Ho-ax Chi Minh City

I suppose I shouldn’t just single out Ho Chi Minh, because wherever there are hoards of tourists in big cities, there are bound to be scams. And, to be honest, some of the practices back in Australia regarding foreign tourists leave a lot to be desired. But, this time, Ho Chi Minh took the cake.

It started at the airport. Generally taxi coupon services are there to save you from being taken advantage of. In fact Saigon Air Taxi’s motto is ‘Safety - Save’. Upon arriving we asked the price to be taken to a particular area. US$8 the young female attendant quoted. Without raving on too much, dealing in U.S. dollars in Vietnam is one of my pet peeves.

We’re not American, nor are we in America, “So, how much in Vietnamese Dong (VND)?”

“190,000” she says. Stray does a quick conversion and tells her it should be 160,000 VND and confirms it with two guys from the U.S., standing next to us.

“OK, 170,000 then.” she says, "You can go outside and check the other prices for yourself". After a bit of umming and arring, we agree, but we’re not happy because of the unprofessional behaviour. There shouldn't be any bargaining at this type of facility and whose exchange rate was she using anyway?

Day 22 Saigon

Shopping day today...just a few souvenirs to take home, eating and relaxing. Nothing interesting to tell so below are a few pics.

Vietnamese electricity cables.
Stray writing postcards to Sophie and Chu.
Tim Tams...even in Vietnam!
The quieter end of District 1
One of the more affluent homes in the hills of Dalat

Pretty in Pink.

Day 20 Saigon

Bored with the area our hotel is in (OK if you like Gucci and expensive souvenirs), Stray went looking for another hotel with Hieu, a taxi bike rider. The power went out where our current hotel was, which made packing our bags really uncomfortable and poor Stray had already spent the morning running up and down stairs in about six different hotels.

We decided on Madame Cuc's 3 Hotel which is located in the same district, but in a more interesting area not far from the Ben Thanh Markets...and we saved a massive US$14.00 per night :) The hotel had no elevator, but it did have an electric winch to upload and download luggage.
The staff where wonderful, even sharing their cooked duck embryos with Stray. The room came with a free modest breakfast, dinner, and all day bananas, tea, coffee and juice. It was by no means the Ritz, but a lot more entertaining and personal.

People watching from the hotel entrance was always a good time passer...like why are Vietnamese people walking into the police station next door with pink books in the evening, or why are young men riding around on bicycles at night shaking rattles as they go?

The pink books turned out to be records of foreigners staying at the local hotels, passport details etc. Their way of keeping track of who is where. We probably do the same, but in a computerised version.

We were told that the young boys were offering massages and I think the person who told us this, really believed it. After Googling it, I found that they are actually male prostitutes.

Day 19 Saigon to Vung Tau

Last night we and Audrey dined at Quan An Ngon (Restaurant Delicious) of the same name as the restaurant in Hanoi. A similar set up and atmosphere and really nice food.

The hydrofoil from Saigon to Vung Tau (a beach town and popular with local tourists) only takes about an hour and a half. It's tourist season so tickets were hard to get and we had to settle for an earlier return than we had hoped. Even tomorrow ferries are fully booked.

It was great to see Mr and Mrs Hai, Van, Quang again and to meet Mr Hai's brother, Hoai. The time flew as we chatted and exchanged gifts. We visited the White House of Vung Tau, which was built during the French occupation in the early 1800's and was the last King's summer house.
Shrimp, crabs, fish hot pot, vegies and fried rice, with quite a few Mot, Hai, Ba, Zo's (1 2 3 cheers) for lunch by the sea.

We bid Audrey farewell this afternoon and are just about to head out for dinner.

Snap leaves me nothing to say again except hi to family and friends and hope you all had a happy easter

Later that evening....below is my letter of complaint to the Renaissance Riverside hotel:

Renaissance Riverside Hotel
Ho Chi Minh City

Dear sir or madam

In early April my husband and I treated ourselves to a massage at the Renaissance Riverside Hotel. We had been two years ago and had a good experience.

I chose the foot spa/massage and my husband, a full body massage for VND 190.000. We paid for our massages prior to having them. My massage (which was adequate) was performed by a student under the guidance of two teachers.

When she had finished I emptied my purse to tip her and commented that this is all the money that I had, approximately VN 10.000. I am fairly certain she grunted at me. I waited for my husband in the reception area. A few minutes later I noticed raised voices coming from the changing room. It was that of my husband and his masseuse.

My husband had offered his masseuse a VND 20.000 tip, as 10% is a very acceptable amount to tip, world wide. The masseuse said that this was not enough and called in a co-worker, from the reception area, for reinforcement. Together they argued loudly with him and 'demanded' persistently that he pay VND 100.000, a tip of more than 50%.

He showed them the contents of his wallet which contained a 20.000 and 50.000 dong note and told them we needed money for the taxi fare back to our hotel. The staff's response to this was 'NO...you stay here', meaning at the Renaissance Riverside Hotel and did not need taxi fare. We were not.

After several minutes of their hounding and yelling, they settled for the VND 50.000 tip.

We left upset, shocked and dismayed. The management of the hotel should be greatly concerned that the staff are treating customers and possible guests of the hotel in this manner.

Perhaps the staff need educating in the art of retaining customers, repeat business and gaining new business through recommendations and not just getting the most money out of the situation at hand.

Should you require any further information, please don't hesitate to contact us. For your reference, we will be posting a copy of this letter directly to the hotel.

Day 18 Dalat to Saigon

Saigon (or Ho Chi Ming City) is only a 50 minute flight away. The Dalat Airport looks brand spanking new and our flight was the only flight departing or arriving...just as well, because the control tower is still under construction.

Audrey was on the same flight so when we arrived in Saigon we went is search of a hotel together. Initially we headed for Indochine, which is recommended in Lonley Planet, but took one just a few metres further on, only because that's where the taxi dropped us off.

Nice hotel and of course Stray got the room for less than the going rate. Breakfast and then went down to the Pier to buy our hydrofoil tickets for tomorrow. Just as well, as they were nearly booked out and we will be returning a little earlier in the day than we had hoped.

We treated ourselves to a bit of western food in a cafe on the second floor of a Gourmet food store, for lunch. It stocks goodies from all over the world, including Australia and of course, Vegemite.