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Nguyen Hue Walking Street

#6of 10 places to visit in Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh City, Southeast Vietnam, Vietnam

Also known as Nguyen Hue Boulevard · Pho Di Bo Nguyen Hue · Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street

Quick answer

Opening hours: 18:00–22:00. Entry is free. Allow 1 hr. Best time: 18:00 - 21:00.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

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Photo: Timback / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Opening hours: 18:00–22:00; Open at all hours. Evenings from 18:00 to 22:00, especially on weekends, are the busiest period.
Entry fee: Free
Time needed: 1 hr
Best time of day: 18:00 - 21:00
Best months: Dec – Mar
Address: Nguyen Hue Boulevard, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City 700000

About Nguyen Hue Walking Street

Nguyen Hue Walking Street is a 670-metre pedestrian boulevard, free to enter and open at all hours as of 2026, running from the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee building to the Saigon River wharf. The street was converted to pedestrian use with a project completed on 29 April 2015, and it is now the city's main open-air meeting ground for evening strolls, street performers and pop-up events. Stone paving, fountains and shallow steps replace the road, and old apartment blocks and hotels line both sides.

Best time of day: 18:00 - 21:00. When the street fills with locals and the buildings are lit; early morning suits joggers and photography.

Nguyen Hue Walking Street timings

Nguyen Hue Walking Street opens at 18:00 and closes at 22:00. The weekend is no different: Saturday and Sunday follow the same times.

Opening hours: 18:00–22:00; Mon–Sun 18:00–22:00; Open at all hours. Evenings from 18:00 to 22:00, especially on weekends, are the busiest period.
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Sun	18:00–22:00

Opening hours compiled from hochiminhcity.gov.vn and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Nguyen Hue Walking Street ticket price

Entry fees for Nguyen Hue Walking Street
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	Free
Concession (student / senior)	Free
Children	Free

There is no entry fee, as of 2026. Sources conflict on vehicle restrictions: one lists the street as fully pedestrian at all times, another lists vehicle access on weekdays and pedestrian-only on Saturday and Sunday from 18:00 to 22:00, and Wikipedia describes weekend-evening closures. Verify locally.

Prices compiled from hochiminhcity.gov.vn and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Nguyen Hue Walking Street

Quiet
Moderate
Very busy

05:30 - 08:00
Early MorningBest time to go
Joggers, tai chi groups and photographers; cafes on the upper floors of 42 Nguyen Hue open.
Quiet
08:00 - 16:00
Daytime
Tourists and office workers cross between the People's Committee building and the river; open paving offers no shade.
Moderate
16:00 - 18:00
Late Afternoon
Stalls and performers set up; the temperature falls and numbers build steadily.
Moderate
18:00 - 22:00
Evening Peak
Families, couples and groups fill the boulevard; weekends and holidays are the busiest of all.
Very busy

History of Nguyen Hue Walking Street

Nguyen Hue Walking Street follows the line of a canal that French colonial engineers filled in between 1886 and 1887, creating Boulevard Charner, a straight avenue from the river to the city centre. The road was renamed Nguyen Hue in 1955, after the Tay Son emperor. After decades as a motor-traffic artery, it was pedestrianised in 2015 and the project completed on 29 April 2015, the eve of the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.

Nguyen Hue Walking Street is anchored at its inland end by the People's Committee building, the former Hotel de Ville, and a monument to Ho Chi Minh at No. 110. The Rex Hotel stands at No. 141, and 42 Nguyen Hue, a pre-1975 apartment block often called the Cafe Apartment, houses a stack of small cafes, galleries and a FAHASA bookstore at street level. The street hosts the annual Tet flower display, one of the city's largest.

Rules & etiquette at Nguyen Hue Walking Street

Nguyen Hue Walking Street is public space with no gates and no ticketing. Vehicle access has varied by day and time, so watch for motorbikes at the side-street crossings even when the boulevard itself is closed to traffic. Dress is casual, and no covering of shoulders or knees is required.

Nguyen Hue Walking Street draws crowds in the evening, and phone snatchers and pickpockets work the densest sections, especially near the fountains and the river end. Keep phones in front pockets, hold bags on the side away from the roadway, and be wary of strangers offering to photograph you. Drones need a permit in Vietnam and are not appropriate over crowds.

Tips for visiting Nguyen Hue Walking Street

1
Nguyen Hue Walking Street is best walked from the People's Committee end toward the river at about 18:00, when the temperature drops and the street fills. The stretch is 670 metres, so a full stroll takes 15 minutes, with time for cafe stops on the upper floors of 42 Nguyen Hue, where balconies look down on the street.
2
Nguyen Hue Walking Street works as a link between Ben Thanh Market, about 1.0km away, and the Saigon River, and it is 0.4km from Opera House Metro Station on Line 1. The Rex Hotel rooftop bar and the Bitexco tower are both a short walk, and food and drink on the street are priced above neighbouring lanes, so cafes one block off the boulevard are cheaper. Tipping is not expected.

How to reach Nguyen Hue Walking Street

The red star is Nguyen Hue Walking Street; the numbered pins are the 8 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

Nguyen Hue Boulevard, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City 700000Directions in Google Maps

From Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
8 km · 25-40 min
150,000-250,000 VND taxi/Grab; bus 109, roughly 15,000-20,000 VND.
From Opera House Metro Station (Line 1)
0.4 km · 5 min on foot
Metro fares run 7,000-20,000 VND depending on distance.
From Ben Thanh Market
1 km · 12-14 min
Free on foot; 20,000-30,000 VND Grab.

Nearest airport

From Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)

about 8km, 25-40 minutes by road depending on traffic.

Nearest station

From Opera House Metro Station (Line 1)

about 0.4km, 5 minutes on foot.

Nguyen Hue Walking Street FAQs

Is Nguyen Hue Walking Street free?

Yes, there is no entry fee and the street is open at all hours, as of 2026. Costs are limited to food, drinks and shopping in the surrounding cafes and shops.

How long is Nguyen Hue Walking Street?

670 metres. The pedestrian boulevard runs from the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee building to the Saigon River wharf and takes about 15 minutes to walk.

When was Nguyen Hue Street pedestrianised?

The pedestrian project was completed on 29 April 2015. Before that, Nguyen Hue was a motor-traffic avenue that French engineers built over a filled-in canal in 1886-1887.

When is the best time to visit Nguyen Hue Walking Street?

Between 18:00 and 22:00, especially on weekend evenings, when the street is at its busiest and cooler. Early morning suits visitors who want space and photography.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places