saigon
 

We are in Saigon for two days from10:on march 4 to March 5th at 4 P.M.
What do you suggest...should we have a driver and guide and what should we see?

do you ask your kids this many seperate questions about one subject?? a trip to asia??

Not that my kids could answer.

Do you have any info?
You have been helpful before

We are on a cruise and hit many ports. Looking for help to see important sights if possible in the brief time allotted to us. The ship does provide tours, many not too satisfactory, and many good.
Thanks for all your input.

lovemykids,
Saigon is really a place with not many tourist things to see. There is the church, the war place and the wide streets and old buildings. Things I would do, go to the Ben Thanh market and see have the regular people eat and shop, visit the new shopping centers and sample lots of the food. Be sure and eat some pho for sure.

"Saigon is really a place with not many tourist things to see."

Not a very accurate description. Here are some places to visit.

Reunification Palace
HCMC Post Office
Notre Dame Cathedral
Cu Chi Tunnels
Cholon Market
City Hall
Botanical Gardens
Opera House
War Remnants Museum

I would skip Ben Thanh market, other than for the food court outside during the evenings. The market isn't that good. Cholon Market in District 5 is a better market. And shopping malls in HCMC are not very good. But shops along the Dong Khoi and Pasteur corridor have some good things.

It depends on where your cruise ship is docked- probably some distance from Saigon?If you get to Saigon it is easy to walk up the main street and explore. If you want to go to the Chu Chi tunnels then you need transportation.
A driver and guide would be more helpful or the ship tour for at least one ofthe days if you are some distance from Saigon.

Thank you, perhaps a half day tour from the ship to get orientated and then walk?

Your cruise ship will dock in District 4, which is next to District 1 (the main area in Saigon). There will be plenty of taxi's and cyclos waiting at the port to take you into D1 (walking isn't a very good option currenly as the road is torn up due to the Saigon River tunnel project. Taxi is 2 minutes). Right next to the dock is the Ho Chi Minh Museum. Check it out as well.

Thank you///how much should a taxi be?

A taxi to D1 (Dong Khoi) s/b 12,000-15,000 VND (some taxi's have meters start at 12,000, 14,000 or 15,000). It shouldn't be anymore than this.