Saigon
 

I have been trying to find out about Rennaisance Riverside hotel. However, I would also any info on Saigon- places to see, restaurants etc. We are going next April.

Hi, I was just in Saigon a few weeks ago. I stayed at the Majestic (which I thought was wonderful), so can't give you any feedback on the Renaissance.

I visited the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants museum, both of which were worthwhile (especially the latter). We also went to a few temples and spent some time in the Chinatown market as my Saigon guide lives in that neighborhood so that was interesting.

The restaurant I particularly liked in Saigon was the Lemongrass.

I did a day trip to the Mekong Delta but on my next visit I would definitely want to get further out so I'd recommend at least an overnight if you have the time.

thanks! I wouldn't mind some feedback on the Majestic- we have considered that as well.

Have just read your trip report- excellent!

I second Lemongrass, it's a beautiful restaurant with wonderful good. A few years ago, my husband and I ate there. We had appetizers, 2 main meals, rice, desert, 2 Heinekins each and it set us back $20.00 for both of us. It's at 4 Nguyen Thiep St- Dist.1

Another one we loved was Vietnam House, which is in a beautiful restored house. That one set up back about $24.00 for both of us for about the same amount of food. It's at 93-95 Dong Khoi St.

my goodness- that is really cheap. However, I have already noticed that with hotel prices!Far cheaper than Bangkok- where hotels are great prices anyway!

fiona, you will find VN to be incredibly cheap. It is possible to spend much more on food but you really don't have to. If you order wine instead of beer, it will add a lot to your bill. This is true in most of Asia. Eating at 5 star hotels will cost you more than eating in restaurants. As I wrote in a different post, my husband and I spent more on laundry at the Peninsular Hotel in Bangkok than we did for a week's food in VN. We didn't have to buy breakfast though, it was included, and for lunch we generally ate in small restaurants that didn't look like much but were recommended and had great food. We went out fancier for dinners.

Although I am looking at a Marriott hotel I don't usually eat in hotels but like to go to restaurants around them. The restaurant recs are great.
Laurie
know what you mean about laundry prices in Bangkok hotels!
Anyone able to tell me about the Cu Chi tunnels? Are they really claustrophic? I will be going going them anyway but better to be prepared!
One more question- We plan to spend a full 4 days there. Is that enough?

I wish there was an edit function! I meant to say I will be going DOWN the tunnels!

The cu chi tunnels are very narrow. Our guide told us some bigger tourists have gotten stuck. The one they opened to tourists has been widened but it's still quite narrow. I don't like small enclosed places either but I went down and the only time I was uncomfortable was actually going in. Once you make it down, if you're tall you'll probably have ro crouch down a bit but otherwise, you shouldn't feel claustrophobic. It's very interesting and you can see how ingenius the Viet Cong were. When we left there, my husband and I knew why we lost the war!

thanks Laurie!

Fiona, I have some pictures of Vietnam up. I was just fooling around with them and the photos themselves don't have captions yet but you can take a look at them. They're not great, they were taken with my first digital camera (I'm on my fourth now) and the quality wasn't all that good. But, for what it's worth, here's the site:

http://lcohen.photosite.com/Album1/

photos make me wish that we could manage more than Saigon!

Fiona, we spent 4 nights at the Majestic in Saigon and wish we had stayed longer! That hotel was wonderful and centrally located! Just walk a few blocks and you are at the Lemongrass & Vietnam House restaurant recommended here. I made a point of walking into all the other hotels mentioned, The Grand, Rex etc. but Majestic was definitely my favorite especially their humongous breakfast buffets. Incredibly inexpensive. I don't care for large western hotels as that's where I can stay here. This place was Excellent. Your search is over. By the way there are a couple of bars in the hotel where you can sit on the roof and look over the city. Can't say enough good things about it.

Thanks Wanda.

Fiona, you should be able to book a day trip that takes in both the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai temple at Tay Ninh, which is further along the road toward the Cambodian border. The Cao Dai religion is a unique product of Vietnam, and you can observe the colourful assembly of the faithful chanting to a traditional orchestra from the gallery - at least, when we visited you could. Great videocam material.

The Cu Chi Tunnels site is interesting and informative enough without having to enter the short length of tunnel specially widened for us Western fatties ("Speak for yourself", I hear you say, but it's a sobering experience to spend time in a country in which almost everybody is small, slim, tanned and healthy-looking.) Incidentally, I believe that the massive tunnel network stretched all the way to the outskirts of Saigon.

laurieco, it's ironic and tragic that after their humiliating defeat at Dien Bien Phu the French could have told anyone who was prepared to listen what can (and usually does) happen when you mess with the Vietnamese - maybe a case of "those who don't study history are condemned to repeat it", although the repeat was on a far more wasteful and tragic scale. To add to the irony, the US was up against the same brilliant general who thrashed the Foreign Legion, Vo Nguyen Giap.

I spent a few days in Saigon this past November. The Rennaisance Riverside hotel was the meeting place for our cruise up the Mekong River--I was only in the lobby, but it was nice.
We also ate at a restaurant called Mandarin that was very good. Tried to get into Lemongrass, but they were booked up!

Thanks Neil and Florida1. I am tending towards the Renaiassance now and have a great deal on it.( Still have the Majestic in the running though Wanda!)Thanks for the tip about the day trip Neil- I only have 4 or 5 days there so I want to make the most of them!

Neil, you're so right. Unfortunately, history seems to repeat itself over and over and over again. Don't want to get too political on a travel board but I think you can guess what I mean.

I second NWWanderer's suggestion of a side trip to the Mekong, preferably overnight. We enjoyed our day trip (to My Tho, from memory, which isn't far from HCMC), but would have liked more time. I believe that any travel agency in HCMC will offer a selection of Mekong tours at very reasonable rates.

Fiona, I got stuck in the CuChi tourist tunnel and found it hard to get out backwards with wonky knees. Stupid for trying, I suppose, but it was an experience! I went with Delta Tours, on a somewhat crowded bus. On the way,our guide told us his harrowing story - sent to America as a child to escape the French, worked for the Americans during the war although his sympathies must have been with his own people etc. He was so compelling, I felt I had to look at him instead of the scenery, as I really wanted to. But I would go again.
The trip with Delta to the Mekong Delta was great - much smaller bus. boat trips, lunch, ricketty bike ride, candy tasting etc was great fun and great value - under $US 10 as I remember. It was interesting to see the wonderful bridge paid for, the guide said, by Australia - and he thanked us!

I can't wait to go back!

yes we are def planning a trip to the Mekong- not sure if we can overnight in the time we have.( also going to Hk and Bkk!)
Carabella- stuck! Oh dear!

For a magical sunset drink, try the Saigon Saigon bar at the top of the Caravelle Hotel. It is open air with great views over the square - probably my favourite bar in asia, if not the world!

I stayed there back in Feb. A very classy hotel and the way its designed, it is very quiet as the rooms are separated from the lobby so regardless of which floor your on. You'll never hear any noise from the lobby. Didn't check out the hotel restaurants since there are so many places to eat outside of the hotel. Nice location and great view of the river. If you didn't get a river view, just go to the rooftop pool for a view. Massages at the spa were $20 per hour if i remember correctly. Enjoy if you end of staying here.

Also might want to check out the Sheraton which has a great rooftop bar with a view of the city.

Hi fiona

For places to eat in Saigon, have a look at www.noodlepie.com - it's a food blog of a travel journalist who is based in Saigon. I followed a couple of his recommendations (Pho 24 and Ngu Vien) on my last trip there in May 2004 and they were excellent.

ttn7311, for $20 an hour you can expect to get much more than a massage. Not speaking from experience, of course.

Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City is not my cup of tea -- too big, congested, and not much that is interesting. Can be a terrible sweatbox, too.

We found The Grand Hotel there to be just right for us -- old-style French that has been updated beautifully, marvelous food, reasonable prices, central location, and few American tourists. Not that there's anything wrong with the last...it's just difficult to appreciate the old atmosphere when all you can hear are Texas twangs, California y'knows, and NYawkahs honking at the top of their lungs.

Cu Chi tunnels? What a joke. An underground faux Disney-ish re-creation of what must have been hell under the earth. And wait until you crawl across a snake down there. Fun.

Take a boat tour up the Mekong to the Cambodian border. See the floating fish farms.

Danang and Marble Mountain are nothing but memories. Almost everything has been reclaimed by the underbrush and tourist traps. But the drive north along the coast is spectacular. Go north to Hue. What a great place and what friendly people. Just wander. Take a pedicab ride all over town for only a couple bucks. The Citadel has almost been rebuilt. Sure must have been a huge mess after Tet.

Fly on to Hanoi, our favorite. See some of the national parks in the nearby countryside. Take the train northwest to the Chinese border and then the bus uphill into the mountains to Sapa. A genuine Shangri-La.

There is SO MUCH to enjoy in Vietnam. But you have to get out, get away from the plastic-and-chrome watering holes, and see village life up close. VN is indeed a movable feast of ever-changing experiences. Wear comfortable shoes, pack along DEET, and leave your judgmental ideas at home. "The American War" (as they call it) is just history...of which, VN has too much.

thanks for all the replies. We have now booked the Renaissance. I appreciate all the tips of things to do-keep them coming! I'm off to look at noodlepie!

I'll second USNR's vote for the sedate Grand - but if you like modern 5-star hotels (I don't) it may not be for you. We didn't eat there, but the location is indeed very good.

Suggestion: rent the video of the most recent version of "The Quiet American", the one with Michael Caine, for a flashback to the French War, which of course became the prelude to the American War.

Anybody knows how is the New World Hotel location wise?
Is the Renaissance Riverside better located?

Stayed at the Caravelle too, just loved the rooftop Saigon Bar as well. Don't usually like hotel food but here it was scrumptious and inexpensive and the breakfasts were so marvellous that I could hardly bear to leave the breakfast room. Incredible variety. We booked Mekong Delta overnight trip, hotels in Hoi An and Hue, flights, Reunification Express to Da Nang, transfers to hotels with Go Vietnam in Saigon, much cheaper than booking from home (Oz). Maybe it was just the luck of the draw but enjoyed food in Saigon and Hoi An much more than Hue or Hanoi.

Rennanisance Riverside Hotel is much better location than the New World. They are located in different distict. RRH is quite central & has riverview rooms. Yet, RRH aged. I stayed in Sheraton with a very good rate 2 months ago. The room is HUGE and very new. Try to get a room there if you can. Majestic is a good choice too. Both Majestic & Sheraton are the most central located, RRH is about 5 to 7 minute walk from the other two. BTY, there are tons of hawker food stands around that area in the morning. Make sure you try that. I had hawker food very morning for a week, and didn't get sick. A great experience.

The Sheraton is the superior hotel choice in Saigon if you are looking at high-end hotels. I was in Vietnam three times last year (and will be back again in 2 weeks). I stayed at the Sheraton each time, and I would not think of staying anywhere else. The hotel is new, which means that everything is state of the art and in great condition. The service is great; wonderful pool area, workout room and tennis court. The hotel backs onto the Caravelle Hotel. Lastly, you can't beat the views at the Sheraton. Not only do you see the river, but you get excellent views across Saigon.

You should also look for information for Ho Chi Min City as this is the new name for Saigon.

just wanted to say thanks again for the help- we loved Saigon and the Renaissance. The food in Saigon is fantastic.We used the Sinh Cafe to book our trips- very efficient and ridiculously cheap!

What a wonderful thread.

We will be in Saigon for just the day, our cruise ship docks at the port of Phu My. We are considering taking the cruise transportation to Saigon and then would like to do our own thing. We are Canadians, so although older enough to remember the Vietnam war we would rather just experience Saigon as it is now. We would like somewhere to have a light lunch, drinks, view of the city and any thing else that might be doable in our short time there.

We would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks

Could you elaborate for another Canadian of the cruise you mentioned?
I have looked unsuccessfully for a cruise that goes to Saigon.
We want to spend a week in Bangkok, and do not care if it is the beginning or end of our trip.
This would be January.