Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam travel tales and tips

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam travel tales

Pages (4 of 81): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 More »

D Tay	28 December 2004
Stayed at New World Hotel Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Unless you have USD to burn, don't book your tours with Saigon tours. They are very expensive. I paid 25 USD for a day trip to the tunnels and found out later that a local tour does it for 5 USD plus a trip up north looking at some temples. You can imagine the profits Saigon tours are making. I subsequently use the local tour operator to go to mekong delta for 15 USD as opposed to 40 USD. Look out for the small tour operators around, a good place to go find them is the park near hotel new world and you can see their ads at the lively bar and dinner area adjecent to the park.
A Rundle	24 December 2004
Stayed at Grand Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
We only had one full day in Ho Chi Minh City so took a private tour in the afternoon. We organised this through Ben Thanh Tourist when we went to collect the Vietnam Airlines tickets they had purchased on our behalf. Our 4 hour tour included some of the more famous sites such as the Reunification Palace, Thien Hau Pagoda, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. In the evening we joined masses of people in the street outside the Municipal Theatre listening to the rehersal for a Christmas concert - carols and opera!! We then went on to dinner at Lemon Grass in D Nguyen Thiep, not far from the hotel. We were lucky to get in (the only free tables were on the second floor) and had a most enjoyable, inexpensive Vietnamese meal.
A Locus	21 December 2004
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
If you use a GSM phone bring it and get a sim card in vietnam. Should save you some money but more importantly is a great convenience. Try not to stay in HMC for more than a day or two. There are more interesting places to visit around the place and the backpack areas have all the information in english. Happy tours are fun and cheap though the guides are sometimes a bit inexperienced and the food is below par. If you fly to Nha Trang the plane will not arrive in time to catch any island tours during the day as the new airport is a fair way from the city now. A guide on a motorbike will happily take you around for a day or half a day.
M Nguyen	20 December 2004
Stayed at Grand Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
From hotel to Tan Son Nhat airport in HCMC is about 20 - 25 minutes (even in rush hour traffic). Costs about 6 USD. We recommend Pho 24 restaurant for some good pho soup. It's a couple of minutes away on foot. Also, there is a great Chinese restaurant 5 minutes away called Dai Thong (we recommend clams in black bean sauce). You can ask the concierge where to find these places. There are children all over the streets trying to sell you postcards or gum etc.. If you do not wish to buy or be bothered, don't make eye contact and don't respond to them at all.
B Barry	19 December 2004
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
I stayed 3 days in Ho Chi Minh and took a half day tour ($US 9) of Cu Chi tunnels and a full day Mekong trip ($US 7) through Sinh Travel Office. Both of these tours were good value for money and I would recommend. The war museum was also a well spent 2-3 hours for less han $1 entry. If using taxis, always make sure the meter is on.
A Borbiro	16 December 2004
Stayed at Best Western Chancery Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
You can walk down to downtown Saigon, Ben Tanh markets, but it's an uphill walk back; not too far though. Also close to the Reunification Palace & War Remnants Museum (very one-sided displays re the 'American War', understandably, but it does show the horrors that would occur in ANY war).
L Laws	15 December 2004
Stayed at New World Hotel Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Be careful with the cyclos as they are going to rip you off. Ben Than Market is five minutes walk from the hotel and they got beautiful handicraft but you have to bargain with the price. Dong Koi area is good for tailored silk which is good value of money.
C Chu	13 December 2004
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
There is nothing much to do in Saigon aside from the shopping, and the visit to the museums. For the nature lovers a trip to Dalat (6 hours from Saigon) is worthwhile. Dalat is very scenic (lots of waterfalls and lakes) and the hotel rates are unbelievably cheap.
I Brandao	14 November 2004
Stayed at Omni Saigon Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
HCMC is chaotic to foreigners, but organized from a Vietnamese point of view. Traffic is hellish, but it flows, as there are few cars and lots of bikes, cyclos and motorbikes. I hired a private guide (for 15 Euro) on my first day, and went to all the must-see places, like the Reunification Palace and the War Museum, and also took a cyclo ride to Cholon, the busy chinese quarter. On my second day I toured the Mekong Delta for a mere 5 Euro, transportation and lunch included (advised by our tour guide - if booked at a hotel this tour would set you back at least 20 Euro). On the third day I went shopping at the Central Market where I had some local delicacies for lunch for very very little money. I skipped the Cu Chi Tunnels tour as it is not advisable for clautrophobics!!!
H Panhans	12 November 2004
Stayed at New World Hotel Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Not too much to see in Saigon. Recommendable to visite the History Museum and to have a beer or two at the roof garden of the Rex hotel. The only recommendable department store is the Tax oposite the Rex hotel.

Pages (4 of 81): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 More »

Email a friend · Help · Hotel Chains

Powered by: