Travelog - A travel guide to Vietnam

Highlights:

If you love this place, you’ll always call it Saigon, aka the Pearl of the Far East. All the things you might have associated with this city will most likely vaporize the moment you arrive. The pace here is much faster than Hanoi: a literal avalanche of motorbikes and other two-wheeled vehicles pour into the streets daily. The smiles are more abundant, and as Hanoi’s sister, Saigon is more sultry. And yes, the French influence is definitely felt by way of patisseries embodied in the unforgettable Pat’A Chou , better bookstores, such as the Xuan Thu Bookshop and fabulous restaurants including the informal Paris Deli on posh Dong Khoi Street and Le Givral which is situated directly across the street from the Continental Hotel. Notre Dame Cathedral, built by the French, sits alongside pagodas, temples and communal houses.

There are too many things to do in Saigon, and though we had 3 weeks to see the country, we spent more time here than anywhere else. Here are some suggestions that will make your trip memorable:

a) Stay in District One; it’s the happening place, and despite the hair-raising experience of crossing streets, it’s quite amazing to walk around. It’s about a twenty-minute ride from Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and about the same distance from the main railway station. Additionally, most of the 4 and 5 star hotels are located here, and we saw them putting the finishing touches on a brand new Hyatt on Hai Ba Trung Street.

b) Whether or not you’re a history buff, you will want to see all the hotels, which served the journalists and reporters during the war: they are all here. The Rex, the Caravelle, the Continental and the Majestic all have walls that could weave tales long into the night. We stayed at the modest, but very lovely Indochine on the first leg of the journey, and at the famed Continental on the return leg. We made visits to the Caravelle and the Rex, and never had the time to hit the Majestic.

c) Set a day aside to tour the Mekong Delta ; forget what you’ve heard.

d) Must see the War Remnants Museum

Quick Tips/Suggestions:

More often than not the guidebook items which get merely mentioned are the ones my nose likes to follow. One such place was a hole-in-the-wall sort of shop that turned up treasures. You’ll see newspaper clippings of the war, medals, and memorabilia at the Pho Binh Noodle Shop that belonged to a man named Ngo Toai. The tables and chairs are the very same that accommodated American soldiers 40 years ago.

I urge you to learn to navigate crossing the streets early on in your stay. If you do not negotiate yourself from one point to the other, you will never get across; after the first few times, the panic wears off and you find that walking into traffic is the only way.

Chinatown is always amazing, no matter what country we are in. Here it is in the Cholon district, and the main market is Cho Binh Tay, not to be confused with the Cho Ben Thanh on Le Loi Street, the city’s largest market, and a must do no matter how many markets you’ve done. If nothing else, buy a pair of lacquered sandals.

Best Way to Get Around:

As with Hanoi, and the other cities we stayed at, taking cabs in the most convenient and cheapest way to get around. We did see some Anglos on motorbikes, most times, accompanied by a Viet Namese woman. Despite the heat of the day, the cyclo ride is an unforgettable experience, and you’ll be doubly fortunate if you hit one that speaks any English (most drivers don’t). Make absolutely sure you negotiate you price with the cyclo guys before you get into the vehicle; and another thing: if they drop you off anywhere but where you need to be, don’t get out. Insist that they take you to destination. This is a trick often used by them to either extract more money, or heaven knows what.

You can walk from the Rex, for instance, to Nguyen Hue Plaza, right across with its lovely park crowned by a statue of HCM overlooking flower beds. Directly behind is the former Hotel de Ville, now the seat of the Communist Party. Though you cannot go inside, a close up look of the architecture is pure joy; cross the street from there for a peek at art galleries with originals, reproductions, and Oriental furnishings.