Nguyen Hue Walking Street, also known as Phố đi bộ Nguyễn Huệ locally, is one of the most iconic streets in Ho Chi Minh city. It was redeveloped in 2015 as a pedestrian street in the center of District 1. This is one of my favorite places to visit when I have nothing to do, its very family friendly and there is almost always a performance going on after 5 p.m. During the day its filled with tourist but at night the locals come out and fill the streets with vendor food, live music and dance performances.
It is about 500m from the Bixeco Financial Tower and 5 minute walk to the Saigon River waterfront park. You’ll find businesses lining the streets offering food of every category, clothing and electronics.
The Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line (Metro Line 1) is being developed here and set to open in late 2024. I’m actually very excited for this as we always take a Grab here (taxi).
The historic Saigon Opera House (Municipal Theater of Ho Chi Minh) is located at the end of the street. I recommend seeing this building at night!
Be cautious of scams, it doesn’t happen often but people in costumes will offer to take your picture with them and then ask for money after the fact. If you don’t have they’ll point you to an ATM, say no. The police do a good job keeping this area safe.
Be sure to try the Vietnamese pizza here, it’s almost always offered and cost only about 25,000 VND. Vendors aren’t allowed to sell food here, so they move around quickly.
There are other “Walking Streets” but this one is the most popular family friendly one in Saigon.
It’s not wheelchair accessible in a simple way. You’ll walk in front of vehicles to reach the center of the pedestrian area which has 2 lane roads on each side.
Enjoy your time here, again, come after 5 p.m. to really experience it. During the day it’s quiet and just tourist.
Updated 3/10/2024