Taste of Vietnam

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Cu Chi Tunnels

If you are looking for a tour Off The Beaten Path, Cu Chi Tunnels & Countryside shore excursion is for you. Unless you were in Vietnam during the war, we doubt you could begin to imagine what this tunnel system was like. It was incredible to see how the tunnels were constructed and how this underground world was so instrumental during the war.

Our Gateway to Ho Chi Minh post details our visit to Cu Chi Tunnels, as well as the other sights featured on that shore excursion.   Since it was an all day tour, it included lunch. 

Ad Ben Nay Restaurant

After a short drive from the tunnels we arrived at Ad Ben Nay Restaurant for lunch. It is as an open air restaurant located along the banks along a stream. It was quite a lovely setting with gentle breezes blowing through as we enjoyed our meal.

There was a set menu served family style. It consisted of grilled chicken (which was brought just as we were leaving), spring rolls, fried Basa filet fish with tomato sauce, braised pork in clay pot, seafood hot pot with noodles, steamed rice, and flan for dessert.   The meal included one beverage so everyone at our table opted for Saigon beer.

We walked around the grounds a bit and then boarded our motor-coach for the long trip back to Phu My.  Once again we made our way through the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh city.  

Some passengers wanted to stop for shopping, but since everyone didn't want to stop, we stuck to the schedule, making a brief bathroom stop and returned to the pier right on schedule. There were a few vendors selling souvenirs at the pier for those interested.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

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Ho Chi Minh
Cu Chi Tunnels
Saigon Lunch

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Fall in Love With Nha Trang

Nha Trang

The city was a popular spot for U.S. servicemen during the Vietnam War. Today this seaside resort is popular among tourists to Vietnam.

Nha Trang offers white-sand beaches, azure waters and palm trees swaying in the breeze. Colorful fishing boats line the harbors. Small farm villages nestle in the countryside's lush valleys. The area is rich in history.

What's not to fall in love with.

The most popular Nha Trang shore excursion, offered by Princess Cruises, was Ponagar Cham Tower, Long Son Pagoda & Embroidery.  Take in Nha Trang's highlights on this half-day excursion. Visit the Cham Tower Complex, tour the Buddhist shrine at Long Son Pagoda, and discover the ancient art of Vietnamese picture embroidery. Then, enjoy refreshments, browse for souvenirs, and view a traditional Vietnamese cultural performance to complete your tour.

If you have been following our entire journey, you know that due to high winds and rough seas, Sapphire Princess could not tender in Nha Trang. We can only imagine these highlights of this seaside resort in Vietnam. Thanks to the destination expert, we have some images that we can share here of what we would have seen.  Follow us on this imaginary journey to Nha Trang's highlights.

Colorful Vietnam

Leaving by motorcoach from the pier we'd depart for a scenic drive to the first stop. Arriving at the Xom Bong Bridge, we'd disembark for the opportunity to view and photograph a charming fishing village and its colorful boats.

Next we'd continue to the historic Ponagar Cham Tower, you'll stand in awe before the best preserved relic of the thousand-year-long Champa dynasty. A commanding presence overlooking the Cai River, the complex boasts four intricately carved towers set amidst lush tropical gardens.

Ponagar Cham Tower & Long Son Pagoda

Tip: At the Cham Tower and Long Son Pagoda visitors must climb at least two flights of stairs - 70 steps each way.

Each of the towers revealed a different architectural style indicating that they were built over an extended period of time between the seventh and 12th centuries A.D. The largest was built in 817 A.D and contains a statue dedicated to Ponagar, or Lady Thien Y-ana, the beautiful wife of Prince Bac Hai. Legend has it that she was born into a peasant family in Khanh Hoa province and that spirits assisted her when she sailed on a drift piece of sandalwood to China.

At Long Son Pagoda, dragon-shaped balustrades flanked the entrance and lead the way into an imposing sanctuary decorated with murals and images of the Buddha. Behind the pagoda sat an enormous white Buddha built in 1965. The Buddha commemorates those monks who protested the abuses of the Diem regime by setting themselves aflame.

Visiting a silk embroidery workshop provided a fascinating glimpse into the ancient Vietnamese art of picture embroidery. Skilled artisans illustrated a dazzling array of subjects ranging from mythology to scenes of everyday life.

The return drive to the ship, through the downtown district, provided views of the cathedral, the small shops, and the few remaining French colonial-era buildings. Nha Trang Beach was another of the highlights seen during the excursion.  


Whatever you do in Nha Trang, we are certain that you'll fall in love with this city.

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Nha Trang

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Don't Come Knockin' If Ship a Rockin'

Mother Nature Had Other Plans 

On Day 4, Sapphire Princess would have been sailing the course shown above from Kota Kinabalu, Malyasia to Nha Trang, Vietnam.  During breakfast on Day 3, we learned that Mother Nature had other plans for us.

The first week of January saw Typhoon Agaton tracking from the Philippines into the South China Sea.  In her wake, the South China Sea had high winds and swells forcing our captain to alter our planned itinerary.   We were scheduled to have a sea day on Friday, January 12th with a call to Nha Trang, Vietnam on Saturday January 13th.

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Since Nha Trang is a tender port, it was determined that Sapphire Princess would not be able to safely operate tender service and our schedule changed.  Having sailed for more than 30 years, we have come to appreciate who is in control - it's not the Captain or Cruise Line, but Mother Nature.  Safety of the ship, passengers, and crew has to come first - so itineraries can change.


Kota Kinabalu Stay Extended

We stayed overnight in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, with a 5 PM departure on Friday. Additional tours were added for Friday.

Since we had already done the tour we were interested in on Thursday, we opted to just stay onboard and enjoy an extra relaxing day. We hung out at the enclosed pool area on Sapphire Princess, our favorite hang-out.

On Thursday, we hadn't been able to get good pictures of the Tun Mustapha Tower, a 30-story circular glass and steel tower that's one of only three buildings in the world constructed in this "suspended" manner, we captured some images from our balcony when we finally departed Kota Kinabalu.  Saturday was another relaxing day, as that became a sea day sailing to Cambodia.

As we crossed the South China Sea to our new destination, Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam, the ship was a rockin'.  The captain was using the stabilizers, so that helped a bit, but you needed to hold on as you walked around the ship.

Tip:  If you are prone to get motion sick on land or sea, you will want to discuss options with your travel professional and your doctor prior to any cruise.   Unexpected rockin' could happen anytime.

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KK Sailaway
Nha Trang

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Gateway to Ho Chi Minh

Phu My 

Sapphire Princess arrived in Phu My, Vietnam around 6 am.  The port of Phu My (pronounced "Foo Me") is the gateway to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and the seaside resort of Vung Tau. 

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Over three decades have passed since the Vietnam War ended with the fall of Saigon. Today, the name of this bustling metropolis on the Mekong River is Ho Chi Minh City. Yet, the essence of the city, a major trading center since the 18th century, remains unchanged. The air is filled with the cries of street hawkers and honking horns. Bicycles, motorbikes and automobiles fly down the boulevards at dizzying speeds. We only saw one accident, which amazed us.  Everywhere there were friendly faces and warm greetings.  

We met in the Wheelhouse Lounge at 6:50 am for our Cu Chi Tunnels shore excursion. After a short wait we were led to the gangway where our landing cards were stamped. We proceeded ashore and to our awaiting motor-coach.   Our guide, Thang, explained that our drive to the tunnels would take us thru Ho Chi Minh city and take about three hours.

Saigon is a mix of old and new.  There are construction sites all over including skyscrapers which will tower as much as 80 stories.  Amongst the new are the last cal family run businesses which are seen along the side of the road.    Motorcycles dart in and out of traffic.  Most cyclists have helmets and face masks.  Two people are the legal limit but you often saw whole families on one motorcycle.   You could see motorcycles loaded with bags and boxes of all sizes.  

About halfway to our destination we stopped "to sing a song" (restroom stop) at a lacquer shop.  We purchased a small souvenir there.   If we only had  the wall space and didn't have to transport them home, we could have purchased multiple section murals which were beautiful.

Our next stop was at Rice Paper Village where we saw a woman making rice paper.   Outside there were many racks drying in the sun.  After about two hours the rice paper is dry and ready for use.  Each circle yields two spring rolls.   She makes about a thousand rice paper circles a day.   She let one of the passengers try it.

We arrived at Cu Chi, made another restroom break while our guide retrieved our entrance receipts.   Entrance to the sight is via a long steep ramp.   There is a lot of walking on uneven ground during this tour so be sure to wear comfortable shoes and be able to walk a distance.

First stop was at a one of the tunnel entrances.  It is basically a hole in the ground which is just wide enough for a slender person to enter.  It has a cover which would be pulled over the soldier.  Covered with leaves you wouldn't even know it was there as you walked past it.  I attempted to get in but it was too narrow.  Several other passengers had their photos taken inside  he entrance.

Our guide also pointed out termite hills which were really a camouflage for air ducts which were a source of fresh air for the troops living underground.   They e en cooked underground.  We saw how they vented the smoke so that you wouldn't be able to detect it.

Other sites included training facility, troops in the different uniforms, booby trap demonstrations, bummed out tank, various guns and ammunition, and exhibit showed Ng how tunnels were dug.  The main attraction was a tunnel which had its entrance enlarged so that it could be entered and explored.   
You need to go down several steps an bend / crawl through the tunnel for 20 to 40m.  I didn't go in but my husband went down to take a photo of the entrance, but turned around at that point.  About 20 out of 30 in our group did go into the tunnel.   

After leaving Cu Chi we had a lunch stop which we will describe in another post.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Related Album:

Ho Chi Minh
Cu Chi Tunnels
Saigon Lunch

Additional photos can be found on our Southeast Asia Shutterfly page

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Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat