After a bumpy two hour flight from HK to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), I arrived at the airport early evening. Despite my wish to be politically correct in calling the city Ho Chi Minh City ( HCMC ), everyone, including the airline staff call it Saigon. I was quite nervous about the taxi situation at Saigon airport, the locals are not allowed into the airport building, but outside I could see the frenzy of people waiting to sell me transport, etc.
I found a taxi desk inside the airport and prepaid for a taxi; I can't remember how much it was, but is seemed reasonable, particulary with the crowds outside.
Once in the taxi I had the craziest ride into the centre, in Vietnam, the most common mode of transport is scooter, but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of highway code ;-) It is just an RTA waiting to happen. There are scooters with girls in evening dresses riding side saddle, scooters with babies sitting on the handlebars, scooters with things like chairs piled 6ft high on the back. Everyone wears face masks, but nobody wears crash helmets. Apparently if you are female in vietnam if you crash your scooter you can be protected simply by wearing a pink flowery hat. Lane discipline is even worse than the motorways in the UK (believe it or not). Everyone communicates using morse code on their scooter horns.
Arrived at the hotel, I am only staying here for one night then intend to fly up to Hanoi and then take the train down the east coast, visiting Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang and then back to Saigon.
I plan on taking the sleeper trains overnight to save on hotel costs.
Bought my flight up to Hanoi, cost me $160 (80 GBP) for business class. I figured I could use the business lounge at the airport for Internet, food, etc.
At about 9pm decided to take a walk around the block. After about 20 metres I had been approached by about 10 moped taxis and about 5 moped prostitutes. As I walked along the street I walked past guys peeing in the street and rubbish everywhere. Then it started raining and did it rain ! Stupid here has no umbrella, so I got soaked.
Tip, hotel concierges will loan you an umbrells, but they only tell you this after you are soaked ;-)
