OCTOBER 2015:
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OVERVIEW:
I was in Saigon / HCMC to arrange how to get to Phu Quoc. I had booked myself into the Bizu Hotel for 4 nights so that I could sort the best option out without being rushed.
I used CHEAPFLIGHTS.COM and TIKET.COM to see how much the flight was from Saigon to Phu Quoc. I could get a one-way flight for about US$59 BUT BEWARE, once on Phu Quoc the last minute flights back were over US$100 (a frient had to pay US$175 from Phu Quoc to Nha Trang)!
By the time that you add the cost of the Taxi to the hotel and other expenses, the cost is about US$70.
BOOKING THE TOUR:
I heard about the Mekong Delta Tour and asked around in a few of the Tourist Agents. The tour, normally, returns to Saigon after a 1 or 2 night stay in the Mekong Delta.
Costs varied widely… one agent quoted me a price of VDN6,000,000 saying that the tour left the next day and that they were offering a ‘special discount rate’ because they still had 2 seats left! Yeah right… sometimes they think that we were born yesterday!
Anyway, the fair ‘going rate’ was about VDN470k for a 2 day – 1 night bus tour returning to Saigon. Accommodation is usually for a couple sharing a room and they charge an extra VDN100k if you want a single room on your own. This put my price up to VDN570k. They include lunch on the first day, dinner on the first night (if you stay in the Homestay), and breakfast the next morning.
It is normal for them to ‘adjust’ the tour for people who want to continue on to Cambodia or Phu Quoc.
They adjusted my tour to include the following:
- A local aircon bus from Can Tho to Rach Gia
- Minibus Taxi from the Rach Gia Bus Station to my Guesthouse
- A Double room with Ensuite in a Guesthouse in Rach Gia
- The Ferry Ticket from Rach Gia to Phu Quoc
The one-way ferry ticket alone is VDN340k. The total price was VDN1,340,000 / NZ$92 / US$63. Meaning that their commission and the extra transport and extra hotel was VDN430k.
I thought that this was very reasonable (for what you get) and it was cheaper than flying…
THE TOUR:
After collecting a few other
people on the way…
The next morning started early (6am) with a 45 minute ‘long tail’ boat ride back down stream where we got back on our main boat to the Floating Market. It is a ‘wholesale’ market with fruits and vegetables being transacted by the basket-load.
ACCOMMODATION / WHERE TO STAY:
HOMESTAY:
I was expecting something rustic. But, this was not the case. It was a reasonable standard.
The young backpackers got put 2 into a room. Each room had 2 Double beds, fan and an ensuite. Myself, and another more elderly single chap from Taiwan, were upgraded (at no cost) to our own Double fan rooms with ensuite.
HOTEL:
Of the (about 20) people on the tour, about 8 stayed in a Hotel in Can Tho City. They said that the rooms were ‘OK’. I think that the Homestay was, probably, the better deal.
EAT & DRINK:
The ‘hidden extra costs’ come from the fact that no drinks what-so-ever are included with any of your meals… so take big waters with you (you will pay twice the usual price for water on the tour).
We had a ‘simple’ lunch on the first day whilst we were on the tour. It didn’t even include a cup of tea (which, in many places, comes free with every meal).
In the evening, at the Homestay, we sat down together for Dinner. We were offered a can of beer with our meal… there was no mention of us being charged for it.
The meal was surprisingly good… we started with making our own fresh spring rolls. You get rice pancakes and fill them with vegetables, mint, coriander and strips of pork.
That was followed by a fish curry and rice.. and finished off with slices of melon.
We are woken at 6am for breakfast. We all get back together around the communal table. We are asked if we want coffee or orange juice. I had both. Breakfast is fried eggs and baguette.
As we are just about to leave, our hostess comes out with the bill. The can of beer from the night before is VND20k, the coffee is VDN15k, and the fruit juice is VND20k.
Later, we met other people who had done this and similar tours. Exactly the same had happened to them.
When will we ever learn!
RACH GIA:
It was a 3 hour bus ride to Rach Gia from Can Tho City. We got on the bus and showed the driver our ‘piece of paper’. This told the driver that we were going all the way to the Rach Gia bus station.
It also told the bus driver that we had paid for a connecting minivan from the bus station to our Guesthouse at the Ferry Port. You need this because, as with many countries in this area, the Bus Station is several kms from the centre of town.
We get off of our bus and we are immediately approached by scooter drivers wanting to take us to our Guesthouse. “Where are you going?” they say… we show our pieces of paper… the next thing you know, your luggage is on its way to a waiting scooter…
I travel with a suitcase (not a backpack) and me, the driver, and my suitcase on a scooter just doesn’t seem right. I politely grab my suitcase and walk back to the bus driver… the scooter driver follows me on his scooter… I show the bus driver my piece of paper again and point at the scooter questioningly… he points at an awaiting minivan! The scooters are another scam. Get on one of those and you’ll be paying for it.
The boot of the minivan is small, so some of us have to take our luggage in the minivan with us. I had my suitcase with me in the aisle.
I walk onto the street to get some dinner. The area is ‘unkempt’ and there are no restaurants to be found.
I ended up in a small local cafe grabbing what I could. “Feed me’ I ask in sign language. I eat what I am given. A simple pork rice with egg for VDN30k and a can of Tiger for VDN16k. I was ready for bed.
I return to my Guesthouse and collect my Ferry ticket. Grab another can of Tiger for VDN15k and head for bed.
FERRY TO PHU QUOC:
The Ferry leaves at either 8am or 1pm. You have to be at the Ferry 30 minutes before.
You should have a seat number – or not – it’s hard to tell.
BEWARE of another one of their scams… 2 backpackers had been given seats downstairs – I assume that they preferred the look of upstairs… anyway, they came up and asked if they could sit upstairs. There was an exchange of money with the ferry staff. As the backpackers walked away, you could see the staff laughing and looking at the money. By their reaction, I would say that they had just made some ‘free money’ and that the backpackers could just have walked upstairs and grabbed a seat for nothing (once on the ferry, nobody checked anyone’s ticket or seat number for the whole trip).
The Ferry was more than adequate. It was reasonably maintained. The seats were spacious and comfortable. It also left on time.
As you enter with your luggage an hostess directs you to your seat. I was given a seat upstairs in the front row in front of the flat screen TV. There are areas to stow your luggage.
I was told by the agent that a Taxi from the Phu Quoc port to my hotel should cost about VDN100k (Vietnamese price). The port is about 8km from the main town (and main tourist area) Duong Dong. On the outer deck there is a kiosk where you can buy a minibus ticket to Duong Dong for VDN30k. I buy a minivan ticket. It wasn’t easy… they didn’t seem to want to sell me one… I had to follow the ticket seller and ask him 3 times before he deigned to sell me a ticket.
We wait for 30 minutes whilst they try and open it without success. They, ask us to come back at 2pm so that they can take the minivan to the garage to get fixed.
Four of us (we had already met on the way) walked around town for a while and visited the local market. We returned at 2pm to find our luggage and a taxi waiting for us.
We share the taxi to go to our hotels. The taxi has a meter (so we don’t have to negotiate a price). It was VDN45k total to drop us all off on Long Beach (perhaps a total ride of 3km).
On reflection, I should have asked some tourists on the Ferry for anyone who wanted to share a taxi. Between 4 people, we should have been able to get from there directly to our hotels for the same price (and a lot less time).
CONCLUSION:
This whole trip was organised on 2 pieces of paper. Both pieces of paper had no more than 2 lines written on them each (of less than 20 words). You just have to trust… and it happens.
As happens often with these sorts of trips, the people were one of the best things. I very nice bunch and we had some fun.
For little more than the cost of 2 nights in a Saigon (or Phu Quoc) hotel and 2 days of food, you get that AND this tour.
Why wouldn’t you?
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