Saigon Diaries – A Day Trip to The Mekong Delta

Most flights to Vietnam land in its chaotic business hub – Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon. Now we can definitely forgive you for staring at postcards with picture-perfect Vietnamese panoramas of rice paddies while you are surrounded by Saigon’s nightmarish traffic. These postcards seem to be selling a bucolic haven, enveloped by mist, that’s nowhere to be found. The only ‘mist’ you’ll see here is a result of the fumes arising from thousands of motorbikes on Saigon’s busy roads. If you have over a week or two, it’s possible to experience idyllic Vietnam in all its glory at Halong Bay, Phu Quoc, or Mui Ne/Phan Thiet. If not, then a Day Trip to the Mekong Delta is the perfect way to get a taste of the gorgeous Vietnamese countryside.

A 2-hour drive through suburban Saigon leads to My Tho, an important market town and the gateway to the bustling floating markets of the Mekong Delta. The Mekong River, known as The Mighty Dragon or The River of the Nine Dragons in Vietnam, is the life-line of six countries in Asia (Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and China). It passes through temple cities, lush tropical forests, swamps, rice plantations and boasts of some of the richest and most fertile landscapes in the world. Jasmine Cruise

So we decided to go for a sampan cruise on one of the tributaries of the Mekong.
We opted for a private tour and had the entire boat to ourselves

Our guide Nam, a young university student, gave us a short geographical lesson before we boarded a small boat that took us to Unicorn Island, named after a Chinese mythological figure. We sat on a wobbly bench under a thatched roof as we sampled Vietnamese honey tea. Regular tea is flavoured with the juice of kumquats (a small citrusy fruit, similar to limes) and sweetened with home-made honey. Southern Vietnam Discovery

Bee pollen might be the newest health fad to hit the western world, but here in the backwaters of Vietnam, it is generously spooned into every cup of tea. We sipped on the tea and munched on the accompanying candied ginger, banana chips, and peanut bars as we observed the ritual being repeated for dozens of tourists around us.

Saigon Diaries – A Day Trip to The Mekong Delta

Moments later, we were treated to a rather weary song and dance routine by local musicians before being ferried to a neighbouring island, known as the Kingdom of Coconut. Ben Tre Island boasts of over 45,000 hectares of coconut trees, so make sure you carry an insect repellent spray or wear a mosquito repellent band when you venture to this part of the country. Every day hundreds of tourists visit this island, so the thrill of stumbling on something new is almost non-existent. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less fun.

We visited a local coconut factory and tried our hand at making coconut candy. We failed miserably, so we drowned our sorrows in snake wine- yes that’s a thing! Don’t believe us? Take a look

But we didn’t stop there – our guide treated us to a calorie-laden lunch comprising fried fish, scrumptious Pho, and Vietnamese rice-paper spring rolls. Once we were suitably stuffed, we decided to go on a bike-ride through the Vietnamese country side (yes, that’s how smart we are). As you might have predicted we were panting for breath in no time :-)

Towards the end of the day, we decided to go for a Sampan cruise on one of the tributaries of the Mekong. We stepped into our boat tentatively but started enjoying the ride almost as soon as our boat started making its way past lush palm trees and stunning green foliage. Day trips such as this are bound to feel ‘touristy’, but one look at the brightly-coloured boats bobbing along the calm waters of the Mekong made us fall in love with the river. We’ll definitely be back for more….

FACT FILE
A Day Trip to the Mekong Delta is the perfect way of getting a taste of the Vietnamese countryside if you only 1 day to spare. If you have 2-3 days, make sure you visit the floating markets in Can Tho as well.
We booked our Day Trip to the Mekong Delta with Impress Travels – their staff arranged everything well and promptly responded to all our queries within hours over email. Highly recommended.
The tour costs anywhere between $35-65/person depending on group size. Private tours cost $75/person.
We opted for a private tour – this gave us the flexibility of customising the tour according to our taste. Moreover this ensured we did not feel rushed at any time.

Top Things to do in Con Dao Island

Snorkeling
Con Dao is considered one of the best examples of marine conservation in the country. With over 340 species of coral teeming with a colorful array of marine life, Con Dao supports a high level of biodiversity including over 1,400 marine species. Snorkelling in the turquoise waters around the island gives you a chance to look at the colorful and exotic marine life. South Vietnam tours Packages

Con Dao Historical & Prison Tour
In 1861, the French colonial government built this prison to house political prisoners. Today, you can learn about that grim past at the Con Dao Museum, which was once the colonial governor’s residence. Exhibits also reveal details about the island’s natural and pre-colonial history.

Discover Sea Turtles
Con Dao is the only place in Vietnam where sea turtles come to nest and enjoy full National Park protection. From May to October every year, Green and Hawksbill turtles come to nest around one of thirteen beaches. During this period, female turtles come up on the beach at high tide during the night. It takes an exhausting two to three hours for the female to dig, lay and cover her nest before returning to the ocean. Paradise Cruise in Halong bay

Hiking in Tropical Rainforest
Venture into the rainforest behind the town and climb 260 metres above sea level to So Ray Plantation, where you might be lucky enough to spot rare species such as the Con Dao Long Tailed Macaque and playful Con Dao Giant Black Squirrel. Adventurous travelers can keep hiking through the less-traveled north side of Con Dao. BASSAC CRUISE

Rest at stunning Ong Dung Bay.
Trekking to the Lighthouse
A 30 minute ride by speedboat brings you to the beautiful island of Bay Canh, where this adventure begins. A two-hour trek through dense forest leads you to one of Con Dao’s most important landmarks. The Bay Canh Lighthouse was built in 1885 and is one of the highest points on the island, at 226 meters above sea level.

Top Things to do in Con Dao Island

Catamaran Sailing
Feel the soft breeze on your face and see the beauty and charm Con Dao has to offer, from the picturesque fishing boats to the point in the horizon where the sky seems to blend with the sea.

Fishing Trip
What better way to spend the early morning than on a boat feeling the sea breeze against your skin against the backdrop of Con Dao Archipelago? A simple fishing boat offers an ideal way to explore these picturesque waters - and perhaps capture some lunch!

Scuba Diving
With depths ranging from 5 to 20 meters for recreational diving, Con Dao offers a unique opportunity to explore the amazing variety of underwater life. Explore the untouched and pristine coral, and you might spot rays, turtles, giant barracuda, cobia, batfish and small bamboo sharks as well as a whole host of tropical reef fish.

Explore Local Life
A guide will take you around the island, through back roads, small dwellings and local agricultural plots that are peppered with livestock, so you can experience how local people live.

Hue Festival Travel Tips

With the coming back of Hue Festival to mark the national tourism year 2012, Hue is entering the most amazing time, when tourists from all over the world are flooding into it. How can you spend the most of your time when coming to this ancient city in this occasion? Let’s consult some of useful tips provided by experienced travelers. Indochina Sails cruise Halong
Getting in and out
From Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, passengers can approach Hue by bus, air or train. The Re-union Express trains with the route Hanoi – HCMC stop at Hue’s Train Station, which is located in the heart of the city, while coach travelers may depart from the two indicated cities at anytime in a day at relatively low cost; however, travelling by coach may cost you much more time and cause inconveniences. For ones interested in getting Hue by airplane, your only option is Vietnam Airlines since it is the only carrier in Vietnam operating routes to this city. Centre Vietnam travel
When to go?
April is definitely the best time to visit Hue. This is understandable because when the local authority decided to organize Hue Festival in this month, they should have taken into account the weather factor seriously. Besides, March and August are two good alternatives.
Eating
If Hanoi gastronomy allures all gourmets to this city by numerous exotic street-foods, Hue can do nothing than what Hanoi can, and even better thanks to its elaborate decoration and degustation banquets of Hue Royal Gastronomy. In this day and age, Hue city is much commercialized with Western style restaurants that make it become more difficult to find out an authentic Hue’s restaurant serving Royal Meals and quintessence of its street-foods. Mekong delta tours Vietnam
Walking along Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, ones may recognize several restaurants serving Hue’s specialties that you should never forget to try such as banh beo, banh loc, banh it or banh nam. The street is easy to find, which is situated on the island to Northwest of the citadel.
At night, tourists are recommended to pay a visit at a noodle stall to have a piece of Hue’s night cuisine that you wouldn’t be able to see in any other places in this world.
Another quintessence of Hue’s cuisine is vegetarian foods, which may be best enjoyed at stalls in Dong Ba Market (Tran Hung Dao Street) on the 1st and 15th of a lunar month.

Hue Festival Travel Tips

Drink
AT Ca Thi 24, 64 Le Loi Street, tourists may enjoy best quality coffee and herbal tea in this city while refreshing yourselves in a relaxing green garden inside a colonial villa. Ca Thi 24 also serves caffeine, alcohol and fast food.
If you are a fan of billiard, DMZ Bar and Café at 44 Le Loi Street, with pool tables should be ideal to keep your beer order going on forever.
For ones enjoying the loud of rock and cheap cocktails and alcohol, Bar Why Not at 21 Vo Thi Sau is what you are seeking for.
Shopping
Hue is the homeland of finest Nón Lá (conial hat) in Vietnam with its special Nón Lá decorated with a short poem making its brand-name Nón Bài Tho. Hue is also a venue of high quality rice paper, silk paintings and calligraphy; however, their prices are always four to five time more expensive than real values.
From Trang Tien Bridge, go straight ahead to the North you may get to Dong Ba Market – the largest market of the city where you can find anything from food to household applications and souvenirs.
Getting around
For such tourism concentrated city like Hue, there is not lack of methods of transportation to go around that you can easily catch a taxi, xe ôm, cyclo or you may hire yourselves a motorbike or bicycle at relatively low cost.
Taxi
Although most of the taxi firms in Hue are honest, some individual taxi drivers may cheat you by fixing the meter showing up to 10 times the distance actually travelled. Tip for you is paying attention on the meter and estimate the distance. If the meter runs too fast, just refuse to pay and insist on calling police so that the drivers will back down. The average price of Hue taxi starts from VND 15,000 (70 cents) for the first 2km and then continues at VND 11,500 per one further kilometer.
Cyclo
Traveling by cyclo is something you don’t want to miss, especially when the intention of your trip is to explore the beauty of Hue City. Since there is no meter or fixed fee for this kind of transportation, you may have to make full use of your negotiation skills for a reasonable price before jumping on those cyclos by clearly stating your route to the drivers. Also, don’t forget to clearly state whether it is USD or VND if you say, for example “100”. This is necessary because some drivers tend to make you surprise with an exorbitant amount of fee charged when you stop at the final destination. However, those cheaters are only minor that most of the cyclo drivers in Hue are naive and very helpful.
Motorbike/Bicycle
Besides waving a xe ôm and enjoy your trip in a passive way, tourists may easily find yourselves a motorbike or bicycle at a local travel agent or just by asking the receptionists of the hotel for help. Those vehicles are for hire at surprisingly cheap prices, at US$5 for a motorbike per day and $1 for a bicycle per day.