Monday, September 06, 2010
9:40 PM
2010 Vietnam Cambodia trip - Day 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Flew by tiger airway from spore to HCMC, largest city in Vietnam as well as formal capital of south vietnam.
Also known as Saigon, the city was renamed in 1975 to HCMC after the fall of Saigon which marks the end of the Vietnam War in honour of the late communist leader Ho Chi Minh who was president of north vietnam.
equipped wif my well-researched budget travelling plans, we took the local bus No 152 from airport into town, which oni cost 3,000 dong (~S$0.20) per pax. Paid 12,000 dong in total as our 2 luggages r counted as another 2 pax since they took up 2 seats as well. Bus journey took abt 30mins to reach the centre bus station, dropping right outside Ben Thanh mkt (e most popular mkt in HCMC). FYI: travelling by taxi will cost 10 times more ex (~120,000 dong), saving oni 15 mins.
interior of e bus is as good as any of our spore bus, air-conditioned, comfortable seats coupled wif friendly & helpful vietnamese. 
e iconic roundabout right outside Ben Thanh mkt, where we alighted & walked to our hotel.
stayed at Mai hotel, US$20 per pax per night (inclusive of breakfast), located in District 1, near to the Saigon river as well as the sightseeing attractions such as the Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification palace, etc. e reason y this hotel was chosen instead of e other cheaper backpackers hotels is because of its jacuzzi bathtub! haaha... we pampered ourselves wif jacuzzi bubble bath every nite & it was really shiok! moreover, e hotel was newly opened jus last yr, hence everything was really new & clean.
e oni bad pt abt it was u'll need to walk for abt 20 mins b4 reaching Ben Thanh mkt & e backpackers area where all e tour agencies r located. cab will take abt 10 mins & cost 25,000-40,000 dong depending on traffic.
Flew by tiger airway from spore to HCMC, largest city in Vietnam as well as formal capital of south vietnam.
Also known as Saigon, the city was renamed in 1975 to HCMC after the fall of Saigon which marks the end of the Vietnam War in honour of the late communist leader Ho Chi Minh who was president of north vietnam.
equipped wif my well-researched budget travelling plans, we took the local bus No 152 from airport into town, which oni cost 3,000 dong (~S$0.20) per pax. Paid 12,000 dong in total as our 2 luggages r counted as another 2 pax since they took up 2 seats as well. Bus journey took abt 30mins to reach the centre bus station, dropping right outside Ben Thanh mkt (e most popular mkt in HCMC). FYI: travelling by taxi will cost 10 times more ex (~120,000 dong), saving oni 15 mins.
interior of e bus is as good as any of our spore bus, air-conditioned, comfortable seats coupled wif friendly & helpful vietnamese. 
e iconic roundabout right outside Ben Thanh mkt, where we alighted & walked to our hotel.
stayed at Mai hotel, US$20 per pax per night (inclusive of breakfast), located in District 1, near to the Saigon river as well as the sightseeing attractions such as the Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification palace, etc. e reason y this hotel was chosen instead of e other cheaper backpackers hotels is because of its jacuzzi bathtub! haaha... we pampered ourselves wif jacuzzi bubble bath every nite & it was really shiok! moreover, e hotel was newly opened jus last yr, hence everything was really new & clean.
e oni bad pt abt it was u'll need to walk for abt 20 mins b4 reaching Ben Thanh mkt & e backpackers area where all e tour agencies r located. cab will take abt 10 mins & cost 25,000-40,000 dong depending on traffic.had our lunch at a rdside stall selling noodles along e street outside our hotel. it's really nice!
central post office, a prominent feature of HCMC, designed by Gustave Eiffel, e designer of e famous Eiffel Tower in Paris & Statue of Liberty in New York. With architechture representing e french colonial style, this landmark is a beauty on its own.
e usage of this white glue is so classic dat i cant help taking a pic! haaha... reminds me of my pri sch art & craft!
Notre Dame cathedral, constructed by the french during their ruling period for the catholics, with all original building materials imported from france. of course having been to e real one in paris, this is not as impressive in comparision.
reunification palace, formerly south vietnam's presidential palace, entry 15,000 dong. a historical site where tourists can take a look at how the president live & work. reminds me of when i visited changchun & went to the palace of e last emperor of china. they'll tell u oh e chair wif e dragon cravings is where e president will seat, etc etc. same same~~
central post office, a prominent feature of HCMC, designed by Gustave Eiffel, e designer of e famous Eiffel Tower in Paris & Statue of Liberty in New York. With architechture representing e french colonial style, this landmark is a beauty on its own.
e usage of this white glue is so classic dat i cant help taking a pic! haaha... reminds me of my pri sch art & craft!
Notre Dame cathedral, constructed by the french during their ruling period for the catholics, with all original building materials imported from france. of course having been to e real one in paris, this is not as impressive in comparision.
reunification palace, formerly south vietnam's presidential palace, entry 15,000 dong. a historical site where tourists can take a look at how the president live & work. reminds me of when i visited changchun & went to the palace of e last emperor of china. they'll tell u oh e chair wif e dragon cravings is where e president will seat, etc etc. same same~~
we went to e tailor @ e backpackers district after all e sightseeing, kian made 2 pants & 2 shirts while i made 1 shirt. tailored clothes in hcmc is SUPER CHEAP! it's a MUZ DO if u come hcmc. a business shirt oni cost US$12 (any design) while a business pant cost US$10. i highly recommend our tailor, shop named Dung (add: 241A De Tham St, Dist 1). they r really good & kian & i r both very satisfied. they even hav an online shopping catelog & keep ur measurements, so u can jus order online & they'll ship to spore for ya!
Ben thanh night mkt, rdside stall selling all favours of rice (e yellow one is durian!)
had our dinner at this hawker stall & tried e Saigon beer~~ taste is light, nice~~ foodwise we ordered clams, bbq pork, fried rice & vege, servings were big n we cant finished. bbq pork was hard, 好看不好吃, rest of e food were ok. total cost 190,000 dong (~S$7 per pax).
