Hyatt Saigon

... checking into our Christmas present. Yep Jim and I had decided we couldn't rough it any longer so we'd booked into the Park Hyatt Hotel in Saigon for two nights. Eager to make the most of our time there (and also because the train deposited us at some ...

Arrive in Saigon for our first taste of Vietnam. Staying at the Park Hyatt, which turns out to be a wonderfully peaceful oasis from the hurly-burly streets with no streetlights and hundreds of mopeds careening about. Aside from the sights of the city, ...

... a large passenger van. As the engine rumbled and the horn blared, we weaved our way through the narrow streets of Saigon, a whale in a stream full of tadpoles. Crossing the Mekong river, urbanity quickly disappeared and was replaced by wide roads lined ...

... , traffic absolutely crazy, you really risk your life here crossing the road. We were dropped off by Hung and Tien at our hotel, Beautiful Saigon II, in the backpacker district, and as the rate was very good we were all worried it was going to be a dump. ...

... of the nicest hotels in the region (again taking advantage of our hotel points...hence the Le Meridian Cambodia and the Park Hyatt Saigon).  After a month of traveling, Neesha didn't want me to turn into a mountain man...so we went to this ...

Again, Andrew comes through with some upgrades & freebies!  We stayed our first 2 nights at the Park Hyatt Saigon.  We were upgraded to a pool-side room with our own private loungers and walk-out to the pool. We got a late start on our first ...

We visited Cu Chi Tunnels, Post Office, and just wandered around the town. ...

... “ya, I’m Josh Pike, we used to be roommates in Waterloo”… holy smokes!!! What a small world. He teaches in Saigon now.  About 15 min later another guy joined me at the bar – Matt, from Edmonton. This turned out to be ...

... pro-communist sentiments glide coolly past one another on the backs of motorbike in the streets of Hanoi and Saigon.  Stumbling through the streets with little real direction we were approached (as is the case with travelers in ...

... back to my comfy quarters where I dove into bed and was not heard from until the morning sunshine lit up downtown Saigon. During the day, Christie, Meredith and I visited the various home goods and textiles shops located in Saigon's most fashionable ...

... in an emergency (uncheck!), make sure you have somewhat authorized people who at least know each other driving you around in the DAYTIME (awww heck!) Then we had a Vietnamese dinner at Lemongrass at the Saigon Palace Hotel top floor.  Yum very ...

... it was like 9 our time. We headed to the lounge for our breakfast, it is a beautiful view from the lounge overlooking the saigon river. we inquired with the concierge about a day trip to the tunnels and he said they had a private tour that cold leave any ...

... in crocodile-infested rivers (only a slight exaggeration), eating food on Vietnam trains (served from a bucket), crossing the road in Saigon (it's a miracle we're alive) and staying at Club Crocodile (never again). But nothing compares to our thrill at ...

... to the mainland, then 90 min bus to Trang where I’ll stay to catch my flight to Bangkok, a few hour layover then to Saigon.  I’m a bit “rough” today, thanks to a bunch of Germans and Swiss that I met during the sunset, and ...

... scavenger hunt list.  Enjoy. Dave Favorite City:  Hoi An City most likely to move to: Shanghai Least Favorite City: Saigon Favorite Meal: Phone Cafe (Hoi An) Favorite Day: Beijing - Great Wall Favorite Hotel: Hue Nino (Hue) Worst ...

... knows where the good stuff is served at half price. Thanh is a smartly dressed Vietnamese guy, who currently works at the Saigon Park Hyatt, but has a long resume, an eye for clothing, and a desire to be a fashion designer someday. Cierra and Thanh ...

... of the food was a reminder of the years of French influence in Indo China.  We had had excellent baguettes in Saigon but here there were little barrows on street corners selling made-to-order filled baguettes that looked delicious.  Many of the ...