HO CHI MINH CITY

It's a mouthful, isn't it? But there are very few who actually call it that. I've noticed that airlines and guide books cut it back to HCMC and the Vietnamese themselves tend to call it Saigon. It might be politically incorrect but it's easier, friendlier and, as a matter of fact, the name Saigon is not French but is credited with being the Vietnamese name from the 17th century.

This part of Vietnam was originally Cambodian and the Khmer people lived here, calling it Prey Nokor. Folkmore credits the southern lands being given to Vietnam as a dowry for the marriage of a Vietnamese princess to a Khmer prince in order to stop the constant fighting on the border of the two countries.

We flew from Brisbane on Royal Brunei with a transit in Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei. The flight was pleasant and uneventful. For those who are interested, I would point out that no alcohol is served on board. This is not something that worries us, as we tend to drink only water on flights, in order to combat the dehydrating effects of cabin pressure.

11.10.08
On arrival at HCMC, we were met by a car from our hotel Madam Cuc 127. This was the hotel chosen by our relatives from Western Australia and we had been lucky to get a booking in the same hotel, for Madam Cuc 127 is an extremely popular hotel with backpackers.
We were greeted in reception with the customary welcome drink and offered fruit before being shown our room on the 3rd floor. It was a large aircondtioned room with ensuite attached, clean and tidy. Whilst it didn't offer spectacular views of the city, it was good value for US$25 a night for two.
The photo on the left shows the lovely Madam Cuc herself with three of the girls from reception.

Stepping out that evening for a meal, we found we had lost our bearings in the intertwining streets of the backpacker area of the city. We were extremely glad that we had carried one of Madam Cuc's business cards with us. A map on the back soon had us heading in the right direction. Always grab a card from reception ... it might not have a map but at least you can show the card to someone and hopefully get directions.

Saigon is the city of the motorcycle. Honda would go broke overnight if the Vietnamese decided to forego their favourite means of transport. There are millions of bikes on the roads ... and on the footpaths on many occasions. We even saw them drive straight into shop fronts!!
And how many people can one bike carry? Our record was 6 but the prize goes to the two above right carrying a glass door. Thoughts of what might happen if there was an accident just don't bear thinking about!!!

Guy bargains for rambutans in the market
12.10.08
Walking up our street in the morning, we came across Thai Binh Market on the corner.
Smaller than Ben Thanh Market which is the one most people visit, it had an exciting outdoor food and vegetable market and we enjoyed a meal of satay sticks sitting on small plastic stools amongst the locals.
The covered market sells clothing and shoes etc but on a smaller scale to Ben Thanh. More for the working people than tourists, there seems to be little bargaining here. We found some terrific leather thongs and much-needed shampoo.
After our little shopping spree, we headed back to our hotel.
Our relatives arrived at lunch-time. Hidden behind the front door of the hotel, we shouted "SURPRISE!!"
There was much excitement and a few tears. Our departure for Queensland earlier in 2008 had separated family and friends after thirty-odd years of living in Western Australia and it was great to catch up again.
My cousin Kate and her husband Johnny had travelled with us in East Africa in 2001 and we were looking forward to another safari with them.
Old school friend Mo and her husband Deg, who are honorary family, were also there.
Over a late afternoon meal, we made vague plans for the next few days. As time was tight, we needed to have some idea of where we were going. We decided that our first stop would be Hanoi, followed by a couple of days on a junk in Halong Bay.
We booked flights to Hanoi for 16th October. We did this through the reception desk at Madam Cuc, where we found all the girls to be extremely helpful.
I spent some time mulling over tours offered in Halong Bay. The one thing we wanted to make sure of was that we spent two nights on the boat itself. Many tours, although they state "2 nights" actually put you ashore on Cat Ba Island for the second night. We finally agreed on a 3 day/2 night cruise at US$149 per person on Huong Hai Cruise 3. Unfortunately, this tour is no longer available but you can check out other tours by the same company here. We were unable to make a booking by phone but luckily the tour office stayed open until 9pm in the evening, allowing us to call in on our way from the airport to our hotel in the old part of Hanoi. One more thing off the list!!
13.10.08
Johnny wanted to catch up with a friend from WA ... by the unlikely name of Belly. He had a restaurant on the seafront in Vung Tau, some 130km from Saigon. We organised transportation through Madam Cuc and drove down for the day, having lunch at Belly's and a paddle on the beach.
Belly and several other Australians at the hotel were actually working on offshire oil rigs close to Vung Tau. Many of them were ex servicemen and I couldn't help thinking of the words of Khe Sanh ... "Tried to find a place to settle down, where my mixed up life could mend. Held a job on an oil-rig, flying choppers when I could ..."

14.10.08
The final member of our group arrived. Cath, another cousin, was the only one in the know about our plans to join the group in Vietnam but she had taken the opportunity to stay in Pietrasanta, Italy an extra few days to visit the foundry where her brother Robert Glen has his bronzes cast.

On her arrival, we all went down the street for lunch and to introduce her to the delights of Vietnamese cousine ... pho bo, spring rolls and other delicacies.
15.10.08
We were not flying out till after lunch, so Guy and I took the opportunity to organise a massage at the Vietnamese Traditional Massage Institute at the top of our street. All massages are performed by well-trained blind masseurs from the HCMC Institute for the Blind. At US$4 an hour, it was terrific value. (Lonely Planet says it's not very clean but we found it spotless.)

SOMETHING TO BEAR IN MIND

Most hotels in Vietnam give prices in US$. So do airlines, tour companies and trains. It is a good idea to have US dollars on you for these occasions. Otherwise, you can find yourself in a position where you have to rely on the conversion rate that the hotel/airline/tour office is prepared to offer. This is not always the same rate that is on offer at banks and money changers and is usually not in your favour.

Also, there are many hotels/tours which don't offer the choice of charging to a credit card. Those who do usually add 3% for this privilege. (Madam Cuc does not have credit facilities - cash only)

Whilst our narrative now takes us to Hanoi, we did return to Saigon before leaving Vietnam. If you wish to contunue reading about Saigon and our trip to the Mekong Delta , please click here.

HOTEL MADAM CUC 127

Cong Quynh Street, District 1
Phone : 84-8-8368761
Email: madamcuc@hcm.vnn.vn    Website: www.madamcuchotels.com