16 days in Vietnam

Old May 26th, 2011, 04:47 AM
  #41  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
and an area that sold fake money and fruit and candy baskets to be used as offerings at temples and shrines. I was facinated with this market and spent several hours here wandering and taking phots. I bought some Dalat grown coffee to take home with me as I found the coffee in VN and in Dalat in particular to be excellent. We spent so much time here, that although I intended to go to the botanical gardens, I found we had run out of time and energy, so we took a cab back to the hotel.

In the afternoon, we were taken to Dalat University, to meet the faculty, students, have a tour of the university and get some face time with the students who wanted to practice their English. After a short talk by the faculty member about the University, each one on our group was assigned to 4 students who gave us a guided tour of the university grounds. Some of these student wanted to become tour guides and wanted feedback on how their communication skills were and asked for any constuctive criticism. I was surprised at how many spoke understandable, though not fluent, Engish.

While walking with the students, they asked me questions about where I lived in the US, about my family, about my religion and how I practiced it, and other personal questions which I freely answered. I asked them the same type of questions and found out about them, where they lived, about there families and religious practices. I think it was as enlightening for me as it was for them, and I founmd this to be a very worthwhile and intersting activity.

After this we were taken to a Lat village. The Lats were the first group to inhabit Dalat, and this is the origin of the name Dalat. We had a short talk about the village, which produced agricultural products, and had a 45 minute show of Lat song and dance by villagers dressed in Lat garb. The show was so good that I asked why they did not make a CD of the songs and sell them as the show ended, but they said they weren't interested in selling things. They just wanted to demonstrate their song, dance and customs which they were very proud of.

After the show we had a delicious dinner at Viet Ngoc Duy restaurant including a hot pot, spring rolls, and stir fry.
shelleyk is offline  
Old May 26th, 2011, 04:54 AM
  #42  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Does anyone know why I cant't seem to post my entire post at once? The Fodors reply box only lets me post several paragraphs, and then it wont scroll down so I can contiue my post.
shelleyk is offline  
Old May 26th, 2011, 10:06 AM
  #43  
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 26,243
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You shouldn't need to scroll, just keep typing. Another alternative is to prepare your post in Word and then copy and paste it into the reply box.
sf7307 is offline  
Old May 26th, 2011, 11:06 PM
  #44  
 
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Good writings. Thanks for sharing those wonderful detailed moment.I love traveling but it's pitiful that i often can not recall what exactly happened.
anhhh is offline  
Old May 27th, 2011, 04:24 AM
  #45  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
jenniekrag and happytravlr-Glad you are enjoying this report.

sf7307-I can't use word, so I'll just keep typing and hope I don't get "stuck" again.

anhhh-I am writing this from my notes. Otherwise I would never have remembered all of the details. As a matter of fact, because it was not in my notes, I neglected to mention a half hour visit to Crazy House in Dalat.

Crazy House is a hotel, built over many years on a large property, that can best be described as Disneyland and Gaudi brought to Dalat.The interior was made up of several interesting looking, but weirdly laid out hotel rooms. The exterior reminded me of Park Guell in Barcelona. There are stairs to climb and bridges to cross while viewiung the property, making for a very interesting and head shaking experience. I kept thinking, "This is intersting, but I sure wouldn't want to be a gueat here". Fortunately, you don't have to book a room to see it. Just pay $1.50 admission fee and the experience is your.
shelleyk is offline  
Old Jun 18th, 2011, 05:50 AM
  #46  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Saigon
Let me begin by saying we really enjoyed our stay in Saigon, and unlike most others on this board, I would encourage anyone who likes big cities to spend some time here. There is a lot to see and do and I think 1.5-2 days in Saigon could easily be filled.

We had an early morning, short flight from Dalat to Saigon. After we arrived, we had a short city tour including a stop at the post office designed by Eiffel, a beautiful building, both inside and out, . We then spent some time at the War Remnants Museum, which although obviously slanted to the Vietnamese perspective, I found very interesting.

We had a late lunch at Pho Hung, a pho noodle soup shop where we sat at long tables, with mostly locals, and enjoyed our pho, which was probably the best pho on our trip. Interestingly, this restaurant opened 2 branches in the US which are run by relatives. Lucky you , if you live in Arlington, TX. or Portland< OR where the branches are located.

We checked into the Asian Ruby Hotel late in the afternoon, and unlike our first stay at the berginning of the trip, our room for the next 3 nights was well located and quiet, as well as clean and well furnished. The room was located toward the rear of the hotel where the rooms are much quieter than those closer to the street.

The location of the hotel was very good as it was within walking distance of almost everything we wanted to see in Saigon. It is right behind the gorgeous, pink Opera House, and within an easy walk of many restaurants, and good shopping for those that wanted to shop (not us).

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around and getting our barrings as I had a whole day of sightseeing planned for the next day, when the rest of the group was going to the CU Chi tunnels. I was not interested in doing this trip as it would take 4 hours away from what I wanted to see in Saigon Also I was not going to crawl into the tunnels, so I felt my time would be better spent in Saigon.

After an included dinner at the hotel, of several Vietnamese dishes which were very good, we retired early as we had a long day in store for our final full day in Saigon.
shelleyk is offline  
Old Jun 25th, 2011, 05:12 PM
  #47  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I plan to go to Hue this Oct on a surgical mission for 9 days. Then travel solo ( female ) for 7-8 days. I will use many of your suggestions as a guide. I look forward to the rest of your report. Thank you....
Maxine19147 is offline  
Old Jun 27th, 2011, 11:13 AM
  #48  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
What a nice way to give back, Maxine. I'm sure you will enjoy your time in Vietnam. The people are lovely and the country is very interesting. Oct. can be rainy in Hue, so be prepared.

Our second day in Saigon was both interesting and exhausting as we were out and about for about 12 hours, most of it on our feet. After a large and varied breakfast at the hotel, we took a taxi to the Mariamma Hindu Temple. It was about a ten minute ride from the hotel and cost about $2.50. We could have walked to the temple in about 30-45 minutes, but DH's back was still bothering him and we wanted to conserve our energy for the rest of the day.

We spent about 45 minutes at the temple watching the comings and goings of the people who came to pray, burn incense and leave offerings. The temple is very colorful, and reminded me of photos I had seen of of Hindu temples in southern India. It is extremely photographic and I took many photos at this temple. This was a very interesting stop and I highly recommend it with the caveat that there are other Hindu temples in Saigon, so make sure you go to the Marriamma Hindu temple. The previous day we went to a different Hindu temple near our hotel, thinking it was this one. It was not worth spending time there and we left after a few minutes.

From the Mariamma Hindu temple we walked about 10 minutes to the Ben Tha Market, a large covered market selling everything from produce to souvenirs. I bought some coffee and a lacquerware covere3d bowl. The quality of the bowl looked good to me and the price was right.

From there we walked about 20 minutes to the Reunification Palace where we took a one hour guided tour in English. For me, it was interesting and time well spent as I majored in political science and was in college during the Vietnamese War. To see the actual places I had previously read about made this experience and others on this trip very worthwhile and memorable.

Following the tour, we attempted to get a taxi to the Jade Emperor Pagoda. However, none of the drivers knew where it was even though I gave them the address. At least they were honest eniough to communicate this before we got into the taxi.

Anyway, I decided that based on the map in the guidebook we could walk there in less tha an hour. And since the weather was unusually cool for Saigon, about 87 degrees, we decided to see if we could find the temple which sounded like something I would like to see.

It took a little longer to reach than what I anticipated, but we eventually found it after passing Notre Dane cathedral, several interesting neighborhoods, and many schools dismissing students for the day. After reaching the temple, I realized why the taxi drivers did not know the street. The temple is on a tiny little street, off a main intersection (past the zoo). It would have been very diificult to find as it was in a maze of one way streets. If going to this temple, I suggest getting off at the zoo and walking the last 10 or 15 minutes.

It was interesting to see the comings and goings at the temple and the walk to get there was interesting, although tiring. We took a taxi back to the hotel-less than $2.50.

After a quick shower we took a taxi to Quon An Ngon Restaurant. We ordered crispy pancakes filled with mushrooms and shrimp, fried calamari, and prawns on a skewer. These dishes were ok, but certainly not as good as most of the other dishes we had on the trip. We also ordered a roast pork and rice dish that was inedible because the pork looked very rare and undercooked. All of the above with one beer and one water came to about $20. Although it was inexpensive, I felt the quality of the food was not good, and therefore it was not good value for what we spent. Based on my experience, I would rate this branch of Quan An Ngon a miss, although the branch in Hanoi gets better reviews.

We took a taxi back to the hotel. Tomorrow we are off to spend the day on the Mekong River.
shelleyk is offline  
Old Jun 28th, 2011, 10:06 AM
  #49  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Mekong Delta

We had an early breakfast before departing on our 2 hour ride to My Tho. Before arriving at the boat dock in My Tho, we visited a Cao Dai temple located in My Tho. From photos I had seen of the main Cao Dai temple, this temple was a smaller version of the large one. It was painted in bright colors, both inside and outside. Although no service was going on at the time, we were given an explanation of the philosophy of the religion and what the service consists of.
It was a "bonus stop" for me as I was curious about what the Cai Dai temple looked like, but I was not willing to spend the time going to the main temple which is located about 10 miles further than the Cu Chi tunnels.

After our temple visit, we headed for the boat dock to board our private boat. Our local guide was excellent, both informative and entertaining. We spent most of the morning and afternoon sightseeing on the Delta.

It was interesting seeing the river traffic, viewing the stilt houses over the water, and visiting several businesses on the delta islands. Although I had visited the floating market in Thailand and Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia, and found both to be interesting, I felt that this day was worthwhile as well, as it gave me a view of the rural life of the Mekong Delta.

We arrived back at the hotel at 4:30, showered and had another very good dinner at Pho Co Restaurant in Saigon. We went to sleep early as we had to leave the hotel at 3:45am for our 6am flight. We flew United-Saigon- Hong Kong-San Francisco-Boston. We made our connection in SF, literally just as they were closing the doors, but we did make it.

All in all, it was a wonderful, varied and interesting trip. Vietnam was never at the top of my travel wish list, but the trip was actually much better than I anticipated.
shelleyk is offline  
Old Jun 28th, 2011, 03:37 PM
  #50  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Shelleyk,

I enjoyed all of your posts - but thanks for adding your reflections on HCMC and the Delta.

Very helpful in trying to sort out what experiences I should include in a first visit to VN planned for later this year.

Thank you!
m_bran is offline  
Old Jun 28th, 2011, 04:52 PM
  #51  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 29,053
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
can't wait for your next trip
rhkkmk is offline  
Old Oct 12th, 2013, 11:42 AM
  #52  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,198
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi Shelley

Just letting you know I'm reading!

It was great to meet you and Jim at the GTG!
kwren is offline  
Old Oct 12th, 2013, 01:18 PM
  #53  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Likewise. Jim and I look forward to seeing you and Leon again at next year's GTG. And thanks for letting me know you are reading my TR.
shelleyk is offline  
Old Oct 12th, 2013, 05:26 PM
  #54  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,198
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'm almost done with my Cinque Terre report since you two would like to go there.

See you next year!
kwren is offline  
Old Oct 18th, 2013, 03:13 PM
  #55  
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 59
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hello ...and thank you.
My friend and I are just beginning our research on a trip to Vietnam. Your report was very helpful because we are considering the OATS tour.
Just a couple of questions: I saw that your trip was in late Feb into March. We are thinking of going late March until mid April. Do you have any comments on that time frame?
We are thinking of taking the 19 day tour with OATS and then on our own going north to Sepa, etc and then to a beach resort for some R&R. Would you recommend Nha Trang? or do you know of other places with beaches, etc.
Again, thank you for taking the time to write.
springstraveler is offline  
Old Oct 18th, 2013, 04:04 PM
  #56  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Late late March into April would mean it would be warm in the north and very hot in the south. See weatherbase.com for temps. We could not go to Sapa in Jan. or Feb. because it would have been too cold and misty, but it should be lovely in March and April. I thought Nha Trang had a pretty beach, but I found the town itself not very scenic. It was fine for the 2 nights we were there, but if you want an extended beach vacation I think you can do better. I am not a beach person. If you post that question seperately you would probably get better advice than I could give. Finally, if you have never been on an OAT tour, and you give my OAT number, or anyone else's whose been on an OAT tour, both you and the other person get a monetary credit. I would not have any use for the credit, but you should do it so you get the $200 or $300 credit toward your trip. As you can tell from my TR, we loved Vietnam and OAT did a good job in picking restaurants and some hotels.
shelleyk is offline  
Old Oct 28th, 2014, 05:39 PM
  #57  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi Shelley -- I know this was a while back but do you remember what the weather was like in Hoi An when you were there? We're heading to Vietnam for the first two weeks of March of 2015 and I'm wondering if it will be warm enough for the beach in Hoi An/Danang. I so wish we could go swimming in Halong Bay too but it looks like that's not going to happen. Would love your thoughts on March weather there. Thanks! Rachel.
racheldavid is offline  
Old Oct 28th, 2014, 06:48 PM
  #58  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
As far as I remember, Hoi An was warm enough to wear short sleeved shirts most of the time. It would have been fine for sitting on or walking the beach, but was not warm enough to swim. Every year is different so you may luck out and be able to swim. Enjoy your trip. We loved touring Vietnam, and especially loved the food.
shelleyk is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
eustache
Asia
5
Sep 2nd, 2010 04:44 AM
MPT
Asia
7
Jun 6th, 2006 12:20 PM
sharon212
Asia
4
Jan 21st, 2006 08:29 AM
saulmax
Asia
8
Jan 12th, 2006 04:26 PM
zulu
Asia
8
May 30th, 2005 09:49 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -