CITY TOURS

Here’s a break-down of city tours if you don’t care to taxi or cyclo or walk around on your own. See Travel Agencies for contact details of the following agents.

• For big spenders EXOTISSIMO’s full day city tour – taking in Cholon by cyclo, Notre Dame, War Remnants Museum and Reunification Palace – is US$86/106/144 for one/two/four people (including lunch and English- or French-speaking guide); their interesting ‘unusual half day’ goes to the Fine Arts Museum, antique shopping (US$60/66/80).

• For a different slant to Cholon, backpacker-oriented INNOVIET offers a unique ‘China Town Bike Tour’ for US$10 (2-8pm). Vist Ong Bon Pagoda, Cha Tam Catholic church disguised as pagoda, Soai Kinh Lam Cloth market, Binh Tay market, Luong Nhu Hoc St’s multi-colored lanterns, local dinner in night market.

• For a more standard cheap greatest-hits tour, SINH CAFÉ takes in Cholon’s Binh Tay Market and Thien Hau pagoda, plus the center’s Reunification Hall, Notre Dame and War Remnants Museum. It’s US$6 not including entrance fees, and lasts from 8.30am to 5pm.

• Big groups, and surprisingly many hotels, go with the state-run tourist agency SAIGONTOURIST, who have a couple city tours for $13 each (including guide, bus, admission): the ‘Morning City Tour’ includes visits to History Museum or War Remnants (Mon), Thien Hau Temple, Binh Tay Market in Cho Lon, Notre Dame, Post Office, Lacquer workshop. The ‘Afternoon City Tour’ (1.30-5.30pm) visits Ben Thanh Market, an embroidery workshop, cyclo ride in Cho Lon, Jade Emperor Pagoda and Reunification Palace.