIP experience with a limousine transfer
Explore the vast underground network of Cu Chi Tunnels
Discover the Mekong Delta like a local
Enjoy a local lunch with Vietnamese Cuisine

For the second day, I booked a full-day tour from GetYourGuide / Klook , which takes you from Ho Chi Minh City to two popular attractions: the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta. Highly recommend it to you.

Solo female travel – Cu Chi Tunnels Tour

Since it’s an early morning tour, I suggest you have a big breakfast or bring some snacks along with you.

The day-long journey began in Ho Chi Minh City by a VIP Car (with luxuriously designed seats in the passenger cabin) and headed to the Cu Chi tunnels, where I learn how the vietnameses resistance to the US forces during the war. It’s interesting to me that you can also see working examples of the traps that Viet Cong Soldiers set for the Americans.

Book Cu Chi Tunnels Tour

Book Mekong Delta Small Group Tour

Car Rental

Solo female travel – Mekong Delta tour

It was worth appreciating and loving all the simple things during the Mekong Delta tour. A tour guide, boat trip, lunch, bicycle ride, or horse cart ride are all included with the tour. It takes 2 hours to reach the Mekong River Delta from the Cu Chi tunnels. On the way to get there, we stopped at a local restaurant to enjoy a lunch of Vietnamese Cuisine.

We took a boat ride from Cai Be and explored lush vegetation and floating markets. It is also lovely to see the bright rice paddies from the boat.

Another exciting moment for me is taking a rowboat to paddle along the small canals. Afterward, we rode the horse cart to cruise to the coconut island. We visited the coconut candy workshop and enjoyed seeing the traditional process of making candy, puffed rice, and grated coconut in Ben Tre province.

Then, we disembarked at a local family’s residence to enjoy tropical fruits, savor honey tea and wine, observe how local products are made, and experience a live local music performance by the villagers.

Try Local Food: Vietnamese Noodle Soup (Pho)

On the way back to the hotel, I asked the guide to drop me off at District 1 to find local food and try a Vietnamese foot massage.

I heard about the famous Vietnamese Noodle Soup (Pho) from my local friends. If you are a Muslim traveler, it is not hard to find halal food in District 1. I had my second dinner alone at Halal Saigon restaurant, and it’s worth the price, as the food is delicious and the price is also reasonable. Vietnamese iced coffee and pho refreshed.

After that, I went to “Massage Quê Hương” to get a foot massage, which was one of the challenges I faced during my solo travel. Later, I took a grab motorbike to go back to my hotel.

Solo female travel – Departure Day: Discover Saigon’s Local Sites and Culture by Motorbike

The most exciting thing about visiting Vietnam is discovering Saigon on the back of a motorbike, like a truly local, and joining the thousands of other motorbikes on the street.

So, I booked a motorbike tour through GetYourGuide, which is a last-minute booking on my departure day.

Highlights

Visit local sites
Navigate small streets and alleyways by motorbike
Experience the local life and culture,
Enjoy a delicious special dish and a local drink

Let’s discover how I explored and created exciting moments during my solo trip…

Due to my late departure flight to Singapore, I decided to book an afternoon tour at 1 pm, which lasts 4 hours. However, you can choose either a morning or an afternoon tour, depending on your schedule. The tour guide picked me up at the La Felix Hotel by motorbike, and I got ready to discover the culture of the Vietnamese people on the back of a motorbike, just like a true local.

Thich Quang Duc Monument

Begin the tour by visiting the venerable Thich Quang Duc Monument. There is a roadside memorial worth visiting to learn more about the Thich Quang Duc Monument. Next, continue to District 3, the oldest district of Saigon, where you will visit an old apartment to experience the local life of Vietnamese people and observe their daily activities.

Then, continue to District 3, the oldest district of Saigon, where you will visit an old apartment to experience the local life of Vietnamese people and observe their daily activities.

“CHEO LEO” Local Vietnamese Coffee Shop

We made a stop at a local coffee shop to enjoy a typical Vietnamese coffee with coconut milk. It is the oldest coffee shop named “CHEO LEO”. I learned how Cheo Leo is brewed, and it was pretty interesting. The price of the coffee is cheap, and the taste is excellent, which is included in the tour package. You don’t need to spend a single cent on the food. So, don’t miss a chance to try Vietnamese coconut coffee there. It’s a must.

We continue to the largest flower market in Saigon, before heading to Chinatown in District 5, where we venture around ghost buildings, a motorbike market, a pet market, an electronic market, and a Chinese medicine market. We passed small alleys and explored local areas to experience a different side of Saigon, hidden in the daily life of the Saigonese.

Vietnamese Pancake, Banh Xeo

Nice taste of culture through food.

Before we visited a typical Chinese temple, the guide brought me to try a Vietnamese pancake, which was yummy and pretty good, even though I had ordered a vegetarian one. Banh Xeo refers to a sizzling pancake that contains different ingredients, including shrimp, oil, onion, and bean sprouts—mug beans.

I tasted the southern-style Banh Xeo, which is wrapped in lettuce or mustard leaves and accompanied by fish sauce and mint. Then, it is dipped in their local sauce before eating. One more thing is that you can watch the restaurant cook the dish. It’s one of the most popular street foods that you shouldn’t miss when visiting Vietnam for the first time.

Solo female travel - Vietnamese Pancake, Banh Xeo

Afterward, we visited a typical Chinese temple, the Thein Hau Temple. It is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the Chinese sea god. My guide explained to me about the history, and I also took many photos there 😉

The next spot was to explore a floating market, a miniature version of the Mekong Delta in Saigon. It’s the witness of the slum areas and old mafia areas in districts 4 and 7. To keep your strength and refresh, we filled your stomach with special cold coconut water. After that, we walked around to explore the hidden daily life of the Saigonese. Finally, we drive through the Saigon River Tunnel in District 2, the new urban area in Saigon, and enjoy the spectacular scenes of District 1.

You can book a Saigon Motorbike Tour here.

Solo female travel – How to explore Ben Thanh Market

At the end of the motorbike tour, before being dropped off at the hotel, I requested that he drop me off at Ben Thant market instead. Booking through GetYourGuide / Klook is flexible, and we can make slight changes.

The aim of going there is to buy some souvenirs, such as t-shirts and hats, to bring back to my hometown. Before you purchase, it is crucial to negotiate their offered price, as they tend to raise the price if you seem like a tourist. So, you’ll need to have negotiation skills.

My Departure

After that, I returned to the hotel and packed my belongings. Then, I had dinner alone near the hotel and booked a Grab taxi to the airport. There was less traffic, and I enjoyed a four-hour motorbike tour with the guide before my departure. That amazing tour was nicely conducted the whole trip. This motorbike tour included travel insurance, entrance tickets, lunch, and coffee, ensuring a safe experience.

As an independent female traveler, I love to check, experience, taste, walk, and get lost sometimes … but I enjoyed my long way. By evening, I left the city with all good memories of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and my first solo travel went well and was terrific.

Ho Chi Minh, you gave me a wonderful experience, filled with excitement, joy, self-awareness, and bravery during my short trip. I hope to come back again. See you, Vietnam!

Solo Female Travel — How to Plan 3 Days in Ho Chi Minh City?