Senior travel: Ho Chi Minh City
An easier pace for an older traveller: how many stops fit in a day, which places are step-free, and what the guide says about getting around, medicines and stairs.
Was this useful?
Pace for a day
About 3 stops a day. 5 h out − 45 min rest, divided by an average visit of 49 min (from this city’s guide) + 30 min to move.
Places, easiest access first
- Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of SaigonStep-free: yes · about 15 minFlat square; crossing the roundabout is the hard part.
- Saigon Central Post OfficeStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 25 minA few steps at the entrance; flat inside.
- Thiên Hậu TempleStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 30 minRaised thresholds at the gates.
- Jade Emperor PagodaStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 35 minThresholds and low steps between halls.
- Bến Thành MarketStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 45 minGround level but packed aisles and wet floors.
- Bình Tây MarketStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 45 minGround floor flat; upper floor by stairs.
- Ho Chi Minh City MuseumStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 50 minSteps at the entrance and a staircase to the upper floor.
- Saigon Opera HouseStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 70 minSteps up to the entrance; ask the box office about access for wheelchairs.
- Independence PalaceStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 75 minGrand staircases throughout; ask staff about the lift.
- War Remnants MuseumStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 100 minRamped ground floor; upper floors by stairs or a lift that is not always running.
Getting around in Ho Chi Minh City
Better than Hanoi on the main boulevards: Nguyễn Huệ, Lê Lợi and Lê Duẩn have wide, level pavements, and malls, big hotels and Metro Line 1 stations have lifts. Side streets and alleys are still parking lots with steps.
- Pavements:
- Wide and mostly level on the boulevards of the old District 1; side streets are blocked by motorbikes.
- Metro:
- Line 1 stations have lifts and tactile paving (check each station); useful for Thảo Điền and the east.
- Getting around:
- App cars are the step-free option; book a 7-seater for a folding wheelchair.
- Hotels:
- International chains in the core list accessible rooms; alley guesthouses rarely have lifts.
- Toilets:
- Accessible toilets in malls (Saigon Centre, Vincom) and large hotels.
- Crossings:
- Signalled crossings on boulevards, but motorbikes turn through them: cross with care.
Medicines and health on the ground
The Vietnam guide lists no medicine paperwork. Check the official customs page for your medicines.
- Heat:
- All year: shade and AC every 60–90 minutes, electrolytes, no midday walks.
- Dengue:
- Peaks in the rainy season (Jun–Nov); repellent day and dusk; see a doctor for sudden high fever.
- Food and water:
- Bottled or filtered water; busy stalls.
- Rabies:
- Do not pet dogs or cats; after any bite, same-day vaccination at VNVC or an international clinic.
- Floods:
- Do not wade through floodwater with cuts on your feet; it carries sewage.
More: how much medicine to pack, medicine times across time zones.
Ask your insurer
Age limits and prices differ by policy and the guides do not hold them, so put these to the insurer before you buy.
- What is the oldest age the policy covers, at purchase and on the last day of the trip?
- Does the price or the cover change after a certain age?
- Are existing conditions covered, and what must be declared?
- Does the cover include medical evacuation and trip interruption?
Not medical advice. This page does not know anyone’s health. Ask a doctor before the trip, and carry a list of medicines and conditions.