Month: February 2012

Vietnam Holiday Day Three: Saigon To Can Tho, 12 February 2012

Left Ho Chi Minh City for Can Tho by car after splendid breakfast of soup noodles (chicken) and bacon on the side.

Civilised hour of departure (11 o’clock) and arrive [at the Victoria Can Tho] shortly after 1400.

Enjoyed foot massage (extended in Daisy’s case)…

… On returning from a foot massage, Ged got into the lift with an elderly German couple and asked "where are you from"?  "Germany" came the reply. "Which part of Germany"? asked Ged, at which point the woman lectured Ged on the fact that there is only one part of Germany now, that they haven't been "two Germanys" for over 20 years and that North, South, East and West is all "Germany".  Ged replied by saying that he was enquiring which town.  "Münster", came the reply, at which point this couple became The Munsters in Ged's mind – especially the gentleman: "Herman the German" Munster.  Later of course, Ged & Daisy kept bumping in to those two all around the resort, with the German couple being overbearingly jovial and friendly – presumably to make up for the unwarranted tetchiness on first meeting. We even saw them on the floating market the next day, where the German couple looked none too happy on their [unfeasibly] little boat.…

…then Daisy hammered Ged at tennis.

Washed and then enjoyed excellent meal at the hotel – starter of Bon Bon salad, pork with O Mon noodles and roast duck Vietnamese style (whatever that might be!). A sort of coffee ice cream dessert to finish – very enjoyable.

Click above to read more about the Bon Bon salad at the Victoria Can Tho Hotel – photo from that hotel’s website


There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Vietnam Holiday Day Two: Saigon, Then Dinner With Ky & Family 11 February 2012

Early start. Ged’s 4:30 attempt at making Vietnamese coffee didn’t go so well this morning – half the coffee ended up outside the cup. Perhaps it was the teacups Daisy put out with the coffee device that wrong footed Ged. Ged’s Vietnamese coffee improved as the days went on!

5:30 met by Binh who is to be our southern guide.

We go to Tao Dan Park and try some aerobics with the girls and walk around watching people play badminton, shuttlecock with feet & doing Tai Chi etc.

We take a coffee at the bird club (Daisy doesn’t like the caged birds) and then stroll some more.

Then we take beef noodle soup at Pho 2000 and a quick whizz round Ben Thanh market – little changed since last time.

Back to hotel for coffee, rest, swimming, R&R and then out to dinner with Ky, his delightful wife Tui and children Ken and Andy.

I explained the story behind this in my Day One piece – Ky was our guide in Central Vietnam when we visited in 1996. I discovered that, coincidentally, our 2012 holiday was arranged through the local agency, Vidotour, as our 1996 holiday had been and that Ky – a newbie guide in 1996 is now National Director of Marketing for company.

It was lovely to see Ky again and meet his family. It was also heart-warming to learn from him that he had remembered us fondly because my letter of praise for his services had helped him progress his career.

We went to Nha Hang Ngon restaurant – mostly local people, tried many starters (fried spring rolls, soft spring rolls, salads et cetera with fish and crab noodle to follow). Very enjoyable evening (see email exchange)

Here is a link to that e-mail exchange/correspondence.

It really was a special and very memorable evening.


There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Vietnam Holiday Days Zero & One: London To Saigon Via Bangkok, 9 & 10 February 2012

There is a placeholder with links to all of the photos, itineraries etc. for this Vietnam holiday – here.

Incident free journey from Daisy’s house to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Saigon via Heathrow in Bangkok.

The only remarkable thing about the journey was the lack of remarkable things.

The food on Thai Air was excellent. We set the scene for South East Asian food with green chicken curry as a main and some noodle soup as our breakfast and some chicken and pineapple rice as a second breakfast on the Bangkok to Saigon hop. Good wines and more sleep than usual – still not all that much!

Met by beaming rep (Thien?) who reminded us a bit of Ky!

I need to explain. Ky had been our wonderful guide in Central Vietnam when we first visited the country in 1996.

Me, Ky & A Luverly Bunch Of Coconuts, Outskirts Of Hue, 1996

Quite by chance, it transpired that Ultimate Travel – which we used for this 2012 trip – used the same local agents, Vidotour, as Asia World – which we had used in 1996. I sent the Ultimate agent some of my images of our guides from 1996 and it transpired that Ky, who had been a young guide starting out in 1996, was now Group Director of Marketing for the local agent. He was keen to meet us and for us to have dinner with his family. More on that story anon.

Our room was made available to us immediately, for which we were grateful. We slept a while and Daisy enjoyed a swim.

Then later in the afternoon we ventured round the block to a couple of big malls full of posh shops and eateries but not too well endowed with customers. First Vincom, then Parkson.

Then a relatively early dinner at Square One, the Vietnamese and Western restaurant at the Park Hyatt. We tried pork spring roll wrapped in mustard leaf, river prawn in beans sauce and slow cooked short rib of beef (like my Guangzhou brisket dish). Amazing medley of chocolate puddings and chat with Aussie chef afterwards.