You can enjoy the National Day holiday without prior planning or taking a flight. Here are five last minute travel options near Saigon. 

Photo courtesy of Suoi Mo Park.

Suoi Mo Park, Dong Nai

About 100 km from downtown HCMC, this park is located in Tra Co Commune, Tan Phu District, Dong Nai Province. A good choice for a day trip, it has a natural lake created by the convergence of streams flowing from surrounding hills that cascade over a rocky area. 

Photo courtesy of Suoi Mo Park.

You can swim, camp, enjoy a BBQ party and so on at Suoi Mo Park. Admission costs VND120,000 ($5) for adults and VND70,000 ($3) for children under 1.3 meters. Visitors are not allowed to bring in their own food, but the park has restaurants with affordable prices.

For this National Day (September 2) holiday, the park is serving a lunch buffet of 60 dishes for VND199,000 ($8.5) per adults and VND109,000 per children ($4.7). The buffet will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on September 1 and 2. 

Photo courtesy of Thuy Chau eco-tourism resort.

Thuy Chau eco-tourism resort, Binh Duong

This resort in Binh Duong Province boasts picturesque, manmade landscapes spread over an area of 18 hectares. Located just 20 km from downtown HCMC and not too far from the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, it is a good spot for swimming, bathing in hot springs and just lazing around, enjoying good food.

Photo courtesy of Thuy Chau eco-tourism resort.

The resort is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission costs VND100,000 ($4.3) for adults and is free for children under 1.4 meters. It includes access to a swimming pool, sightseeing and a hot spring bath. If visitors fancy camping out, tents, tarpaulins, and BBQ grills are available for rent. 

Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Ba Den mountain, Tay Ninh

Another destination about 100 km from Saigon is Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh Province, the highest in Vietnam’s southeastern region at 986 meters. It takes less than three hours by motorbike from Saigon to the mountain.

At an altitude of 200 meters on the mountain is Ba Den Temple, also known as Dien Ba. The temple is 300 years old. You can take the cable car or trek to the top of the mountain and visit the temple. 

Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

From the 200-meter height, Vietnam’s first manually operated slide offers an easy, fun way to go down. 

Photo by VnExpress.

Ba Ria -Vung Tau beaches

A well-known destination in Saigon, this coastal town is also about 100 kilometers away. It offers beaches, delicious seafood and a vibrant nightlife. 

Photo by VnExpress.

Apart from the beaches, young people love visiting sheep about 30 kilometers from Vung Tau, in Suoi Nghe Commune, Chau Duc District. It costs VND20,000 per person ($0.86) to take pictures with or of the sheep. The ideal time to visit the farm is in the morning. Or you can visit the sheep farm first and then drive to the center of Vung Tau. 

Photo courtesy Dulichmietvuon.

Con Phung, Ben Tre

Con Phung is a resort on an islet in the middle of My Tho river in Tan Thach Commune, Chau Thanh District, Ben Tre Province, known as the land of coconuts. The place is known for making many tools and handicraft items with coconut trunks. The unique coconut handicraft village is worth visiting.

At Con Phung resort visitors can take a motorboat along the islet to visit coconut candy making facilities, buy coconut souvenirs and go horse riding. Sitting in a hut with thatched leaf roof, enjoy sipping some hot tea with kumquat and honey. 

Photo by VnExpress.

The place also offers a wide range of Mekong Delta culinary treats for visitors to tuck into with relish.