 bpwarne's Ho Chi Minh City Travelogues | | | |
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| Page Views: 656 Last Visit to Ho Chi Minh City: April, 2008 | Saigon, May 2007 by bpwarne - last update: Sep 27, 2009 |
Various notes/emails written in Vietnam & Cambodia:
Arrived on time last night. Plane was packed tight the 2nd leg, all Vietnamese. Was only 1/4 full SFO - Hong Kong. Kim Hotel was at the airport waiting for me. Not too hot last night but sticky and hot this AM. No problems at airport. Luggage, customs, immigration all done in about 30-40 minutes.
Hotel not so good, OK, but not great. No internet but found some just a couple doors down.
Had breakfast at the Cappaccino Cafe on De Tham street. Two cappaccinos and a bannana pancake for $2.45. Pancake huge and excellent, cappaccinos so - so (weak with dishwater like bubbles for foam)
Kim Hotel not so good. very small, plain, dark, no ammenities (had shampoo packets but no soap), unhelpful kids for staff, no English. Owner was very nice when she showed up next day. Room was clean just very drab feeling. Did not get my free breakfast as I was up and on the street by 6AM and no one was awake. Owner did not charge me for water from honor bar in exchange for missing breakfast. Very nice lady, just not there at night.
Moved to Honh Hoa Hotel negotiated to $15 from $18/night. Excellent for the money. Nice ammenities, furnishings, full cable with HBO, etc, clean
Spent $7 for a moto driver to take me to RCG. Found old Montana building and what I think is one building remaining of RCG. My driver, whose name is Son had ice tea, a bottled Pepsi for me at a cafe for 32 cents total.
Had dinner at Kim Cafe on De Tham Street in backpacker ghetto
(no connection to Kim hotel.) $2 even for stir fry vegs, white steamed rice, bottled pepsi and bottled water. Fantastic; tomato, cabbage, green beans, squash, cucumber, mushrooms, pineapple. |
|  | Hot as Hell! Day 2 This is an excerpt from my email to Patty today:
It's about noon here, slept pretty good last night, nice and quiet once I returned to my room. Got up about 630 this morning. Breakfast at Kims, banana pancake and OJ, about $2.30 Oj fresh squeezed, very good. Bought ticket to Phnom Penh, leave tomorrow at 8AM cost $39 total on Master card. $24 for ticket, $5 extra for single room, $10 for fast boat upgrade into Phnom Penh on 2nd day (get there at 1pm instead of 5pm.) plus 1.50 Surcharge for credit card. Sinhcafe is cheaper for Air to Hanoi, $96/ea, said I should book at least two days in advance. Because I wont be back til the 11th in the late afternoon, I guess I should book it today. We will leave on a late afternoon flight on the 13th. Went for really long walk around city to Market, past Rex, Continental, Caravelle hotels, City buildings, Tudo street (had VERY expensive cappaccino, $2.50 but was absolutely the best ever, better than Panama by a long shot. Went inside Notre Dame church, mass is at 6:30, 7:30, and 9:30AM on Sundays, we can walk there easy from our hotel. Is open for visitors daily. Went to post office, looks pretty much the same but w/Ho Chi Minhs pic on wall now. Went to the Presidents Palace, now called the Reunification Palace, paid $1 for tour, went to bunker in basement, pretty cool. Incidentally, if you would like to have a special celebration for your special event, the Reunification Palace is now available for weddings, etc. Would be different, anyway.
Had a pressed or drip type iced coffee for 90 cents at a Thung Nguyen Cafe, was the only Westerner there, people not friendly. Coffee outrageously strong, very serious stuff. For a country which is known in 'coffeeland' for growing some really bad robusta beans to be used in cheap canned coffee, they sure do have good Aribica bean coffee.
Walked back to the backpacker ghetto and here I am now. Not sure what to do with the rest of the day other than go to my room and shower (had 4 showers yesterday, one so far today). Hotel will hold luggage for free for a week but I may just take it w/me as it will be handled by the tour boat/bus people.
Some observations:
people are not that friendly and warm.
people do not really seem happy anymore.
two different people have complained about the VC taking everything.
VC redistributed the wealth ok, in typical communist style....They took it all and kept it for themselves!
When my driver Son saw a nice House or building he quickly pointed out to me it was owned by rich VC who are very corrupt!
Son is unhappy...must pay for Doctor, hospital and child to go to grade school...very expensive. No money...no school, no Dr, no hospital...just die...tough luck! Aint Socialism swell?
Lunch was veggan spring rolls and 2 cokes for 50,000 dong, a bit expensive. Found a place for a haircut. It cost 25,000 dong or about $1.60.
Liked it so much I gave him a 37 cent tip! Also bought some sun screen, 82 SPF for about 4000 dong, or $2.50. Booked the flights to Hanoi from Saigon on the 13th at 5PM. Cost was $96/ea. I will pick them up this evening at Sinhcafe. Found a pharmacy with anti malarial drugs for $5. Think I will wait til Phnom Penh though.
Caught a ride on a moto to downtown, by the Rex for 1000 dong, about 60 cents, to check on some maps at a book store. Had dinner at Goc Saigon, a rooftop restaurant across from the REX and a lot cheaper. Paid 75,000 or about $4.50 for a smoothie and some fried calamari dish with Thai sauce. A bit pricey, but still about the cheapest rooftop restaurant right in prime downtown Saigon area. Fantastic views and street sounds. Walked back to backpacker ghetto by way of the night market at Ben Thanh Marketplace.
There is a lot more traffic today than yesterday and it was immediately noticeable this morning when I left the hotel. April 30 was 'Reunification Day', the day Sai gon fell in 1975 and I guess some businesses were still closed on May 1 for it. Not any noticeable celebrations though but flags were posted everywhere. |
| | Hotter than Hell! Day 3 630AM, been up since 5. Am taking all luggage w/me (only the one bag and my backpack. Had a great time last night just being downtown watching the traffic. It is much prettier at night downtown, just like many places, it looks better at night.
Sinhcafe Open Tour bus left at 8:15 for the Mekong Delta, basic price for 2 day/1night tour with exit to Phnom Penh is $22, however, I paid $38, $5 extra for single occupancy room and $11 extra for express boat to Phnom Penh tomorrow.
Hot, bus is hot, has A/C but not putting out much. Transferred to boat about 10:30, would'nt start and moved to another boat. Floating market and village tour ok but, if you've seen one you've seen them all.
Sinhcafe's hotel of the day in Chau Duc is really wretched, not much can do about it though. That's what you get for booking a $22 two day tour! Someone from the hotel walked a small group of us to a nearby restaurant so we could get dinner if we wanted, then he just left us there. Dinner was good though, fried rice and steamed veggies for $1.50. Another $1 for two cokes. Walked back to the hotel with a young Chinese guy who had been on the bus/boat and was afraid to leave the restaurant alone! It was quite dark out. |
| Saigon Central Post Office |
| | Getting use to living in Hell! Day 4 Took the express (fast boat) to Phnom Penh today. Things were drastically better, well worth the $11 upgrade. Arrived 5 hours before others who took the slow boat. Boat was small, 13 passengers, so got out of Vietnam and through Cambodia immigration quickly. Nice seats, covered top with lots of open windows so very cool inside when under way. Once again it was scorching.
Caught a Tuk Tuk and went out to the Killing Fields this afternoon. Gruesome. Stupa is about 50 ft tall, center column about 6X6 ft, chocked full of skulls all the way to the ceiling. Bone fragments, teeth, clothing fragments all over the trails. Beautiful area with trees.
Rained really hard on the way back, got soaked. First monsoon rain this trip. Didnt cool things off though.
Lunch was $2, all you can eat Indian food at the ??? and it was truly amazing; vegetable Dall, Vegetable curry, rice, salad, Naan bread. All you could eat, bought to your table by smiling faces. Bad news was no drinks included, those were extra. Bottled Cokes, 25 cents each. Ouch, that hurts, bought the lunch bill up to $2.50 Truly a fantastic meal. Just a great day all around. |
| Still here after all those years, different inside |
| | Well, guess I died and am in Hell, Day 5 Walked to the old French Embassy, curious as to what it actually looks like after having just read The Gate. Afterwards went to the Genocide museum or S-21. Met up with the training group from Intrepeic Travels again, so tagged along and got a free presentation from their guide. Pretty horrific and pretty gruesome narration by the guide. I swear even he had tears in his eyes a couple times. Afterward had a fruit smoothie at the ????? across from the prison. Nice shaded outdoor setting, prices a little on the high high side. Called Bob White, a fellow Thorntree forumer and met for lunch near his place. Went to the Russian Market, really not as exciting as the books make it out to be. Booked bus to Siem Reap, leave in the morning at 7:30AM. |
| The Rex as viewed from the top of Saigon Tax build |
| | May 11 Not a happy camper. Manager says camera not here, will be here in an hour. Told him I must leave now or miss my bus. Refused to pay bill until he delivers camera. He said he will deliver it to My hotel in Saigon. We'll see. Not holding my breath. Full breakfast available for free but only had fruit and tea, anxious to get to Saigon and leave Cambodia behind.Took the Mekong Express to Saigon at 7AM. Arrived about 1:30. Took 2 hours to Mekong crossing, very slow going as work on just about every overpass being rebuilt. Smooth ride after that, good road the rest of the the way, 20 minute lunch stop just before border crossing. Cambodia customs indifferent to us, Vietnam Customs very slow. This bus had the largest seats yet also showed Mr. Bean clips and music videos. Once again, served the rediculous sandwich and a tangerine. Caught a moto for a buck (should have seen him handle my baggage!)and checked into the gov guest house. Absolutely incredible bargain. Very nice, $20 including full breakfast for two. No internet in area, well there is one but it was full, so caught a ride to backpacker ghetto about 5:30, Noticed a place doing laundry for 9000 dong/kg., about 60 cents! Rediculous!!had dinner and here I am. Patty arrives 9:30 so head for the airport about 9. Moto is $2 from District 1 area to TSN. |
| The old movie theater, same one I went to in 1970 |
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| Great cappucinno on the once famed Tudo Street |
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 Comments for bpwarne about Ho Chi Minh City | | | | |
freddie18 Mon Feb 9, 2009 02:44 UTC
I found your tips very useful especially that I love Vietnamese food. I have not been to Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular so I surely will need services of Son to tour me around. Thanks for sharing. | KhanhLy Sat May 26, 2007 06:45 UTC
Love your posting. Add to friend list so I can come back to read more! |
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