Saigon/Ho Chi Minh Question

[cbb]

I realize what I am asking is subjective, but here goes:

 

We are going to Ho Chi Minh and I understand O sails up the Mekong to a central docking location.

 

I've always wanted to cruise the Mekong so am I going to be happy with the sail in/sail out or should we opt for a "Mekong river cruise" excursion?

 

As always, thanks! c

[Asaga]

We were on the Nautica in January/March last year travelling from CT to Beijing.

 

Our five days in Vietnam were some of the highlights of the cruise.

 

The river passage to HCMC although interesting enough ( primarily Industrial with the odd local fishing vessels ) it was certainly relatively uninteresting compared to the excursion ( done privately ) to the Mekong Delta - which is a MUST and should not be missed! Travelling time from HCMC around 90 minutes - very easy with an early start.

 

Happy to share details of our itinerary and the Company we used.

[hondorner]

We were on the Nautica in January/March last year travelling from CT to Beijing.

 

Our five days in Vietnam were some of the highlights of the cruise.

 

The river passage to HCMC although interesting enough ( primarily Industrial with the odd local fishing vessels ) it was certainly relatively uninteresting compared to the excursion ( done privately ) to the Mekong Delta - which is a MUST and should not be missed! Travelling time from HCMC around 90 minutes - very easy with an early start.

 

Happy to share details of our itinerary and the Company we used.

Could you send that information to don(@)hornerfamily(dot)com? Thanks!

[cbb]

Asaga,

 

There are several of us on the Insignia Around the World 2016 that would be very interested in your information re: Mekong Delta cruise.

 

Would you feel comfortable sharing the company/itinerary with us on that thread? thanks!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=45513321&posted=1#post45513321

[AD607]

Asaga,

 

There are several of us on the Insignia Around the World 2016 that would be very interested in your information re: Mekong Delta cruise.

 

Would you feel comfortable sharing the company/itinerary with us on that thread? thanks!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=45513321&posted=1#post45513321

 

We were also on the Nautica last February. I've just posted some information on your roll call.

[Earl Rosebery]

Saigon is not on the Mekong it is on a different river about 30 miles east. As far as I know the closest delta city is MY Tho. We had a very pleasant day long Mekong excursion with Zoom. He has been highly recommended by all who use his services. Having said that, the Mekong excursion is somewhat contrived for tourists benefit. Still a highlight.

Going on a smaller ship that can go into HCMC is a huge advantage.

[cbb]

Earl,

 

yes, I knew about location of HCMC and Mekong River....just a really dumb question on my part. I really just wanted info on the Mekong River cruise and some people are responding on the roll call for Insignia RTW16.

 

Thank you so much for your response.

 

AD607,

thank you so much for your contribution on the RTW16 roll call. There are several of us who research everything and this is great information! We really appreciate it.

[Asaga]

Replying to cbb

 

Being the first to respond to my reply to your original posting, I have sent full details of the Company we used and itinerary for the five private excursions we took in Vietnam, to "hondorner". Please liaise with them.

 

Clearly a degree of co-ordination will be required on your Roll Call if you decide to develop an enquiry with the Company.

 

I do not wish to be difficult but in my experience dealing with tour operators in this part of world, clarity is essential !!

[MVPinBoynton]

The cruise up the river to HCM City is interesting in that it is a very curving river. Our captain on the Quest referred to it as the Saigon Slalom; which was quite descriptive of it. There isn't much to see along the river though until you get into HCM. Below are some pics of the river ride itself and the entrance to HCM.

 

 

 

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MVPinBoynton;

 

There is really nothing like a picture, is there? Thank you so much!

 

We're really looking forward to our cruise. I've not been to Asia.

[MVPinBoynton]

They do help a lot. There are lots more in our review on our website. We will be going back to Asia in 4 weeks to cruise in China, South Korea and Japan. We are quite excited about returning to that area, since it really feels like you are traveling in a totally different part of the world. When traveling to Europe, it sometimes feels like you are just driving around New England. Not so in Asia. :)