|
Information of Tourist Destinations to assist you in Planning a trip to Mekong and Southeast Asia...
|
|
|
|
more.... |
|
|
|
| Ho Chi Minh City Tour - 3 Days/ 2 Nights (MT-HCM01) |
|
|
|
|
|
| With a population of 5.5 million this 300-year-old metropolis nostalgically called Saigon but officially now Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam. Despite the high-rise buildings, swanky hotels, chic cafes and boutiques in wide tree-shaded boulevards this city is still a developing city choked with Honda Dream motorbikes but displaying its ancient culture with monks chanting in temples, incense wafting aloft, acupuncturists in the alleys relieving arthritic pains and the struggle to make life better bustles everywhere. HCMC holds a great fascination for many visitors amazed with its truer-than-life hopes and goals. Its ancient facade and modern face exist in harmony in today's HCMC. |
|
|
|
Day
1
:
Ho Chi Minh City Arrival
On arrival at Tan Son Nhat Airport, you are met and transferred to hotel. Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by many locals, is a centre of commerce, finance, culture and tourism in Vietnam. This bustling metropolis, in contrast to its northern counterpart Hanoi, is crowded with bicycles and motorbikes, thronged with numerous shopping areas and sidewalk cafés. (If time permits, we stroll around the downtown area to explore the different local ways of life.) Overnight in hotel, Ho Chi Minh City.
Day
2
:
Ho Chi Minh City Tour - Cu Chi Tunnels
(Breakfast)
Breakfast at the hotel. The sightseeing tour acquaints us with the major sights of the city. We pass the now-demolished wartime American Embassy before we visit the Reunification Palace which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until April 1975, and some French colonial structures including the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Sai Gon Post Office. After seeing the Jade Emperor Pagoda and the War Remnant Museum, we continue our trip to Cholon, Saigon's Chinatown, which is crammed with fascinating temples and narrow lanes. In the afternoon, we drive to explore the Cu Chi Tunnels, an incredible underground network of tunnels of about 200km constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the long struggle for independence. Overnight in hotel, Ho Chi Minh City.
Day
3
:
Ho Chi Minh City - Departure
(Breakfast)
Breakfast at the hotel. There is free time to relax or further explore Ho Chi Minh City on your own. The tour ends after your transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your departure flight.
|
|
| Starting Point: |
| Ho Chi Minh |
| What To Bring: |
| Light-weight cotton clothing, a hat with brim, sandals will do, but during the cold season from November to February warm clothings, a jacket and stout shoes will add to your comfort, especially in the northern part of the country. |
| Best Time To Travel: |
| Mid September to Mid May |
Visa: The Tourist Visas allow travellers to enter and exit Vietnam at Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang airports, and at any of the eight land borders (three with Cambodia, two with Laos and three with China). Visa arrangement for Vietnam is both expensive and time-consuming, unnecessarily so. Most people avoid the hassles of applying for the visa directly at the Vietnam embassy, preferring to let the travel agent handle it. For this, submit a photocopy of your passport and one to three photos (depending on nationality) with the fees demanded. The travel agent will apply on your behalf to the Ministry concerned to get the approval for the visa and fax you a copy of it for you to show at the immigration checkpoint to have your visa stamped on your passport for another fee. This usually takes about 5 days. Express visas take 3 days. It is valid for a single 30-day stay in the country. The exact date of entry into and departure from Vietnam must be stated, and these will be strictly followed. You cannot arrive one day earlier and use your visa to enter. In fact, you cannot enter at all. If you failed to enter Vietnam on that specified date you have the other 29 days of your 30-day visa to do so. If you postponed your trip by 30 days, you have to start again from the beginning to get another visa to enter Vietnam. A 3-month multiple-entry visa costs about US$ 90 but is generally not available. Dressed respectably when presenting yourself at airport immigration helps a lot in overcoming entry obstacles.
Health Precaution: The usual precaution of avoiding tap water and shaved ice and roadside foodstalls apply. Medicines and drugs can be bought over the counter without a prescription. For example, lots of steroids are available in all drugstores, but they can kill those who already have an infection. The potency of medicines varies and deteriorated with time or poor storage conditions. Check the expiry date always. Chinese herbal medicines imported from China are widely sold in Chinese medicine shops. If you fall seriously ill head for a hospital in HCMC or Hanoi or even Bangkok or Hong Kong forthwith.
Insurance: Medical insurance is highly recommended. Include emergency air-lift if possible, especially if you are touring the rural parts of Vietnam.
Direction to meeting point: Look out for a signage of your name or group's name at the airport or jetty or immigration checkpoint. |
|
| Tour
Rates (Price Per Person in US Dollar)
|
Please select the validity below:
|
|
|
|
| Cost Inclusive: |
| Transportation in private air-conditioned vehicle with driver
Accommodation: 2 nights at the mentioned hotels
English or French speaking guide
Entrance fees to stated sights
Daily breakfast |
| Cost Exclusive: |
| Meals apart from breakfasts
Tip, drinks
Airport tax
Single room
Personal expenses
Insurance
International flights
Visa fee |
|
 |
|