Cyclo ride in Hanoi or HCMC?

[aharris0614]

For those of you that have been, would you recommend a rickshaw/cyclo ride in Hanoi or HCMC? Not as a DIY, but as part of a city tour. Both offer them, but I only want to do this in one city I think.

 

Thanks.

Ann Marie

[G.M.T.]

There is only one real choice, that is HCMC, population eight million with seven million scooters. Hanoi is more controlled and Saigon is much more open.

 

Did the ride (organised) three weeks ago, fantastic, the highlight of the cruise.

[Expat Cruise]

Have done both and found to be about the same. Really just which city fits better into your plans. The average ride is about 45 minutes. So allow over a hour to do.

[drsel]

I agree with GMT. Do the cyclo in HCMC and don't even think of going to Hanoi. You will waste 7 hours in travel (return trip).

Better to do the boat cruise (a must do) and bus tour in Halong bay.

I just feel sorry for the poor Vietnamese who have to pedal so hard to carry overweight tourists on the cyclos.

[drsel]

Regarding cyclos in Vietnam-- you should make sure the ride is organised and paid for in advance by your hotel or tour company.

 

Do not under any circumstances go with one off the street, it will end in disaster and you will extorted for lots of money up'a quiet street

 

Trip advisor is full of horror stories from tourists hiring cyclos off the streets in Vietnam and even the locals will not use them.

[Bpos]

Regarding cyclos in Vietnam-- you should make sure the ride is organised and paid for in advance by your hotel or tour company.

 

Do not under any circumstances go with one off the street, it will end in disaster and you will extorted for lots of money up'a quiet street

 

Trip advisor is full of horror stories from tourists hiring cyclos off the streets in Vietnam and even the locals will not use them.

 

Hey drsel - my words exactly so I have to agree?

[John Bull]

Regarding cyclos in Vietnam-- you should make sure the ride is organised and paid for in advance by your hotel or tour company.

 

Do not under any circumstances go with one off the street, it will end in disaster and you will extorted for lots of money up'a quiet street

 

Trip advisor is full of horror stories from tourists hiring cyclos off the streets in Vietnam and even the locals will not use them.

 

 

Sadly I have to agree.:(

 

We picked up four cyclos in Saigon - they wouldn't give a price, said it was entirely up to us. During our ride we called into the Post Office (an iconic building in itself) to change some money - there was a tourist info desk in there & we asked advice about how much to pay.

At the end of our tour we offered the recommended sum and a bit more - and the cyclo riders brought out a previously undisclosed fare chart quoting a very great deal more. This was in a main street, there were eight of us & we weren't wimps so we stuck to our guns, gave them what we had decided & walked off. Had it just been the two of us in a quiet side-street I guess I'd be adding to those horror stories.

A great shame that a super little tour was marred by the ending.

(BTW locals wouldn't use cyclos anyway, it's a "fun" thing, not a "transport" thing.)

 

I don't see a problem in doing it as part of an organised (ship's?) tour, otherwise steer well clear.

 

JB :)

[aharris0614]

Great! Thank you everyone, this is perfect info! It is part of an organized tour with a reputable company - so no worries there.

[Floridiana]

Assuming that your ship has a port stop for Hanoi and one for Saigon: Both cities are far from port unless you are on a small cruise ship that sails closer to Saigon than the large ships. But at your northern port, an excursion in Halong Bay makes more sense. It is a unique area well worth visiting.

[aharris0614]

Assuming that your ship has a port stop for Hanoi and one for Saigon: Both cities are far from port unless you are on a small cruise ship that sails closer to Saigon than the large ships. But at your northern port, an excursion in Halong Bay makes more sense. It is a unique area well worth visiting.

 

Thanks Floridiana. We are actually visiting Halong and Hanoi before the cruise. HCMC is a stop while we are on the cruise, and I think we will be docked near town (Azamara Quest) so hopefully we do not have to travel far.

[drsel]

Sadly I have to agree.:(

 

We picked up four cyclos in Saigon - they wouldn't give a price, said it was entirely up to us. During our ride we called into the Post Office (an iconic building in itself) to change some money - there was a tourist info desk in there & we asked advice about how much to pay.

At the end of our tour we offered the recommended sum and a bit more - and the cyclo riders brought out a previously undisclosed fare chart quoting a very great deal more. This was in a main street, there were eight of us & we weren't wimps so we stuck to our guns, gave them what we had decided & walked off. Had it just been the two of us in a quiet side-street I guess I'd be adding to those horror stories.

A great shame that a super little tour was marred by the ending.

(BTW locals wouldn't use cyclos anyway, it's a "fun" thing, not a "transport" thing.)

 

I don't see a problem in doing it as part of an organised (ship's?) tour, otherwise steer well clear.

 

JB :)

Hi John, what was the price per person recommended by the Post office & what did you actually pay?

Also, how much did they demand?

[Floridiana]

In that case, it really depends on what other kind of excursions are available. We enjoyed the hair raising cyclo ride in the oldest part of Hanoi on an organized land trip. Very memorable and worth it.

 

Our tour company offered a motorcycle trip in Saigon which we didn't do. We walked through the central part of Saigon (cathedral, old post office, opera, nearby park and town hall) on our own, our hotel was in the midst of it. We then did the excursion to the Cu Chi tunnels. It was very interesting. Bring mosquito repellent, the forested area was full of the little beasts.

 

Enjoy Azamara. We booked their Japan cruise for 2019. I know their size of ship from previous cruises on Azamara and Oceania.

[John Bull]

Thanks Floridiana. We are actually visiting Halong and Hanoi before the cruise. HCMC is a stop while we are on the cruise, and I think we will be docked near town (Azamara Quest) so hopefully we do not have to travel far.

 

Yes, Azamara berths right in town - probably at Ben Nha Rong , a 15 - 20 minute walk to the main sights

 

Hi John, what was the price per person recommended by the Post office & what did you actually pay?

Also, how much did they demand?

 

Sorry, I don't recall the figures (they were in VND, so they were in the millions :D), and it was some years ago so they'd probably be irrelevant.

Vietnam was (I think still is) very inexpensive, so compared to Europe / America the recommended sum was seriously cheap & the sum demanded was quite high even by EU/US standards.

Agreeing a price up-front won't come into it - they won't quote, instead they'll say it's up to you but at the end they'll try to shake you down for what they can get. Even if you're in a strong position - in a busy street and half your companions are marines - it leaves a bitter taste.

 

JB :)

[dafne]

We had a fabulous Trishaw Ride when taking our private tour with Xuan in Ho Chi Minh. Each person has their own Trishaw with the driver.

 

The ride lasted about 45 minutes. We started at the famous temple and rode through many tiny streets, alleys and markets where the locals were selling their fish, birds, roosters, fabric and textiles.

 

Also we saw the tropical fruit street and the fresh markets where we saw people selling fresh meat, fish, vegetables and spices.

 

It was a fascinating way to see the daily local life in Ho Chi Minh City. We were riding among thousands of motor scooters.

 

Xuan was on a scooter in front of us taking photos and videos that he sent to us afterwards.

 

The Trishaw Ride to us was one of the highlights of the tour! It was so much fun and so interesting.

 

You can email him at tourwithxuan@gmail.com

His website is:

http://www.tourwithxuan.com

 

Xuan is a great guide. He is very popular on cruise critic, and has all excellent reviews on Trip Advisor. So you should book him as soon as you decide- so that he will be available for the day you want a guide.

 

He also has videos on his website or you tube with the trishaw ride that is part of his tour.