This is an extensive trip report for Ho Chi Minh City, please read only when you are free. My travelling party consists of 2 young adults, and 2 women above 60 with leg problems, one diabetic. Conversion rate is US$1.00 = 16,000 VND.
Day 1
Arrived HCM via Tiger Airways, and had pre-arranged airport to Indochine Hotel (http://www.indochinehotel.com). I was shocked to see that Indochine was merely a wedge between shophouses, the website showed no outdoor pics, now we know why. They kept our passports for us upon checkin. Our room was lovely, just like the pics. Comfy with no traffic noise outside. Had a quick lunch at Pho24 opposite, really nice beef noodles with spring roll. After lunch, we walked to the Opera House, Chao Bella was showing there that weekend from 150,000VND per person. We chose not to. Took a 2-min taxi ride to Ben Thanh market, and got swindled. Forums said that taxi metres could be trusted, but flagfall showed
150,000 VND. Having just arrived, it is very unlike me to be confused with currency, but I dunno why alarm bells didn%26#39;t go off. I paid the 150,000VND and only realised my mistake after.. sighhhhhhhhhhh.
Left mum shopping at Ben Thanh, and having been shaken by the taxi ride, we went on a Cyclo tour to Sinh Cafe (246-248 De Tham St Tel:8367338) to book our tours. A cyclo is a single seated trishaw ride, which brings you very close to traffic. Huihui got a shock when his cyclo rider dropped something, and left her in the middle of an intersection to pick up his stuff hehe. Must try cyclo! After Sinh Cafe, arrived back to Ben Thanh by cyclo again, and took a taxi to Chinatown. Taxi brought us to An Dong market at first, which was at the perimetre of Chinatown. He eventually agreed to bring us to Binh Tay market in Chinatown centre, but we regretted the decision - this was more like a warehouse market for locals, we couldn%26#39;t buy anything here unless you want cooking utensils and fresh veg. Went to the famous Quan An Ngon Restaurant (138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Tel:8257179) for dinner, very classy garden restaurant serving local food. Unfortunately, it didn%26#39;t turn out too nice for us cos everything was too sweet for mum, aunt didn%26#39;t want pork/beef for fear of high cholesterol, and huihui had trouble chewing with her braces on.
- Airport Transfer US$12 (we requested a 7-seat van)
- Pho24 meal for 4 VND144,000
- Swindled taxi ride VND150,000
- Packet of souvenir coffee and 2 strainers VND37,000
- 2 Cyclos to Sinh Cafe VND27,000
- Fresh Coconut = VND5,000
- Taxi to Chinatown US$4
- Sinh Cafe tour to Mekong Delta (MyTho) VND111,000 x 4 = VND444,000
- KFC Chicky meal (popcorn chicken, fries, drink) VND31,000
- Taxi back to town US$4
- Dinner Quan An Ngon for 4 = VND150,000
- Taxi back to hotel VND20,000
- 1.5L Water = VND8,000 x 6 = VND48,000
Day 2
Took a taxi to Sinh Cafe for our tour to Mekong Delta. After a 2-hour bus journey, we arrived Ben Tre and boarded a motorised boat to Phoenix Island, fit for all 35 of us. We watched rice paper making, and had a free lunch consisting of rice with bbq pork, 2 spring rolls, and veg soup. Must try the elephant-ear-fish which is large enough to be shared by 4. It%26#39;s about 1 foot long, and 20 cm high, with thorns on its body. Fish meat is wrapped in rice paper with veg and vermicelli, very yummy. After lunch, we boarded a smaller motorboat fit for 10 to Turtle Island. We saw honeycombs, tasted honey with rice wine and lime, and had free fruits whilst watching locals perform traditional music. We then went on an even smaller row-boat fit for 4, and went to another island to watch coconut candy making - chewy and sweet. Mum and aunty nessie had trouble getting in and out of this small boat with their leg problems. Finally arrived back at our bus for the 2-hr journey back to Sinh Cafe. We decided to have western dinner tonight (after last night%26#39;s disaster) at Sinh Cafe itself, simple yet delicious drinks and food. After dinner, went shopping at Tax Department Store (corner of Le Loi and Nguyen Hue) where we bought most of our souvenirs from the supermarket without needing to bargain.
- Taxi to Sinh Cafe VND13,000
- Elephant-ear fish VND90,000
- Sinh Cafe dinner for 4 = VND373,000
- Taxi to Tax Department VND13,000
- T-shirt at Tax Department supermarket VND20,000
- Au Dai (traditional viet silk dress) VND205,000
- Taxi to hotel VND13,000
Day 3
Started the day with a typical sunday morning market of Cho Tai Binh, on Pham Ngu Lao. Had a local%26#39;s beef noodles here, tasted much nicer than the commercialised versions of Pho24. Then we visited Notre Dame Cathedral and the General Post Office, very beautiful architecture to take photos with. Had lunch at Diamond Plaza food court, things were too expensive at Diamond Plaza to shop. So we went back to Chinatown, and tried An Dong plaza instead. Mum was most happy here and managed to quite some clothes. Went back to hotel for a rest, and i had the chance to go online to find a dinner venue. Found ';Bo Cai Xue'; (31 Ly Tu Trong St, near Thai Van Lung St) and had the best dinner of our trip! We had marinated beef bbq-ed at our table, beef tail steamboat with lots of veg, fried spinach, and grilled carp, all for US$16! Spent the rest of the night at Tax Department store again, and drinks back at Sinh Cafe.
- Taxi to Cho Tai Binh VND17,000
- Pho Bo at market VND16,000
- Taxi to Notre Dame Cathedral VND20,000
- Lunch at foodcourt VND50,000 per person
- Taxi to An Dong VND50,000 (got swindled again, supposedly VND36,000)
- Spring roll at market VND3,000
- Taxi to hotel VND36,000
- Taxi to Bo Cai Xue VND15,000
- Dinner for 4 at Bo Cai Xue VND262,000
- Taxi to Tax Department store VND15,000
- Taxi to Sinh Cafe VND13,000
- Sinh Cafe drinks for 4 + 2 cakes VND121,000
- Taxi to hotel VND18,000
Day 4
- Hotel bill = US$25 x 2 rooms x 3 nights = US$150
- Bought a small wooden ship for Joshua = VND50,000
- Taxi to Airport VND73,000 incl parking at airport VND5,000
- Airport departure tax US$14
Overall, it was a relaxing and eye-opener trip. The amount of motorbikes in HCM is crazy, crossing the roads was an adventure. As a tip, you should just walk at a slow and constant speed when crossing the road, don%26#39;t bother looking left or right and do not hesitate when crossing. And most people trade in VND, even if they accept US$, the rate is bad. Change money at financial institutions located in shopping centres or on the street, the rates are not as good at the airport or jewelry stores.
Oct 20-23: A very extensive Trip Report
A small correction.
The restaurant mentioned, Bo Cai Xue, should actually be spelled as Bo Tung Xeo, 31 Ly Tu Trong Street, Tel: 8251330. Open from 10am-10pm.
Oct 20-23: A very extensive Trip Report
Hi Pigengineer,
Can you tell me how your stay was at the Indochine hotel? There haven%26#39;t been very many reviews on here....
If you can tell me how the staff was, your room and overall cleanliness. Someone on here said that the bathroom was moldy. Did you experience the same? Thanks for the complete itinierary...It will definitely help when I go to HCMC in Feb.
Thanks for your review it was a really good read :)
';Forums said that taxi metres could be trusted, but flagfall showed
150,000 VND. Having just arrived, it is very unlike me to be confused with currency, but I dunno why alarm bells didn%26#39;t go off. I paid the 150,000VND and only realised my mistake after.. sighhhhhhhhhhh.';
What should be the flagfall for taxis in HCM during the day, and at night?
Marc,
The flagfalls vary but are rarely more than 15,000 dong (a little less then 1USD). There are a few less-than-honest taxi drivers who have tricks to speed up the meters so it%26#39;s a good idea to negotiate a price beforehand if possible. Most of the drivers are honest and the meters are usually accurate. It wasn%26#39;t until my 4th visit and more than 50 taxi rides that I finally encountered a dishonest driver. Living in a big city in the states, I usually have a rough idea what the trip should cost. If I sense something not right I will say so.
Hi, Quinn_CA:
Pig-E did a review of his stay at the Indochine.
%26lt; tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293925-i8433-k848鈥?/a> %26gt;
I was surprised to learn of your %26#39;mold%26#39; report. I have stayed there regularly ever since 2002 - when it was completed gutted and rebuilt - rebuilt to the design of an Australian trained architect who has used glass throughout the building in imaqinative ways.
Hi Selling,
Book28 mentions that...see here:
tripadvisor.com/鈥?098519
';I know Indochine is highly recommended by Selling-Nothing. I did look at the hotel, large lobby, nice staff. Yes they reply emails really quick. Good location for 25-30US if you want to stay in that area. The bathroom is substandard, very bad, moldy on bathtub and floor, very very bad. If you lost your glasses, then you don%26#39;t notice. I don%26#39;t wear glasses so I can see very well, very grossy.'; Book28
Just wanted to check if Pig-Engineer experienced the same.....
Hi all,
First up, Pig-E is a she! We were 4 women travelling on our own in HCM.
And if you choose a Superior room, there are no bathtubs in the bathrooms(as shown in their pics), therefore no mold to worry about. So nope, the floor of the shower stall was fine.
Also, flagfall for the tiny type of taxis were 13,000 for the first 2kms, I believe they were mostly green or had green labels, under Vina taxis(and not Vina Sun). The size was like a Daihatsu Charade. Everytime i got into these type of taxis, they immediately said they want to follow the metre and wouldn%26#39;t even negotiate a price. Saved all the hassle of bargaining.
Hi pigengineer,
Your review is very interesting. I also like food at Bo Tung Xeo a lot. The local beef noodle is nice too but sure they put MSG (glutamate) inside the soup. I love Pho 24 more but it%26#39;s expensive.
land
Yeah taxis are a bit of a sneaky sometimes. i caught a taxi from caravelle to pho hoa (?) for 18,000 VND one way then going back from outside the pho shop back to caravelle it cost 60,000VND!
How could it have tripled? same route.....
Got ripped off on taxis in Hanoi and Saigon. careful of the cyclos too who can be a bit tricky sometimes....
No comments:
Post a Comment