Ho Chi Minh Tour Day 4

Ho Chi Minh pictures - another common sight

Ho Chi Minh Tour Day 4

We had a late breakfast today and made friends with Major Glenn MacDonald, editor-in-chief of militarycorruption.com who was also having a late breakfast. He was regaling us with his experiences in the war time when he was stationed in Vietnam and showing us his battle scars.

Breakfast

With our new friend Major Glenn MacDonald

Saigon Notre Dame Basilica, Ho Chi Minh

After breakfast, we took a 5 – 10 minute taxi ride to Notre Dame Cathedral or Basilica. Established by French colonists, the cathedral was constructed between 1863 and 1880. Inaugurated in 1880, Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the oldest and biggest Catholic churches in Vietnam. This neo-Romanesque architecture, built with bricks and tiles imported from France, reminds you of the cathedrals in Paris. It is worth taking a look at this lovely red-bricked church that was built using bricks from Marseilles and stained glass windows from Chartres.

in front of the Cathedral

The entrance

Just inside the church

Sample of the stained glass
Donation box

The Cathedral is closed to visitors except during mass on Sundays. So if you would like to go right into the cathedral, the best time would be at the English mass at 0930 hrs on Sunday.

The interior of the church which is closed

Saigon Central Post Office

Opposite the Cathedral is the Saigon Central Post Office. The building was constructed by French colonists in the early 20th century during French Indochina. This building features Gothic architecture. It was designed and constructed by the famous architect Gustave Eiffel in harmony with the surrounding area. Today, the building is a tourist attraction.

Saigon Central Post Office

Reunification Palace

Next we took a walk to the Reunification Palace, formerly known as Independence Palace, was built on the site of the former Norodom Palace. It is a historic landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu as the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and was the site of the official handover of power during the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.

The fountain in front of the Reunification Palace And the main building
As we still had to do some last minute shopping, we did not enter the Reunification Palace. Instead we just snapped some photographs before walking to Ben Thanh Market to buy some gifts and souvenirs.

You must really shop around to get a feel of the prices as opening prices from the various stalls for the exact same item can vary by almost 100%.

(VND10,000 = USD0.572)
We love to spend our holidays shopping. So here are some shopping & bargaining tips:-

Ralph Lauren short sleeve men's shirt

For example, a Ralph Lauren short sleeve men’s shirt. The opening price can range from VND180,000 to VND350,000. After bargaining and if you buy more than one piece, you should be able to get it between VND70,000 – VND80,000 per piece.

sports t-shirts

The short-sleeve sports polyester t-shirts with Nike or Adidas logo – the opening prices range from VND90,000 – VND250,000. If you buy more than one piece, you should also be able to get it for VND70,000/piece.

This t-shirt costs VND100,000 at the Ben Thanh night market and USD11 for 2pcs at Ben Thanh day market (all prices after bargaining)

From BinhTay Market in Chinatown (Cholon), these 2 ladies' t-shirts cost total VND270,000

As it was burning hot outside, we agreed to take a taxi back to Lac Vien hotel. We hopped into one of the many taxis that were lined outside Ben Thanh market and told the driver to go by the meter. As our hotel was less than 1 km away, we were shocked to see the meter showing VND92,000. This was definitely a rip-off! Again, the driver stopped us at the park along the main road and insisted he could not go into the lane to our hotel. This was just an excuse. We were ready to go to the police but decided against it as we needed to get to the airport to catch our flight back to Singapore. Thus we were left with no choice but to pay the exorbitant price!
Travel rip off no. 4 ; (


The taxi driver who ripped us off & trying to cover his face when we wanted to take his photographHis taxi license plate number 52T-9832
Going to the airport, Ms Hang, our hotel receptionist told us that the price should be approximately either USD or VND120,000. She kindly helped us call for the taxi and arranged the price for us. In fact, if we had gone by the meter, the fare was showing as less than VND90,000, which was less than what we had to pay the other taxi driver earlier!

The lane at our hotel where taxis could definitely come through
Ho Chi Minh pictures - another not too uncommon sight of messy cables

Tan Son Nhat Airport

After getting our boarding passes and going through customs and immigration, we had lunch in Prima Restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City airport, a Singapore restaurant serving Singapore food. We ordered the Bak Kut Teh (pork rib soup), sambal kang kung, fried spinach and beef in black pepper. Somehow the food did not taste like the original in Singapore. Guess they use certain Vietnamese ingredients which caused the difference in taste. However, they were still quality food. Prices were pretty high but we believe that was due to the location.


Bak kut teh (top left) and sambal kang kung (top right)

Fried spinach and beef in black pepper

We had a clear view of the runway and could see our JetSaver flight touching down before their turn around flight.
As our Ho Chi Minh flight was booked with JetSaver, we boarded our flight JetSaver 3K554 at 1430 hrs and departed Ho Chi Minh City at 1500 hrs. This was a trip that we will not forget considering the various travel rip offs that we experienced.

View of Ho Chi Minh City from the air
Above the clouds, so beautiful & serene

View as we were reaching Singapore

See how low the clouds were

View of Singapore, home sweet home

Ho Chi Minh Tour Day 3

Ho Chi Minh Pictures - A typical sight...

Ho Chi Minh Tour Day 3

Mekong Trip 1 day Tour

0745 hr – 1700 hrs
Booked the half day tour @ USD10/person.

We assembled at the tour agency at 0745 hrs. The bus departed at 0815 hrs. You can enjoy the scenic journey along the National Highway bordered by green rice fields.

A street hawker

Beautiful flowers

yummy pineapple

In My Tho area, watermelons, pineapples and rice wine are the speciality. We passed by lots of paddy fields. According to the tour guide, the crop takes 3 months from plating to harvesting and there are only three crops a year as there is no crop from August to October due to flooding. On the paddy fields, you will find tombstones as well. This is their tradition to be buried on their land to be closer to their family and also so that the land will remain in the family.

My Tho – Ben Tre (Upper Mekong River)

On arrival at My Tho, we were able to take boat trips to discover the wild islands of the mighty Mekong river. First, we took a leisurely boat trip and switched to a small rowing boat ride along a beautiful little canal whilst cruising in the shade of water coconut trees to Dragon Island where we visited the coconut candy mill. Here we were given an explanation of how coconut candy is made and samples to try.

After the candy mill, we were transferred back to the original boat and continued on to Unicorn island for a simple lunch of fried noodles with vegetables and pork. Drinks could be purchased at VND12,000 (VND10,000 = USD0.572) upwards. They also offered the Mekong speciality of deep fried elephant air fish @ VND150,000 for those were adventurous to try. It was a nice and serene place to stop for lunch.

After lunch, we went for another boat ride to Tortoise Island where we were shown how they kept bees. There was also a python which you could touch and carry for a photo shot. Here, we were given some samples of their local tidbits to try as well as honey tea and banana wine.

Next we walked past what was supposed to be a fruit orchard. As it was not the fruiting season, it was tough spotting the fruits. After a few minutes, we arrived at the next venue where we could try some fresh tropical fruits to the accompaniment of traditional Vietnamese folk music. The fresh fruits included pineapple, pomelo, chiku, banana and jackfruit.

After sampling the fresh fruits, we went onto a much smaller rowing boat which brought us back to our original boat where we returned to My Tho city. From there, we headed back to Ho Chi Minh City by bus and due to heavy traffic, we arrived back at 1725 hrs.

Saigon Square

In the evening, we proceeded to Saigon Square and bought a t-shirt with double coloured collar for VND150,000.

the double collar t-shirt which costs VND150,000

New World Hotel Ho Chi Minh

We passed by New World Hotel where President Clinton stayed the last time he was in Ho Chi Minh City. This hotel in Saigon has a casino. It is also a luxury hotel located in the heart of the busy commercial hub in the city.

A souvenir shop in New World Hotel... keychains made of bull's horn and sea shells

Zen Plaza entrance

Zen Plaza

We also passed by Zen Plaza, an up market and trend setting department store which is 100% owned Japanese investment centre. There is also a Japanese photo studio where you can dress up in traditional Japanese costumes and bring back beautiful memories.

Spot the word "ZEN"

Love is in the air...

Another street vendor

Our hotel receptionist, Ms Hanh, in traditional Vietnamese costume

One of the many lovely trees

Playing in the park - a favourite past time

Ben Thanh Night Market

Next we went back to Ben Thanh night market. As this was our last night here in Ho Chi Minh City, we decided to try another restaurant instead of Sao Dong which we really liked. We decided on Ben Thanh Trading next to Sao Dong. The service was not as good as Sao Dong’s. After being seated, we waited for a full five minutes and nobody even noticed us or bothered to bring us the menu till we called for it. Even when we managed to catch their attention, it took almost another five minutes before we were finally handed the menu. Somehow, they did not seem as organized as Sao Dong.

Ben Thanh Trading

Our order for the night:-

- fried spinach with beef VND25,000

- grilled wild boar meat VND40,000

- grilled beef on hot plate VND30,000

- Vietnamese fresh spring rolls @ VND4,000

For the fried spinach with beef, although the price is the same as Sao Dong, however the quantity was less and not as tasty. As for the wild boar meat, this is interesting where you cook the meat yourself. It tasted quite good except that there was lots of fat on the meat and smoke that can be quite irritating to nearby customers.

Cold fresh coconut drink - a great thirst quencher

The roadside dining area at Ben Thanh Trading

Broken Rice Restaurant - an unusual name

The Vietnam climate is both tropical and temperate. However, Ho Chi Minh weather is typically hot all year round being in the tropical region although they do have a rainy and hot season. Generally, the rainy season would be from August to October.

If you want to travel Ho Chi Minh city, it is best to book a tour with any of the numerous travel agencies as the prices charged are much more reasonable than if you were to take a taxi. Plus you get the added advantage of an English speaking guide for whom you will be more than grateful.