Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010

Kuala Lumpur...
Level Contributor
18 posts
Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

Happy New Year Everyone!

We are living for Vietnam coming this 15th Feb for the second time, after a wonderful trips to Hanoi and Halong Bay in April last year.

Below is the summary of our coming trip and would appreciate if you guys could give some comments/inputs to them.

Mon 15/Feb: arriving Saigon - DIY Saigon city tour - overnight in Saigon - choice of hotel: Duc Vuong

Tue 16/Feb: departing to Dalat by bus - Dalat city tour - overnight in Dalat - choice of hotel: Dreams Hotel

Wed 17/Feb: 2nd night in Dalat - Langbiang Mountain & Golden Valley - overnight in Dalat - Dreams Hotel

Thu 18/Feb: departing to Mui Ne; overnight in Mui Ne - Dragonfly or Hiep Hoa

** We only have part in the PM for the 18th and part in the AM for the 19th - please give me ideas on the places that worth for visits - I have the Sand Dunes, Takou Mountain & Fishing Village in mind. Thanks **

Fri 19/Feb: departing to Saigon; free time thereafter

Sat 20/Feb: Cao Dai & Cu Chi tour ** are they open during the weekend? If anyone knows about this. Thanks.

Sun 21/Feb: Mekong Delta - My Tho & Ben Tre or Cai Be & Vinh Long ** please tell me which is the better. Thanks **

Anything that I should add or delete, please feel free to tell.

Thanks guys.

Appreciate your help very much.

Monica

Ho Chi Minh City...
Level Contributor
4,434 posts
4 reviews
7 helpful votes
1. Re: Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

I'd say 2 nights is a bit too much in Dalat. It's a pleasant enough place but not a huge amount to do & see.

Mui Ne - plenty to see here including the fishing village, white/red sand dunes, Lotus Lake and Phan Thiet city.

Tay Ninh & Cu Chi are both open at the weekend. Try combining this with a visit to the Wildlife at Risk shelter in Cu Chi and support their admirable work in protecting Vietnam's long-suffering wildlife!

Mekong Delta - if you can, do an overnight stay. If you really only have one day, avoid My Tho/Cai Be/Vinh Long - you'll be surrounded by other tourists all day - and stick to Ben Tre, where it's possible to do a really nice 4-5 hour boat/sampan/xe loi trip without seeing another tourist all day.

Ho Chi Minh City...
Level Contributor
310 posts
2. Re: Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

I think you will be very disapointed if you make this kind of trip.

The first is that in Dalat you don t do the most beautiful and interesting.

The Tuyen lam lake is much more beautiful and you can stay an overnight in the primary forest instead of staying in the center city which is really boring at night.

After you go to Mui Ne. The beach is not really beautiful. Only the dunes are interesting to do. If I were you i would go to the van phong bay near nha trang. Less tourist and much more beautiful.

Cu Chi also is really boring for many people. Tay ninh is more interesting to discover.

Concerning th mekong delta i advice to stay one night in the back part of vinh long, not in anh binh island.

What did you do last trip in Vietnam?

Lincoln, United...
Level Contributor
9,905 posts
45 reviews
54 helpful votes
3. Re: Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

antonio80

Just been looking up Tay Ninh - Cao Dai Temple. Looks a very interesting place to go to. Will have to put it on my to do list. How long do you think it might take to get to from HCMC?

Thanks

Adelaide, Australia
Level Contributor
1,401 posts
47 reviews
117 helpful votes
4. Re: Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

Left at 8 and got there about 11.30 for the noon ceremony after stopping at the obligatory lacquer factory. Stopped for lunch and visited Cu Chi tunnels on the way home.

Ho Chi Minh City...
Level Contributor
310 posts
5. Re: Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

It s about 100 kms from Ho Chi Minh City. So Yes around 3 hours to go depending the cars and motorbike in the street.

No need to do the Cu Chi Tunnels. You can go around. You are near the Cambodian border. The landscape around are very beautiful.

Kuala Lumpur...
Level Contributor
18 posts
6. Re: Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

Hi ComeAndGoVietnam,

Thanks so much for your comments especially on Dalat. As we will be arriving Dalat at noon with the morning bus from Saigon, would it be enough for us to cover those interesting places in Dalat by staying there for only 1 night? We have a 1 pm bus to Mui Ne to catch on the next day.

About Mui Ne, again, the bus from Dalat will be arrving at noon. So we will have the same time frame like what we have for Dalat. Can we still cover the sights the max possible?

As we are traveling on budget, we have to go around by bus - the cheapest at my opinion.

Thanks again,

Monica

Ho Chi Minh City...
Level Contributor
4,434 posts
4 reviews
7 helpful votes
7. Re: Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

I would personally say 24 hours is enough in Dalat unless you plan to do touring around the mountains outside the city. I would rather spend the time in Mui Ne which has a wonderful beach, no idea what Antonio is talking about.

For the Mekong Delta, avoid Vinh Long/My Tho/Cai Be and, time permitting, try Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Sa Dec and, if you have time, Can Tho & Chau Doc.

Kuala Lumpur...
Level Contributor
18 posts
8. Re: Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

Hi antonio80,

Thanks for your comments on my itinerary.

I have not been to both Dalat and Mui Ne thus I can't really say what I feel about what you have said about them. But I will find the time to write a Trip Report once I'm back. I made my itinerary based on the tips & reviews that I have got mostly from the travel forums and still fine tuning them.

Your remarks on Tuyen Lam Lake and Van Phong are very interesting. I will try to find more details about these places.

Cu Chi & Tay Ninh - they both in.

Mekong Delta - at this mo, it is unlikely that we can do an overnight albeit we are inclined to it very much.

Thanks antonio80,

Monica

Ho Chi Minh City...
Level Contributor
310 posts
9. Re: Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

To Monica:

You know the real problem about Vietnam is that many backpackers follow the guide book and some advice of backpackers but they don t know as much about Vietnam.

That s a big problem about Vietnam and many travel agency follow the same places also, copying each other.

So many places in Vietnam are with not much tourist and many times more beautiful.

To Come and Go:

If you say that Mui Ne beach is wonderful maybe you never see Sao beach in Phu Quoc or in the world the beach of Yucatan, Seychelles, Maldives....

The beach of Mui Ne is so so. Many beach in europe like this if you never travel in Europe...

Kuala Lumpur...
Level Contributor
18 posts
10. Re: Saigon: 15 to 21 Feb 2010
Save

Hi ComeAndGoVietnam,

Sorry, it's me again.

What do you personally think about Vung Tau?

Are they worth a day trip?

Thanks,

Monica

Get answers to your questions about Ho Chi Minh City
CA$CAD
United States
© 2021 TripAdvisor LLC All rights reserved.

This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu.