I'm sorry that you had a bsd time in Saigon, but I find your dismisal of the city as boring and frustrating more a reflection on you than the city.

You "pre-paid" taxi was was pre-paid, so how was the fact that it cost $10 a surprise? And wouldn't a regular taxi be an option if you knew $10 was the competing rate?

It was too hot, so you didn't go on any tours or explore the city. You went shopping and eating without using the local currency, and you signed a charge slip without looking at the amount? Sounds like you put no effort into your stay and got back zero return as your investment.

Saigon is a such a great city for eating! Even if you hit the tourist traps, it's pretty hard to not have a good meal.

I really don't mean to be rude, but I think you were either just too tired to enjoy any city at that point, or didn't do the basic planning to have a good time.

Ritz crackers and Babybel cheese in Saigon?? Sorry but Saigon is one of the world's best eating cities. It is a real shame that you did not experience the great food on offer on almost every corner.

What cities did you like?? Maybe Saigon is just too rough and tumble for you.... I certainly agree that it is HOT!

I disagree that you needed to stick to purely Vietnamese dishes. There are plenty of good French, Indian, Korean, Thai and Chinese restaurants around, and even a few that do pretty good BBQ and steaks. The only thing I've never found was good Mexican food. And of course plenty of good Vietnamese food around, although it's not my favorite.

As far as HCMC being too rough and tumble, if the OP could handle Hanoi, then HCMC is no problem.

Thanks for the information on the taxi stand inside. If you just take a taxi from the official que out front, it will be approximately 70,000VND to District 1 if they use the meter.

Thanks for your comments - I always find it enlightening to hear from other travelers, even if we disagree.

Just to clarify, we spent US$135/nt at the Majestic. Since we are traveling around the world for several months, we budgeted a certain amount, did a great deal of research on each city and shopped around for the best value. Yes, we enjoy nice hotels and have no wish to scrimp, but were advised the taxi fare from the airport was $5 so it was surprising when it was double. Again, it was a small amount so we did not make it an issue. And if that had been the only discrepancy, I wouldn't have given it a second thought.

As far as other transportation options, it would have been a little hard for two people with luggage to hop on the back of a motorbike. Personally, I've never ridden a bicycle or motorbike and have no intention of starting now. Most cities offer airport shuttles, subways or public buses in addition to taxis.

The main problem was that EVERY interaction felt like an attempt to cheat us. There are many cities we are visiting where items are more expensive and we are prepared to deal with that. Does anyone enjoy feeling like they are being ripped off, especially if they're on a budget? Just because we stay in better hotels doesn't mean we can afford to overpay.

Given we are travelling for months, keeping snacks in the room and not eating out (or using room service) all the time helps keep costs down and we enjoy exploring the markets in different cities. We travel all over the world and like a mix of both Western and Asian dishes wherever we are. Just because you are in a city for a few days doesn't mean you want to eat only one kind of food at every meal.

My comment about Hanoi is not that it's becoming more Americanized - actually it felt rather European. I thought the wide streets and detailed architecture were lovely and inviting, and the new housing/commercial developments looked interesting. The people we met truly wanted to share their culture, tell us how Hanoi has changed over the years and express their hopes for the future. Of course there were people wanting us to spend money with them, but we never felt cheated and the experience was a pleasant one. In fact, I bought a dozen silk purses as souvenirs for friends back home. The salesperson explained how the design and workmanship was unique to Vietnam and patiently let me look around while I carefully chose my purchases. I had two friends with me and they also bought a few things. My point about Saigon is that they would do better to show what they have and maybe offer a little discount to make a sale. Chasing a person down the street, "tailing" them in the store or making up the price based on how much they think you'll pay are not effective sales tactics.

Travelers talk on boards just like this, so when a place gets a bad reputation, yes they made money overcharging one person but word gets around fast and they lose other customers. I take the card of shops I like and frequently recommend them so wouldn't it be smarter for them just to be honest and helpful?

In terms of what cities I like, I count Shanghai, Hong Kong, Prague, Istanbul, Florence, Singapore, Venice, San Francisco and New York as favorites. What I like about them (besides local attractions) is they offer a combination of unique AND international shops, restaurants, hotels and markets.

My mistake was in thinking that Saigon would be more sophisticated and would know how to treat tourists. The customer service in most Asian cities is SO much better than in America that it is a shame that Saigon hasn't quite caught on yet.

I really wanted to go to Cholon as I've been to almost every "Chinatown" in the world, so I regret that we didn't get there.

Thanks for writing again, Lia. I am sorry if I sounded snippy about the Ritz crackers! I am saddened to read your account, because it does not sound at all like the Saigon in which I spent two weeks back in 2000. I am headed to both Hanoi and Saigon next month, so I will keep in mind what you wrote and hope for the best!! Sometimes all it takes is one really great interaction to sway one's feelings about a place so I will try to seek those out if at all possible!! I have 5 nights in Hanoi and 3 in Saigon....