Written on April 7th, 2010 by Oweeno shouts
Saigon at night
We will work our way from the south to the north starting with The Mekong Delta:
The Mekong delta region 39,000 square kilometers of area where the Mekong river flows into the sea. There are many tributaries and small canals that make up the delta area. The Mekong region is where the majority of the rice crops are grown, there are also many fruit orchards in certain areas. The Mekong is a beautiful place to visit and it has become a popular destination. Most tours offer a trip to Cai Be or Cai Rang floating market, Boat trips to islands where you can experience the manufacture of rice paper or coconut candies. You will also get to enjoy some good food and beautiful scenery. There are also river cruises available from smaller 6 person boats, to a massive river cruise ship. A person can have a good Mekong experience on a 1 night stay, but longer trips are available. I found a 1 day trip was nice, but a
Around town
little rushed, and 4 days was too long. Click here for more detailed
December to April is the best time to visit the south of Vietnam. There are short downpours during the wet season from May to November but they tend to only last a short time so you can still enjoy a visit during these months (just go for lunch when you see the black clouds developing). The Mekong Delta can experience severe flooding during this period making travel very difficult.
Next to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon):
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is home to some 9 million people. In spite of the city’s size it’s fairly straightforward deciding which part of the city
road near Saigon
to stay in. Travelers will most likely go to one of two areas: Dong Khoi which has mid-range accommodation or Pham Ngu Lao where you’ll find most of the budget accommodation in HCMC. There are Ho Chi Minh City Hotels to suit the requirements of all visitors ranging from backpacker hostels to 5-star hotels. One block of of Pham Ngu Lao ia Bui Vien St where I prefer to stay, there are many nice little bars and nightspots to quench your thirst after a busy day. You will be close some excellent shopping. Downtown you will find very high end stores selling name brands and expensive products. In sharp contrast, you will also witness street vendors selling cigarettes, books, and nick nacks.
Mekong river
( I have written about this in past blogs) Ben Thanh market will also be close by where you can hammer out some great deals if you have the mind.
To visit the main tourist attractions you will need at least two full days. The main Things to See include the Hotel de Ville, the Reunification Palace, the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, the War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Jade Emperor Pagoda. If you’re quite adventurous it’s also
Making coconut candy
worthwhile taking a taxi to the Chinese district of Cho lon where you can visit a number of busy pagodas and street markets. Not many tourists head out this way so you may feel a little out of place but it’s worth doing just to observe life on the streets and provided you use your common sense there’s no reason to worry about heading off the beaten track. Once you’ve seen the main sights you’ll want to consider some Tours. The most popular is a half day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels where you can see part of the 200km network of tunnels which the Viet Cong used during the American War. You
A buffalo out of water
can make this a full day tour by including a visit to the Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh on the Cambodian border. This is the home of Caodaism, a Vietnamese religion which is a combination of other major religions
A caged Rooster
Traffic is a nightmare all over Ho Chi Minh City and the worst place must be the traffic circle outside the Ben Thanh Market. Your lasting memory of this city will be the sheer quantity of motorbikes on the roads and guess what … they never stop at a pedestrian crossing! Watch how the locals cross the road before you even attempt it. It’s simply a question of keeping moving slowly forward without making any sudden rash movements, this way any motorbikes will go around you. Generally it is hot averaging from 31 to 35 degrees year round and the rainy season in Saigon is from May to November similar to the Mekong. Again December till April is your best time to visit.
Now lets head into the country on an open tour bus……….
Written on February 11th, 2010 by Oweeno shouts
Kimmy and Kenny
Ah…. Where to begin. I could probably start by saying I have had the honor of meeting some very nice people. Ken has many friends here and I had the extreme pleasure of meeting a few so far. Kimmy invited us to lunch and took us to a very nice buffet place in downtown Saigon. She has a magical personality and I hope very much she will look me up when visiting NhaTrang.
My pal Hau
Yesterdays blog was a short one. Hau came banging on the door and we were set to hit the road for a trip into the Mekong. Here we were waiting for Ken to join us when sadly he announced that he is suffering some heave diarrhea. Which leads me into today’s sub topic:
A foreigner here must pay very close attention they what they eat. The food is wonderful and most things can be consumed safely, however, anything that is washed with local water must be treated as suspect. More importantly is the ice in your drink. There are two kinds of ice here. There are ice factories now that make ice from purified water. These can be recognized
Orange Dragons
because of a rounded shape and a small hole in the middle. They can be large or small in size. If you are drinking an iced beverage, check to make sure there is some evidence of this round ice. If you cannot see, or if it is crushed ask to make sure it is ice made by machine and not cut from a block. Also,
Mekong river
most restaurants that are set up western style, are washing with purified water so vegetables can be consumed safely, however, in local spots, unless it is boiled or peeled do not eat it. I have as of yet not had a problem by following these two basic rules. Now on with the story:
Ken retired to his room and Hau and I were off by our selves to try a new
The drive on new highway
highway that had just opened the day before. It reduced the time it takes to travel to the Mekong by three hours. The drive was beautiful. There are police at both ends of the new freeway to stop any motorcycles and trucks from entering and cars only are allowed. This may change but it made the ride pleasant. Since ken was not able to attend, it allowed me more time
On the Mekong
to get to know Hau. Our driver was surprised that this was the first time he had seen Hau travelling in his shorts and a tee shirt rather than formal attire. Hau explained to him that this was a trip with a friend and not a tourist. I was honored. I now consider him a very good friend, and I hope to spend time with him whenever he is here in NhaTrang, or I in
at the docks
Saigon. For any of my readers, if you plan to come here and need somebody to organize your trecks…. Hau is your man. Check out this website www.visitindochina.net Anyway…… back to Mekong. The drive took us only
Restaurant on water
1hr 10min to a town named My Tho. My Tho was founded by the Chinese back in the 13th century. At that time a group of Chinese approached the King (or Emperor) of Vietnam and asked for land to live. The King not wanting much do do with then gave them a piece of land far away, empty, and useless at the
Hau and our boat driver
time. The Chinese thrived and eventually flowed to the north where they established a very large Chinatown in Saigon. If you go to do business there, you will probably end up in Cho Lon eventually. We arrived at a newly build boat dock to have a private boat waiting for us. We were way ahead of any
Looking back on our boat
tourists so we were alone (just the way I like it). Our small boat was chugging away across a wide section of the Mekong river when oh…oh…… A gentle wind started blowing, and the tide started to move in. The waves in the river grew to ocean size. The boat driver commented on the size informing us they were the largest he had ever experienced. Maybe it was that we were going earlier than normal, or perhaps somebody up there wanted me to have exciting things to write about.
On the Mekong river
Well……. After the waves started getting really big, I saw a bit of congers come over the drivers face and he started to concentrate on his driving. I also was becoming a bit concerned, I saw the same thing in Hau. Were we going to make it to the other side? Would the little boat be worthy of the task? Where is Batman?? Or Superman for that matter?? Do not change the channel. Stay tuned.
I have returned to see that NhaTrang is starting to fill up. Many hotels are totally booked and I am sure that our place will be also. I have discovered a disturbing thin upon my return.
Bridge over the Mekong
The lady that operated this place before me has been hiding and witholdong taxes fron the government for years. They are rightly angry and will be keeping an eye on us as new owners….. Great!!! So much for charging the big bucks for a quick slingshot into profitability. While most hotels will triple in price the next two weeks, we will have to rent out rooms at a regular rate, or perhaps a little bit higher, but not as we intended. Maybe I can get a crowd that will drink coffee and beer in the lobby to help. Oh well……..This place is too much fun to worry about it now.
