Suggestion for a Family Trip to HCMC

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  Yttrium on 26/12/2017 - 23:29

  +1

  Try going to Saigon.

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  Emli on 27/12/2017 - 02:10

  +1

  First time I combined the Cu Chi tunnels (main entrance) with visiting the area of “The Girl in the Picture”- Kim Phuc. We had snacks at her family stall before heading back to Saigon. This was a girls trip.

  Second time I was with my family and we went to the Cu Chi tunnels but one of the less popular entrances. It was much quieter but had similar things to see. We also went to cao dai temple before going back to the Kim Phuc area. It was much busier this time.

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  MrHyde on 27/12/2017 - 06:55

  +2

  Book the tours when in HCMC as they will be much cheaper and you can negotiate. There are tour shops everywhere.

  I would avoid the Mekong Delta day tours as they are basically tourist traps. They take you from one island to another and at each island they are just trying to sell you stuff.

  Have a look at the water puppet show instead of the opera.

  Also have a look at XO Tours (motorbike tours of HCMC).

  Cu Chi Tunnels is a must do in my list. I did it combined with Cao Dai temple for a full day tour.

  • 

    Stopback on 12/01/2018 - 14:38

    +1

    I would avoid the Mekong Delta day tours as they are basically tourist traps. They take you from one island to another and at each island they are just trying to sell you stuff.

    No idea who you went with but the one I went with was fine. Sure they try to sell you stuff but why not its like $5 for some coconut candy and another to tip the people playing music or rowing a boat.

    Also don't forget to Tip your tour operators a bit once done.

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  sunnysydney on 27/12/2017 - 11:13

  Thanks Emli great suggestions, would you remember the name of the other less popular entrance you took? and the name of the area of "the girl in the picture"?
  MrHyde Thanks for your suggestions, XO tours looks fun, are they on the expensive side? or is that the benchmark for a good bike tour?
  Appreciate your inputs,

• 

  Peck on 27/12/2017 - 11:32

  A lot covered here
  https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/348995

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  Emli on 28/12/2017 - 10:17

  We hired a private driver both times. The first was an ex-South Vietnamese soldier and he took us to the man entrance. The second time we went to Ben Duoc. You can still do the shooting range there if that interests you. The main entrance has a nice restaurant on the river. The other entrance is away from the water and is further out.
  Trang Ban is Kim Phuc ‘s village. Her brother who was running behind her has died of cancer since my first visit but the sister in law still runs a stall where she has photos and a video. This is more for history buffs who remember that photo.

  The above combination can’t be done by public transport. The above combination could only be done by private tour but I see it is becoming more common.

  We also used Saigon Hotpot which is an organisation who offer ‘free’ walking tours of Saigon . They take your group only and it is led by locals who want to practise their English. Our first guide was someone in business and the second a uni student. Their English was excellent ; it was more the idioms and colloquialisms they were unfamiliar with. You pay for their entrance fees, taxi fares (if any) and share a meal. We left a small tip at the end which goes to run their website and organisation.

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  myusername on 28/12/2017 - 11:57

  +1

  so many better places to see in vietnam apart from hcmc.

  its a big dirty city after 5 days there on the trip home you will still hear the scooter horns in your head lol

  try checking out hoi an or da nang

  • 

    JayCeeJay on 14/01/2018 - 02:23

    +1

    im here right now. completely agree. worst scooter traffic in all the world. worse than mumbai, cambodia, thailand, china… hcmc not good city to tour compare to other places. even hanoi much better with Sa Pa day tours. cambodia phnom penh and siem reap much more things to do.

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  Mkr on 12/01/2018 - 14:06

  Mate please post some updates after you have returned from HCMC.
  We are visiting in mid Feb (during the Chinese New Year).
  Need advice on activities (chu-chi tunnels, Mekong Delta tour etc). and pricing
  In HCMC for 6 days! Will do a day trip out to Vung Tau.

  Thanks

• 

  katykat on 17/01/2018 - 13:42

  +3

  Even though it's touristy I'd still do the Mekong tour, especially if you're with kids. I did it twice when I was there, as I was on a Uni trip and we did one with just the Aussie contingent (paid for by Uni with the works) and then another organised by the Vietnamese students which didn't have as many stops. You get taken by boat to a few different islands where you get to see something traditional (like Coconut candy or brick making, and you can buy something to help them out) then depending on what inclusions you go for, you might get a tuk tuk ride to a restaurant in the jungle (best part of the trip!) and then a private boat ride on a canoe down the river. Just keep in mind that it's a 2 hour trip each way to get there from Saigon so 4 hours of the day is taken up by that.

  For tours, we used Urban Adventures which is Aussie based (I think? They're part of Intrepid) to do a food tour in Saigon and they were great. Probably more expensive than booking over there though. I was there for 5 weeks and based in District 1. Only thing I will mention is that the traffic is intense and you have to be really careful. I'd also work it into any day trips you take. A lot of time will be spent on a bus or in a van getting to the place. Worth it, but prepare your kids if they don't handle car trips well.

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  sunnysydney on 01/02/2018 - 22:20

  +2

  HCMC 6 days Iteanary

  For Translation:
  Google Translate App came in very handy, the best feature is the saved keywords that can be shown in full screen.

  Money:
  Used 28D Mastercard where applicable and got cash for other places. For cash, best to convert in HCMC, there are a lot of places in the main tourist spots for conversions and got better rate in Saigon then in OZ, and carry $ 100 notes, they get better rate then $ 20 or smaller notes

  Transportation:
  I used Uber for all intercity travel, most of the UBER drivers could not speak English, but Google Translate came handy.
  We arrived at about 2 AM in the morning, at that time UBER was in Surge Pricing and was more expensive then the Pre-Paid taxi, Just Pre-pay at the counter as you walk out after collecting your luggage.

  Accommodation:
  I split my stay between the “heart of the City” and “Relaxation time”
  For 3 days in the heart of city I stayed at http://www.nguyenshack.com/ (Saigon), good value for money what it lacked in cleanliness it was made up by the warm hospitality of the hosts. Very convenient location, you can book any hotel around this location as it has easy access to the “back packer street”.
  For the R&R time, stayed at Sherwood Suites, http://www.sherwoodresidence.com/ . Great apartments, very spacious rooms and great facilities, still in the city, walk to Union Square. (central square)

  Day 1: Explored the local area, Walked to War remnant Museum and a local Chinese temple. In the evening strolled Bùi Viện, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Meals at https://goo.gl/maps/HbDdYYifnqN2 (Asiana Food Town, international food court)
  Booked Tours for Mekong Delta and Cu Chi Tunnels. Booked tours with “The Shin Tourist” (http://www.thesinhtourist.com/ ) a very popular local tourist company, they have good fixed rates and they do all other tours if interested. You can walk into a couple of the tourist shops in this street, they all are pretty much the same.

  Day 2: Full day Mekong Delta tour, Great day spend at the river, we didn’t feel a two day tour was needed (as per our needs and requirments) but if interested you can do a two day tour too,

  Day 3: Half day (Morning) Cu Chi tunnel tour, evening relax and walk around local area. Interestingly this was the day Vietnam was playing in the U23 soccer championship, so all the Bars and hotels were very busy and lively, unfortunately they lost, but the street party went on regardless and we watched the street party while having coffee on the roads.

  Day 4: Bargain Shopping at Bin Thanh Markets and stroll around. https://goo.gl/maps/KHCPKNNK2DR2
  Visited Bitexco Skydeck. Booked ticket via https://ticketbox.vn/saigon-skydeck?lang=en
  Recommendation: Its better to visit the Coffee Shop which is one level above the Skydeck, you don’t have to buy a ticket for that, just buy a Coffee and Cake at the coffee shop. Much better value, not 360-degree views as the viewing deck but I would say better value for money.
  Watched a Show at the Saigon Opera House, booked thru https://www.luneproduction.com/
  Really enjoyed the show, costed us $ 120 for 4 of us, worth the money/
  Moved to Sherwood Residence

  Day 5: Morning relax, evening did a Bike tour, booked thru http://saigonfreewalkingtours.com/book-now/ Best value for money, tour operated by young Uni students who want to practice English with the tourists. They were really good hosts, we tipped them generously.

  Day 6 : Relax.

  There were a few other activities that I had ear marked but didn’t end up doing as we played by the ear and did what we wanted to, based on the energy level of the kids.
  • Book a Donation based Walking tour with (https://www.christinas.vn/saigon/student-city-tour/)
  • https://www.bonsaicruise.com.vn/ Dinner Cruise
  • Starlight Bridge at night
  • http://www.vietnam-guide.com/ho-chi-minh-city/cao-dai-temple… Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, 339 Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, phường 7,
  • Water Park Visit (http://www.damsenwaterpark.com.vn/en )

  Instead did a couple of good rooftop restaurants and enjoyed people watching and good food and cheap beer.

  Hope that helps.

  • 

    Mkr on 07/02/2018 - 08:14

    Thanks mate. Quick question - we land at 2am too (flying Jetstar). Where do you pick up local SIM cards from?

    Also, we were thinking of going to Chi Chi in a cab rather than a tour. Having been there, do you see value in a guided tour?
    Thanks

    • 

      sunnysydney on 08/02/2018 - 08:34

      I didn't pick a SIM card in Vietnam, we were just 6 days, so I figured we can do without it. Free and good WiFi was available in most places.
      Still if you need, very reasonable SIM cards are available just as you walk out after collecting your bags, there is a Kiosk for Pre-Book Taxi and one or two for SIM card retailers. For CuChi tunnels, I would really recommend a guided tour, they tell a good story, you will miss the importance of that place if you didn't listen to the story. Growing up in a different country, I wasn't much aware of Vietnam's history, but the Bus Tour Guide gave a very good 45 mins long story on the history of war, en route from City to the tunnels.