To continue the last leg of our trip…
Arrival in Ho Chi Minh
The same bus company Giant Ibis, this time a regular seat bus, took us from Pnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh. To our surprise upon arrival in the city, we were just dropped off on a street, not a terminal. I guess we panicked and we were just exhausted, so when a taxi driver approached us we immediately hopped in. When I saw him turn on the meter, I thought we would just be fine. We arrived safely to our hotel, but it was a shock when we found out we would be paying almost half a million Vietnamese Dong (VD 400,000 to be exact) when in fact it was not that far from where we came from. When we shared our experience to the hotel reception we could tell from their faces that we were just ripped off, obviously. If it was not night we could have just walked through our way.
Tip: Stay calm all the time. If possible arrange a transfer with your hotel.
Accommodation
Our accommodation, Nhatha 1 Hotel, made up for that terrible experience. The staff were very welcoming. We treated ourselves with a fine dinner at the restaurant atop the hotel building and the food was great. Finally after a long road trip, we were able to relax and had a good night sleep in our comfortable room.
Itinerary
In the morning we were ready to get a glimpse of Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh. It was at the top of my priority to visit the tunnels of Cu Chi, another very interesting part of world history. We availed a tour from Asiana Link Travel through the hotel, which cost VD 550,000 per adult. Travel time was 1.5 hour. But just like most group tours, we had a stop over by a craft shop run by people with disabilities caused by the mines. We spent over an hour at the site itself. This was one exception of my personal travel don’ts not to buy from a factory-included itinerary. I bought a piece not out of pity but really they were beautifully hand-made and prices were reasonable.
I wish I can show you the complex. As it is dark all through out it would be hard to get clear photographs. Most tunnels were made wider and taller to accommodate tourists. Despite that we had to bend while walking through. So warning to those with claustrophobia and those with knee or back problems.
By the afternoon we were back in our hotel. After a short rest we had a mini city tour on our own. Since our hotel is centrally located along district 1, we need not worry about transportation. Most city attractions are within walking distance from each other.
We also checked the Ben Thanh market for souvenir shopping. No photo to show though.
Our short journey ended in Saigon. How I’d love to come back as there is more to see. I brought home with me so much memories, knowledge and lessons with just a few days trip to these three cities.
Do you wonder how we reached the airport? You guessed it right. We arranged a taxi through the hotel with a fixed rate of VD 120,000 .
Suggestions: If you have more time you may add these on your list of itinerary – Saigon Square, Reunification Palace, Ho Chi Minh City Hall, War Remnants Museum, General Post Office, Bitexco Tower, Pham Ngu Lao Street, a taxi ride on a motorbike, and a day trip to Mekong Delta.
Trip Overview (5 nights/4 days)
Night 1: Fly into Siem Reap and stay 2 nights. From Manila, only Cebu Pacific Air provides direct flight and it’s a night flight. So you’ll spend the first night in the hotel. Others would take a peek of Pub Street on their first night.
Day 1 – 2: Siem Reap
Night 3: Take a bus to Pnom Penh where you’ll spend the rest of the night on the road. Travel time is 6 hours from Siem Reap to Pnom Penh.
Day 3: Pnom Penh
By noon, leave for Ho Chi Minh which would also take about 6 hours. But expect delays at the immigration and the traffic once you get in the city.
Day 4: Stay 2 nights in Ho Chi Minh. If you’ll ride the 12-noon schedule from Pnom Penh (like we did), you’ll again spend the night in the hotel. But if you are still energetic, you may walk through your neighborhood before calling it a night.
Thanks for reading!
With love,
Sugar
