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. 

click images to enlarge

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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Diary of Southeast Asia Voyage

Looking to Escape Winter Blues?

If you've sailed to the Caribbean several times, you are probably looking for a new destination for your winter escape.  Have you ever considered Southeast Asia?

Journey to Southeast Asia (R/T Singapore)

Having cruised for 30+ years, our cruise selections are driven primarily by destination and secondly by cruise ship. We love exploring new destinations from our bucket list as well as revisiting some of our favorites. Exploring new ships, including older ships we've never sailed on before, is also quite enjoyable. Of course, we love to share with our readers so that they can discover the world that awaits them.

Escape from Winter

As we update this article with our pre-booked shore excursions, it is-3^°F here and 80^°F in Singapore. January is prime time for snowbirds in the states to escape to warmer climates. For most people, the first choices for winter getaways are Florida and the Caribbean. We suggest broadening your horizon and exploring more of the world. It's quite warm in Southeast Asia and you'll be immersed in sights, sounds, food, and culture of this Asian destination. If you are intrigued, follow us on our journey.

Click Image for Southeast Asia Shutterfly Photo Album Page

Come along with us as we provide a day by day diary of our voyage to Southeast Asia.

15 Day Malaysia, Thailand & Vietnam

	Port	Blog Posts	Photo Albums
Mon Jan 8	Travel Pre-Cruise - Singapore	Journey to Southeast Asia Singapore Pre Cruise	Chicago & LA Flights Hong Kong Airport HGK to SIN Flight Changi Airport Singapore Crowne Plaza
Tue Jan 9	Singapore  View general port information  Check In 12:00pm-3:00pm	Singapore Embarkation Welcome Dinner	Cabin B227 Welcome Dinner
Wed Jan 10	At Sea	Books at Sea Chocolate Journeys on Princess Cruises	Chocolate Journeys
Thu Jan 11	Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia  12:00pm – 8:00pm City Drive & Sabah Museum	Kota Kinabalu Elevate Your Cruise Dining Experience	Kota Kinabalu Sabah Museum Sterling Steakhouse
Fri Jan 12	At Sea Kota Kinabalu (Revised)	Don't Come Knockin' If Ship a Rockin'	KK Sailaway Nha Trang
Sat Jan 13	Nha Trang, Vietnam  Tender Required 7:00am – 4:00pm Ponagar Cham Tower, Long Son Pagoda & Embroidery At Sea (Revised)	Fall in Love With Nha Trang	Nha Trang
Sun Jan 14	Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam  7:00am – 6:00pm Cu Chi Tunnels & Countryside	Gateway to Ho Chi Minh Taste of Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh Cu Chi Tunnels Saigon Lunch
Mon Jan 15	At Sea
Tue Jan 16	Sihanoukville, Cambodia  Tender Required 7:00am – 4:00pm Wat Krom, Villages & Market	Sihanoukville a Secret Gem	Khmer Village Cambodia School Psar Lu Market Cambodia War Memorial Wat Krom Sihanoukville Beach
Wed Jan 17	Bangkok (Laem Chabang), Thailand  7:00am – 7:00pm Nong Nooch Gardens & Cultural Performance	Welcome to Laem Chabang Thailand Thailand Beauty and Culture	Nong Nooch Pottery Nong Nooch Theatre Thailand Culture Elephant Show Nong Nooch Gardens
Thu Jan 18	Ko Samui, Thailand  Tender Required 8:00am – 5:00pm Temple of the Big Buddha & Monkey Demonstration	Big Buddha and Monkeys	Wat Phrayai  Wat Plai Laem Monkey University
Fri Jan 19	At Sea	Book Your Next Cruise Onboard
Sat Jan 20	Singapore  7:00am – 4:00pm Battlefields of Singapore	Port Call to Singapore Battlefields of Singapore	Kranji War Memorial Former Ford Factory Changi Museum Singapore Bay
Sun Jan 21	Penang, Malaysia  Tender Required 3:00pm – 11:59pm Taste of Penang	Best Pizza at Sea Discover Food of Malaysia	Chocolate Boutique Coffee Tree Penang Hawkers Plaza Gurney
Mon Jan 22	Langkawi, Malaysia  8:00am – 5:00pm Rice Museum, Cable Car, Craft & Cultural Complex	Soaring Over Malaysia	Langkawi Skycab Craft Complex Laman Padi Scenic Langkawi
Tue Jan 23	Kuala Lumpur (port Kelang), Malaysia  8:00am – 6:00pm Kuala Lumpur Highlights	Highlights of KL Malaysia Farewell Evening Sapphire Princess	National Museum National Monument Old Railway Station National Mosque Merdeka Square Petronas Twin Towers
Wed Jan 24	Singapore  7:00am	Disembarkation Day Singapore Relaxing in Singapore Heading to the Gardens Under the Flower Dome Journey to the Lost World Supertrees Come to Life	Gardens By The Bay Flower Dome Sculpture Trail Cloud Forest Supertrees Light Show
Thu Jan 25	Singapore  5:00am Travel to Chicago	Back to the Future Japan Airlines Singapore to Tokyo Dreamliner to Chicago	Changi Airport Singapore Tokyo to Chicago

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2017 in Review

As the year draws to a close, we'll take a look at some of the industry headlines and review some of our cruise adventures.  Weather made the biggest headlines impacting the cruise industry in 2017.

The cruise lines continued to add capacity, but at the same time increased their presence in new markets, like China, which helped to stabilize pricing, which was a goal for the industry.   Now more than ever it is important for passengers to plan ahead so that they can take advantage of lead-in pricing.   The lines have vowed not to do "fire sale" pricing close in to the sailing date.

Viking Sky Photo Gallery

 "First New Cruise Ship
for 2017"

Honors went to Viking Ocean Cruises as it took delivery of the third ship in Viking Ocean's fleet, Viking Sky, in February. It's sister ship, Viking Sun, was delivered in October. They both are virtually identical to sister ships Viking Star and Viking Sea, featuring 930-passenger capacity with highlights such as the Explorer Lounge, a two-deck observation library with lots of comfy chairs and couches; the Nordic-inspired spa with Finnish sauna and snow room; the indoor/outdoor Aquavit Terrace dining venue; and a magrodome pool, with a glass roof that opens in warm weather.

Viking Sky and Viking Sun are all-balcony cruise ships with the smallest cabins measuring a sizable 270 square feet; the largest suites comes in at 1,300 square feet. The ships specialize in destination-oriented cruise experiences with long days in ports, plenty of overnights in major cities and few days at sea.

Cruise fares include a selection of free shore excursions, complimentary Wi-Fi, and beer and wine at lunch and dinner offering good value for the cruise price.

Love that New Ship Smell

Our 2017 National Conference took place on Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas. We had our pre-cruise reception, hosted by   MSC Cruises,  at Hilton Marina Fort Lauderdale.  MSC launched two large ships this year, the 4500 passenger MSC Meraviglia and the 4140 passenger MSC Seaside, which began sailing in Summer and December 2017 respectively.  These ships are part of MSC Cruises' nine billion euro shipbuilding program from now through 2022.

Prior to the introduction of these ships, Royal Caribbean had the corner on the market for massive passenger count at sea. Contrasting this year to 2016, the remaining ships were much smaller with the total added capacity being 13,900 berths in 2017 while last year there were 18,500 new beds added.

Having our conferences on a relatively new ship, Harmony of the Seas, was one of our highlights for the year.


If you have specific questions about the ships, the itineraries, or cruising in general, we'd love to hear from you.
 
Weather Impact on Cruises

Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria changed parts of Texas, Florida and the Caribbean forever. The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season will long be remembered as one of the busiest and most destructive hurricane seasons on record.

Throughout September and October, we were posting itinerary updates as schedules were impacted by either the approaching storms or following the landfall.

Cruise lines rushed to aid victims with several voyages cancelled to launch rescue and supply missions.  The industry response was like no other in history.   We are proud to be part of this industry as everyone joined together to help in this time of need. 

At our conference, industry leaders from the cruise lines and organizations stressed that while there had been a tremendous response to date, it was crucial that we as Travel Professionals helped get the message out that the Caribbean is Open for Business.   They still need our help to recover from the hurricanes.   One of the ways this can be done is by bringing tourism dollars back into the regions hit hardest by the hurricanes.

Our Favorite Cruise for 2017

Having cruised for 30+ years, our cruise selections are driven primarily by destination and secondly by cruise ship. We love exploring new destinations from our bucket list as well as revisiting some of our favorites. Exploring new ships, including older ships we've never sailed on before, is also quite enjoyable. Of course, we love to share with our readers so that they can discover the world that awaits them.

Penguins of South America

Those of you who have followed me here or on Twitter, know that I love Penguins. That's what this trip was all about - having the opportunity to see multitudes of penguins in their natural surroundings. However, this trip wasn't only about penguins.

We arrived in Santiago, Chile on January 18, 2017. For the next 14 days, we explored South America including the countries of Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands. We saw Amalia Glacier, Glacier Alley, Fjords, Cape Horn and many other magnificent sites along the way.

Having sailed the seas for more than 30 years, it's hard to narrow the list down to one trip as the "best", but this trip certainly is among the top contenders.  Read our Cruise Diary 

What's Ahead for 2018

It will be a rebuilding year for the Caribbean and another ship building year as well.   What will the added capacity mean?   There are still a large percentage of the population that have not experienced cruising.   The lines, including new players like MSC Cruises and Viking Oceans, will continue to advertise which will help spread the word.

As cruise prices stabilized, many lines have been looking to onboard expenditures as a means to increase revenue.   Items that had once been included, like room service, have started to see additional charges for example.   Some passengers aren't happy with the new trend to "nickle-and-dime" them and may look to cruise lines that have less optional charges.   Luxury lines are becoming an even better value since you know your cost of the entire trip up front.

It will be interesting to see how new players, such as Viking Oceans, impacts the industry as they grow their fleets.  They are bucking the tide to go big and instead opting for smaller ships and more emphasis on the destinations.  Of course, the river cruise industry is booming as the demand soars for this method of exploring the globe. Crystal has entered the market as well, bringing another luxury option to this growing market.

Travel Professionals are not going away.  In fact, their expertise is even more valuable now, as there are more and more options to sort through.   Matching the right ship and itinerary to the cruisers' desires is one of the biggest values they bring to bear.   Hope to see you on the seven seas in 2018.

Happy New Year

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Winter Solstice 2017

click image to enlarge

Plan Your Winter Getaway

The winter solstice — also known as Yule, Midwinter, the Shortest Day of the Year and the Longest Night — occurs at 11:28 a.m. ET Thursday.  December 21, will be the shortest day of 2017 for anyone living north of the equator.

USA Today is reporting that this Winter Solstice might be the worst day of the year.  Why you ask?

"Apparently, the sun will appear to pass in front of the constellation Capricorn hours after Saturn does likewise. This will cause both of these orbs to line up for the first time time since 1664, according to London astrologer Neil Spencer, who writes for The (London) Observer but first wrote about the alignment on his blog

Normally I'd suggest that there wasn't a better time to plan your January or February escape from the cold winter to somewhere tropical, but with this astronomical prediction, you might want to either do so tonight or wait until Friday.

The Caribbean is Open

Whether you decide to plan your trip on or after the effects of the Winter Solstice are observed,  please know that despite the hurricanes that impacted the Caribbean this past hurricane season, the Caribbean is open for business and ready to welcome you away from the cold winter weather.

This point was driven home by all the cruise lines, CLIA, and others in attendance at our National Conference onboard Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas this past November.   What's more, the Caribbean really needs tourism to rebound from the damage and destruction.   Please keep that in mind when planning your next vacation.


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#FoodTravelChat

Join us every Wednesday evening at 8pm EST for lively conversation about food travel brought to you by @FoodTravelist It's a tasty world & we're dishing it up!