| D Young |
14 April 2003 |
Stayed at Bong Sen Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Enjoyed strolling through Saigon.
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| A Connor |
07 April 2003 |
Stayed at Lisa Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Fantastic destination. I have travelled far and wide and seldom have I experienced such great hospitality from a truly marvellous people. If you have time do the three day tour of the Mekong Delta, do it! It offers a very fascinating insight into this exceptional people.
English can be thin on the ground so prepare yourselves with a good phrase book although you can have great fun with sign language.
Lots to see in HCMC (Saigon). Took the hydrofoil to Vung Tao for a day by the sea. Recommended! Enjoy Vietnam, you will!
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| C Bushnell |
30 March 2003 |
Stayed at Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
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We took a three day tour of Halong Bay and stayed on a 90 foot junk boat (we booked this thru Velo-Asia) I would rec. that to anyone going to Vietnam. Our kids loved it. I think you need the two days to get far enough from the main tourist area and the polluted water.
We also had ocean kayaks with us and did a lot of exploring in caves and wonderful beaches. We had a guide the whole time (Nguyen Xuan Nghia-"Dragon" greendragon36@hotmail.com). He made the trip for our family. He took us to his home outside of Hanoi and we meet his family and had tea. What an experience for our children.
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| T Sarro |
28 March 2003 |
Stayed at Saigon Morin - Hue, Vietnam.
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There are many wonderful things to see in Hue. The East Gate of the citadel, and the Dynastic Urns are "must see".
For some local color and good Vietnamese food, try Am Phu at 35 Nguyen Thai Hoc. This is a place popular with the locals, so do not expect "tourist" amenities, although the menu does have an English translation. The food is simple but excellent. Geckoes scurry freely on the walls. The pork hash and miscellaneous rice were very good.
A train ride down to DaNang to see the Cham museum is a worthwhile adventure. It takes a full day.
The Minh Mang tomb complex is also very interesting. The water gardens were an unexpected pleasure.
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| J Lorraway |
25 March 2003 |
Stayed at Caravelle Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Ho Chi Min is very lively, bustling city. Not an awful lot to do in the central city in terms of touristy attractions, but found it an interesting city just to wander around and look at the people going about their lives.
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| T Sarro |
24 March 2003 |
Stayed at Rex Hotel Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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The little Ciao Cafe is just a block away from the Rex, at 72 Nguyen Hue St. The gelato is perhaps not as good as in Rome, but is certainly refreshing in the Saigon heat! Nice if you want to get out of the hotel without going too far.
The main Post Office is worth seeing, and is an easy walk from the hotel. Plan on writing a postcard or two there, just to get the full effect. By the way, there is an ATM machine right across the street from the front of the cathedral, inside the HSBC bank.
If you can't see them in Hanoi, the water puppets are a must see. There are frequent shows at the History Museum of Vietnam, in the Botanic Garden.
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| P Kennedy |
20 March 2003 |
Stayed at Ana Mandara Resort - Nha Trang, Vietnam.
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Na Trang is a very local holiday resort for Vietnamese and backpackers. It is very geared toward tourism in the main town area. Some great seafood at really cheap prices in all restaurants. Great diving (PADI 5) and boat trips to local islands not to be missed.
We took two days out to visit Hoi An (1 hour by plane) - highly recommended for the cheap tailoring of clothes and lovely traditional town.
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| V Schlaier |
17 March 2003 |
Stayed at Saigon Muine Resort - Phan Thiet, Vietnam.
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Still a very calm area, tours to sand dunes and canyon are interesting (from Muine resort across the street is an intenet cafe which offers jeep tours). In some places a little "smelly" from nuoc mam production.
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| I Hosken |
16 March 2003 |
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Ho Chi Minh: Disregard the tour books, put on your walking shoes or hire a Xe Om and explore one of Asia's most vibrant cities.
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| Y Shinawaki |
16 March 2003 |
Stayed at Victoria Sapa Hotel - Sapa, Vietnam.
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Lots of exciting excursions. Cat cat tour would be good as the first day hiking.
You could go by yourselves but if you ask a guest house, the tour is $3 per person and the guide is a H'mon. The excursions organzed by Victoria is all expensive. (A half-day tour is $20 per person.) However, they have a good English
guide, and use Mercedes and you'll have a sense of security even on the rough road on a cliff.
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Traveller's Tales: Things to do in Vietnam
