| Cycle Touring Routes > Vietnam > Nha Trang to Saigon > Map > Day |
| Day 5 Bien Hoa to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Kilometers 26 Miles 16 |
Taxi into the city.
We decided to skip pedaling the final 16 miles into
Saigon from Bien Hoa and hire a taxi to take us in to the
city. Chickens?! Maybe. But it was a nice treat to have
someone else dodge the traffic and drop us off in the
Pham Ngu Lam neighborhood, where most of the
budget and mid-range hotels are located.
Once in town we pedaled around the narrow alleys in the
area until we found a hotel that looked new and nice.
Total cost for taxi - 320,000 dong ($20.00)
Slept - Lac Vien Hotel
Cost - $25.00 usd Includes free WIFI and free
breakfast.
Location - in mini-hotel alley at 28/12/14 Bui Vien St.
District 1
Amenities - New hotel. Small, but not cramped. The
rooms are all tastefully decorated with elegant dark
wood furniture. Free WIFI in the room, fridge, a/c, and
breakfast (a la carte). Large, beautifully tiled en suite
bath with stand up shower. Best part, TV with loads of
movie channels in English.
Bikes are locked in the garage underneath the hotel.
Very safe.
Cycling tour of the City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh, is less chaotic and crowded than some
smaller cities we pedaled through in Vietnam. The
streets are wide, traffic circles are manageable and the
traffic is moderate to hectic on certain streets.
The city has a European feel. Long, wide avenues, tree
lined streets with elegant buildings such as the old post
office, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Majestic Hotel
on the waterfront. Trendy shops and hotels are along
the city streets Dong Khoi area and entire blocks are
dedicated to public space with lovely parks and
gardens, amusement parks, markets and shopping
centers.
Inexpensive and good restaurants, tourist agencies and
places to sleep are crowded along the street and alleys
around the Pham Ngu Lao area mostly on D DeTham
and the alley on that is parallel to this street.
We spent our first day in Saigon on a city tour on our
bicycles. It is very easy to ride our bikes through the city
streets. Most of the traffic is scooters mixed in with a
few bicycles and cars. Public transport vehicles such as
buses and taxis are the minority of traffic.
The tour on bikes was fun and easy to maneuver. We
visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, old post office,
Reunification Palace, the Ben Thanh Market and the
municipal theater.
Worthwhile visit is a bakery on 176 Bui Vien St, District
1, near the backpacker area of Pham Ngu Loa. The
SOZO Bakery has chocolate chip cookies that taste
homemade, plus bagels, pastries and fruit shakes.
100% of the profits go to help underprivileged
Vietnamese families and their children.
There is one large supermarket going west on Pham
Ngu Lao street toward the traffic circle. The
supermarket is on Cong Quynh, close to the intersection
on the left hand side.
Bike shops are near the Ben Thanh Market at the traffic
circle intersection of Nguyen Trai and Ham Nghi Streets.
We decided to skip pedaling the final 16 miles into
Saigon from Bien Hoa and hire a taxi to take us in to the
city. Chickens?! Maybe. But it was a nice treat to have
someone else dodge the traffic and drop us off in the
Pham Ngu Lam neighborhood, where most of the
budget and mid-range hotels are located.
Once in town we pedaled around the narrow alleys in the
area until we found a hotel that looked new and nice.
Total cost for taxi - 320,000 dong ($20.00)
Slept - Lac Vien Hotel
Cost - $25.00 usd Includes free WIFI and free
breakfast.
Location - in mini-hotel alley at 28/12/14 Bui Vien St.
District 1
Amenities - New hotel. Small, but not cramped. The
rooms are all tastefully decorated with elegant dark
wood furniture. Free WIFI in the room, fridge, a/c, and
breakfast (a la carte). Large, beautifully tiled en suite
bath with stand up shower. Best part, TV with loads of
movie channels in English.
Bikes are locked in the garage underneath the hotel.
Very safe.
Cycling tour of the City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh, is less chaotic and crowded than some
smaller cities we pedaled through in Vietnam. The
streets are wide, traffic circles are manageable and the
traffic is moderate to hectic on certain streets.
The city has a European feel. Long, wide avenues, tree
lined streets with elegant buildings such as the old post
office, the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Majestic Hotel
on the waterfront. Trendy shops and hotels are along
the city streets Dong Khoi area and entire blocks are
dedicated to public space with lovely parks and
gardens, amusement parks, markets and shopping
centers.
Inexpensive and good restaurants, tourist agencies and
places to sleep are crowded along the street and alleys
around the Pham Ngu Lao area mostly on D DeTham
and the alley on that is parallel to this street.
We spent our first day in Saigon on a city tour on our
bicycles. It is very easy to ride our bikes through the city
streets. Most of the traffic is scooters mixed in with a
few bicycles and cars. Public transport vehicles such as
buses and taxis are the minority of traffic.
The tour on bikes was fun and easy to maneuver. We
visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, old post office,
Reunification Palace, the Ben Thanh Market and the
municipal theater.
Worthwhile visit is a bakery on 176 Bui Vien St, District
1, near the backpacker area of Pham Ngu Loa. The
SOZO Bakery has chocolate chip cookies that taste
homemade, plus bagels, pastries and fruit shakes.
100% of the profits go to help underprivileged
Vietnamese families and their children.
There is one large supermarket going west on Pham
Ngu Lao street toward the traffic circle. The
supermarket is on Cong Quynh, close to the intersection
on the left hand side.
Bike shops are near the Ben Thanh Market at the traffic
circle intersection of Nguyen Trai and Ham Nghi Streets.