Silver Whisper - Vietnam Feb 28th 2008

[jane02]

Hello,

We are new to SS and today I have just booked our cruise Singapore - Hong Kong.

Has anyone been on a similar cruise recently and tell me anything useful re tours, private operators etc in Vietnam? I prefer to organise my own tours than rely on what the ship has to offer but would be interested in any feedback.

Thanks

Jane;)

[sanne]

WE were on this cruise last November, it was wonderful. I can't help you with independant tours as we took only ship excursions which were excellent. I believe most passengers did this too.

[A J Theodore]

Three or four years ago, we used Saigon Tourist very successfully for private touring. It prepared an agenda exactly as requested and provided a very fine, knowledgeable English speaking guide. I believe it is either ownded by or affiliated with the government.

Unfortunately, when I just tried a Google search I found two differrent websites each looking like it was the site for Saigon Tourist. One used a hyphen in its name, the other did not. They do not look like one and the same company.

I can only suggest that you try to locate the real one through the Vietnamese consulate or embassy. (While this may be of little utility to you, when last I checked, in October 2005, there was an affiliated US company, Vietnam Travel Express, with an office in Arlington, VA (across from Washington, DC), (703) 243-0313 or (800) 659-6090. www DOT vietnamtravelexpres DOT com.)

If nothing else, trust SS to be able, through the tour office to be able to arrange a great day in Saigon, even though it will cost more than making arrangements on your own.

As for what to see and do, here are my suggestions, cribbed from a two-year old posting of mine (and so they may be somewhat dated as well). Saigon is a real gem – you are fortunate to be able to go there before the real tourist rush hits (something that is already starting). Saigon (no one calls it Ho Chi Minh City) is a fascinating place.

Center city is a good place to start, and you can use either the Ho Chi Minh monument or the Rex Hotel as a point of reference. Rex, of course, famous from the war. You can walk down Le Loi St. (I believe) to the Ben Thanh Market. Ben Thanh Market will have everything from lacquer (some of it quite good) to music CDs (mostly pirated, and quality can vary substantially) to clothes (at decent prices) to food stuffs (wonderful variety) to good folk art. I bought a very good suitcase for $55 last year. The merchants will take U.S. dollars in bills of various denominations (none larger than a $20 bill) as they are widely accepted. Vietnamese currency is "dong" and it is now about 15,500-16,000 the dollar (almost certainly a different exchange rate in 2007). Do not buy food there unless you have an absolutely iron stomach. The best thing is to smell the street food as you walk by.

I understand that there is now a new market across the street from the Rex and it is supposedly very good and will have things Western tourists are interested in.

Make sure to look for an Ao Dai (pronounced “ow yay”), traditional women's clothing of Viet Nam. They can be fitted in the course of a single day. There are English speaking shops next to the Rex. Don't forget the pants to go with the tunic.

Saigon things to see and do:

1. The National Museum. Wonderful historic collections, emphasizes Vietnamese struggles against Chinese colonialism.

2. The MUST SEE in Saigon. At the museum is my all-time favorite attraction in Viet Nam and one of my favorites in the world: The water puppets. DO NOT MISS THE WATER PUPPETS. Rearrange your schedule if need be to see these. The puppets (actually marionettes operated by underwatrer sticks) perform on the surface of the water and the operators are out of sight behind a curtain. Take your video camera and do not sit in the front row - there will be dragons spouting water at each other and at the audience.

3. There is a wonderful children's park next door to the museum.

4. Chinese Temple near the Cathedral. Good if you have nothing else to do with your time but it is like many other Chinese temples elsewhere.

5. Other historic sites include the well-restored Presidential Palace and the building where the U.S. Embassy used to be (remember the helicopters lifting off from the roof). Unless you specifically request it (or want to go out of town to the Cu Chi Tunnels from the war, see below) there is very little about the war that the Vietnamese will emphasize.

6. Cu Chi Tunnels. Only if you have a real interest in the war and are not claustrophobic. They are at a significant distance from the city and you will use up a lot of time going back and forth (and traffic is just atrocious). I would pass on this unless you have a real interest and are going to be there for at least a couple of days and have a real interest in the war.

7. Although I did not try them, there are now dinner cruises on the Saigon river. There are also some very fine restaurants in Saigon.

I have not been to Hanoi in many years so I cannot help there.

As to Da Nang, try to get a tour up to Hue, the former imperial capital. The town is very pretty and the temples are quite exquisite - this is where to get a real sense of the pre-colonial (i.e., pre-French) Vietnam. The drive there and back (three hours each way) is a bit long but very pretty

Hope that this helps.

[MJN1]

In a different SS thread on Vietnam Travel Tours someone recommended http://www.indochinatravel.com./ . I can't find the posting, but was suitably impressed at that time to bookmark the tour company. Maybe worth checking it out.

[jane02]

Thank you both so much for your information. I am so looking forward to this trip. I have always wanted to sail SS & Vietnam has been on my agenda for a long time.

regards

Jane;)

[DebbieH103]

It has been a few years since we went to Hong Kong or Singapore. In Singapore, we did not do tours. We did our own thing. We were there for 5 days, and we had a great time. My best memories are of the evening at the boat quay and all of the fabulous seafood there. We also spent a day at Sentosa. That was a bit touristy, but it was fun. I enjoyed Little India and riding the mass transit everywhere for self touring. We pretty much went everywhere - the zoo, Chinese and Japanese gardens, etc. It is very easy.

 

In Hong Kong, we did some tours. Very glad we did, but at the market, they left us there, and there are places where people don't speak English even though this was Britain until 1997. The older people, especially. We went all over here on mass transit, also, and we loved doing dim sum and buying dumplings on the street and even at 7-11. We did the boat thing and lots of other stuff. You can self tour or tour with SS, but I think either way, you will see so much. I am sure Vietnam is the same, though I have not made it there yet.

[stanandsue]

We are booked on the March 20 Hong Kong to Singapore cruise - we have visited both cities many times and are looking forward to seeing them both again, although our primary reason for this cruise is to experience Vietnam. It will be great to hear how your trip went and observations about the ship when you return.

[DebbieH103]

I would love a cruise similar to yours. I love Hong Kong and Singapore and would love to see Vietnam. I will enjoy hearing about your trip, too.

 

I've been reading lots of Dubai stories today. We just paid in full today, so the trip is on my mind.

[LibLively]

Jane,

We used Indochina Travel and I was one of the people who posted on the CC Board. We did private tours in eadch port in Viet Nam and we weree thrilled with their guides and service. I had lived in Viet Nam in the 50's and wanted to go back to see if any of the places still existed that I remembered. I spent months corresponding with a gentleman in Saigon named Viet who arranged all our tours in each port. He did a fabulous job. We were traveling with others who had not visited Viet Nam, so we really wanted them to get a good overview. Viet made sure all of our tours were exactly what we wanted. I highly recommend this agency.

[jane02]

Thank you for that information - I will definately follow it through.

Jane;)

[mrscrab]

We have done this journey twice with SS. The trip up the river which takes about 3 hours from the ocean is extremely interesting. Make sure you are in a good viewing area on the ship, preferably under the bridge. The sights are memorable - a tiny hut with a family living right next door to a ship building yard, a huge warehouse with men carrying sacks on their backs, a school in the middle of an industrial site, women bathing their babies in the river. Even though it is now called Ho Chi Min City (officially) the locals still call it Saigon.

We did the trip to the Mekong Delta the first trip but certainly would never go again, Very primative - nothing really intersting to see.

The next trip we spent wandering around Saigon- it was interesting and very good for shopping. Foot massage for 90 minutes was $US5, the ships shuttle bus dropped us in the center and we had a more fun day than the long haul to the Mekong Delta. Allow 10 minutes to cross the road - the traffic is MAD

Rex Hotel is very touristy and the whole country is very hot and very steamy.

Have fun - you may never go back!.