Wondering what to do in Saigon? The Best Saigon Tours

What to Do in Saigon

Wondering what to do in Saigon? In January, I was back in Saigon for a few days. I love this place. It’s crazy! So many people! So many motorbikes! So much Internet! I’ve seen the future and it’s Vietnam. You’ll see it too because apparently Thomson Holidays is now flying to Vietnam weekly with a 787 from Gatwick. And tourism in Vietnam is already up something like 25% over last year. 25%!! That’s crazy.  Go now before it gets any crazier.

I wish I had spent more time in Saigon but this was just a quick trip to take advantage of a flight deal on Malaysian Airlines. It was actually cheaper for me to fly LHR => KUL => SGN than it was for me to fly LHR => KUL. Odd but who am I to complain.

I felt like I was too busy while I was in Saigon but that’s probably because it was such a short visit. To maximize, I took a number of fantastic Saigon tours. Here’s what I got up to while  I was in town.

Fun Saigon Tours

You know I love a good tour so here are the top Saigon tours I did during my stay:

Delicious food in Saigon during My Saigon Food Tour

Food tour with Urban Adventures. I love tours with Urban Adventures, especially their food tours. This Saigon tour was was no exception — although perhaps our guide’s English could have been a tad better. No matter…who needs to talk when the universal language of travel is FOOD. This is a must for your “What to Do in Saigon” list. While on this tour, I met the nicest couple from Tennessee who run the blog Epicurious Passport. They are my new Instagram friends. So many food highlights on this tour but I loved just sitting on the small stools on the sidewalk, digging into broken rice and chicken wings, and then hitting the market at the end of the tour for an excellent Bahn Mi. Book this tour.

Boat Ride and Walking Tour: I got super lucky on this short morning breakfast boat ride and then walking tour. I was the only passenger so I had the tour guide and entire boat to myself — and uh, all the food too. Much Bahn Mi was consumed. My tour guide was excellent and did a wonderful job providing unique insights into Saigon’s property market and economic growth as we cruised in a loop around the Mekong, checking out both where the kajillionaires live and how life continues as it did ages and ages ago. The only downside to the walking part of the tour was the heat — I practically wilted walking around Chinatown. Book the boat ride here. (You may have to contact them separately to ask about the walking tour after the boat ride.) If you can’t decide what Saigon tours to do, you really must do this boat ride.

Mekong Delta Tour: When you’re in Saigon, you really have to do a day tour of the Mekong Delta. It’s a long day but so worth it. I loved cruising through the canals and observing local village life and walking through the rice fields. Also, the tropical fruits and coconut candy were a nice touch. Oh, and the delicious lunch!! Book this tour. 

Drink all the beer in Saigon

Drinking Beer in Saigon

Pasteur Street Brewing Company: My hotel had a special deal with Pasteur for, uh, free beer, so I dropped in here one afternoon to mooch off the wifi and check out the beer. The bar is very narrow and up a steep staircase so don’t go in high heels. Pretty much every Englishman and American in Saigon was in the place when I entered. I tried a couple of their IPAs — the Jasmine IPA was particularly interesting — and eavesdropped on all the expat conversations. I’d recommend going here at off hours because it was super crowded when I visited. I would have enjoyed it more had it been quieter.

View from the top of Eon 51

Drinking Beer at the Top of a Tall Building

EON 51 Heli Bar at Bitexco Financial Tower: I decided to do what I do best in countries with tall buildings like this. Skip the viewing deck and visit the bar instead! This place was all red and black and reeked of stale smoke — a weird place for a mid-afternoon drink — but the staff was friendly and helpful and the views were fun. Apparently, no one is actually allowed to use the helicopter landing pad — city-wide ban on helicopters apparently — so that was disappointing. If you want to experience the more modern side of Saigon, this is a great item for your “What to Do in Saigon” to-do list.

Vincom Center Mall

Shopping in Saigon

Vincom Center Mall: This place was right around the corner from my hotel so it was hard not to visit. Plus, I love malls in foreign countries, especially their food courts. Good if you need a cold blast of air conditioning, clean loos, some retail therapy, and a break from street food.

Saigon, Saigon…I will back for you again. And again. Love it here.

You Might Enjoy These Other Posts

• My Stay at The Intercontinental Asiana Saigon
• My Stay at The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Still Wondering What to Do in Saigon? Check Out These Other Saigon Tours

The post What to Do in Saigon: The Best Saigon Tours first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

How to get a Vietnam visa

Getting an eVisa for Vietnam Online and Preparing for Your Trip

Citizens from most Western countries including the US and UK can now apply for an e-visa for Vietnam through the official government portal.  (There are some Vietnam visa scams and bogus sites out there that claim to be the government site so be careful.) The Vietnam e-visa gets you a 30-day, single entry visa.  In September of 2018, I applied for a Vietnam eVisa through the government portal using my US passport and everything went swimmingly. It’s now November 2018 and I am updating this post from Nha Trang, Vietnam! When my flight landed from China in Nha Trang airport, I just queued up with my passport and the paper eVisa and waited my turn. The immigration officer reviewed my eVisa, stamped my passport, and then hand-wrote my visa’s expiration date in my passport. I’m keeping the paper copy of my Vietnam eVisa with my passport just in case I need it again. (Update: 28 days later, I left Vietnam and no one asked to see my paper eVisa.) In general, I found the Vietnam eVisa process easy so my review is very positive.

Please note that for some countries, there’s also visa-free travel for 15 days so please make sure you read the rules carefully.

Getting a Vietnam Visa on Arrival

If you don’t plan far enough in advance for an e-visa, you may need to go the “visa on arrival” route. This is where you receive your visa a the airport after registering your details with an embassy or 3rd party agent. Likewise, if you are from a country not on Vietnam’s list of e-visa countries or if you need a longer visa or are just more complicated, you may need to go the visa on arrival route. The rest of this post reviews my previous experience with Vietnam’s visa on arrival system.

Vietnam-eVisa.org Review for Visa on Arrival

For my original Vietnam visa on arrival, I used Vietnam eVisa.org and recommend them as a legitimate and relatively cheap vendor for visas on arrival. I know there are a number of reviews online that talk about visa scams, but my review is positive. I recommend making sure you get Fast Track or VIP Fast Track if you will be arriving at a peak traffic time. (Read on for more on this.) Vietnam-eVisa.org also offers extra services like airport cars, hotel reservations, and tours. (If your hotel doesn’t offer airport pickup, book a transfer to avoid the crazy bad Saigon airport chaos!) Another visa service that comes highly recommended and has positive reviews is Vietnam Visa Online; they offer Fast Track services and airport pickup, they are also fairly cheap, and if you email them, they respond very quickly.

Bear in mind that I applied for my Vietnam visa on arrival through Vietnam-eVisa.org as an American and so if you are of any other nationality, getting a visa for Vietnam 1. might not be necessary or 2. might be harder OR easier than what I describe below. Also note that visa rules have changed since my visit and will continue to change given the rapid increase in tourism to Vietnam.

OK, now for the full Vietnam-eVisa.org review of my visa on arrival experience…

Should I Get a Visa on Arrival in Vietnam? 

Although I loved my time in Vietnam, I learned a few hard lessons in the visa process. Lest you make the same mistakes I did, let me tell you about my visa situation first and then share some of my other mistakes in other posts.

There are two main ways to obtain a Vietnam visa for most people as I mention above: get an e-visa through the government portal or or go the “visa on arrival” (VOA) route. For various reasons, I needed to go for “visa on arrival” for Vietnam. I did some research and read some reviews, but apparently not enough. Because…

GETTING A VISA ON ARRIVAL IN VIETNAM IS LIKE STABBING YOURSELF IN THE EYES. UNLESS YOU PAY FOR FAST TRACK OR VIP FAST TRACK.

Have you ever tried to buy a train ticket at the train station in Italy while the Italians are striking? Go to a U.S. grocery store the morning of the Superbowl? Visit any post office around the world three days before Christmas? This is what it’s like to get a visa on arrival in Vietnam without paying for fast track. Do not do this to yourself. Really. Don’t. Let me give you the logistics and review of my experience.

Firstly, IF you go the “visa on arrival” route, you apply for your Vietnam visa approval letter online in advance through a 3rd party provider. I used Vietnam-evisa.org and I had a good experience and they seemed to be legitimate and not a scam.  Consider this my Vietnam-evisa.org review. I submitted my application online at 8:28 a.m. on Sunday, February 16th. I received my visa approval letter on Monday, February 17th at 4:26 a.m.  which was earlier than they told me to expect a response, which was nice. (They had said  Feb/18 at 18:00 GMT+7)

No matter what, you will need two passport photos. Get those in your offline world.

The Vietnam approval letter is a bit strange in that you will get a letter that includes your name and a bunch of other people’s names from all over the world. My inner stalker kinda wanted to try to find them all on Facebook. (Note that you can pay extra to get a private letter with no other names on it.) OK, no problem. I can print all that. HOWEVER, also in the e-mail was something I failed to review. It said…

This link is for you to download and write down visa form at Airport. (To see the form, go to Vietnam-eVisa,org, click Download Forms on the top right of the screen, and then look at Download Immigration Form entry and exit at the airport.)

Yeah, I didn’t do that. So when I finally got to the window (more on that in a bit), I got sent to the side because I hadn’t filled out the stupid form. But here’s the thing…because I had filled out “a” form on the Vietnam-evisa.org website, I thought I didn’t need to fill out another form that included similar information. Call me a dumbass. I am a dumbass.

Here’s the part that I REALLY totally regretted later. On Monday, February 17 2014 at 2:29 a.m., Vietnam-evisa.org emailed me and said this. (This is their English, just to be clear.)

Dear Sir/Madam:

Thanks for choosing http://www.vietnam-evisa.org/

After taking a long flight, do you feel very tired to get the line to get visa stamp at arrival airport?

You do not want to wait a long time at arrival airport to get line visa stamp, you want to get it ASAP and go to hotel to relax?

Many customers said that it is very uncomfortable to wait for a long time to get visa stamp because there are many people also get visa on arrival like them and it is also very hard to take back their passports because the differences about pronunciation

Many people is very confused at arrival airport in the first time they use visa on arrival because they don’t know where the Immigration Department counter to get visa stamp is

To avoid wasting your valuable time, especially after having a long flight or other personal reasons. We establish additional services to assist you at the airport when you arrived, and will bring to you with the  highest satisfy. You are welcome as highest VIP person, and you don’t need to get line for pick up visa stamp at the airport, let our staff do it for you.

We offer 2 options for you to chose, and let us do the rest for you:

A. Fast Track at the airport  

·         Fast Track: Welcome and help to get visa stamp without get line. More details

·         VIP Fast Track: Welcome and get visa stamp without get line at Immigration checking desk, then staff will escort you to luggage lounge and help you passing the customs checking counter, and after that we will take you to the car park. . More details

*** OK, back to me again ***

Yes! I was very tired! No, I didn’t want to get the line to get the visa stamp! No, I don’t want to wait a long time to get line visa stamp! Yes, I want to go to my hotel and relax! I want highest satisfy!!

But no…I didn’t pay for the Fast Track. I wasn’t highest VIP person. I did not use my personal reasons. I WAS NOT HIGHEST SATISFY!!!

Instead, I chose to STAB MYSELF IN THE EYES. In hindsight, I really wish I had paid for VIP Fast Track for my Vietnam Visa on Arrival. I also wish I had read the instructions more closely and printed out the relevant forms.

Vietnam Visa on Arrival Cost

Currently, Vietnam-evisa.org is charging $12 for normal processing of a one month single entry visa for US citizens. (Pricing could be different depending on your nationality.) Note that you will still have to pay the $25 stamping fee at the airport.

Why You Should Pay for VIP Fast Track for Your Vietnam Visa On Arrival

OK, so I got off my flight from Singapore in Ho Chi Minh Airport and me and a million elderly French hikers and a dozen or two total stoners in flowy pants and flip flops from all over the world all tried to get visas on arrival at the same time. Just like in Italy during a train strike or at a U.S. grocery store before the Superbowl or that day when you decide to go to the post office THREE DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. It was chaos. I was lucky in that I had most of my information ready and got up to the window relatively quickly…but that’s when I learned I didn’t have that stupid form (it’s the N1 form for Vietnam visa) so I had to go fill that out, bring it back and wonder how the two guys behind the window kept track of everything.

And then I had to wait. And wait. And wait.

Then I had to listen to the poor Vietnamese woman try to pronounce all these Western names. And you know, the French only respond when you pronounce correctly, so that worked REALLY well (sarcasm font).

Tip: Make sure the back of your passport is easily recognizable. I’ve been a member of Global Entry for a long time, so I have the old CBP sticker on the back of my passport, along with a lot of general airline security stickers. The only thing that kept me sane was seeing my passport there on the desk and knowing that I was just waiting for them to call my name.

90 minutes later, I had everything I needed and the immigration queues had died down enough that I slipped quickly through. But they were a very painful 90 minutes and I really regret not paying the extra money for VIP Fast Track or regular Fast Track. Also, by the time I got through to baggage claim, my suitcase was one of five sitting next to our baggage claim. Everything else — and everybody else — was gone.

So…Should you get a “Visa on Arrival” in Vietnam? YES! BUT…please please please pay extra for Vietnam E-visa.org Fast Track or VIP Fast Track. Alternatively, try Vietnam Visa Online and ask them about Fast Track as well. This way, when you get off the plane, it is all taken care of and all you need to do is get your luggage. If I give you nothing in life, let my vietnam-evisa.org review give you this. UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO STAB YOU IN THE EYES. (That is a joke. I would never stab anyone and especially not in the eyes.)

Or, well bring a good book.

All the Necessary Vietnam Links

In short, here are all the links you should check out for your trip to Vietnam:

eVisa for Vietnam

• Official government e-visa portal

Visa on Arrival for Vietnam

• Vietnam eVisa.org
• Vietnam Visa Online

Vietnam Guidebooks

The country is changing rapidly so as soon as you’ve read my evisa and vietnam-evisa.org reviews, buy a guidebook! Something published in 2017, 2018, or 2019 please.

• DK Eyewitness Travel Vietnam & Angkor Wat
• Lonely Planet Discover Vietnam
• The Rough Guide to Vietnam
• The Moon Vietnam Travel Guide

Vietnam Tours

Check out Urban Adventures for food and motorbike tours in Hanoi, Saigon, Hoi An, Hue, and Nha Trang. (And see my post on my favorite Saigon tours over here.)

Travel Insurance

• World Nomads travel insurance

You Might Enjoy My Other Posts

• The Best Saigon Tours
• Review of the Intercontinental Asiana Saigon
• Review of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

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Book a Tour in Vietnam

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The post Getting a Visa to Vietnam: Don’t Make the Mistakes I Did! first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Hotel Review: Intercontinental Asiana Saigon

Intercontinental Asiana Saigon Review

Let me cut right to the chase. I loved the Intercontinental Asiana Saigon. I loved my room I loved the staff. I loved the Club Lounge. I loved the location. My only complaint was that sometimes, the wifi was iffy. But really, this was a great hotel. With my Club Room package, I was gifted eight pieces of laundry for my stay. That alone made the Club Room worth it because if you’ve done laundry in a hotel lately, you know that eight pieces of laundry is basically like five hundred fifty million dollars. I am trying to think of anything else I didn’t like and I honestly can’t come up with anything. The safe was at EYE LEVEL. (I’m going to start a new movement…the “hotel safe at eye level” movement.) There was nightly turn-down service. Bottled water was plentiful, and the food in the lounge was absolutely fantastic. (And Vietnamese! Unlike my stay at the Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi, where they kept trying to give me eggs for breakfast and baguettes (not bahn mi) for lunch.) Is The Intercontinental Saigon super trendy? No. Is it super luxurious? No. But it’s pretty generally great. So if you’re looking for a business class hotel in Saigon, this is it! Book a room now, and definitely consider booking a club room!

Funny part…I asked one of my tour guides to take me for a fresh beer at a place where locals drink. “People who stay at the Intercontinental never ask to go for fresh beer,” he said. (Vietnam makes this beer every day without preservatives. It’s pretty cool.)

You Might Enjoy these Other Posts

• The Best Tours in Saigon
• Hotel Review; The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

What to Do in Saigon

The post Hotel Review: Intercontinental Asiana Saigon first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

I took a speedboat ride down the Mekong Delta in Vietnam the other day. It was crazy to watch the city give way to lush green forests and to see tugboats and barges give way to old ladies on skips full of pineapples. I traveled down the Mekong with the tour company Les Rives, a company I had heard great things about. And while it was a nice day out, I think we got the short end of the stick with our guide who told us practically nothing about Vietnam or the Mekong during the trip and actually FELL ASLEEP for most of the ride back. Thanks for that. (Take away quote from the tour “They are not poor,” which the guide would say whenever she pointed at a house or a boat.)

There was a another boat from Les Rives that left at the same time we did. We would bump into them at different stops and I would sneak over to listen to the other guide talk about this beautiful part of Vietnam. (He had had a roommate from Louisiana at one point so his accent was hysterical…in a good way.) There are other ways to get to the Mekong, including by bus, but who wants to be stuck on a bus for hours? So I’d recommend the boat. Just make sure you get an informative guide.

The post Cruising the Mekong Delta first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.