Ho Chi Minh City Transportation Tips by phadke2001

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Motorcycle
Getting TO/AROUND: The best way to get to Ho Chi Minh City from Singapore is by flight. Both Vietnam Airlines & Singapore Airways run flights. I took Vietnam Airlines because of a great deal on the tickets. Their planes are in good condition & the in-flight service is not bad. The flight is under an hour & you really dont need much in such a short while. The inflight magazine is a good source of information about the country & things to do. Make sure you pick your copy & browse thru it.

THE BEST THING ABOUT VIETNAM AIRLINES IS THE WIDTH OF THE SEAT. I AM A BIG GUY, & WHEN I SAY BIG, I MEAN REALLY BIG - TALL & WIDE. I HAVE TRAVELLED SEVERAL AIRLINES AROUND THE WORLD BUT VIETNAM AIRLINES HAS THE WIDEST SEATS. THE SEAT PITCH IS ALSO VERY GOOD. THIS MAKES THE FLIGHT EVEN MORE COMFORTABLE.

The ticket is about S$500 (+/- 20%)
Please read my separate posting on HCMC airport.
TAXIS: HCMC does not have too many cars. In fact you will be lucky if you encounter more than 100 private cars. Of the cars you see on the road 90% are taxis.

Taxis are rickety & old but air-conditioned & cheap. So getting around is never a problem & it is fairly comfortable. Make sure you negotiate the fare with the taxi driver before getting in. Orient yourself to the currency & then start negotiating. A good benchmark is to halve the first quote that the driver & then agree to something that is about 70% of it.

A good option is to hire a taxi for the whole day & ask him to take you around the city. They know the main places that the tourists want to see. But it is best to hire these kind of taxis away from your hotel since they would be cheaper.

PRIVATE TAXIS: There are car rental companies that opearte taxi services & notable among them is SASCO. I have not tried their services but they seem to be good. They have 2 types of taxis - Airport taxi & Saigon Taxi & their numbers are
Airport Taxi - 8446666
Saigon Taxi - 8424242

MOBIKE TAXIS: These are available aplenty all over the city & if you are not the faint hearted types go ahead & give them a try. They are safe but the traffic in HCMC is chaotic. It can be scary for someone who is not used to travelling on a bike in such traffic. It is a cheap way to travel & lets you see, touch & feel the city.

Leave a Comment