Saigon

From Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City (officially),  formerly known as Saigon is a quick and painless hour flight east on AirAsia.  I was told to expect the unexpected and I would further this advice for anyone else visiting Saigon.

I have lived in Bangkok for the past 6 months and have got used to the Thai lifestyle, people and general flow of the city so if you have never lived in Thailand or been to Bangkok your experience may be vastly different but that’s precisely the reason why there are tens of thousands of travel blogs.

Getting There & First Impression

Since I like to be thorough I created a whole blog entry devoted to Getting to Saigon Vietnam from Bangkok Thailand.  As the plane was making its final descent I could see the snaking river and city approach just like in every Vietnam war movie.  I figured that the taxi from the airport would be relatively quick which it was.

Traffic out of a Horror Movie

The first thing any n0n-native to Vietnam will inevitably notice about Saigon is the insane amount of motorbikes and seemingly chaotic traffic.  There are motorbikes with 1-4 people and various odd shaped items (i.e. refrigerators, tires, stacks of packages, etc.) swarming around every street and intersection in multiple directions.

If you though sheer volume of traffic is bad, compound that with the fact that many of the vehicles in the street are honking their horns every few seconds and you may find being anywhere in Saigon nerve-racking as I did from the outset. There could be an entire blog devoted  solely on Saigon’s traffic but it is worth mentioning that the traffic makes any US city and even Bangkok seem like a rural suburb.  When there is a traffic jam in most cities, most of the traffic (cars & trucks) are stopped and there is very little movement but in Saigon motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, cyclos and other forms of transportation are jockeying for position which is like navigating a maze.

Midday Traffic from Reunification Palace

Crossing the Street

Simply crossing the street is a seemingly perilous adventure when you first set foot on the streets of Saigon.  Crossing the average street with a traffic brew consisting of motorcycles and mopeds zooming everywhere along with the occasional car and bus is actually a lot easier to deal with than you may first think.

To make crossing the street in Saigon easier keep in mind that most of the traffic is moving less than 30 miles per hour and they’re more aware than most western drivers on their cell phones listening to the radio because they have to.  If you want to cross the street simply go for it!  Walk slowly and most importantly DO NOT STOP as it will confuse the drivers and actually make it more dangerous for you.  The traffic amazingly flows like water around pedestrians.

Money

Even though most American and European travelers will initially get a kick about their astronomical bank account balance while in Vietnam as 100,000 Vietnamese Dong is around $5.60USD the exchange from Vietnamese Dong to American Dollars is very annoying.  When your not constantly chopping  off zeros and work with the 500,000 and 100,000 Dong bills you are having to worry about mistaking a 100,000 dong bill for a 10,000 dong bill while in a rush.

My travel buddy in Vietnam actually tipped both bellboys who brought his bags up 200,000 dong ($11)  each mistaking the 100,000 dong bills for 10,000 dong bills.  The large sums can drive anyone bad at math insane especially when certain cash registers and taxis chop off zeros automatically on their screens which further confuse things.

To my surprise, unlike Thailand, the American dollar was widely accepted in Vietnam.  For anyone heading to Thailand after Vietnam, make sure you get rid of all your Dong before you leave Vietnam as exchanging Vietnamese Dong was almost impossible in Bangkok.

Things to Do

Regardless of what you think of Saigon neither you nor anyone can call it a boring city.  It is enormous and there is an endless list of things to do in and around Saigon.  I spent almost the entire time in District 1 and there are over 11 districts.  Saigon will always be a good starting point if you plant to visit anywhere else  in Vietnam. How much time you spend in Saigon depends on what your interests are.  Here are a few things which I did and wish I did.

Eat

If you love Vietnamese food and French food, Saigon has the best of both worlds.  You can get everything from a bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup called pho (pronounced Fuh) or a Vietnamese sandwich on a street stall for under $1USD to dining at trendy and/or fine dining restaurants.

Bibi Restaurant

Places to See

Saigon was at center stage for one of the more infamous wars in the history of mankind and there are many places you can visit to learn more about the Vietnamese side of the Vietnam War.  To learn about the guided tours in and around Saigon you can find tourist information centers spread conveniently throughout district 1 which is likely where you will be staying.   From museums to historic sites, Saigon has a lot to offer within the city limits as well as within a few hour air conditioned bus trip.  Unfortunately I was in expat hang-out / party mode so I missed some great parts of Saigon but here is what I had a chance to experience:

Reunification Palace

Cu Chi Tunnels

Vung Tau

War Remnants Museum – I regretfully missed out on the War Remnants museum.  After visiting the Reunification Palace and seeing some of the photos I wasn’t really feeling like seeing more death, destruction and propaganda but if I ever find myself in Saigon I will definitely check it out.

Places to Stay

Saigon was surprisingly expensive for mid-range lodging, compared to Bangkok for lodging, at least in District 1 where I was staying.

Elios Hotel

Shopping

Living in Bangkok which is one of the best places to shop in the world I really had no business buying things common in Bangkok in Saigon but forgetting some necessary items required me to do some shopping.  Shopping in Saigon is only half of the story as if you don’t bargain, you WILL pay several times the expected sale price.  You can read more about the bargaining process in the entry about Benh Thanh market.

Behn Thanh Market

The People

I consider the best part about international travel to experience the people of a nation.  I have said it before I totally 100% disagree than the “real people” of any country exist in the rural parts because the cities are what makes any country tick.  Again, my view of Saigon may be influenced by the fact that I’m used to Thailand but in Saigon I got the feeling that people were just not happy.   It seemed everywhere you went people were trying to hustle you, yelling at you or grabbing at you.

Tips & Warnings

Besides the brief history lessons, I’m not the biggest fan of Lonely Planet books as I tend to like talking to people to get recommendations but the Lonely Planet provided the most useful piece of advice for your time in Saigon.

The advice is if you are approached by any person on the street, DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR EXISTENCE!  It may be rude and sound rude but if you even look in their direction let alone say no, the cyclo drivers and shoe polishers will follow you for blocks.

Case in point, I gave a shoe polisher 10,000 dong (50 cents USD) because I thought it would get rid of him and it encouraged him to start brushing, gluing, scraping and literally chewing the glue off my shoes which happened to be 5 year old $30 dollar shoes I got at Ross in San Francisco.   His attention attracted about 5 other shoe polisher guys over and I was quickly feeling uncomfortable.  When he got done he asked for 600,000 dong ($33).  I started to walk away but I remember him using a rusty knife to scrape the glue off my shoes and I could picture this kid stabbing me in the back.  He followed me down Pham Ngu Lao and I went in my hotel.  I literally left my hotel 5-6 hours later and he was still waiting.

Overall Summary

I have talked to numerous travelers as well as expats who live and/or have lived in Saigon for numerous years and have received mixed opinions.  For me, the best thing about visiting Saigon, was leaving Saigon as I had a much better time when I found myself in places which were less nerve racking for me.  Regardless of my opinion and the opinions of others, out of all the places I have been I think the statement “You will either Love it or Hate it” applies to Saigon more than any other city.

Don’t Take your Visa for Granted

If you are a United States citizen who travels semi-frequently a travel visa is often an afterthought.  US travelers are lucky because many countries allow Americans to get their tourist visa on arrival.  If you have not in the past, you should always check the visa requirements of the country you want to travel to.

Obtaining a Visa for Vietnam

For United States citizens Vietnam requires a pre-arranged visa.  There are more ways than one to get your Vietnam visa.

Regardless of which continent or country you live, a trip to the little consulate often equals a enormous headache which makes visiting the DMV seem like a fun activity.  Luckily for you some countries allow a visa on arrival.

You can get a visa on arrival for Vietnam by visiting numerous websites including Vietnam-Visa.com which charge a small fee  ($25) and does all the necessary paperwork to pre-qualify you to pick up your visa after landing on Vietnamese soil.

How the Process Works

The process is very simple.  All you have to do is go to their website and fill out the online forms with your passport and personal information.  Make sure you clarify if you want a single entry or multiple entry visa if you plan to explore nearby countries or return to Vietnam in the near future.

Once you complete the process they will send you a confirmation email with important information of the requirements.  You will need to get 2 passport photos taken as well as print out an official letter declaring your arrival as well as an application form which are all required at the airport.

Once you land in the Saigon airport bypass the main passport control lines and walk to the left where you will see the ‘visa on arrival’ counter.   Give the counter attendant your passport, official letter, application form and photos and he/she will return in about 10 minutes with your passport and new visa.  After you receive your passport back you can walk about 5 meters to the small (significantly smaller than other lines) passport upon arrival control.

Tips

As soon as you get off the plan walk as fast as you can as the line will be small but could get long as each visa is approved manually and takes 15 minutes.  If you are one of the first few people you are likely to spend far less time than the next few and so on.

• Try to print the official letter in color and keep the forms in good shape as officials are known to be displeased with sloppy paperwork and it’s not worth being denied.
• It is not a free pass, but the Vietnam visa on arrival is likely preferential to finding, and going to your local Vietnamese consulate.

Saigon from Bangkok

We all know those hop, skip & a jump flights in the United States and Europe, i.e. San Francisco to Los Angeles, London to Munich, etc. and to my surprise Bangkok to Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was no exception. I’ll be honest, I’m a pretty poor mathemitician when it comes to figuring out how long flights take when any time zone changes are involved.  I saw the flight times on my E-Ticket for my sub $50 Air Asia flight and I remember it being maybe 2 hours but I didn’t mind to look into it any further.

Soo – ah – na – poom

Suvarnabhumi airport which is impossible to pronounce (pronunciation above) by English speakers using the phonetic spelling may seem like a big problem to get to, but if your flight is not at a rush hour, getting to and through the airport to your flight is truly a breeze. Unlike the horrific US airports and their ludicrous extra security checks, inept employees and downright horrendous layouts Suvarnabhumi is laid out very simply and takes only 30 minutes to get through for most Air Asia international flights which depart from the same terminal. Of course we headed to the airport for a 3:55 international flight to Saigon after 2pm and got there right at the closing time for the check-in counter 3:10 which is not recommended, but it can be done.  Note, there were also people behind us in line at the check in counter and there was time for a rest room visit as well as to grab a highly overpriced sandwich.

Actual Flight from BKK to SGN

I noticed the small size of the Airbus A3xx we were flying next to a 747 at the next terminal which reminded me how fast it would board compared to the jumbo jet next to it.  As with most flights I’ve on outside the US, the plane boarded quickly, there was no absolute horse shit things done to waste time and before we knew it the plane was up and away. Apart from this Eurotrash douchebag sitting behind me who complained that I put my seat back, the flight was over before we knew it.  It took just around an hour and I noticed that Saigon was right next to the airport with the snaking river that you saw in all the Vietnam war movies. Upon landing I had to test the online visa agency for its worth…