Experience the best travel stories for yourself! Join a local expert and uncover hidden gems on this Lonely Planet Experience. Experience life like a local and experience Ho Chi Minh City on your own two feet and from the seat of a cyclo. With a combination of foot power and pedal power, get to see the classic sights and quintessential markets of the city in a new and refreshing way. This small group tour (maximum 12 passengers) begins near the Central Post Office, an icon of old Saigon and Notre Dame Cathedral, built by the French during the colonial era. Both structures are fine examples of architecture from the colonial period. This tour takes you past the Reunification Palace, previously referred to as the Presidential Palace, the site of the official South Vietnamese surrender on 30 April 1975. Although you won't enter the palace, your local guide will tell you all about it and give you the chance to take some photos. From here, the journey continues to Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, where you'll embark on a cyclo tour of Ho Chi Minh City, rolling around the city on a traditional three-wheeled bicycle with a carriage at the front for passengers. Drivers use pedal power to push you along, giving you the opportunity to take in the sights, sounds and smells of Ho Chi Minh City without the barrier of being trapped behind a car window (or the sound of a noisy engine). The ride leads to the bird café at Tao Dan Park, where locals come carrying their caged birds every morning for a true one-of-a-kind sight. This park is also where locals gather to do morning exercises and enjoy the fresh air and shade on sunny days. Hop back on the cyclo and ride toward the crossroads where the famous monk, Thich Quang Duc, self-immolated in 1963 in protest of the government’s persecution of Buddhists. Ride to the very local District 3 and the biggest flower market in the city. Also visit a neighborhood where a lot of Viet Kieu Cambodians now live in Saigon, giving you a chance to learn more about Southeast Asian history and taste some finger food in the market. Back on the cyclo, it’s non-stop sightseeing as you pass by the ‘pet street,’ Le Hong Phong and the ‘art and painting street,’ Tran Phu, before bidding your cyclos goodbye at Tao Dan Park. Here, enjoy a short walk to Saigon’s iconic and authentic Ben Thanh Market with its unmistakable clock tower. It has long been a staple of the city and is not to be missed. At the end of your Ho Chi Minh City tour, you are free to continue exploring Ben Thanh market. You can also ask your guide to help you find a taxi back to your hotel, or for tips and suggestions to further explore the area.