River Cruise @ Ho Chi Minh City

 La Perle de L'Orient

 The set menu

 Other available cruises

 Night scene taken from the boat

One of the highlights of our recent trip to Ho Chi Minh City was the River Cruise. This was arranged by the hotel receptionist (Ms. Jessica) at A&EM Hotel. The cost of this River Cruise including a set dinner and return transfers to the river banks of the Saigon River was VND588,000-00 (B$36-00). There were several other boats berthed at the pier and we were booked on the "La Perle de L'Orient" which I believe meant "Pearl of the Orient" in French. Ironically, the other boats were not as busy as the boat we're on and reservations in advance is recommended. The boat departed at 7.45pm and returned to the pier at 9.15pm by which time we had finished our dinner and a couple of beers!

Mekong Delta Tour

My Tho

Chong, enjoying the boat ride

 At the bee farm

Mr. Chong - photo session with a python

 Coconut candy factory

Jetty where we took a row boat to a restaurant for lunch

On the row boat

 Jerry, our Austrian friend with Mr. Chong

 We paid extra for this Elephant Fish

 The simple set lunch

 Toilet break en-route to My Tho

This morning we (James, Chong & I) joined the full day Mekong Delta Tour where we were to travel up the Mekong River by boat to visit several places along the river. The tour was priced at VND410,000-00 (B$25-00) per person. The tour van picked us up at the hotel at 7.45am and 9 other tourists from other hotels and then proceeded to My Tho, a town one and a half hours' drive away. From My Tho, we took a motorized boat to a bee farm to sample the honey tea and of course to buy some honey and royal jelly. From the bee farm we walked through the fruit orchard to a makeshift shelter where they manufacture coconut candy (more of a cottage industry). At a small jetty, we took a small rowing boat to another jetty where we took a horse drawn carriage (maximum capacity of 4 passengers) to a restaurant 15 minutes' away. Don't sit at the front of the carriage as the smell of the horse dung is awful! After lunch, we were transferred by motor boat back to the bee farm where the bigger boat was waiting to transport us back to My Tho (where the van is waiting) at around 2.00pm. From here it's another one and a half hours' drive back to HCM. We reached our hotel at around 4.00pm and went straight for a shower as we will be joining a river cruise cum dinner later at 7.00pm.

Viet Water 2014

 My name was spelt wrongly

This morning, James and I visited the Viet Water 2014 Exhibition (12-14 November 2014) held at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Centre. This exhibition is intended for exhibitors from various countries to showcase plumbing related products; particularly pipes, filtration systems, sanitation, sewerage treatment systems, waste water treatment and purification, etc. The next exhibition (Water Philippines 2015 Expo) will be held in the Philippines from 25-27 March 2015. James is in the plumbing industry while I'm not and I was there just to accompany him!

A & EM Hotel @ Ho Chi Minh City

The Night Market

There are six A&EM Hotels (pronounced A&M Hotels) in District 1 and we're booked at the one at Phan Boi Chau Street from 12-15 November 2014. The rooms are a bit small and there's no space for a luggage rack (my bag was placed on the floor). There's also no windows (except for the rooms in the front and back of the building) as the building was built from a shophouse lot with buildings on both sides of the hotel. The rooms are clean with all the basic amenities, in-room safe and even a personal computer with internet connection. The location of the hotel is fantastic; the Ben Thanh Market is right in front of the hotel just across the street. This market sells anything you would want to bring home as souvenirs, from coffee powder (Luwak & Vietnam coffee is popular here in Vietnam), cashew nuts to clothing and momentos. At night, the Night Market opens right at the door steps of the hotel. T-shirts sold here are very reasonable and there are even stalls serving food and liquor (very popular with Europeans). There's also a money changer next door that offers great rates not to mention the numerous restaurants all around the hotel where prices are very reasonable too!