Don & Kully's World Cruise on Viking Neptune

Today was our third day in Saigon we went into the city very early this morning to meet a group of friends for an overnight stay in the city center. After enjoying a quick cup of coffee, we took off on a private tour to the Mekong Delta with a local guide named Le Xuan (pronounced Soon), (I’ll provide his contact info at the bottom of the post). The other three couples that we joined had also spent yesterday with Le Xuan on a city tour and evening foodie tour. Xuan and driver picked us up at our hotel lobby in a gorgeous 14 passenger van that gave the eight of us ample room to spread out and enjoy the two-hour ride to the delta. The van had very comfortable adjustable leather seats, each seat had a fold down table, footrest, armrests and USB port — definitely a first-class experience. During the drive out of the city and into the countryside Xuan provided a great narrative about the city and sites we were passing.

About an hour into the trip we stopped at a lovely roadside rest area that had lovely gardens, clean restrooms, souvenir shop, and coffee shop.

From there we crossed the main channel of the Pekong River and proceeded to one of the smaller branches of the river where we boarded a small traditional river boat called “Junk Boat” for a four-hour tour of the delta.

There were several stops along the way that included a coconut processing shop where they demonstrated how the locals process coconuts to make candy, shredded coconut, and even what they do with the husk and hairs from the fruit. No part of the coconut is wasted. We were also entertained by local villagers as we sampled local fruits.

We went a little further up the river where we left the boat and boarded Tuktuks for a tour through a small village. We left the Tuktuks and were shown a village home and then boarded Sampans a long canoe which took us through a series of small branches of the river and ultimately back to small local family-owned restaurant for lunch.

After lunch we reboarded our Junk Boat for our return to our waiting van and driver for the return drive to Ho Chi Minh City.

During our tour of the river delta, I couldn’t help but think about the challenge that US serviceman encountered trying to fight along the river. The small tributaries are surrounded by thick jungle vegetation making it impossible to see where advisories were hiding. Like our trip yesterday, I gained a new perspective of the challenges and hardships faced during the war and as a result my appreciation and respect for the Vietnam veterans has grown exponentially.

We arrived back at our hotel, the Silverland Yen Hotel located in the heart of the city. Kully and I checked in and did a quick walk to the central market — WOW, very crowded, but you can buy everything from raw meet to clothing there. The fun part of making a purchase is haggling with the vendors.

We returned to meet our friends for drinks at the pool side bar and had dinner at (I’m embarrassed to say) a Mexican Restaurant just down the street from the hotel.

Le Xuan (pronounced Soon) was our private guide today, and the three couples we joined today were with Xuan yesterday as well. He is without question one of the best guides we’ve ever had. His English is excellent, his enthusiasm is infectious, we couldn’t have asked for more. Strongly recommend him if you are planning to visit Ho Chi Minh City. His email address is tourwithxuan@gmail.com and his “WhatsApp” contact is +84 97 9479516

We also strongly recommend the Silverland Yen Hotel. Small, clean and centrally located. The staff is very kind and their hospitality is wonderful. Here’s a link to their website: Silverland Yen Hotel — Silverland Hotels & Spas

Tomorrow, we have to be back on the ship by 1:00 pm, so we plan to do a little more sightseeing and shopping before heading to the port.