Vietnam - first visit and first TR

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GDSman

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Oct 18, 2004
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Having read so many amusing and inspiring TRs over the years I thought it was time I had a crack. Never been to Vietnam before. So many friends have returned wowed by it that I thought we should give it a go.
Itin as follows:
HBA-MEL
overnight airport Parkroyal
MEL-SGN
3 nights Majestic Hotel
2 nights Mekong cruise
1 night Majestic Hotel
SGN-HAN
2 nights Sofitel Metropole
1 night Ha Long Bay
2 nights Intercontinental
HAN-SGN-MEL-HBA
It'll be fast and furious but I'm hoping for great food, interesting sights and a bit of relaxing amongst the mayhem.
 
HBA-MEL. JQ
Crazy last day at work, headed home to pack with just an hour before having to leave to drop pets off and get to airport.
All went well, shouting kept to a minimum, pets dropped off and we checked our bags in.
It would be fair to say that this trip has had the least prep of any family holiday I've organized ever - simply no time/focus until the trip was upon us.
JQ - why can't you keep to a schedule? We missed a flight to LAX last year due to a lengthy delay so this time flew the night before for safety....and the flight was 30 mins late.
We collected our bags really quickly and headed over to the Parkroyal. Rooms are very large, huge, but a bit tired. Large bathroom with a good shower.
Nipped down to the bar for a couple of beers and we shared Caesar salads and club sandwich - given the location it wasn't bad for $109 all up.
Forgot to mention that it's me, MrsGDS and the 12yr old boy wonder....
Howling wind last night but managed to get a decent kip in preparation for a long day..
 
Up at 0630 today for the 10:45 VN flight to SGN. Checked out and took the short walk over to the terminal - life much easier this way...not sure why I hadn't thought of it before as connecting from HBA is often stressful.
My big question for this morning - would my optiontown upgrade request come through? Queue for checking was long 2.5 hrs before the flight - lots of families bringing vast amounts of luggage home with them + a few tourists.
At checkin the agent was a total pro - friendly, efficient AND our up grade to PE came through.....I've heard it's not the best but at 6'4 and >120kg I'll take any small mercy....
Optiontown was $120 pp so I was pretty happy with it.
Passport control is a breeze now with no green form and off we went for a bit of overpriced breakfast before the flight.
More to come...
 
Thanks Major - another sign of my lack of time to research! Just about to board but I'll have a read of that guide later...not sure if I can move it or a Mod has to...?
 
Looking forward to following your adventures & hope your family has a great time.
I read the other day about the huge numbers of Aussies visiting Vietnam. Must say I was a little surprised when I saw a photo of Vinpearl in Nha Trang- not how I fondly remember Nha Trang from our visit when you could walk from the airport to town.
 
My one visit to HCMC leads me to not necessarily want to rush back though I am sure that other places in Vietnam are much better. Having to be on your guard the whole time was just terribly tiring.
 
Looking forward to the TR. We've really enjoyed our two trips - enjoy!
 
VN780 MEL - SGN
787-9
Pushback 10:45 (on time)
Take off 11:08
Est. 8hr 15 min
Seats 10D/E/F
Lots of firsts on this trip. I've never flown PE before. On the only occasions I've booked it I've been upgraded to J/F. I like it, with the clear understanding that VN offers a bigger seat and not much more - Y+ rather than J-. But it's an affordable option for a family trip (just $120pp on top of a discount Y ticket thanks to the Optiontown lottery) and I like the extra space. Maybe I'm just giddy with finally being on holiday...but I'm already hoping the upgrade comes through for the return night flight...
Another first - first flight on a 787.
On boarding, a quick peek into J suggested that it's a great set up and perhaps one to try another day.
Front row of PE gives us masses of legroom, a perfectly comfy seat and I'm blown away by the windows....the effect is strikingly different as the views of MEL airport and planes fill them. I think it's because they're 'tall'. Being tall myself I normally have to bend and hence don't get to see much - this time I get a great view. Shortly after takeoff the crew auto-dim them to (I'm guessing) the middle setting - still translucent but shaded.
Pre takeoff we were offered orange/apple/water and a towelette...
After takeoff they served drinks. A request for a Bloody Mary was met with a little confusion but the flight attendant returned with a nice and spicy version.
Lunch was chilli fish or braised beef - went the beef and it was tasty. Wine was not the best.
Flight passed uneventfully. AVOD had a reasonable selection - not huge but enough with some decent movies (Hidden Figures, La La Land etc).
2 hrs out of SGN they served another meal - a sizable refreshment of ravioli or chicken.
Service was efficient rather than effusive but all up we all enjoyed the flight and landed about 30mins late.
 
I'm writing this on my iPhone and have now had a couple of goes....but tiresome to have to rewrite all the time.
Anyway, SGN was highly efficient and really quite an impressive airport (well I do live in HBA). We'd Pre-done visas so immigration was fast. Bags took a few mins but after that we grabbed SIMs, exchanged cash and prepaid a taxi in no time.
The Majestic is just that - lovely building overlooking the river. Our room is great with parquetry floor and a balcony looking at the river.
The 8th floor bar is pricey but worth it for the view.
I guess I should confess that the choice of the Majestic here and the Sofitel in HAN are down to an episode of Rick Stein in South East Asia where he stayed in both.....being a bit of a fan I couldn't resist following in his footsteps....on the roof bar I could see the spot he did his piece to camera.
Rookie mistake tonight. Wanted a quick feed as family tired - walked into a place around the corner and paid $80 bucks for some dreadful food and painful jazz....a bit of a 'club'.....they obviously saw us coming! Won't be making that mistake again....hopefully. 01500041558.jpg 01500041584.jpg 01500041602.jpg
 
Enjoying this - and looking forward to the rest. Enjoy your holiday!
 
Sleep was good! Coming from quiet Hobart we can be a bit sensitive to noise but had no issues with the busy road and river from our 3rd floor room. Unfortunately jet lag got us and we were all awake at 0530. Time to do some planning.
 
While I don't work in travel and tourism any more, 25 years of being a tour guide, travel agent and then in travel distribution has taught me a few things around holiday planning. I'm normally very particular - I take great pride in it being my expertise and while I don't plan every single minute I like to think I schedule booked and free time to compliment each other. Not this time. I booked this trip in January - flights, hotels and cruises and then dropped the ball. A combination of a house renovation and loads on at work mean that we arrived here with little concept of what to do and when. Going to be making this up a bit as we go....and I know I'll need to be pragmatic. This means using a few tours where otherwise I would research and self-guide.
This morning I've booked a walking streetfood tour for tonight. 4hr tour for USD 82 for the family.
Today I'm going to take a small risk and wander the streets to get to the main sights...hopefully the internet doesn't let me down with suggestions!
Thinking Cu Chi tunnels tomorrow....will see how today pans out.
 
Nothing wrong with being an accidental tourist .... some sensational experinces have occurred this way.

If you go to Cu Chi, throw some $$ at the M60 .... fun way to blow some coin.
 
Not sure how the family will react to the gun range. I'm not a big shooter (mostly because I'm rubbish at it) and my son and wife have had zero exposure...plus he goes to a Quaker school so I suspect he may shy away....will be interesting.
 
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The height of those 787 windows sure is great.

And I went with the M1 at Cu Chi ;)
 
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