To be honest, not staying here in Saigon is the worst travel mistake I\u2019ve made this year. Actually, not taking the full cruise tour offered by AmaWaterways is probably the worst mistake, if I am being completely honest about it. For my first-ever visit to Asia, I thought I\u2019d hedge my bets and take the week-long cruise, and return again if I liked it.<\/p>\n
My spacious day room at the Sheraton Saigon was mine to use from 9am until 6pm, with a further option to utilize it until 9pm. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
I heard about some of the amazing experiences the guests who participated in the full overland journey from Hanoi had, like the opportunity to sail Ha Long Bay and overnight aboard a traditionally-themed \u201cjunk.\u201d They also got to visit the ODA Free Village English School <\/b>in Siem Reap that AmaWaterways set up in 2011 in conjunction with the Orphans and Disabled Arts Association of Cambodia.<\/p>\nOne of the helicopters utilized by the United States during the Vietnam War, on display at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
However, I managed to make full use of my time here in Saigon. I got myself a day room at the Sheraton Saigon, which I\u2019d classify as essential if you have a late-night flight. During my stay, the temperature outside was 28 degrees Celsius (82F) with humidity approaching 44 degrees Celsius (111.2F). If you plan on exploring, you\u2019re also going to want to shower afterward. Your future seat-mates will thank you.<\/p>\n
The Sheraton also gave guests a helpful little list of tips with their keycard:<\/p>\n
\n- Ho Chi Minh City is generally safe, but there are reports of occasional pickpockets and bag snatching around the tourist areas. Please exercise precaution at all times.<\/i><\/li>\n
- Please leave your valuables in the hotel safe deposit box or in your room safe and just take what you need when you go out.<\/i><\/li>\n
- As the streets are busy, please cross the roads carefully and watch out for thieves on motorbikes you may snatch your belongings.<\/i><\/li>\n
- There are illegal taxis parked around the tourist areas. Please contact our Concierge Desk on the ground floor (ext: 104\/450) for recommendations of taxi companies.<\/i><\/li>\n
- The taxi drivers generally don\u2019t speak English. Please bring a map or the written address and ask our associates for assistance. Please carry small denominations of Vietnamese Dong as Taxis generally don\u2019t have change.<\/i><\/li>\n
- In case of emergency, please call our Guest Services Manager on 0903 005 133 for assistance.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The advice given in point number three is particularly important. In Saigon, you learn one thing very quickly: don\u2019t ever stop or change direction while crossing the streets! The motorbikes will go around you.<\/p>\n
I also managed to take in both the War Remnants Museum <\/b>in District 3 and the Ben Thanh Market<\/b> in District 1.<\/p>\nThe War Remnants Museum spans multiple floors and contains a graphic look at some of the horrors of the Vietnam War. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
In the case of the museum, one of the most fascinating aspects is the collection of helicopters, aircraft and tanks belonging to the U.S. Military that are on display near the entrance. Visitors \u2013 particularly American ones \u2013 should be aware that the entire museum focuses very heavily on atrocities committed by the United States during the Vietnam War, while completely ignoring the war crimes that included Vietnamese involvement. It\u2019s a very worthwhile museum to visit, but certain exhibits are definitely designed to provoke (and this coming from a Canadian.)<\/p>\n
An exhibit on the Agent Orange chemical attacks by the United States is often difficult to look at. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
The Ben Thanh Market is an adventure in its own right. You can buy just about anything here, from clothing to shoes to wallets to food and electronics. The age-old system of bartering seems to be going out of style here, though; most vendors stuck to within a few dollars of the listed prices. Still, it\u2019s quite the experience, particularly in some of the more narrow aisles.<\/p>\n
Entering Saigon’s famous Central Market, which is one of the oldest in the city. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
Here, you can find…almost anything! Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
The Level 23 Bar is located – sensibly – on the 23rd floor of the Sheraton Saigon. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
The view overlooking Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
The crowning point of my day was a trip with new friends up to the Level 23 Nightspot & Wine Bar located on the 23rd<\/sup> floor of the Sheraton Saigon. The windows here are open-air, allowing the breeze high above the city to waft into the room. It\u2019s probably the coolest place (literally and figuratively) in the city, and it doesn\u2019t hurt that it overlooks the Rex Hotel and its famous Foreign Correspondents Club, as well as the massive Bitexco Financial Tower that stands 68 floors above the earth and features its own cantilevered helipad on the 52nd<\/sup> floor.<\/p>\nAfter dinner at a local restaurant \u2013 which was a wonderfully fascinating experience to say the least \u2013 it was time to leave the Sheraton and Saigon behind.<\/p>\n
Three daily flights operate from Ho Chi Minh to Seoul, all within five minutes of each other. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
The International Terminal at Ho Chi Min’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
The drive to Tan Son Nhat International Airport<\/a> only took roughly 20 minutes, and by 9pm, I was checking in for my return journey at the Korean Air desk. From the Sheraton Saigon, it should only cost about $8 \u2013 but ensure you hail your taxi through the hotel. Unlicensed cabs congregate at major tourist spots, and they are famous for ripping off tourists.<\/p>\nClearing security and immigration were relatively painless despite the fact that even at 9pm, the airport is quite busy. There are three flights to Seoul from Saigon tonight alone, all operated on widebody aircraft carrying over 250 people, and all leaving within five minutes of each other.<\/p>\n
My Korean Air Airbus A330-300 arrives at Gate 19 at Ho Chi Minh International. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n
If you\u2019ve never done a river cruise like this, you really should. It\u2019s difficult for me to think of a better way to experience Cambodia and Vietnam for the first time than onboard the AmaLotus<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Of course, once you do \u2013 you\u2019ll want to return again and again.<\/p>\n
Sunset over Ho Chi Minh City, as viewed from the 23rd floor of the Sheraton Saigon. Photo \u00a9 2013 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Saying farewell to the Mekong in Ho Chi Minh City Aaron Saunders, Live Voyage Reports After a journey that had taken us from Siem Reap, across Tonle Sap Lake and into the Mekong Delta, guests aboard AmaWaterways\u2019 AmaLotus disembarked the ship for the last time this morning in the Vietnamese port of My Tho, 60 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":11825,"parent":54,"menu_order":8,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/389"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/389\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/54"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}