Touchdown at Saigon

When Cebu Pacific had their promo last year, I asked mom if she wanted to go to Vietnam since it is relatively inexpensive there than in any other neighboring Asian countries.  Of course she said yes. Lol.

I admit, I was hesitant at first since some friends were asking, “Why Vietnam?” I don’t know anything about it except for a hazy background on its war with America some 20 years or so ago. The only thing that excites me on going there is to shop for authentic (hopefully) but way cheaper The North Face bags since their factory is located there.

Since this was just a short vacay, I didn’t prepare for it as much as I did on our Hongkong-Macau trip in 2010. I didn’t spend too much time back reading on various online forums. It was a good thing that a friend and colleague went there in February so I just ‘interviewed’ her instead. I’m a DIY fanatic so I never considered getting a travel agency to arrange any of our trips for us. It is always best to be in control of your time while traveling. I hate to be rushed (especially in taking pictures. Lol)

This will be my first attempt to blog about my trip and my ultimate goal is to help others in a way who, like me, wants to travel the DIY style. I’ll try to be as detailed as possible, as much as my memory permits, so I’m doing separate entries for the budget/expenses, food, hotel, shopping, and tours.

As start up, here are some tips and info for first time travelers (abroad):

1. Visa is not required for Filipino passport holders in Vietnam and we are allowed to stay for a maximum of 26 days. At least that’s what the stamp on my passport says. Please also check your passports and make sure you have at least 6 months left before it expires.
2. Hotel reservation is not necessary; however, Immigration Officers might ask you about it so it is best if you’ve booked ahead, especially if you’re taking the 5J flight which is at 11pm. It will be inconvenient to tug your luggage along the streets while looking for a place to stay. Avoid the hassle, it’s very easy to reserve online.
3. Upon arrival at the airport, pay the travel taxes of Php 1,620.00 per person. I am not sure about the child’s rate, perhaps it’s discounted. In NAIA 3, it is located at the right endmost side. Just show your ticket and your passport.
4. Proceed to check-in, unless if you’ve already availed web check in feature of Cebu Pacific where you can print your boarding pass online. I cannot give feedback on this yet since I haven’t tried it personally.
5. Pay the terminal fee. It amounts to P550.00 as of posting time. It used to be P750.00 the first time I went out of the country two years ago. Still expensive, in my opinion. Hehe.
6. Before you line up for the Immigration, fill up the Embarkation Card. It is easy, it only asks for some personal information such as name, address, occupation, etc. If you are not hiding anything then going thru the Immigration will be a breeze. If you’re a government employee, make sure you have a travel authority/clearance as it is required.
7. After your passport has been stamped, proceed to the boarding gate. Happy Trip! :D

Barely 2 hours and a half later, you will be arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. The weather is pretty much similar to ours but the time zone is not. Vietnam is 1 hour behind. So instead of 1:30am, you’ll touchdown at around 12:30am, Vietnam time. Their airport looks like our own NAIA 3. Here are some photos:

 

Just beside the exit is a Foreign Exchange stall at the left. From where I stood at the escalator, I saw a lady holding a cardboard with a sign: I USD = 21,500 VND. I was surprised because I checked on the rates before I left and it’s only 20,800 at high.

I checked on the other Forex stall beside it and their rate was 20,600 VND for I USD, I think. So I went back to the lady with the cardboard and asked with slow English: “1 USD = 21,500 VND?”

She just said “How much?” Then she handed me a piece of paper listing various currencies and their corresponding conversion rates. I was wondering why in the paper it said that 1 USD = 20,900 VND. I gave it back to her and told her: “No, you said it’s 21,500 VND per 1 USD.”

In the end she just said, “Ok, Ok! How much?” So I exchanged 200 USD amounting to 4,300,000 VND. Oh yeah, I’m a millionare! In Dong though, Booo! Haha.

hello eyebags! :p

 

By the way I counted it twice just to make sure. Lol. Lesson is, check many times and make sure they’re giving you the promised rate. Hehe.

I arranged for an airport pick up from the hotel so there was a driver waiting for us upon arrival. The car used was an old Kia model. I really mean old. We did not use the aircon. I was disappointed at first but it was cheap so I didn’t complain. The air outside was cool anyway. Lol. We traveled for around 30 minutes from the airport to Bui Vien St. on the backpacker’s district.

The area was packed by tourists. Despite Vietnam being one of the largest Christian Community in Asia, there wasn’t a trace of Holy Week Celebration there.

Upon reaching Luan Vu Hotel, Tao, the receptionist was telling me something. I didn’t quite understand because her English accent was not as clear. She then escorted us next door, and only then that I realized we’ll be spending the night there and not in Luan Vu.

This is where we slept on our first night, at Nhat Po Hotel. For a $21 rate, it wasn’t bad for a twin room. It even has a TV, a thermos, and a personal refrigerator which I didn’t bother switching on. The bed is a little hard though and the A/C is so-so. For some reason, I also cannot connect to their Wi-Fi. The bathroom is spotless but it was really small. 

 

Mom and I were a bit tired so we decided not to go out and just sleep. I also arranged a half day Cu Chi Tunnel tour the following day at 8am so we must take a rest. I’ll be talking about it on another entry.