Vietnam 2013 Part 7 – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

So, this will mark my last stop in Vietnam in my Southeast Asian backpacking journey. Today, it’s to the country’s former capital, Ho Chi Minh City (known as Saigon for the locals).

And so, the journey began with me taking the usual SinhTourist bus service from Mui Ne. The bus leaves at their ticket office (Sinhtourist always leaves at their ticket office) at 0800 hours. The ticket costs VND 129 000. Remember to book them earlier!

Journey to Saigon will take 6 hours. Surprisingly, the journey was a smooth one as the roads were in good condition.

So, 6 hours later, we reached the Sinhtourist office at De Tham St, in the backpackers district of Pham Ngu Lao. I booked a hostel at Mimi Backpackers Hostel for USD 10/N. There are many hostels and budget hotels in the Pham Ngu Lao area that you can find and most are going for about USD 10- 13 per night.

A word of advice: Navigating around Pham Ngu Lao district can be a pain in the A$$. I got lost there for a good hour before finally finding a local understands the address I’m heading too!! The address of the hotel you’re gonna stay don’t really tally with the layout of the street, so it’s best to ask locals for direction!

Saigon is really a busy city, even busier than the capital, Hanoi. Here, you can see many many pushy peddlers, motor taxis and even trishaws all bugging you to ride with them! Another word of advice: AVOID the trishaw at all cost!!! A fellow traveler was conned for VND 200 000 for a 10 minute ride.

The Pham Ngu Lao area is really busy with lots of tourist offices, restaurants, cheap eateries and even bars. It really gets lively in the night, closely resembling the nightlife in Phuket, Thailand. Upon reaching, I booked my Chu Chi tunnels half day tour for the following day and my bus tickets to Cambodia.

For those heading to Cambodia, I’d strongly recommend to get your tickets under Mekong Express Bus Service. It will cost USD 13 to Phnom Penh.

So back to Saigon, the city don’t really have much to offer, unless you’re in for museums and the busy traffic. I decided to do a free self-guided city tour. Just armed with the city map, I visited these attractions:

1- Reunification Palace. This palace used to be the working place of the President of South Vietnam back in the Vietnam war. The palace can’t be missed as it’s just north of Ben Thanh market. Tickets are at VND 30 000. Guided tours are available but are subjective on certain time slots.

 

To be honest, touring this palace without a guide sucks. There’s no any visual or verbal explanation going on, so it’s more like a photo stop here. I’d strongly recommend to go for the guided tour to better understand the place.

2- War Remnants Museum. This museum is dedicated to the events regarding the Vietnam war and it relates more to the American actions in the war. I would say the amount of propaganda here, well, you just need to be here and see it for yourself. War Remnants Museum is in close proximity to the Reunification palace and tickets are at VND 15 000.

 

The exhibits are explained in English and Vietnamese. However, they do portray some gruesome images of the war and a good dose of propaganda. Overall, worth a visit.

3-Notre Dame Cathedral. This is a French-built cathedral which kind of resembles the Notre Dame De Paris, in Paris. It’s a good stop for some photos and to just admire the architecture. The Notre Dame Cathedral is just beside the Saigon Post Office.

 

4- The Saigon Central Post Office. This post office actually became a tourist attraction due to the way it’s French-like architecture. It was actually designed by Gustav Eiffel. The post office is a nice place to check out for a photo stop. It’s located in close proximity with the Notre Dame Cathedral.

 

 

All these major attractions were all in close proximity to each other. You can’t get lost finding these. Just remember to get your free map from your hotel and you’re sure to find these places.

Now, for the Chu Chi Tunnels tour. You can find it through out the travel agencies in Pham Ngu Lao. Most agencies will sell you the half-day trip to the tunnels for USD 5-7 depending on the season. I got mine at USD 7, due to them claiming that they’re having a public holiday on that day. If you are going to pay more than that, probably you’re being ripped!

And do note that the price you pay is actually for the transport to the tunnels and the tour guide. You WILL have to pay a separate fee for the entrance to the tunnels once you reached there. I can’t really recall the price but it’s nowhere more than VND 100 000 per person.

Okay, now for the trip. The trip starts with you going down to the tour office that you booked that tour with. For USD 7, I don’t think you will expect a hotel transfer service. You get for what you paid for anyway. I began boarding the bus at 0830 local time. The bus is quite comfortable with a tour group of 20-30 tourists. A bottle of drinking water will be provided for everyone.

The journey to the tunnels will take approximately an hour. And don’t worry, the tour guide speaks good English.

Upon reaching, the tour guide collects the entrance fee to the tunnels and allowed us for a short toilet break. Then, we all proceeded to the entrance, where the guy there will paste a sticker on our shirt to indicate that we already paid for the entrance fee.

 

The tunnels area is in a remote forest-like area. Along the way, the tour guide will explain on how the VietCong soldiers survive, build traps, communicate, battle during the Vietnam War. It’s quite impressive on how they can actually build this network of tunnels during that time even with a lack of technology. There are also some small entrance doors to the tunnels and they are really small! Not for those who are claustrophobic.

Here are some pictures

The picture of the man entering the small hole is one of the entrances to the tunnels. Most of the entrance holes u see now are being designed to be bigger to accommodate western tourist, so you can actually imagine how small the entrances were actually are during the war!

Don’t worry about the booby traps too. They are all in an enclosed area and your tour guide will definitely demonstrate on how these traps work.

And so, after about 1-2 hours touring the tunnel complex, we reached this range-like complex. Here tourists can fire a range of weapons used in the war for a small price. If you don’t like the sound of guns, here is not your place then. There is also a small shop selling some tidbits, water and some souvenirs.

We continued the tour and this time, entering the tunnel complex itself! This activity is really not for those who are claustrophobic! You can actually choose not to try this activity if you don’t want to. But if you do,  be prepared to sweat all over and duck-walk for some distances! A good stretching will actually help!

 

Just spending a few minutes in the tunnels is enough to make you sweat all over. The feeling is best described like being trapped in a small sauna. Actually, the tunnels have been made wider and taller to accommodate tourists. One can imagine on how those soldiers actually lived through those times in such conditions. That short “walk” in the tunnels really made me ponder for awhile.

After that, we were supposed to watch a propaganda video on the tunnels and the war. But on that day, the video system broke down and it’s time to head back to Saigon. We boarded the bus and went back to the same tourist office.

Overall, the trip is good. It’s cheap and really gives you a practical glimpse on how the conditions were like during the war. It’s really worth going when you’re in Ho Chi Minh City. Just remember to book your trip the day before!!

So that concludes my post about Ho Chi Minh City. Overall, it’s worth a stop if you’re travelling in Vietnam on a North-South route. And many backpackers will actually use Ho Chi Minh City as either a starting point or an ending point for travelling in Vietnam.

Prices wise in HCMC are reasonably cheap for a city. A night in a backpackers hostel with breakfast can cost up to USD 10/night. Most are located in Pham Ngu Lao district. Food restaurants be found easily. You can eat out at USD 2-3 per meal.

As for me, I budgeted USD 18 per day and it’s more than enough for me.

 

This will be my last stop in Vietnam. Be sure to follow up my next stop, the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh!

Vietnam 2013 Part 3 – Snorkeling in Nha Trang

Thanks for staying tuned to my posts!

So, after spending 3 nights at Hanoi, it’s time to bid farewell to the capital of Vietnam! The next stop on my route is the beach city of Nha Trang. Initially, I wanted to do a Hanoi-Hue-Hoi An route before going to Nha Trang, but I figured out that it’s gonna cost more and also due to the tightness of my schedule. However now, I sort of regretting not going there as I heard lots of good stuffs especially on Hoi An.

I booked a Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi Noi Bai Airport to Nha Trang’s Cam Ranh Airport. Taking the train from Hanoi to Nha Trang is possible but it will cost me USD 85 and will take 2 nights!! The flight cost me USD 78, so why not???  The flight took about 1.5 hours. Initially, I wanted to book Vietjet Air but after hearing about many delay issues, i decide to play safe by booking with Vietnam’s national carrier.  Do note that there is no airport in Nha Trang itself. The nearest airport is Cam Ranh airport, which is like 30km away from Nha Trang.

A321 operating VN 1557 to Cam Ranh. The livery is Cambodia’s national carrier but the aircraft is loaned from Vietnam airlines.

Flight service by Vietnam Airlines is pretty good. There’s more legroom compared to those seats on budget airlines. A small snack box containing a pudding and a fruit cake is handed out to passengers.

So after landing, I took the airport bus to the city center. Tickets are at VND 60 000 and can be bought right at the arrival gate. The signs may be in Vietnamese, but just approach the counter and ask if they provide the service to the old nha trang airport. The airport minibus will operate based on the flight arrivals. It will take about 45 minutes to reach to the old nha trang airport. From there, you can arrange your own transport to your hotel. I took a motorbike taxi which cost me VND 40 000. Do note that not all Vietnamese drivers/riders know the address that well. So, try having a local to help you write the address of your hotel in Vietnamese.

I booked my hostel, HQ hostel, for 3 nights. Dorms here cost me USD 7 per night and the price includes breakfast! So after reaching, I decided to wander around looking for places to eat.

Nha Trang is really a touristy and developed place. There are tall buildings around and strangely, many Russian restaurants. You can find many Russian expats and tourits here! And it was in Nha Trang that I saw the first fast food outlet (KFC) in Vietnam! The beach is really crowded with locals and tourists. The water, well it’s clean but not matching the standards of those beaches you see in Thailand. Nha Trang also has it’s share of nightlife which is around the Nguyen Thien Thuat and Biet Thu St area. The nightlife here isn’t as rowdy as those in Bangkok.

Night life in Nha Trang

Prices wise in Nha Trang are slightly higher than those in Hanoi. It’s a city area, what do you expect right? For those shoppers, you can shop at the Nha Trang shopping center and also a small mini night market that sells mainly souvenirs.

Just look for this prominent tower and the night market is nearby

I also booked for a snorkeling day trip for VND 300 000 by Nha Trang Tourist. Snorkeling gear, hotel transfer, lunch, fruits and bottled water are provided.

So, that’s about Nha Trang. Now, snorkeling!

The trip started off at 0800, with a 15 minute drive to the jetty for boat transfer. We went to Mun Island first and it took 30 minutes to get there. The water is really cold there and the water is clear and good enough for snorkeling. Alternatively, you can also book a diving trip to Mun Island.

We were allowed 45 minutes to snorkel here before going to another island. We went to Mot Island next for another 45 minutes of snorkeling.

Lunch was served on the boat, buffet style. Vietnamese food is served here. Lunch was okay, but you get for what you paid for, so no complaints! Fruits were also served after lunch!

After lunch, we headed to Mun Island for the last time. Here, we spent 30 minutes to snorkel and later back to the pier for our hotel transfer.

Well overall, the experience is okay. As I mentioned earlier, you get for what you paid for. But for the price, it’s really worth it considering lunch is included. The corals are not damaged and the water is clear and clean for snorkeling. The trip will end about 1600.

I wandered around the city and beach area before heading back to the hostel to call it a day.

So that’s all for now. Stay tuned for my next post, as I venture to the resort island of VinPearl!

Vietnam Part 4

Vietnam 2013 Part 2 – Ha Long Bay

Ha Long bay, the Natural Wonder of the World. Indeed it is! One can simply book the tour in Hanoi. There’s many tour agencies in Hanoi itself that organizes trips to Ha Long Bay. Trips range from a day to 3 days, with a choice to overnight in a junk.

I booked this tour before coming to Vietnam. I found this company: Awesome Vietnam Travel on Tripadvisor and booked my 1-day trip to Ha Long Bay there. It cost USD 28 for 1 person.

Normally, companies and locals will advice you to take the 2 or 3 day option due to time constrains when doing the 1-day trip. A 2 or 3 day trip will mean you get to overnight on the junk boat and see more of Ha Long Bay itself. Note that it will take a 4 hours by coach to the jetty for the boat transfer. So a 1-day trip will mean that you will spend 8 hours on the coach and only 4 hours at Ha Long Bay itself. For me, I had a tight schedule and I already booked a flight to Nha Trang next, so I had no choice but go with the 1-day trip.

So my day started with the pick up service picking me at 0800 and after picking up after tourist, we headed straight to Ha Long. Around 1.5 hours into the journey, we stopped by at this huge shop for a toilet break. The shop sells hand made paintings which can cost up to VND 1 million! And souvenirs and snacks can be bought here as well.

We continued the journey and it’s really a bumpy ride to Ha Long. Road conditions aren’t really that good. And I find it ironic that the Vietnamese obey the speed limit but disobeyed the traffic lights.. Oh well.

So, upon reaching Ha Long, we waited for our boat for about 30 minutes. And by the time we get there, it’s already 1230.

You will be given a ticket here that states VND 80 000. Don’t worry, that’s just the cost of taking the boat. The price you pay basically includes the hotel transfer, lunch, boat, park entrance fees and guide fees. And DO NOT lose this ticket. You will need it for some attractions.

The moment we boarded the boat, lunch is served. Lunch is basically seafood lunch, with prawns, chicken, clams, squid, fish, vegetables and rice. Do note that most Ha Long Bay trips include lunch in the itinerary but NOT drinks. Drinks can be purchased separately at VND 20 000. And for those who get sea sick easily, don’t worry! The boat is fairly stable and won’t be speeding through.  Here are some shots along the way:

Just nice after lunch, we arrived at this jetty. Our first stop is Thien Cung cave. This cave is really beautiful with many rocks with all sorts of shapes. You can use your imagination here to see the rocks that resembled something. Your tour guide will tell you legends about the cave and the meaning of certain rocks. Note: The cave may be a little wet, so do watch your steps!

After visiting the cave, we headed back on the boat. The boat now travels along and you can see many beautiful shaped limestone islets. Here are some shots:

About 20 minutes into the journey, we arrived at this small floating fishing village. There are actually people living in these villages. Their livelihood is mainly by fishing.

The boat will make a 30 minute stop at this fishing village. You have 3 options here.

1: Take a short ride on a small boat (for 4 pax) along the area paddled by the Vietnamese.

2: Have a short kayaking experience around the area.

3: Just chill on the fishing village.

I took the 1st option as I do not want to get wet. It cost me VND 130 000 for the boat ride. The ride is really relaxing and you will get to enter this mini “cave” to see the beautiful lagoon.

I recommend at least trying the boat ride or the kayak. For the adventurous and for those who want to get wet, get the kayak. Price wise, should be about VND 150 000. Do note that the “cave” is only accessible when it’s low tide.

After the ride, we boarded back the boat and headed back to the jetty on the mainland. As you can see, the day trip is really short, so I’d recommend going for the 2-day trip. Along the way, I managed to capture a few shots on different islets.

So, that’s Ha Long Bay. Overall, I enjoyed it  a lot! And for the price I pay, it’s really worth it!! I’d recommend Awesome Vietnam Travel. Just look it up at Tripadvisor!! Mr Anh is really professional and delivers what he promises.

If you have more time to spare, try going for the 2-day or 3-day trip. Do note that you get for what you pay for. Try organizing your trip from Hanoi and not Halong Bay itself to avoid scams. Do enquire about what you get for the package. Some companies may charge slightly more as the kayaking is already included. There is also a luxury option junk cruise for those honeymooners and those travelling on a high budget. What ever it is, Ha long bay must not be missed when one is in Vietnam!

Stay tuned for my next post as I fly to the beach city of Nha Trang!

Vietnam Part 3