Ho Chi Minh with VVIP

last 15th March, i went again to Ho Chi Minh, also known as Saigon. it would be my 3rd time visit, and for this entry i put "Ho Chi Minh" as the title as my previous entries (1st entry, 2nd entry and 3rd entry) were using Saigon. last time i went there was on 2011... almost 3 years ye

15th March 2014... one week after the missing MH370 issue. it was a tragic, mystery and sorrow. was i scared? buang jauh2 that feeling cause i'm a frequent traveler, i'm travelling by flight almost every month. apparently, when i was at KLIA, i can see most people aren't scared taking flight as well as using MAS. in fact, the queue for the MAS group check-in was a damn loooong. "misi pencarian??" errmmm i don't think so. my sister is one of the indirectly searching crew cause she's working for the MAS team's troubleshooter; thus she's keep update me for any news. 

Let's Go!

wonder who are the VVIP guest on this group? jeng jeng jeng!! it's Tun Musa Hitam, a former Deputy of Prime Minister of M'sia; serving under Tun Mahathir. aku belum lahir lagi mase tuh. Tun is a very nice, friendly, funny and down to earth person. it's nice meeting and knowing him in person. seriously. ini bukan bodek ke hape. this is my personal view after meeting and take care of his group. Group? the trip is for the WIEF Foundation. together with him are Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi, Datuk Syed Abu Bakar and other 20 staff. that's why i'm calling this is a VVIP group. even Tun is already 80 yrs old, he's a tough guy. rilek jek tgok dia jalan ke sana sini or taking stairs or waiting for the bus. Bus? yeap, he didn't mind taking a bus, instead of luxury car cause he wants to mingle around with his staff. another one thing i respect about him is he's punctuality. memang superb. he never let other people wait for him not even for 1 minute. as a matter of fact, he's the one who waited for his staff. yet, he still not easily gets angry or cepat melenting. kagum tak? kagum tak? the best politician i ever met ever! by the way, since he's 80 yrs old this year, we applied MSIG for his insurance (travel insurance is a must) due to AXA's coverage up to 79 yrs old only.

xde amek gmbar dia. tp aku de gmbar passport dia
Diplomatik, okeh. xleh plak rotate gmbar ni

because of him, i experienced staying at a 5 star hotel in Ho Chi Minh. before this i only stayed at 3 star Kingston & Lan Lan 2 hotels located at the most favorite place in Ho Chi Minh --> nearby Ben Thanh Market. Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon is a very nice hotel, with free wifi at the lobby area, huge & cozy room, river facing (nice view) and with a rooftop swimming pool where you can see the whole view of Ho Chi Minh. the hotel used was chosen by Tun as he said he saw this hotel while cruising on the river early of this year. 

the restaurants used and menu also recommended by himself. we were dine at Banana Leaf @ Saigon, Red House Ho Chi Minh, the Daun and Pasha Restaurant. for other previous group, we usually using Saigon Seripenang, Shamsuddin, 4 Season, VN Halal, Satay House etc. among 4 suggested restaurants, i love the dishes at Banana Leaf and Red House. Pasha is serving a Turkish Cuisine and i don't eats Kebab much. Tun ordered more than 10 items at each restaurant, but actually he didn't eat much. he just enjoy seeing his staff eating. 

at Pasha Restaurant. yg aku tau yg #1 tu Hummus. yg lain x sure.
too many food & too heavy. last2 dorg tapau n sedekah kat homeless ^^

the itinerary for this group is simple. upon arrival, visit the Notre Dame Cathedral + Post Office. Lunch at Banana Leaf. War Remnant Museum (they loves history so badly, they have spent almost 1 hour there) and pass by the Presidential Palace (they were too tired, so we proceed to hotel). Check-in and free time. Dinner at Red House. 
on the second day, walking distance to the pier for the speed boat ride to Cu Chi Tunnel. before this i only travel to Cu Chi by bus, without knowing that the place can be reached by boat. the speed boat can be adventurous, but not advisable for the kids, panas. in addition, there's plenty of water hyacinth floating on the river. thus, the rides was not so smooth. and the boat engine keeps hooked by that water hyacinth. sket lagi nk muntah, dah pening2 dah. the journey takes less than 2 hours per way along the Sai Gon River. they really enjoy shooting at the Cu Chi place. then, back to town also by boat. Lunch at the Daun. Light shopping at Saigon Square and nearby shops. back to hotel, free time and dinner at Pasha Restaurant. then, Tun requested for 2 hours Karaoke as their annual activity. both Kingdom Karaoke or Avatar Karaoke are the best in town with English song and served beverages. i'm not joining their karaoke session but from outside i can hear Tun's singing well. he really enjoy it and try to entertain his staff at the same time.
last day there, free till check-out in the afternoon and transfer back to KL. 

** more place of attractions in Ho Chi Minh? please view my previous Saigon entries **

boleh sesat kat dlm ni. ntah mane swimming pool tu??

my additional program... for both nights, we took a cab to the night market next to Cho Ben Thanh @ VND 25,000-27,000 (less than RM5) per way. now, they have managed the area well. left side is for clothes, bag, souvenirs etc and at the right side is only for the food stall. i bought some new design of telekung at VND 230,000 and baju kurung with full beads for Raya at VND 330,000. 
in the morning on the last day, we accompanied Tan Sri to lacquerware shop and telekung shop. then to the souvenir shops nearby hotel. after that, accompanied another staff to Hard Rock Shop. rushed for lunch at own expenses at Halal @ Saigon Restaurant, in front of mosque not too far from Renaissance. tapi tak berapa sedappp... then, because of we are rushing (belum pack barang lagi, and teman Tan Sri that morning is a last minute plan from him) back to hotel, we took a motorbike service instead of taxi (sbb emergency + tak jumpe taxi kat area restaurant tu) but the driver charged us VND 100,000. jahat btol! but we only paid him few dolar cause it just nearby. if taking taxi, probably only VND 10,000. anyway, pengalaman.... experience taking motorbike and experience being cheated by motor driver in Ho Chi Minh. dah la kena tiaw dengan Airport 'Taxi' on the day of arrival (ada visa issue) - he charged me USD 25 from Airport to the Post Office. damn expensive!

cantik plak. ni dari mother-of-pearl. some dr kulit telur itik

aku beli ni. set of 3 at USD20. pearl + gold paper

beli ni jugak. embroidered wrist bag

design tshirt atas tu ala2 mcm pkai egg-shell. sgt creative

one of the Halal Restaurants depan masjid

VIETNAM VISA
our group consists of one U.S. Citizen, two African (from Comoros & Cameroon) and one from Saudi. Alhamdulillah we Malaysian no longer need to apply the visa as previous time. i applied the visa by online using smile travel and the payment made by credit card, up to 10 person in the same booking @ USD14 per person (BSR 3.36 that time). so far, i found that the Smile Travel rate is the cheapest among other agencies. visatovietnam at USD15, myvietnamvisa USD20 and vietnam-visa.com USD21. the rates are varies maybe based on their service fee. 
the online application is for the visa approval only. not including the stamping. the online application requires the details (name, DOB, nationality, passport no etc), the arrival date, airport name (Tan Son Nhat Airport for Saigon), visa type (normal / urgent) etc. normal processing is 3 working days, but i received the approval after 6 days. no additional charge for sharing application, while for private visa it will cost you an extra USD30. from the approval letter i received, i saw another 18 names on it. 
the next step: print the approval letter with booking no and bring along to Vietnam with 2 passport size photos, original passport, and stamping money. if you didn't bring the photo or lost it, they will fine you USD5 per person. 
upon arrival, please fill up one given form. and submit all the documents to the officer at the Landing Visa counter. after that, they will call up your names, make the stamping payment (USD45 for single entry or USD95 for multiple entries; valid for 3 months). then you may proceed to the immigration counter. 
during my visit, i expected the visa processing will takes about 30mins only; but we have been waited till 1 and half hour for the visa. maybe sebab ramai kot. stamping tu means a visa sticker yg tampal dlm passport mcm China Visa tuh

what do you think? kurang hajar kan?? isk isk isk only in Saigon

Hanoi-Halong VIETNAM

Nowadays, most people are traveling to Ho Chi Minh a.k.a Sai Gon for shopping kain or telekungs. They called it as a "new Bandung". For me, i prefer Vietnam's material more. Saigon is located at the Southern part of Vietnam. How about both northern n center areas? Well, I heard they have the best beach in Da Nang (center). And the magnificent bay in Ha Long (north). Let's see what I've found in Ha Noi - Ha Long Bay during last Christmas.

i was here!!!

see... Hanoi kat UTARA,
Ho Chi Minh or Sai Gon kat SELATAN

By Vietnam Airlines (VN), I'm taking the late evening flight flew direct (3 hours) to Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi. (Tan Son Nhat Airport is in Saigon).We received news from Aljazeera on 16th Dec that "Snow falls in Hanoi", so I prepared to bring few jacket & sweater. Since Hanoi is located at the North area; close by China (Yunnan); the weather could be very cold especially during winter.

bukan "That Day" tau

Arrived there on 21st Dec, 930pm local time. Proceed to Anise Hotel and check in. Similar like other 3 star hotel in Saigon, most building is built tall with no window. Nothing to do at the day I arrived cause most shops n restaurant already closed except for some pub, karaoke n massage centre.

here i stayed

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On the next day, we proceed to Halong Bay after taking our breakfast. It's 4hrs land journey (165km to east side of Hanoi). Enroute, we stop at stone carving, embroidered & lacquer warehouse at the roadside. when the weather gets colder, I got myself a cup of hot tea @ VND 20,000 (RM3.50) per glass.

nice isn't it? sulaman tangan

meow meow pon ada

& many more.aku x beli sbb x mampuuuu ;(

Arriving Bai Chay Tourist Wharf, the terminal in Ha Long. Taking a 'junk' ride to enjoy the awesome and magnificent view. Lunch onboard. Arrived at the grottoes & caves area after 1 and half hour later. Ha Long Bay has been awarded by UNESCO as a world natural heritage in 1994; with more than 1,000 limestone islets and containing grottoes. it is also rewarded as a new 7 nature Wonder of the World. the Vietnamese believe that this bay is where the "Dragon descending to the sea", that is where the get the name of "Ha Long" in their local language. while Ha Noi means "Dragon ascending from the sea". let's explore both Thien Cung & Dau Go caves -.-" (Batu Caves pon aku tak pernah panjat....). A bit tiring cause we need to climb few stairs. the paradise grotto and wooden stakes cave are nice but already been renovated for tourist, especially with those colorful lights. Back to junk and back to pier at the mainland. Oh ya, ada professional photograph join boat ride tu. tak mahal sangat tapi gambar sangat cunn!

the Pier

kapal or wooden junk cruise (bkn junk sampah tu)

Halal lunch onboard sambil2 layan Bay-View

ada floating market r

my momento

dari lensa camera saya

da sampaiiii!

da caves. pict yg bwh tu, siap ada office inside the cave. sorry, picca x cun

kluar2 cave, nampak this awesome view. indahnya ciptaan Allah

amek kesempatan

ok, jom balik

Transfer to Ha Long Cong Doan Hotel and check-in. Cong Doan means 'seaview', and all rooms at this hotel is facing the sea. it's free time but i took the chance to explore around to the beach, shops and market area nearby hotel (walking distance only). I bought a pink sweater (VND 320,000 after bargain) for myself as the weather is dropping to 10'c. Dinner at BMC Hai Au Restaurant. Same menu like this afternoon, probably they have ordered from the same Halal restaurant. Night walk to the market just to taste the local Vietnamese coffee @ VND 10,000 per cup only. well, they said Ha Long is popular with their Casino at Hoang Gia, Royal Hotel.... i don't know

depan Grand Halong Hotel. x jaoh dr Novotel. 

layan SEA-VIEW

keSEJUKan. pantai x leh mandi

HALAL dinner

da market

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On the 3rd day in Vietnam, after check out we went to the coffee gallery & coffee making shop. i found the raw Vietnamese Noodle here at 25,000 dong for 4 pcs. we had an early lunch (i forgot the restaurant name). but both coffee shop and the restaurant are not too far from Cong Doan hotel; in front of Novotel Hotel. Transfer back to Hanoi town. and dinner at RedHouse Restaurant, owned by Singaporean. they have another outlet in Saigon, at District 3 or 4 - will be informed in the Saigon entry later cause i went there last March 2014.

mari menghancurkan bijik kopi

sy beli kopi yg mcm kat atas meja tuh.
mocha sdap!

lunch place. mkn sini sdap!

our dinner in RED

Rushed to Thang Long Puppet Theater for an hour traditional art of water puppet show, nearby Hoan Kiem Lake; the show started at 7pm. Check-in at Anise Hotel, the same hotel we use on the arrival day. we walked to the huge and long night market.  i bought ear cover (telinga beku) at VND 30,000 and hot&sweet corn @ VND 10,000. different taste compared with M'sia's corn; but same as in Korean's. before went back to hotel, we stop in front of Al-Noor Mosque, (supposedly An-Noor, right) the one and only mosque in Hanoi.

it was fun! ada 14 short stories. lebih kurang mcm Saigon.
bkn patung manusia jek,ada burung,dragon,ikan,katak etc
kagum cmne leh buat patung tu smoking, kluar api dlm air etc 

night market is along Hang Ngang - Hang Dao Street

Cho Dong Xuan (ala2 Ben Thanh) at night.
market dr this point, troz ke knn smpai tasik

at Hang Luoc St.

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Anise time pagi. & myself b'gambar @ statue @ park dpn hotel

Day 4. after breakfast, we went to the southern area by using 'highway' (yg tak mcm highway) to Tam Coc Wharf at Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh Province) for 3hrs journey. Had our lunch first at Anh Dzung Garden Restaurant. by the way, souvenirs sold at the shops along the street in front of the restaurant is cheaper than at night market, they accepted Ringgit Malaysia as well.

we enjoyed the 1 1/2hour Sampan Ride through the grottoes, below the limestone rocks and through paddy field. be careful with the floating market seller, they rough and force the visitor to buy their goods or else they wont let your sampan go. Kat sini pon ada professional photographer - tapi dia naik sampan lain la.

kluar dr rstn, turn left, walk till end of road leh nmpk dah dermaga tu
oh ya, an old house i think. sgt2 usang

back to pier and we visit the Dinh & Le Dynasty Temples (or an old Palace). the Running Man (Korean reality show) had their shooting at this place before. the Vietnamese belief that Dragon is represent their King while Moon is for Queen. the ordinary people are forbid to use both dragon or moon motif. it is a very long history to tell... (the original king has been poisoned, then the queen re-married bla bla bla - kureeeng sgt psl sejarah2 nih).

tmp shooting Running Man

Back to town and dine at d'LIONS Restaurant at Cosiana Hotel with the tagline "the very best of Singapore HALAL Restaurant in Hanoi"; located at Hoan Kiem District. i bought a big glass of Teh Tarik that cost me @ VND 40,000 per glass. i really missed Mamak's teh tarik laaa.

 

back to hotel and take another walk to the night market. It's a Christmas night fever (24th Dec) Ho! Ho! Ho!, thus the road was damn crowded. nothing much to buy cause mostly they sells the Christmas items (bells, red clothes, home deco, christmas accessories etc). i walked along the night market till Hoan Kiem Lake to see the Tortoise Tower in the middle of the lake; as they mentioned it is the landmark of Hanoi. as well as the Huc - red painted wooden bridge. i took 1 hour walk around that wide lake. i bought some water chestnut @ VND 50,000 before returning back to hotel.

me with the LANDMARK of Ha Noi

Ngoc Son Temple

water chesnut
sdap, manis, fresh & besar

"Merry X-Mast, All!!"

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last day in Hanoi!! early check out, cause we want to have a City Tour. visits the Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and his houses. this Ba Dinh Square is closed on Mon & Fri. we need to queue to enter this place, go through a strict screening line cause NO camera is allowed, and strictly NO photo & keep silent especially inside the mausoleum's building. because the Ho Chi Minh's body is there. we only can take the photo of the building from far. after that, we visits his former houses. he was a down to earth person, had a fighting spirit and he smart. he moved from a big house to medium house, then moved to the smaller one next to lake.

 

dikawal ketat

dlm building ni la body HoChiMinh diawet & disimpan

rumah pertama yg kaler kuning mcm istana tu. dia duk for bbrp bulan jek
pastu dia duk rumah kecik sket2 yg gambar kedua tu
last2 dia lg suka duk umah yg simple, rumah no 3 tuh

on the way out, there's One Pillar Pagoda; the 1st pagoda in Hanoi. Sightseeing and shopping at Cho Dong Xuan; it is similar like Cho Ben Thanh Market in Saigon (also closed at night). the Cho Dong Xuan is located at the night market, not far from Al-Noor mosque and Anise Hotel. if you are looking for Kain, it is on the 1st floor; while ground floor is for bags, scaft, shawl etc. before transfer to Airport, we had our final lunch at RedHouse Restaurant, with a different menu.

aku buat 'O' sbb thun dia.. pagoda ni since 1049

jalan2 pusing bandar. tu bukan mural, itu colorful tiles 

Market. silk kat sini murah2

lunch kat RedHouse

our flight on VN was at 3:40pm. back to KL. ok, that's all for now. Hen gap lai

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other information:-

- currency is estimated 1,000,000 VND = 170 MYR (plus minus)

jgn silap! 500K and 20K notes kaler lebih kurang
yg berjanggut itula En Ho Chi Minh

- Hanoi time is behind 1 hour than Malaysia time

- our nice and humble tour guide is Mr Tu +84-91-456-9650 (New Orient)

- package price to Hanoi including air ticket is around RM 1,600 - RM 2,000 per adult. aku spent less than RM 300 for personal expenses.

- "Cam on" = Thanks.  mcm "come on!" tp pronounce is Kam En

- Vietnamese Pho (noodle) is the most popular local cuisine but hardly to get the Halal one

- not many local people rides bicycle as what i heard before. most of them are riding motorbike similar like in Ho Chi Minh. dah upgrade kot
- Apparently... NO snow falls
- Next time must visit the Museum of Ethnology, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Temple of Literature (the one at 100,000 dong note) or Quoc Tu Giam, But Tower etc

Setem Vietnam. sila cakap cantik!