Hotel Class: 
4 Stars - 65 Opinions
8A Nguyen Binh Khiem St District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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of people enjoy staying here
65 Opinions
Saigon River Express speedboat
Cao Dai Temple
Saigon City Center
The Banquet Room
I have posted this question on the 'World Forum' as well. We are docking at Phu My in March and I have read that you can get a Hydrofoil from here into HCMC. Can anyone confirm this and provide more info - like how far from the dock is it and how often does it go and is it a better option than a taxi timewise? I've also read that taxis are not allowed into the dock and it's a long way to the gates. We like to go visit places independently, but would I be better off with a ships excursion in this case, bearing in mind we only have a day? Would greatly appreciate some good solid info from someone in the know.
You can get a time table for the Hydrofoil at www.opentourvietnam.com/transport. I will also be arriving in Phu My in July and need the same information - and if we get the Hydrofoil - we then would like some tour operators for HCMC. The only problem I can see with the Hydrofoil is that it seems that the last Hydrofoil to leave HCMC is at 16.45 and our ship only departs at 23.00 and we were wanting to stay in HCMC for dinner and night markets.
Thanks for that. As I understand it, it will save about 30mins. The return one is early, but I suppose we could get a taxi back.
Thanks for the info - will think about tour...am probably going to do ships excursion.
Ho Chi Minh City is the official and the modern name of Saigon. It is the largest city in Vietnam and the business center. This city is rich in culture, architecture, parks, restaurants and almost everything you can find here. Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City
One such local had placed me on the back of this motorcycle I now clung to. He was an older man and certainly wiser for the years. He had spent some time in the States and his English was quite good. We had innocently enough stopped by a local bia hoi place on a busy Saigon street corner. It had become our favorite spot to watch life in the big city go by. The evenings were hot and muggy and even I gave in to the local practice of putting blocks of ice in my beer glass, making an already watery brew even more so. But with heat like this, it may be for the better to dilute alcohol if not the flavor of such things. Our new friend was a great conversationalist and we enjoyed hearing about his travels in the US as well as what Saigon had gone through since the end of the war.
I had been trying to find a dish from a Vietnamese restaurant I had been going to for over twenty years back in the States, but had had no luck in finding it. I produced a menu from this place I had carried the entire trip and asked him if he knew where we could find it. With a bit of thought, he said he would find out and took off. He returned five minutes later on the back of a motorcycle and explained that I was to go with the driver, as he knew where it was. I was a bit skeptical but desperate for this meal so I took the chance. I hopped on and was soon whizzing through the crowded streets, the wind, cooling my sweat-dampened T-shirt, blowing away my worries too. It felt great but all too short as we quickly arrived at our destination. (concluded below in Fondest Memory)
--
Photos:
1. Me at the floating hotel in Saigon (we didn't stay there, just had a look)
2. The former American embassy (photo 1995)
My fourteenth visit to Saigon was in August 1995.
Nick and I took an overnight train from Hué (going through Xuan Loc, presumably, though we were asleep and didn't notice). We arrived in Saigon at 11 o'clock in the morning of Tuesday, August 8, 1995 and immediately took a taxi to the Sinh Café to book a three-day Mekong Delta tour.
We stayed the night at a hotel called the Mini-Hotel Bi Saigon, which was right around the corner from the Sinh Café.
The next morning we left on our Mekong Delta tour, which I have described in four tips on my Vietnam page.
Note from fifteen years later:
When Nick and I were in Vietnam in 1995 there was only one Sinh Café, but since then a number of fake Sinh Cafés have sprung up, using the same name but often charging higher prices.
As far as I know the real (original) Sinh Café is now called TheSinhTourist and has its headquarters at 246 De Tham Street, district 1, Ho Chi Minh City, which is also where it was in 1995. Their telephone number is (848) 38389597.
www.thesinhtourist.vn/
Always be aware that in other cultures it is not always acceptable to take photos of people and is always polite to ask permission for specific photos. Also in places of worship, always check that there is no offence taken for taking photos. Usually permission is granted when asked.
Out of the center of the city you will often see contrasts like this between a tall modern building and the small houses that have shops on the first floor. This was taken in the neighborhood near our hotel.
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Q: australian dollar "is the australian dollar accepted in most places of vietnam and what is best $20, $50 or $100 currency Thanks"
A: "You can exchange them to Dong in most places in Vietnam, but i would not use themas payment if i were you as the average guy in the street will often not know the correct..."
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