Cruisers' experiences concerning Vietnam port visits

Good morning everyone,

We are signed up for a April 15, 2015 Diamond Princess cruise from Singapore to Yokohama that has three port visits in Vietnam: Phu My (for Ho Chi Minh City); Nha Trang (a tender stop), and Chan May (for Da Nang/Hue). I have perused the Cruise Critic port information and associated postings to see what we can expect, problems encountered and suggestions concerning ship's and/or private shore excursions and things to do. We are also signed onto this cruise's CC roll call.

Unfortunately, my searching has not uncovered a lot of recent nor relevent information. So, I'm asking any of you (in the know) for any feedback on these ports that may help us plan the best way to enjoy our visits there.

Looking forward to your input.

Mike

The second time we stopped there I stayed on ship.

Have heard a very interesting tour there were the underground tunnels (Phu My) that were used in WW11.Folks really enjoyed that one.:)

We have been to Vietnam twice on cruises but both times being on a small ship we docked right near the centre of Ho Chi Minh City which made it easier.

The locals incidentally still refer to it as Saigon and there is quite a bit to see. The first time we were there we did a tour of the city which included the Reunification Museum (well worth it if you are interested in history), Notre Dame Cathedral, the Post Office (yes I know that sounds mundane, but it's actually quite interesting). We also went to a very old Chinese temple which was lovely, unfortunately the name escapes me at the moment. There were a couple of other places on the half day tour but I imagine as you are docking at Phu My this might translate to a full day tour. (Touring through the Reunification Palace takes quite a while).

Last time we were there we just caught a shuttle into the centre of the city (the traffic is crazy) and just went to the Banh Than markets and had lunch on the rooftop of the famous Rex Hotel. There are plenty of shops to keep shoppers amused as well.

HCM city is well worth a visit and we have enjoyed both our trips there. We haven't been to the Cu Chi tunnels yet. Perhaps next time.

We have also docked at Da Nang. We didn't go to Hue, but opted to visit the World Heritage listed town of Hoi An which is a beautiful little place with a 15th century Japanese bridge and lovely old buildings. Wonderful cafes and food too.

So I would definitely recommend a visit to Hoi An if you get the chance although I also believe Hue is worth a visit too.

Vietnam is a fascinating place so enjoy your visit.:)

Good morning everyone,

 

We are signed up for a April 15, 2015 Diamond Princess cruise from Singapore to Yokohama that has three port visits in Vietnam: Phu My (for Ho Chi Minh City); Nha Trang (a tender stop), and Chan May (for Da Nang/Hue). I have perused the Cruise Critic port information and associated postings to see what we can expect, problems encountered and suggestions concerning ship's and/or private shore excursions and things to do. We are also signed onto this cruise's CC roll call.

 

Unfortunately, my searching has not uncovered a lot of recent nor relevent information. So, I'm asking any of you (in the know) for any feedback on these ports that may help us plan the best way to enjoy our visits there.

 

Looking forward to your input.

 

Mike

We had a fantastic private your with a very well known and recommended company in Vietnam and enjoyed it so much that I had booked it again from our cruise last month but the itinerary was changed and they dropped Vietnam due to engine trouble. Contact Thi at Smile tours and she will organise a tour just as you want it and the price reduces if you are getting more people interested from your rollcall. She was so helpful that when I mentioned I would like to purchase some medication from a pharmacy without prescription shew sorted it out for me visited pharmacies and got their price and actually purchased what I wanted and gave it to me on the day. Super service Their web site is good but direct contact is thi dot smiletours at gmail dot com

Good luck and enjoy all that Vietnam has to offer

I will say on my first visit there I went with the ships tour and did the tunnels - bad mistake boring and offensive to USA and Australian people and turning the killing grounds into a theme park is poor manners in my opinion

Good morning everyone,

 

We are signed up for a April 15, 2015 Diamond Princess cruise from Singapore to Yokohama that has three port visits in Vietnam: Phu My (for Ho Chi Minh City); Nha Trang (a tender stop), and Chan May (for Da Nang/Hue). I have perused the Cruise Critic port information and associated postings to see what we can expect, problems encountered and suggestions concerning ship's and/or private shore excursions and things to do. We are also signed onto this cruise's CC roll call.

 

Unfortunately, my searching has not uncovered a lot of recent nor relevent information. So, I'm asking any of you (in the know) for any feedback on these ports that may help us plan the best way to enjoy our visits there.

 

Looking forward to your input.

 

Mike

We used Tony from Ann's Tours. They were fabulous!!! Check out their website for the story about Tony & his brother being found by their mother Ann after 16 years of being apart.

We used Tony from Ann's Tours. They were fabulous!!! Check out their website for the story about Tony & his brother being found by their mother Ann after 16 years of being apart.

To the several of you who responded so far thanks..... good info!

Mike

We joined with others from our roll call and went on a day tour of Saigon with Zoom.Highly recommended. While the others returned to the ship with Zoom, we booked into a hotel so we could go to the night market, then Cu Chi tunnels the following morning before flying to Danang to stay in Hoi An overnight. We arranged a car transfer back to the ship the following afternoon. Hoi An shouldn't be missed. The old buildings are lovely

bronte2's first tour of Ho Chi Minh mirrors my visit to this city. My visit included a Water Puppet Show which I really enjoyed.

I did take a tour to Hue. Left the port and traveled overland through the mountains and saw lots of lovely countryside. Hue itself was interesting and worth the effort/time, I thought. Returning to the ship, we took a different route, through a tunnel and along the coast which shortened our return time quite a bit.

When I travel, I like to see as much of the countryside as possible and both of these tours did that. Personally, I would have no interest in experiencing the Chu Chi Tunnels. I have read a book about the tunnels, purchased in Viet Nam by the way, and that was quite enough for me.

We joined with others from our roll call and went on a day tour of Saigon with Zoom.Highly recommended. While the others returned to the ship with Zoom, we booked into a hotel so we could go to the night market, then Cu Chi tunnels the following morning before flying to Danang to stay in Hoi An overnight. We arranged a car transfer back to the ship the following afternoon. Hoi An shouldn't be missed. The old buildings are lovely

Did you do that ad lib (deciding to book into a hotel, and flying to Da Nang, etc) before rejoining your ship a few days later or had you planned those moves well in advance?

Mike

bronte2's first tour of Ho Chi Minh mirrors my visit to this city. My visit included a Water Puppet Show which I really enjoyed.

 

I did take a tour to Hue. Left the port and traveled overland through the mountains and saw lots of lovely countryside. Hue itself was interesting and worth the effort/time, I thought. Returning to the ship, we took a different route, through a tunnel and along the coast which shortened our return time quite a bit.

 

When I travel, I like to see as much of the countryside as possible and both of these tours did that. Personally, I would have no interest in experiencing the Chu Chi Tunnels. I have read a book about the tunnels, purchased in Viet Nam by the way, and that was quite enough for me.

I share your thoughts/feelings about the Tunnels.

Mike

Did you do that ad lib (deciding to book into a hotel, and flying to Da Nang, etc) before rejoining your ship a few days later or had you planned those moves well in advance?

 

Mike

We planned in advance after Celebrity altered the itinerary and changed the Saigon overnight into a day stop with an extra seaday . We had to get prior written permission from Celebrity (?the captain) and arrange our own visas rather than ship issued visas. All we missed was one evening and one seaday, but experienced so much more of Vietnam. Well recommended. BTW we saw how tight security is on trying to reboard the ship in Danang. The ding machine went bananas, and we had to wait until somebody came from guest relations to verify that we could board.

We planned in advance after Celebrity altered the itinerary and changed the Saigon overnight into a day stop with an extra seaday . We had to get prior written permission from Celebrity (?the captain) and arrange our own visas rather than ship issued visas. All we missed was one evening and one seaday, but experienced so much more of Vietnam. Well recommended. BTW we saw how tight security is on trying to reboard the ship in Danang. The ding machine went bananas, and we had to wait until somebody came from guest relations to verify that we could board.

Thanks for the explanation. I kind of figured that it would have taken a bit of extra planning, different visa procurement, etc. It worked out well for you in that you did experience that extra in-country touring.

Good morning everyone,

 

We are signed up for a April 15, 2015 Diamond Princess cruise from Singapore to Yokohama that has three port visits in Vietnam: Phu My (for Ho Chi Minh City); Nha Trang (a tender stop), and Chan May (for Da Nang/Hue). I have perused the Cruise Critic port information and associated postings to see what we can expect, problems encountered and suggestions concerning ship's and/or private shore excursions and things to do. We are also signed onto this cruise's CC roll call.

 

Unfortunately, my searching has not uncovered a lot of recent nor relevent information. So, I'm asking any of you (in the know) for any feedback on these ports that may help us plan the best way to enjoy our visits there.

 

Looking forward to your input.

 

Mike

If you're on a biggish ship, you'll berth about 2 hours drive from Saigon (only the Vietnamese officials call it Ho Chi Minh city!) - there is NOTHING at the port so if you don't get the ships bus into the city or do a tour, you'll be stuck on board looking over the mangroves and shipping containers.

Be very careful about private tours here - the traffic is unbelievable and delays of hours can occur (on our visit one of the ships buses was involved in an accident and some buses got back over an hour late to the ship.

In Nha Trang we did a locally organised tour to a local village and a monastery, both quite interesting. Also worth a visit to the slightly strange Marine Biology Museum (not sure of the name but you can't miss it) near the quay where the tenders berth. Tour buses/cabs/ etc are available at the quay (which is about 10-15 minutes out of the main township). Just a note if your tempted to a trip on the cable car across the harbour to the big Vinpearl resort - if the wind gets up in the afternoon the cable car service can get suspended and you'll have a frantic (and probably overpriced) scramble for a water taxi to get back to the ship in time.

Hue/Da Nang I'm not visiting until December/January - I'll let you know if I find anything worth knowing! :-)

We just returned from the Diamond Princess –Yokohama to Singapore with 3 stops in Vietnam. We were in Vietnam on a land tour before so we knew what we wanted to do. Our first stop in Vietnam was Da Nang. We hired a private tour guide for the 4 of us to go to Hoi An. Hoi An is a beautiful, charming ancient preserved village and a World Heritage Site. Our tour included a ride through the city of Da Nang; stop at Marble Mountain taking the lift up to view the Buddha and caves; walking tour of charming Hoi An; lunch at a local restaurant; China Beach, where we watched the fisherman bring in their nets; and a stop for Vietnamese coffee- a real treat! The guide we used was Tommy Dao Travel. Unfortunately, when we got off the ship he informed us he had an emergency and had to escort a handicapped gentleman and his wife instead of taking us. However, he had another guide take us for the day. At first we were very disappointed since I had read such good reviews of Tommy, but Dien did everything he could to make our day a memorable one- and it was!

Next stop- Nha Trang. We did our own thing in Nha Trang. It is a lovely resort/beach town. The ship provides a shuttle into town. From there it was easy to walk to the market. We stopped to have 45-minute foot messages for $5 each- fantastic! Warning- we read to keep your money/purses with you and not in lockers. We had no problems. There are rickshaws to take you around for very little money. The vendors are extremely aggressive in Nha Trang so after our shopping and message we were happy to return to the ship.

Phu My- I will repeat what everyone has said….there is NOTHING in Phu My. You must take a tour! Since we were in Ho Chi Min city before and everything is quite far- we opted for the ship’s Mekong Delta tour. The tour is excellent but it requires a lot of walking, climbing into small canoe-like boats which you are in for at least ½ hour in very hot, humid uncomfortable conditions and a very long ride in each direction- but we loved it!

We just returned from the Diamond Princess –Yokohama to Singapore with 3 stops in Vietnam. We were in Vietnam on a land tour before so we knew what we wanted to do. Our first stop in Vietnam was Da Nang. We hired a private tour guide for the 4 of us to go to Hoi An. Hoi An is a beautiful, charming ancient preserved village and a World Heritage Site. Our tour included a ride through the city of Da Nang; stop at Marble Mountain taking the lift up to view the Buddha and caves; walking tour of charming Hoi An; lunch at a local restaurant; China Beach, where we watched the fisherman bring in their nets; and a stop for Vietnamese coffee- a real treat! The guide we used was Tommy Dao Travel. Unfortunately, when we got off the ship he informed us he had an emergency and had to escort a handicapped gentleman and his wife instead of taking us. However, he had another guide take us for the day. At first we were very disappointed since I had read such good reviews of Tommy, but Dien did everything he could to make our day a memorable one- and it was!

Next stop- Nha Trang. We did our own thing in Nha Trang. It is a lovely resort/beach town. The ship provides a shuttle into town. From there it was easy to walk to the market. We stopped to have 45-minute foot messages for $5 each- fantastic! Warning- we read to keep your money/purses with you and not in lockers. We had no problems. There are rickshaws to take you around for very little money. The vendors are extremely aggressive in Nha Trang so after our shopping and message we were happy to return to the ship.

Phu My- I will repeat what everyone has said….there is NOTHING in Phu My. You must take a tour! Since we were in Ho Chi Min city before and everything is quite far- we opted for the ship’s Mekong Delta tour. The tour is excellent but it requires a lot of walking, climbing into small canoe-like boats which you are in for at least ½ hour in very hot, humid uncomfortable conditions and a very long ride in each direction- but we loved it!

Very helpful information .... Thanks for posting

Mike

we just finish our cruise. in phu my we took the ships shuttle to the coop

market about 15 minutes from the port. there we meet many vendor

selling day tours in Saigon. Price in early morning was 35 usd for a tour

to the major sites and 60 minutes in dam market. by 9:30 price we paid was

45usd for 4 people. we joined 8 other people in a van and off we went. we saw the major sites and had a 45 minutes for shopping. the driver wanted

to get out of Saigon by 2:30 before traffic got too heavy. if you do something

like this, make sure that the driver speaks some English. also make sure that you bring your own information about places you want to see. DO HAVE THE

VAN BRING YOU BACK TO THE PORT GATES-this will save you time. also the port has a shuttle about ever 10 minutes from ship to gates, this is a working port. the road to Saigon is greatly improved since our last visit here about

18 months ago. take about 70-90 minutes (traffic). Nahtrang city provides

shuttle into town. good beach, can get taxi to take again on tour. chan may

we used tommy doa travel, he was great, stopped at marble mountain, rode the lift up and down the mountain, visited three cave sites. went to hoian

which we wanted to spent a lot of time at. walked the old city visited

some very special places. made the stop at china beach, when to the market

dang nan. this was our fourth trip to vietman. we can tell that it really changing

Saigon is building a subway. new building everywhere and a growing

economy.

we just finish our cruise. in phu my we took the ships shuttle to the coop

market about 15 minutes from the port. there we meet many vendor

selling day tours in Saigon. Price in early morning was 35 usd for a tour

to the major sites and 60 minutes in dam market. by 9:30 price we paid was

45usd for 4 people. we joined 8 other people in a van and off we went. we saw the major sites and had a 45 minutes for shopping. the driver wanted

to get out of Saigon by 2:30 before traffic got too heavy. if you do something

like this, make sure that the driver speaks some English. also make sure that you bring your own information about places you want to see. DO HAVE THE

VAN BRING YOU BACK TO THE PORT GATES-this will save you time. also the port has a shuttle about ever 10 minutes from ship to gates, this is a working port. the road to Saigon is greatly improved since our last visit here about

18 months ago. take about 70-90 minutes (traffic). Nahtrang city provides

shuttle into town. good beach, can get taxi to take again on tour. chan may

we used tommy doa travel, he was great, stopped at marble mountain, rode the lift up and down the mountain, visited three cave sites. went to hoian

which we wanted to spent a lot of time at. walked the old city visited

some very special places. made the stop at china beach, when to the market

dang nan. this was our fourth trip to vietman. we can tell that it really changing

Saigon is building a subway. new building everywhere and a growing

economy.

Thanks

Luvaz- so sorry to hear that you didn't get to meet tommy- he's a very sincere and teriffic guy -

for anyone looking for a great tour from Chan May or Danang Port- here's his details

tommyxuanha@gmail.com

and his facebook is:

https://www.facebook.com/tommydaotravel

we've used him a number of times and I've recommended him to lots of family and friends and everyone is very happy.

I hope you get to meet him next time you're in the area.

HCMC (or Saigon)

even though the traffic is pretty awful- it's a great experience going in to HCMC from Phu My and well worth the trip- even if you just see the important sights such as the beautiful Post Office- and the cathedral (which is very close to the Post Office)

also, a visit to Ben Thanh Market is a must- even though i'm not crazy about the shopping- it's still something you should do in HCMC

NHA TRANG

a great tour is the Lanterns Countryside Tour- i'm not sure if they pick up from the ship- but if you can arrange it, it's fabulous.

We organised all our Vietnam tours with one company who gave us a discount for doing this. Your guide is vital to help with food and drinks and what was suitable for our western digestion!

From Ha Long bay we went to Hanoi - a long ride but interesting to see the countryside and get used to the traffic and sights of Vietnam for a 1st time visitor. We loved Hanoi, it was fascinating, take a trishaw ride to get close to the hustle and bustle on the street. We saw most of the major sights before returning to the ship - we loved the unforgettable day. They used large buses for our small group so we had plenty of space to stretch out.

Ha Long bay - a half day to take us out in the bay. Wonderful, peaceful, quiet. We were blessed with dry weather. Wouldn't have missed it.

Da Nang - we went to the Marble mountains. There was an elevator which took us to the first level to see the Pagoda, and then quite a lot of steps to see temples, buddhas and a cave within the mountain. We went on to Hoi An a lovely village, great shopping, good lunch. A place you could easily wander around.

HCM city / Saigon We saw the main sights, visited markets and temples saw modern Vietnam emerging. Fascinating.

Thanks to others on the boards who recommended Smile tours. Thi made our planning and our visit so easy. We had people with mobility problems and some who were hard of hearing and Thi and her team were very accommodating throughout.

Good morning everyone,

 

Phu My ... So, I'm asking any of you (in the know) for any feedback on these ports that may help us plan the best way to enjoy our visits there.

Mike

Dear Mike, we are just off the Sapphire Princess in Phu My. We did the Princess tour of Meekong Delta (full day). Great value. We could see the delta from the ship port - so we expected a shortish bus ride. Not So - it was two an a half hours by bus (each way) to the four Islands of the delta. That made it a further distance that the Ho Chi Min Princess tour. It was considered "Strenuous". I agree it is absolutely not suitable for wheelchairs, walkers, no "gummy knees" etc.

However it was delightful. Short toilet break at the Disability Laquer factory. Bought a lovely plate. Then on to the Delta - and onto a long boat (motorizied) to the island. Long walk (2km or 3 miles) tho Fruit farms, honey farm, sweet making factory, stops along the way - very informative. Honey tea free, fruit eating free, with entertainment delightful. then a visit to a family home & hand made sweets, and then the short walk to a small creek - boarded a smaller boat (they paddled us). fantastic Coolie hats and palm jungles.

Lunch was at another walk to a resort restaurant. Elephant Fish, prawns, rice, pineapple, spring rolls etc. quiet nice. Back onto the Bigger boat - then onto the Bus then home to the port. (3 hours home, no toilet break). Very much traffic. Amazing to see all the motor bikes etc. Yes I would recommend the Princess Meekong Delta tour - but it is a hugely long day. And strenuous walking. It ended up longer day than we first thought. sincerely BJ

Dear Mike, we are just off the Sapphire Princess in Phu My. We did the Princess tour of Meekong Delta (full day). Great value. We could see the delta from the ship port - so we expected a shortish bus ride. Not So - it was two an a half hours by bus (each way) to the four Islands of the delta. That made it a further distance that the Ho Chi Min Princess tour. It was considered "Strenuous". I agree it is absolutely not suitable for wheelchairs, walkers, no "gummy knees" etc.

 

However it was delightful. Short toilet break at the Disability Laquer factory. Bought a lovely plate. Then on to the Delta - and onto a long boat (motorizied) to the island. Long walk (2km or 3 miles) tho Fruit farms, honey farm, sweet making factory, stops along the way - very informative. Honey tea free, fruit eating free, with entertainment delightful. then a visit to a family home & hand made sweets, and then the short walk to a small creek - boarded a smaller boat (they paddled us). fantastic Coolie hats and palm jungles.

 

Lunch was at another walk to a resort restaurant. Elephant Fish, prawns, rice, pineapple, spring rolls etc. quiet nice. Back onto the Bigger boat - then onto the Bus then home to the port. (3 hours home, no toilet break). Very much traffic. Amazing to see all the motor bikes etc. Yes I would recommend the Princess Meekong Delta tour - but it is a hugely long day. And strenuous walking. It ended up longer day than we first thought. sincerely BJ

Thank you for the feedback! This was the first chance I had to respond

Mike

We called at Phu My when sailing on the Voyager of the Seas. Took a private tour that brought us from port to the city and back. The ride was far, about 1.5 hour each way. The port is located quite far out, in a very industrial area with nothing in its immediate vicinity.

That said, I think the tour was worth it. The reunification palace, the war remnants museum, all these places were well worth a visit. See this blog post for more pictures and information.

http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogspot.sg/2013/10/ho-chi-minh-city-lets-pay-uncle-ho.html

We also have done three trips to Vietnam by sea and for anyone who has not been there before I really think Saigon is a must place to see even for a day.

You just need to make prior arrangements for a pickup at Phu My by either a ship's tour or a private tour. There a several recommendations for private tours in this forum.

Sure it may cost more than usual but that can probably be offset by cheaper excursions in other places on your cruise and it would be a shame to come all that way from home and not get to see a place that has a lot of history for those countries involved in the war some 40 - 50 years ago.

Every time I go back to Saigon I visit the place I was stationed during the War and have a great time in the bar with the Manager etc - even got to look into my old room on my last visit. No the staff are not the same and it is now quite a lot nicer than some 45 years ago

We went to Vietnam ports earlier this year. We did HCMC on our own taking the ship transfer only. Long drive. We walked to one of the temples, visited the war museum, quick look. In the post office and gardens, then the market. Shopping centre by the Rex hotel was a great stop to shop and grab lunch.

We visited HoiAn on a private tour, which also stopped at marble mountain and china beach. Great shopping in Hoi An, there is a lovely shopping area with loads of tourist shops.

We went to Vietnam ports earlier this year. We did HCMC on our own taking the ship transfer only. Long drive. We walked to one of the temples, visited the war museum, quick look. In the post office and gardens, then the market. Shopping centre by the Rex hotel was a great stop to shop and grab lunch.

We visited HoiAn on a private tour, which also stopped at marble mountain and china beach. Great shopping in Hoi An, there is a lovely shopping area with loads of tourist shops.

Looking forward to Hoi An..... Thanks