vietnam guide thread 3

[foruiz]

you get a glimpse of how they worship at 12noon.cao dai is a syncretism of 3 religions

[supladitang cute]

^ yby, you can check the picture of the temple in the internet. Very unique yung temple. Mukhang maganda.

[yby2476]

ok...will check it out...di kas kami nag temple hopping sa vietnam, cu chi, post office, notre dame,reunification  and nag-shopping lang kami...:-) and also food shopping din...more on nag-temple hopping kami nung cambodia...although, nag-temple hopping pala kami sa chinatown, ngayon ko lang naalala, pero parang di naging significant yung temple hopping na yun...mas naaliw kasi ako sa mga motor nila...:-)

[italiandoll]

Hi girls, will be going to HCMC next week, finalizing my IT but so far here's what I've got:

Day 0 - 1230am ETA at SGN (will stay at InterContinental Asiana Saigon)
Day 1-
8-9am Breakfast
930am- Mass at Notre Dame

then check these out:
Post Office
Vincom shopping center (for lunch)
City hall
HCM Museum
Reunification Palace
War Remnants Museum

5pm- Golden Dragon puppet show
630pm- Thanh Nien dinner buffet
Massage at a spa

Day 2-
8-930 Breakfast

Dhong khoi St:
Opera House
Xuan Thu bookstore
Lucky Plaza

Tax Trade Center (late lunch around the area)
Fahasa bookstore
Saigon Square 1
Ben Thanh
Pho 2000 (dinner)

perhaps some drinks, any suggestions?

Day 3-
Breakfast
Checkout and go to the bus station, Siem Reap bound via Mekong Express

Is the IT too busy?
We decided to skip Cu Chi tunnels, also do you have any suggestions regarding bookstores and bookcafes around district 1 girls?  Would be glad to know about your inputs. TIA!

[yby2476]

hi! sis, parang you love bookstores ha? well, im also a booklover, and isa lang ang masasabi ko sa iyo, yung mga bookstores nila diyan sa vietnam, parang bookstore sa recto...i mean, parang merriam bookstores,dun sa district 1 ba yung area na malapit yung mga tourist spots? di ko na kasi matandaan kung anong district yung pinag-stayan namin, basta sa  district na yun, walang parang ala-national/fullybooked/powerbooks na book shoppes diyan sa vietnam...

and then karamihan sa mga books na binebenta eh reproduction, parang xerox copy ang dating...and mahal pala siya...yun...ganun din sa cambodia...

[italiandoll]

Thanks for your reply yby2476.  Yes sis, booklover ako, books ang collection ko na souvenirs when I travel kaya gusto ko sana magshop dun.  Dami ko nga nabasa na may fake Lonely Planet books daw and even bestsellers dun.  I thought Fahasa Bookstore is a chain like NBS here?  And may nabasa ko na madami daw book cafes dun so I got interested.

[yby2476]

im not sure about the fahasa, pero there's a long line of of book shops around the way going to notre dame and reunification, bago mag-continental saigon hotel, para lang talaga siyang bookshops sa recto...ganun...tapos, along the sidewalks, ang daming nagbebenta ng mga books- bestsellers and yung mga lonely planet, nakalatag sa sidewalk, pero fake nga...i mean, not fake but xerox copies...

when you go to cambodia naman, please try to open the books ha? kasi, sasabihin nila na they are english, pero pag-open mo, naka- khmer language...yung friend kasi namin bumili siya ng lonely planet along the way, sa cambodia yun ha, tapos pag-open niya, naka-khmer, buti na lang, at di pa kami nakakaalis sa lugar, kundi nagoyo siya...:-)

when we were in vietnam, na-tempt talaga akong bumili ng mga books sa sidewalks, kasi ang gaganda ng mga titles, pero yun nga pag-open ko, its xerox...marami rin silang mga thrift shops, as in...then the bookshop, there's a big one that i saw nga, but nore sure if thats fahasa, pero way expensive when i converted...mas ok pa rin na bumili sa hk, or sg...even in malaysia..i love shopping at thriftshops (bookstore) there...very cheap...parang book sale lang ang price...:-)

[london]

@supladitang cutie

they pair the cao dai tour with the cu chi tunnel tour. and whole day siya. kami dati, 8:30am until 6pm. malayo kasi ang mga to sa city center, mas malapit na to actually sa border ng hcmc-sr. di na rin kakayanin pag mag dainam ka pa kasi malayo din to sa city center.

if you really want to see cu chi, pwedeng morning cu chi, until mga 1pm to. then reunification palace, notre dame, post office then ben tanh.

[italiandoll]

sis yby2476- san yung mga thriftshops/bookstores nila sa Saigon? TIA.  Yup will check out carefully the books I'd buy, thanks! ok lang sakin medyo pricey but ayoko ng xerox copies.

[yby2476]

^basta sis along the road siya...i mean near saigon continental hotel...within that area, marami ka nang makikita sa kalsada...nakalatag siya, there's also a line of thrift shops near the backpack area yung papuntang mekong express and yung mga ibang bus na papuntang cambodia; and also near the famous market...

[barefoot_taka]

^^ same warning lang din gaya ng sabi ni yby2476 check mo books kasi baka nga di english yung makuha mo. nakaplastic kasi sila so i-open mo before paying. 

[italiandoll]

Thanks yby2476 and barefoot_taka, will keep your tips in mind.

[melodymedley]

Airport - arrived late night via 5J. Exchanged $50=VND 1,035,000. Based on our experience, the airport offers the best rate - no commissions din kasi. We saw a higher rate sa post office but they charge a 2% (?) commission fee.

Day 1- explored HCMC on foot. Our last stop was the War Remnants Museum. Ang depressing ng Agent Orange room. It got us so interested about the Vietnam War. The war pictures and stories were very thought provoking.

Day 2 - bus ride to Mui Ne (5+ hours). I initially booked Mr. Binh for two days pero hindi kami natuloy s kanya. He asked that he'd be contacted sa phone pagdating namin sa Mui Ne before touring to confirm that andun nga kami. He said a lot of people book him but when he goes to meet them, wala naman daw - hence the phone call first. I asked assistance from Mui Ne Backpackers (my guesthouse) but hindi naman siya macontact. Good thing the resort offers group tours in the afternoon. Paid $8 for the Sand Dunes, Fairy Stream tour. Nakatipid pa kami.

Day 3 - bus ride from Mui Ne, explored more of HCMC in the afternoon. We ate in Pho Hoa in Pasteur St.. Kami lang ang foreigner dun kaya authentic Vietnamese food talaga. We had a bit of difficulty ordering kasi yung waiters hindi masyado nage-English. I asked for iced coffee. Hindi nya magets yung "iced". He went back with a glass with ice to confirm my order na iced coffee. nag-effort! Went souvenir shopping at night.

Day 4 - Cu Chi + Cao Dai Tour. Booked the tour via Bich Duyen for $8. I learned a lot more about Vietnam in this tour. Ansaya itry yung Cu Chi for tourists.

Day 5 - bus ride to PP, Cambodia

More soon. Yan muna.

[huit]

^
Mr. Binh of Delta Tours ba yan sis? If yes, sya yung guide namin sa Cuchi. Funny guy, ang daldal. Pinoy ang tatay niya and dati syang vietnamese soldier so perfect sya sa cuchi tunnel tour

[melodymedley]

@huit: Nope, si Slimjim.

@mosterwil:
1) I think you have to travel from PP to HCMC. Then catch a bus from HCMC to Mui Ne.
2) We took the morning bus going to Mui Ne, mga 8:00 am kami sinundo sa hotel. Not sure kung may afternoon buses going to Mui Ne. I think there are night buses going to Mui Ne but I am not sure sa sked. Bus was $6 per way.
There are night buses from Mui Ne to HCMC.
3) We stayed in Mui Ne Backpacers - $25 night for a twin AC room. Pretty nice place.
4) Mui Ne Backpackers have daily jeep tours going to the Fairy Stream and Sand Dunes. The tour costs $8 each. You will go with a group also availing that tour. If DIY, you have to hire a motorcycle driver tapos bahala kayo sa pace. Mr. Bihn Sahara of Mui Ne charges $15/person.

[merchee]

wah. mga HCMC usually nababasa ko here. going to Hanoi very soon!  Though I have a problem, can you help me mga sis?

My ETA of my flight  in Hanoi is madaling araw kasi. Around 2am ganyan. Would you know what are the safest yet cheapest way I can do going to old quarter? Bus is good kasi mga less than 1USD lang ata yun kaso they'll drop you far away from the center daw, which scares me.

May nakatry na ba sa inyo arriving in Hanoi ng madaling araw? TIA!

[meg1104]

Our flight is Cebu Pacific also which arrives HCMC at 1220 midnight. I've read repeatedly na dapat Vina-sun taxi only. But while reading and doing my research, karamihan sa dumadating ganitong oras, wala naman Vina-sun or Manlih taxi at this time sa labas ng airport going to the hotel.

So i tried to ask our hotel. (From what I know normal for one pax na taxi from airport - district 1 is around $10 especially at midnight na wala naman traffic)
Hotel gave me this quote - copy paste
 3 – 4 persons : 30usd/way + Extra 5usd/way for every airport transfer from 21:00 till 06:00.

That means $35 for us? (4pax kami) Is this reasonable enough? Or ganito din aabutin kung mag taxi ako at lokohin kami sa meter?

Would appreciate any advice.

[yby2476]

kami kasi nagpasundo sa hotel, although, dumating kami ng saigon, tanghaling tapat..parang less than $10 each yung siningil sa amin...

[meg1104]

^ thanks for the info. I find it really expensive e. Anyway, got some tips where I can find the Vinasun taxi. Thanks!

[lady_liberty]

joining   

we went to vietnam (HCMC) last september, two days lang kami pero super enjoy.
my sister did all the bookings.
we stayed at Saigon Pink 2 Hotel which was walking distance from ben thanh market (the tourist market)
the hotel was really nice, and they provided the taxi to and from the airport so we weren't worried na we'd get lost or baka maloko ng driver.

on our first day, we were on a tour for ciao dao temple and cu chi tunnels, the tour guide was a guy na payat na madaldal at puro joke, he was really fun.
if you're claustrophobic, dont go down the tunnels kasi madilim at masikip
or if kulang ka sa exercise, kasi my sisters were complaining na pagod na sila inside the tunnel pa yon ha, hehe

on the second day, we booked the XO tours, sa morning, they took us sightseeing around the city on scooters. it was really fun, and the tour guides were nice.
sa gabi we had the foodie tour sa xo tours pa rin , talagang food trip, busog na busog! at kahit sasabihin mong busog ka na, papakainin ka pa rin nila. 

we ended around 10pm and then we left for the airport around 11pm.

i loved my stay there and hope i could visit again