Ho Chi Minh City Transportation Tips by soopabayit

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Here is info on Sai Gon taxis
Stick to the big companies. Vinasun is the best, new cars , good service, etc. They start at 15000vnd (about $1usd) you can go hotel/restaurant most areas Dist1 to Dist3 and its many times still only 15000vnd. Next choice would be Deluxe, Saigon tourist or Petro, then Vinataxi, the yellow cars but many are old and beat up.

I wont get in any taxi that I don't recongnize the name of the company (see below)

During rush hour afternoon you might have trouble finding a taxi that doesn't already have customer. You can try to go to a hotel, big market or a traffic circle for better luck.

My experience is that most taxi drivers don't speak or understand english.

The Fake Taxis:
I say stick to the big companies that you see many taxis of because there are some drivers with corporate looking "taxis" with fake meters that run up very fast. I tried one and was mostly amused with it when I discovered what was going on. I took the hydrofoil back from Vung Tau and it should have been approx. 20000vnd to my hotel, but I saw the meter going so fast I complained and the driver gave me some story , so I figured when it hit 300000 I would walk the rest.

From the VN news:
To distinguish legal and illegal taxis, the city people’s committee recently issued an official stamp based upon a proposal by the Department of Communications and Public Works.

Taxis without the stamps will be impounded for 15 days for a first violation and 60 days on subsequent occasions on top of standard administrative action.

The transport, investment and planning, and taxation sectors will coordinate to issue and paste the stamps and keep track of the taxis that have received them.

However, it is not clear how effective the measure is.

A Department of Transportation and Urban Public Works official admitted only two-thirds of the city’s 10,000 licensed cabs had received the stamps so far.

Leave a Comment

'Mode': TO
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: 8/2005
Here is the info on the Hydrofoil to Vung Tau from SaiGon. It costs foriegners 150000vnd
Its operated by Greenlines. There are a lot of them but at the end of the day on a Sunday, they fill up. Its best to buy your ticket in advance. You will be assigned a seat. These craft appear to be circa 1960. Made of wood and dented metal. It did not appear that there were enough life vests for everyone, so maybe you want to think of a strategy prior to an incident.

I have no reason to think they are unsafe. My strategy was to step on people and grab a life vest, but in the water save some kid or something and swim to shore so I can look like a hero, not a villain.

You will be served a bottle of lukewarm water. In the SaiGon station there is some type of food place you can order something and eat it on the hydrofoil. Many people had purchased some kind of barbecued bird leg that was the biggest I'd ever seen in VN. Smelled pretty good.

The trip lasts 1.5 hours. They only go to / from Vung Tau

Leave a Comment

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: I found the motorbike guys and cyclo drivers by far gave the best directions if you are looking for some place or street. At first I was reluctant to ask them as I felt they would try to sell me on their service, but a couple times searching for some street I got many wrong directions from average people or security guards but the cyclo guys a few times knew exactly the street and they were right.

Leave a Comment

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: If you want to hire a cylco guy you can call my friend Sang. That way you can have your ride pre arranged.

These days he's typically at Truong Dinh and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai

Mr. Sang Nguyen
cell 0907589671

Leave a Comment

Phone: 0907589671

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Motorcycle
Getting TO/AROUND: everywhere you go people will want to talk to you, practice english, maybe french, take you home to the family and have you speak with some family member. If you are a guy, make friends with some girls and they can take you by motorbike all the time.

Leave a Comment

'Mode': TO
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Look, when you exit the airport - ignore the guy trying to get you a taxi. This idiot told me "only ten dollars" to go to Q3. I laughed at him because I know its only 50,000vnd.

Just do like I do, walk past him and all those guys get your own taxi. Talk only with the driver. Try to get vinasun, mai linh, or savico, vinataxi. Even to go to tourist district in Q1 should be less than 100,000 with tip, which is what - six bucks?

Leave a Comment

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Motorcycle
Getting TO/AROUND: Me - not a big fan of xe om guys. Usually cost you 10 or 20.000vnd. Don't worry about "change".

Be sure to say where you want to go, then ask how much before getting on the motorbike.

Everyone must wear helmet now so he will hand you a nice sweaty lice infested one to wear.

The advantage is you can hold the helmet hostage if you are trying to get change back.

Leave a Comment