*03/11/2007 - 06/11/2007, 4D3N Trip to Ho Chin Minh (Vietnam)*

1) Flight Taken: Tiger Airways - @$223.98/person including taxes (not inclusive of $3 for electronic payment)
TR 328: SIN to SGN - 1240hrs (SIN Time) to 1340hrs (SGN Time)
TR 329: SGN to SIN - 1410hrs (SGN Time) to 1650hrs (SIN Time)

2) Accommodation: Elios Hotel

Booked a superior twin room with the hotel via email. Rate is @USD $54 per night inclusive of breakfast, 5% service charge and 10% VAT tax Total USD $162 for 3 nights.

Room was quite small with a small window. As for breakfast, there's isn't a wide selection to choose from. Pretty decent though and I like their yoghurt in small glasses. The view from the rooftop is nice too! =)

3) Exchange Rate as shown in most money changers in Ho Chin Minh:
**Exchange rate as on 03/11/2007 - USD $1 to VND 16,000**

4) Recommended Taxi (as suggested by others from forums):

5) Most Recommended Links:

Wiki Travel - Vietnam

Travelfish (For Maps too)

1st day, 03/11/2007:

1. Went to Sinh Cafe to book Mekong Delta Tour @5pm plus (5mins walk from Elios Hotel).

To go to Sinh Café (246-248 De Tham Street, District 1), go to the junction at Pham Ngu Lao Street and De Tham Street, walk downwards after you've by passed Kim's Cafe. Sinh is just a couple of shops away , on the very same row of shophouses.

2. Reunification Palace @135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street. Open daily 7:30-11:00am, 1:00-4:00pm. Entry fee 15,000 dong.

We didn't went in as it was closed by the time we have reach there. Therefore, we just stand outside and take some pictures.

3. Lunch at Bac Ho Pho Mien.

Decided to try the beef pho at this stall as it look quite clean and since we were unable to find the small food stall recommended by others too. The beef pho comes with 1 fried fritters (you tiao) and they give you a bowl of basil leaves for you to add to the noodles. Also provide wet tissues too and they charge only VND 6,000 for a bowl of beef pho. Taste wise pretty average to me. Probably because I don't really like pho in the first place.

4. Notre Dame Cathedral

Lots of people and even at night, there'll be people praying outside this church.

5. Post Office @ 2 Cong Xa Paris, District 1

6. Diamond Plaza for to try the chicken @ Lotteria.

Like the chicken!! Taste much better than our KFC!

7. Pass by Opera House (7pm plus and it's already so dark!)

8. People's Committee Building

9. Tourist Information Centre (just opposite of Rex Hotel, next to Kimdo Hotel)

Went to get a free map there. However, the maps I gotten from Travelfish are much more detailed as compared to the free map.

10. Went Tax Shopping Centre supermarket for groceries & Coffee @ Highland Coffee.

The coffee and pudding is good. Highland Coffee is like Vietnam's equivalent of Starbucks. We ordered:

1 Traditional ice coffee with condense milk @ 20,000 dong
1 Yogurt Pudding @ 21,000 dong

12. Dinner @ Oriental Star (San Dong) in Ben Thanh Night Market. Total cost of what we ordered is 108,000 dong.

BBQ Tiger Prawns @ 30,000 dong
1 Shishamo (10 / 12 pieces) @ less than 30,000
1 bottle of San Miguel beer (330 ml) @ 9,000 dong.
1 Towel @ 1000 dong
Can't remembered what we other things we have ate.

13. Back to hotel.

2nd day, 04/11/2007:

1. My Tho - Ben Tre Mekong Delta Trip @ USD$10 / pax

Woke up pretty early for trip as we need to board the bus by 8.30am at Sinh Cafe office.

Excerpt from Sinh Cafe site: Tour from 0830hrs to 1800hrs which includes Bus, Guide, Boat trip, Vietnamese lunch, Fruits

"My Tho is the closest Mekong Delta City to Saigon where you will see part of the picturesque natural setting of Vietnamese country. The trip includes seeing a floating fish market, crossing Mekong River by motorized boat, a row boat ride along small creeks to the Mekong river estuary, cruising along the Phoenix Island, quiet villages of Ben Tre Province, seeing the manufacturing of handicrafts made from coconut trees, honey bee keeping farm, tropical orchards, tasting honey, tropical fruit, coconut candy, enjoying Vietnamese tradition music, visiting MEKONG REST STOP on the way back to Saigon"

After the tour while the bus was on the way back to Sinh Cafe, it started raining heavily which is about 1740hrs. The sky was so dark that if I didn't have a watch with me, I would have thought it's 8pm. We both got very drenched because I have both forgotten to bring my umbrella (in my luggage) and he was too lazy to bring along his umbrella (in his luggage to). =S

2. Dinner @ Restaurant 13 @ 13 Ngo Duc Ke St, D1 (Opposite Duxton Hotel): We ordered 4 dishes & 2 coffee ice with condense milk which cost us 300,000 dong.

This place serves classic Vietnamese food that is a step up from street food and is catered more to foreigners by serving chicken with no skin, no bones, etc. Recommended dishes are Lemongrass Chicken, Deep Fried Squid with Plum Sauce (read Crusty Squid), Caramel Claypot Pork, Thai Style Soup and Water Spinach with Garlic.

3. Dessert @ Fanny's. Think of Haagen Daz. Never knew ice-cream on a rainy day would taste that good. Their durian ice-cream rocks!

4. Back to hotel.

Labels: Vietnam