Itinerary
22.11.99
Flight: ZRH-SGN
- stayed 3hrs in the aircraft on ground due to snowfall
23.11.99
late arrival in Saigon at 21:00
- transfer to hotel by taxi
- taxidriver proposed Golden Hotel which we accepted (what we shouldn't have) / taxi cost 10 USD / hotel 35 USD
24.11.99
- hired two cyclodrivers for 7USD each for a full day
- excursion to Cholon, market and a few pagodas in Cholon
- war museum
- drink on top of the Rex hotel
- dinner in Vietnam House which was the most expensive and worst meal we ever had in Vietnam
25.11.99
trip to Mekong Delta with Sinh Cafe for 30 USD three days excl. meals
- three hours by bus from Saigon to Cao Lanh environment
- two hours boat ride to Rung Tram Forest where Vietcong had a base
- visit of the forest by canoes because of flood
- back by boat (another 90 minutes)
- bus trip to Chau Doc via Long Xuyen (crossed lower Mekong by ferry)
- dinner in a small restaurant in the center of Chau Doc
26.11.99
second day of Mekong trip
- two hour canoe ride through little Venice of Chau Doc
- town consists of boat houses and stilt houses / even pigs live on the boats
- visit of fish breeding place / fish are kept and fed in cages below the floating house / food for fish is very stinky
- visit of muslim village
- climbed Sam Mountain at lunch time (took about an hour)
- beautiful sight from the top over the Mekong Delta towards Cambodia
- busdrive to Cantho
- visit of production of incence sticks / nice pictures with coulored sticks drying in the sun
- visit of white stork sanctuary after a one hour boat drive through a narrow channel
- sundown over pictoresque rice paddies
- arrive in Cantho at 7 pm.
- had snake and snake wine for dinner
- went to a Karaoke bar at night
27.11.99
third day of Mekong trip
- excursion by boat to rice noodle factory
- visit of floating market of Cantho
- four hour boat drive from lower Mekong to upper Mekong
- enjoyed beautiful landscape along the channels
- visited a pagoda with a life turtle and basins containing lotus leaves of 1m diameter (a little girl could stand on one of these leaves)
- Bus drive from near Cao Lanh back to Saigon (3 hrs)
- arrived in Saigon at 7 pm.
- had kind of fish fondue for dinner
- stayed overnight in Hoang Linh Hotel for 15 USD which is in the touristy center of Saigon
28.11.99
- Saigon - Dalat by bus (8 hrs)
- stayed in Hong Van hotel for 6 USD which is quite outside the city centre
29.11.99
Dalat
- excursion to Chicken Village and a few water falls and a buddhist monastery
- saw summer residence of emperor Bao Dai
- visited Crazy House which is a fantasy hotel in somewhat like an artificial tree
30.11.99
- Dalat - Nha Trang by bus (7 hrs)
- visited Cham Tower Po Klong Garai in Phan Rang
- stayed in Blue Star Hotel for 9 USD near beach but a bit away from city centre
01.12.99
rainy day in Nha Trang
- visited Cham Tower Po Nagar
- beautyful view towards harbour from bridge
- visited Long Son Pagoda and Buddha
- visited pagoda behind Long Son on a forested hill with beautiful view over rice paddies and palm tree forest
- had frog legs for dinner
02.12.99
left Nha Trang after a night with non-stop rain
- Nha Trang - Saigon by bus (9 hrs)
- stopped in Ca Na bay (would have been a beautiful beach if not rained)
- stopped in Phan Thiet
- stayed once again in Hong Van hotel
- had dinner in an indian restaurant at De Tham street
03.12.99
day trip to Tay Ninh and Cu Chi
- visited Caodai Temple in Tai Ninh (mass was part of the visit)
- visited famous Cu Chi tunnels (rests of a 200 km long tunnel system built by Vietcong during American war) / one of the most interesting sights of that war
04.12.99
- full day shopping tour in Saigon
- transfer to airport by Sinh Cafe taxi for 5 USD at 5:30 pm
- flight SGN - SIN (offloaded in Singapur due to full plane)
- transfer at 1 am. to YMCA Hotel by Limousine Service for 35 SDollars (Hotel was about 80 SDollars)
05.12.99
- full day shopping tour in Singapur
- transfer to airport by bus for 2 SDollars at 6 pm
- flight SIN-FRA at 11 pm. with Quantas
06.12.99
- arrival in FRA at 5 am.
- flight FRA-ZRH at 7 am
- arrival in Zurich at 8 am