Saigon, Vietnam: PHOod Trip

For our first day, we got back late from the Cu Chi Tour at around 3:00 PM so we opted to go to the War Museum first since it closes at 5:00 PM. I was losing all the energy I had early on that day because we haven’t taken lunch. Mom’s a girl scout because she had some munchies on her bag she brought all the way from ‘Pinas. Too bad I’m not a fan of otap, a delicacy from Cebu City, Philippines. Hehe

Our first meal in Saigon was at Pho 2000, a block away from Saigon Square. It is also known as the Pho for the President since it is where former US Pres. Bill Clinton dined when he went there. I guess it has many branches around the city since I also saw one outside Ben Thanh Market.

Here are the photos of our late lunch/early dinner:

 

Our total bill was 147,000 VND. That amount already includes two cans of soda and fee for the use of wet tissue. LOL. I know I read somewhere that if you use it, you’ll be charged separately for it. 

It looks like this:

"Discarded After Use" LOL

I totally forgot about it so we used it and of course paid for it.

Ahhh… never again! I always bring a pack of tissue and a bottle of alcohol with me so why would I pay for a small piece of wet wipes, regardless if it’s cheap? Haha.

We both were full until late night so we decided not to have dinner. Instead, we went to Baskin Robbins for dessert. I ordered banana split for me and mom. It’s quite pricey at 190,000 VND.

ayaw talaga marotate ng pic ni mama. haha

On our second day, plated lunch was part of the tour but drinks were not included so we had a separate order for it. It was so hard to resist not drinking soda since the heat was scorching. 

complimentary tea + plated lunch

We got back to the hotel at almost 8pm, freshened up a bit and then went out to have dinner at KFC for a total bill of less than 100,000 VND.

finger-lickin' good!

On our last day, we had lunch at Quan An Ngon near The Reunification Palace. The ambiance was nice and food was surprisingly cheap. Here is what we ordered. Our total bill was 185,000 VND.

Quan An Ngon 138.  Cha Gio (Fried Spring Rolls) is a must-try!

Come dinner, we saw Pho 24 so we decided to eat there. I just wanted to know how it differs from their branch here in Makati. I skipped on Pho since I had so much of it since Day 1 and had a rice meal instead. We paid a total of 129,000 VND. It pretty much tasted the same compared here.

If you are more adventurous, you can try the Pho served in the side streets. My mom didn’t want to since they don’t look as clean so we limted ourselves to a more private, enclosed restaurants.

By the way, we also tried the mango being sold in the streets/park and boy, it was yummy! I’m starting to drool over it again. Hehe.

Overall, food in Saigon is great and cheap. Their (iced) coffee is to die for. I wish I had the chance to try their desserts, though. :)

Saigon, Vietnam: Budget and Expenses

Saigon, Vietnam

April 5-9, 2012

Budget and Expenses

We spent a total of US$500 for this trip, excluding airfare, travel taxes, terminal fees and taxi rides here in the Philippines. That’s quite a big amount for just 3 full days in Vietnam but we spent mostly on shopping as detailed in our ITINERARY. So if you’re not into shopping, then a budget of US$300 or even less is already enough for two people.

Below is the actual amount we paid for the accommodation and tours:

Hotel:

1^st night                         - US$ 21

2^nd & 3^rd nights             - US$ 46 (US$ 23 per night)

                                        US$ 67 x 20,500 VND = 1,373,500 VND

Airport Service:

To                               - US$ 14

Fro                             - US$ 10

                                     US$ 24 x 20,500 VND = 492,000 VND                             

Tours:

Cu Chi Tunnel Tour  - US$ 12 (US$ 6 per person)

Mekong Delta Tour  - US$ 34 (US$ 17 per person)

                                  US$ 46 x 20,500 VND = 943,000 VND

Summary:

Hotel (3 nights)                                    - 1,373,500 VND

Tours                                                   -    943,000 VND

Cu Chi Entrance Fee

      (80,000 VND each)                      -    160,000 VND

War Museum Entrance Fee

      (15,000 VND each)                      -      30,000 VND

Airport Service                                    -    492,000 VND

Total                                                      2,998,500 VND or US$ 147 (rounded up)

Food is cheap also; a bowl of Pho averages at 50,000-55,000 VND or less than US$ 3.00 only. I’m doing a separate entry for the food that we had in Vietnam including photos and prices for your reference. Click here for the link > Saigon, Vietnam: PHOod Trip

For shopping and other miscellaneous expenses, I listed the ballpark figures below which were bought from Ben Thanh and Saigon Square and the streets of HCMC. I am not sure though if it’s already cheap or you can actually get it at a lower price. I admit my haggling skill is poor.  :p

Bottled Water – 6,000 – 15,000 VND

Fruit Shake – 35,000 VND

Can of Soda – 15,000 – 22,000 VND

I heart Vietnam Shirts – 45,000 – 80,000 VND

10-pc ref magnets – 70,000 VND

Trung Nguyen Coffee – 40,000-45,000 VND depending on the flavor (3-in-1 or black)

Blouses – 90,000-120,000 VND

Kipling Bags (Fake) – 140,000-180,000 VND

Kipling Wallets (Fake) – 40,000-50,000 VND

The North Face Bag (Melinda) – 370,000 VND

The North Face Bag (Amira) – 290,000 VND

The North Face 2-layer Jacket – 800,000 VND

Taxi Flag down – 11,500 – 12,600 VND

Post Card – 4,000 VND

Doing a rough estimate for the hotel, food, and tours, we only spent a total US$ 200.00 for 3 full days including water/soda and gratuities/tips. It’s only now that I realized how much we’ve spent on pasalubong and shopping. Deym! I overspent again! Shopping in Vietnam is so much like in Bangkok, irresistible!

On our first day (2^nd night), I actually tried to list everything that we spent for the day. Take a look on my mini notebook:

I can really be OC sometimes. See the details? LOL. :p

I was happy doing it and I was being really OC. In the end however, I gave up. I’m short by 260,000 VND. Imagine how frustrating it was for me. I have a Management Accounting degree but I can’t balance my expenses with the amount I had on hand. 

My mom was laughing at me because I didn’t want to admit that I overpaid for something. It must be the bottled water we bought from the sidewalk. But 260,000 VND was too much for a bottle of water. How come I didn’t notice if I paid that much? 

Ggrrr… I was really disappointed with myself. I hate that their money is in hundreds of thousands a piece. It was just so hard for me to keep track and count. Haha.:p

(Being a banker, I felt stupid with my last statement. LOL)

Saigon, Vietnam: Day 1 - War Remnants Museum

From Cu Chi, you can ask your guide to drop you off at the War Museum like we did. There is an entrance fee of 15,000 VND (+/- Php 30) and it closes at 5pm.

 I’d like to warn you that it is very depressing to read articles and see photographs taken during and even after the war. I can’t imagine what the Vietnamese had to go through to think it was just merely 20+ years ago. Let the pictures below speak for themselves. 

Outside the building are various aircrafts and tanks that were used in the war. Some were donated by the U.S. 

By the time we were done, I was already feeling dizzy since we haven’t taken lunch. So I advise you to always have a heavy breakfast before starting the day at Vietnam and bring something to eat with you if you can. You will be doing a lot of walking around the city if you don’t want (or avoid, as much as possible) taking the cab like us.

Saigon, Vietnam: Day 1 - Cu Chi Tunnel Tour

Since we’ll only have 3 full days in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, I booked our Cu Chi Tunnel Tour thru our hotel. Besides, we will be arriving late so I would not have the time to book it at Sinh Tourists as recommended in an online forum. Anyway the rates are the same or almost.

I was quoted $6 for a half day Cu Chi Tour while it’s $8 for Cu Chi + Cao Dai Temple. I’m not interested with the temple so I decided to cut it off the itinerary. That rate only includes the bus and the English-speaking guide but it excludes the entrance fee to the site which is 80,000 VND or roughly about Php 160, more or less.

We were picked up from the hotel a few minutes before 8am. Yes they were right on time, or so I thought. It ended up we still had to pick up other tourists from different hotels and by the time the actual travel to Cu Chi took place was an hour later. It’s a bit of a waste of time. But that’s how it is there. The only thing that was favorable was we were the ones to get on the bus first so I had the liberty to choose our seats, thus taking street pictures was so much easier.

See all those motorcycles? :D

 

Travel time was around 2 hours; maybe less if the bus was faster. However we were informed that there is a speed limit of a maximum of 50 kph. Ambagal, pramis!

We had one stopover so you can go to the restroom, shop at the store, or drink some fresh fruit shake. We did the latter.

This is where we had a stopover where you can see how locals produce their artworks.

A few minutes before arriving at Cu Chi, our guide Dan asked if he could collect the 80,000 VND each for the entrance fee so he could get our tickets as a group since he was informed that there are a lot of tourists on site.

True enough, there were a lot of tourists that day! The first thing we did was watch a short 15-minute presentation about the war, and how the Vietnamese fought for their land. 

 

Next, you will be toured around the jungle where you will see how the tunnels during the war looks like, the kinds of trap and tanks they used, and the weapons they themselves made. You’ll be amazed at how smart the Vietnamese were. There is also a firing range there where you can buy bullets for a little amount and try firing with real guns. 

yey, kasya ako! :D

 

Don’t leave Cu Chi without experiencing passing thru the tunnel. Our guide said it is 100 meters long but there is an exit every 20 meters. I challenged my mom to finish it and she did! Being an Asian with a relatively smaller body frame is an advantage here that’s why we were the only ones who did it in our group since mostly were westerners and the tunnel is really narrow.

all sweaty! imagine how hot it is inside the tunnel!

At the end of the tour, they will serve tea and cassava (kamoteng kahoy) or steamed tapioca to Westerners. There are souvenir items being sold too should you want to buy one. All in all, the tour was very informative and worth it, considering its price. It lasted for about 7 hours including pick up of guests and travel to and fro.

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.