Day 11 – Disembark cruise, Saigon Walking tour of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Scammed for a Coconut, A O Circus Show
The last morning on our Pandaw cruise got me up early for a morning workout. It was a bit rushed as I had to pack up everything and have it out of the cabin door by 8 am to be picked up and brought to our shuttle bus. Once that was done, Kirsten and I enjoyed breakfast before our shuttle from the port to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) departed. With traffic, it took just under 3 hours to make the trip into the city.
As we drove into Saigon, I noticed more cars than in other smaller villages we had visited. At the same time, there were still lots more scooters and motorcycles than cars. Rather than having carpool lanes, they have scooter lanes to take people through traffic faster. I can see why this economical choice of transportation is so popular.
We arrived at our hotel, the Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon, just before noon. After checking in, we decided to use Google Maps to do our Saigon walking tour based on some sites close by that a friend on the cruise had recommended to us. Our first stop was the iconic Opera House that had been built when France, who had colonized Vietnam, was in the city. When there, we noticed that they had the A O Circus performance show that evening. We didn’t know what it would be like but bought some tickets for the hour-long 7 pm show.
Next, we walked to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the adjacent Post Office. After getting our first bit of Vietnamese cash from an ATM across the street, we had to send a postcard to my dad, who had requested one during our travels.
Next to the post office was a small pedestrian book street called “Nguyen Van Binh.” Both sides of the street were lined with bookstores, including a book bus, a book-filled bus stop, and many pictures on easels depicting photos of Vietnam. It was a lively street with a play area for kids in the shade.
Following this stop, we continued to the Ben Thanh market. Along the way, Kirsten and I got scammed by a coconut.
We were walking along the street, followed by a man with a stick on his back holding coconuts on one side and an ice cooler of coconuts on the other side. As we walked by, he placed the heavy stick on one shoulder and told Kirsten to take a photo of me. Of course, I tried avoiding him, but I was not walking fast enough. When Kirsten asked how much the coconuts were, he pulled two out of his cooler, sliced them open with a machete, and told us they were 10,000 Vietnamese Dong each (that’s about 50 cents). When Kirsten handed him 10,000 VND, he asked for another one for the second coconut. As she pulled out a 200,000 VND bill ($10), he pulled it from her hand and said that was right. While Kirsten did not notice, I noticed the extra zero on the bill and asked him for it back, but it was already in one of his many pockets. He pulled out other bills and handed her a 10,000 VND bill as change. I persisted and asked for the bill back and let him know how much money we gave him. After a short time, he gave us a 100,000 VND bill back as change and said, “Only $5”, meaning we were only paying $5 for what were supposed to be 50-cent coconuts. We cut our losses and headed on our way, knowing full well we should have known better than to fall for this scammer. If you ever see this guy in Vietnam selling coconuts, watch out for his slippery fingers.
By the time we reached the Ben Thanh market, it was getting rather hot and sticky outside. The market was no better as the open-air stalls with souvenir shops, fresh produce, and fish had us plugging our noses. While in the market, we had to make a conscious effort to check prices on a few items we were interested in so we knew what the going offer was. Of course, they expect people to barter here, so I would offer a lowball price to see where they would come to with their price. I noticed when I did not go from one place to another in Thailand that I paid way too much for items. The best prices are the ones that are offered as you start to walk away. Walking away is the best negotiation tactic. We bought a few souvenir palm tree wood chopsticks and an embroidered bag before getting some fresh air.
On our way back to the hotel, we noticed a street block that was blocked to traffic leading up to the Opera House. It was filled with tents and food stalls. There was an Asia Pacific 2022 Food Festival with meals from Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and a few other places. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the different foods. Prices ranged from 30,000 VND ($1.50) to about 60,000 VND. Kirsten was not too keen on trying this street food. Perhaps it was the stand that was selling grilled scorpions, lizards/geckos, and either beetles or cockroaches that spoiled her appetite. Instead, we returned to our air-conditioned hotel room to relax at the rooftop pool until our evening show.
The 5-minute walk to the Opera House was much easier in the cooler evening. Our show was at 6 pm, but our tickets included a welcome drink, so we were advised to show up 30 minutes early. The Opera house is beautiful inside. We were on the balcony and had a great view of the stage. I didn’t know what to expect from the performance but was pleasantly surprised by the acrobatics and comedic performances that transcended language. It was like a Vietnamese Cirque du Soleil that mixed the cultural aspects of the country into the performance as they used woven baskets of all sizes and large bamboo poles. We were so glad to have included this performance at the end of our Southeast Asia trip.
We ended our stay in Vietnam at the rooftop Indian cuisine restaurant at our hotel. The food was very authentic and delicious. We even ran into someone else on our cruise that morning, even though they were staying at an entirely different hotel. Such a small world.
Our quick two-week trip to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam had us wanting to experience these countries in more depth. We will most certainly be back… the next time with our children.