Day 67 – Phu My, Vietnam

Day 67, March 12,  Phu My – Vietnam

Phu My is the launching point for our overland tour to Siem Reap in Cambodia, where we will visit Angkor Wat, the famous temple and one of the many temples that make up the collection of temples in Siem Reap commonly referred to collectively as Angkor Wat.

We visited Angkor Wat during a similar overland tour in 2016 and we enjoyed our trip so much we decided to visit again, but now with a little more insight and a different schedule.

HAL offered an overland tour for $2,499 per person.  Our tour ended up costing about $1,200 per person.  Before I go into the details of our trip, I will walk you through my planning process for this trip for the benefit of future travelers who might be interested in planning a similar excursion.   Planning an overland trip may seem overwhelming at first, but once you break the trip down you will find that it is quite manageable on your own and you can not only save money, but travel in a smaller group and be able to adjust your schedule on the fly as the situation changes.

General Independent Overland Prerequisites

Before considering an independent overland, you should be flexible and creative in dealing with the unexpected and know how to make lemonade out of lemons if your best planning goes south for unforeseen reasons.  You should also:

• Know how to use a mobile phone in foreign countries and have an appropriate data plan.
• Have at least 2 major credit cards and an ATM card.
• Know how to make your own flights and hotel reservations.
• Be comfortable hailing a cab on the street where the driver speaks no English.
• Be willing to spend the night in a foreign airport sleeping in a chair.

Before you commit to an independent overland tour consider the following factors:

• Is the destination suitable for an overland excursion? If the ship is sending an overland to the same location, then you can be certain that the trip is possible.  Sometimes the ship may be willing to schedule with a smaller margin of error than I might because they know that the ship will be more tolerant of a late arrival than they may be for an independent.

For example – On our 2016 independent overland to Angkor Wat we were scheduled to fly from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, take a city tour and then proceed to Sihanoukville by bus to meet the ship.  As it turned out, our flight to Phnom Penh was delayed, leaving us with little buffer to drive the 100 miles from Phnom Penh to the ship.  We elected to cancel our city tour and proceed directly to the ship to maintain a 2-hour buffer.  The ship’s tour was on our same flight, following an identical itinerary, but they pressed on with their city tour and arrived exactly at the All Aboard time – with no time to spare.

• Likelihood that your launch port will be cancelled. Always possible but unlikely, especially if you are leaving from a port where HAL is launching their own overnight tours.
• Do you need VISAs for any of the countries you will be visiting and can you get them on your own since the ship won’t get you a visa for a country the ship isn’t visiting.
• Do you need a VISA for the country where you will meet the ship at their future port and can you get it on your own? Sometimes the VISA requirements are different if you are flying into a country as opposed to entering on a cruise ship.
• What are your options to meet the ship at future ports if the original rejoining port is cancelled? If you are meeting the ship at the same port as the returning HAL overland tours this probability is low, but not zero.  I prefer to plan overlands to meet the ship at ports where they will remain overnight as this allows you to still catch the ship if your departure flight is delayed or canceled.
• Will the ship grant you a deviation to leave the ship and rejoin at a different port? There are some ports where due to local immigration laws they won’t allow people to leave the ship or rejoin the ship.  If you are mirroring a HAL tour itinerary, the chances of being refused a deviation are low, but you can’t assume one will be granted.  The port may limit the number of people that can depart the ship or may restrict immigration for other reasons which may not be obvious.  Your travel agent or PCC will be able to get approval for your deviation.

Planning your trip

Now that you are ready to plan your trip – here are some considerations.

Start your planning by researching your transportation options to get to your destination and then return to the ship.  Now is the time to consider your options if something happens to upset your plans and determine how difficult it may be to recover.  In the case of this Angkor Wat Trip where we will be rejoining the ship in Singapore, there are many flight options to get to Singapore if our original flight was scrubbed.

Look at how easy it would be to get to the next scheduled port in case the original port in cancelled.  Our next port for this trip after Singapore will be Phuket, which is pretty easy to get to as it is a major tourist destination with plenty of flights arriving there from all over Asia.

In 2016 I used a tour company called Ann Tours which made all our arrangements, including airfare.  They put together a fine tour for a price similar what you can do totally on your own.  I prefer to choose my own guide, hotel and have more control over my flight so I will usually make all my own arrangements whenever possible.  HERE is a link to the web site for Ann Tours if you prefer to have a tour company make all your arrangements.

For our trip this year to Angkor Wat I needed to arrange for the following:

• Land transfer from Phu My port to Ho Chi Min Airport (SGN)
  • Several private tour companies offer this service. I chose a company called Xin Chao Private Vietnam Tours since because they had a great price for the transfer and city tour and didn’t require up front payment.  One big difference between Ann Tours and Private Vietnam Tours was their ability to get their vans directly on the wharf.  Ann Tours charged $40 more per person than Private Vietnam Tours ($120pp vice $80pp) but Ann Tours has the permits to get directly onto the wharf next to the ship.  Depending on where the ship moors, you may be able to walk to the port gate, but more likely you will have to take a shuttle bus to the port gate.   If avoiding the shuttle bus is worth $40 per person to you, then go with a company like Ann Tours.
  • Things to consider when booking this transfer.
    • Get a van big enough for your group to spread out in the vehicle. Having 7 people in a 7-passenger van is not as comfortable as getting a 13-passenger van and usually only costs a little bit more to get the bigger vehicle.
    • Plan on 1 ½ to 2 hours for the transfer from Phu My to Ho Chi Min City.
    • Decide if you want to add on a city tour before your flight – or if you only need the transfer. Your price will be cheaper if you only get the airport transfer.
• Flight from SGN to Siem Reap Airport (REP)
  • Use any airline flight search service to find your flight options. Consider the airline’s membership in one of the large alliances (e.g Skyteam)  if you have status on a USA airline.  We have elite status on Delta and since Vietnam Airlines is in Skyteam, our Delta status allowed us to use the Viet Nam Airlines lounge in the SGN airport.
  • The Angkor Wat ticket office in Siem Reap closes at 5:30 PM and if you find a flight that arrives before 4 PM you will have time to get your Angkor Wat ticket the same day you arrive. If you buy your ticket after 5 PM, it will be valid for the next day and you can avoid an extra stop early in the morning if you plan to visit a temple for sunrise.
• Transfer from REP to hotel
  • Most hotels in Siem Reap will pick you up from the Airport at no additional charge. Taxis and Tuk Tuks are available otherwise.
  • If you have a tour company like “Ann Tours” make your arrangements, this transfer will be included, and you will probably meet your guide for the trip at the same time.
• Transfer from hotel to REP
  • Your hotel will provide this transfer or be able to arrange a transfer for you.
• Flight from REP to SIN
  • We found many options for this flight, however, every option except a SILK air flight required changing planes. Even though the SILK air flight was over twice as much ($480 to around $200 for the other airlines) we chose this option to avoid the hassle and time of a connecting flight.  This option also gave us the entire day to see more in Siem Reap since this flight left later.  Consider the VISA requirements if you chose to take a connecting flight.  In most cases, you don’t need a VISA if you remain in the international zone of the airport, but sometimes you do, depending on the country, so be sure to check.
• Transfer from SIN to Ship
  • Taxis from the Singapore airport are easy and inexpensive. You need to confirm the location of where the ship will moor in Singapore, so you go to the correct cruise terminal.  Singapore has 2 different cruise terminals and your ship may be in either one.  There isn’t any need to book this transfer in advance unless your group size won’t fit in a single cab and you don’t want to split up into different cabs.

Where to stay in Siem Reap.

Hotel prices are inexpensive in Siem Reap and you can find very nice 4-star properties for $50 a night.  For around $130 a night you can find a very luxurious property that will include many extras like free local mobile phones, massages, airport transfers etc.  The location doesn’t really matter as you probably won’t be walking very much, and the difference between the various properties is only about 5-15 minutes by car no matter where you stay in the area.  We picked the Golden Temple Residence because of their exceptional reviews on Tripadvisor and the location was within easy walking distance to the night life and night markets in Siem Reap.  As it turned out we never did take advantage of our proximity to the central business district so next time I may choose a different location.   HERE is the link to the hotel’s website.

Nevertheless, you can’t go wrong with the Golden Temple Residence.  The HAL tours usually stays at the Intercontinental, which is another great choice.

Here is what to consider when picking your hotel.

• Air Conditioned
• Wifi
• Airport transfers included
• Restaurant on property for early breakfast and dinners if you don’t want to venture outside the hotel. Some hotels will prepare box lunches for breakfast, so you won’t have to return to the hotel to eat breakfast if you start early.
• Pool and spa are nice if you think you will take advantage of them. We found that we were so exhausted from touring that all we wanted to do while back in the hotel was take naps – so we didn’t take advantage of the many amenities the hotel offered.

Guide and Local Transportation

Guides are worth the very modest cost (about $35 to $45 a day) as they will assist you with logistics during your visit in addition to explaining the history and background of everything you will see.  If you have a travel agency plan your trip they will arrange for a guide and transportation.  If you are planning your own trip you can ask your hotel to help arrange a guide or you can find one by reviewing Tripadvisor.  We used an independent guide named Rin Nom (Contact him HERE on Facebook) or via email HERE who we used on our 2016 trip.  We had such a wonderful time that we contacted him early in our planning process and arranged for him to be our guide during this trip.  He charges $35 a day ($45 if you start for sunrise).  He was also able to arrange for an air-conditioned van for $45 a day including the driver.

VISAs

Vietnam

The ship will get your Vietnam Visa which will either be a group visa if you plan to stay in Vietnam, or an individual visa if you plan on staying overnight or leaving the country.  The cost for the individual visa was $75, which was cheaper than any place I found to get my own visa in advance.  They require a passport picture, but the ship used the picture from their photo database of check in pictures.  The VISA was issued on a separate sheet of paper and placed in our passport and given to us when we picked up our passport from the Front Desk the day we arrived in Vietnam.

Regardless of which type of VISA you get, you will also get a Vietnamese Landing Card, which must be presented to the officials in the Immigration Tent at the bottom of the gangway.

Cambodia

You will need a visa for Cambodia and you must get it on your own.  There are two options:

• Visa on arrival in Siem Reap – This involves waiting in a separate line before clearing immigration and costs $35. The line was about 15 minutes long when we arrived.
• E-Visa online – This can be done before you leave and costs $35 plus a small processing fee. You will need a scanned copy of a passport photo.  Even though they say they will issue the visa 90 days in advance, they didn’t issue ours until 60 days prior, so it would be possible to enter on the 60^th day and leave before the 90 days expired.  They held our application until we were 60 days out then they emailed us our visas as PDF attachments which we were able to print out on the ship.

Singapore

USA citizens don’t need a VISA to enter Singapore

Arrival in Phu My

We arrived in Phu My around 6AM and this allowed the local officials to board early to ensure everything was ready for our 8AM estimated official clearance time.  I learned later that the ship had received all the official individual VISA forms electronically and were able to prepare them on board and have them ready for review on arrival, so we could retrieve our passports and visas by 8 AM.

One thing to keep in mind is that the official arrival and departure times listed on the ship’s itinerary may not be the same as the time you may be able to get off the ship or the time you might be required to be back on board.  Sometimes these times are different due to delays in immigration arrival clearance, departure requirements or participation in mandatory departure lifeboat drills.   When planning any independent shore excursions be mindful that it may take longer than you expect to get cleared in certain ports and try to build in some flexibility with your tour operator.

After we were moored I called our guide to check that we were still on track and that he would be meeting us by the entrance to the port.  I was a little concerned that the place where the shuttle bus would drop us off would not be the same place that our driver would be waiting.  Once I was able to talk to our guide I was confident that we would be able to get connected even if the port gate location was different than originally expected.

About 8:45 AM we met our traveling companions, Rick and Margaret, near the gangway and headed down to the wharf.  The officials in the immigration tent looked up our names on a passenger manifest, stamped our Landing Cards and we were on our way to the waiting shuttle bus.  We did notice that there was a small craft market set up on the wharf, but we didn’t take the time to look around.   While waiting on the shuttle bus, someone poked his head inside and offered anyone who was interested transportation for Saigon and back for $25 per person.  You probably could have negotiated a cheaper price, but no one was interested so we never learned the bottom line price.  The ship offered a round trip transfer to Central Saigon for $59 per person.

The distance to the port gate from the ship was about .75 miles.  Here is a screen shot from MAPS.ME with the exact locations of the ship, the port gate and the town of Phu My.

Our guide, Andy, met us next to the van holding a sign with my name.  Ours was the only van in sight and there weren’t any taxis, vendors, or anyone else other than the port guards in the area.  The town of Phu My was still 3 miles away.  One other passenger got off the shuttle bus looking for a taxi, but we were gone before we ever found out if any taxis ever appeared or if he went back to the ship.

Driving to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

We left the port gate at 9 AM with Andy and headed to Saigon, arriving 90 minutes later.  Along the way we passed several road side markets and shops, but we spent most of the trip travelling on a modern multi lane toll expressway.  There wasn’t any traffic today, but there could have been more at other times, so I would plan for this trip taking 2 hours to give you some buffer.

Andy (his adopted western name) was enthusiastic and full of knowledge about Vietnam and since he was also familiar with western customs and culture,  he was able to offer interesting comparisons and contrasts in ways that were easy for us to understand.   We learned that everyone in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) refers to the city as Saigon and the name HCMC is only used in official correspondence.

He carefully explained the tonal variations used in the Vietnamese language and how they change the meanings of words.  For example, the word PHO – the popular Vietnamese noodle dish – means “prostitute” when pronounced by most western tongues with a long “O”.  The correct pronunciation requires a careful pitch change with the accent on the “H” with the “O” sounding more like a soft “a”.  After several attempts we received passing marks from Andy, but he remarked that Vietnamese are used to the western pronunciation of common words and will not be confused by our lack of tonal nuance and we will be understood when using the word in context.

Our original plan was to visit the following places:

• Ben Thanh Market: Typical Asian market – with everything from fish heads to silk
• Saigon Square: A little more upscale market – now airconditioned, but still a local market
• Bitexco Financial Tower: Eat lunch on the Café Eon on the 51st Floor – Nice Views – tallest building in the city
• Dong Khoi Street: People watching & shopping – this is the high-end shopping street in Saigon.

After discussing our plan with Andy, he suggested that we visit some totally non-tourist markets where we would likely be the only westerners around.  We quickly agreed, and we were off to visit some spots  off the beaten path.

Visiting the local markets

Our driver dropped us off near the Ho Thi Ky Flower Market and Andy led us through the streets, both narrow and wide, as we mingled with residents going around their daily shopping.  The variety of items for sale was huge and it was as if all the products in a WalMart supercenter were dispersed onto the streets with each product being sold from a separate street stall.

Next to all the shops selling food and products we found a private billiard club with a group of men playing what looked like something similar to 5 pin billiards.  The room was open to the street and we were able to approach very close and observe for a few minutes.  Billiards is very popular in Vietnam.

About once or twice in every block we spotted roosters kept under a semi-spherical chicken wire cage.  Andy explained that these roosters were fighting cocks that would be used in fights about once a month.  While cock fighting itself is legal, the gambling that accompanies most fights is not, and illegal cock fights are routinely raided in Vietnam.

We came across a building with a large photo of Ho Chi Minh along with a red sign with gold lettering that indicated that this was an official government building.  Andy explained that this was the equivalent of a USA community center and it was used for local meetings and other events.  There was also an exercise facility inside with some basic cardio equipment and weights that required a membership that cost about $10 USD per month.

Above the streets were a haphazard web of electrical wires that were used to provide power to shops and apartments.  Apparently whenever a wire malfunctioned they would string new wire as it was easier that trying to find the break.

Andy led us inside the common areas of a typical Saigon apartment building.  We climbed up to the fourth floor – no elevators – and noticed wooden planks running across the steps.  These planks allow people to ride scooters up the stairs, so they can park them inside their apartments or right outside their doors.

We spent about 90 minutes wandering around this area before we met our driver once again and headed to a local restaurant for lunch.  Andy took us to a nice restaurant, Quan An Ngon 138,   near the Independence Palace museum that he said served local dishes.  Andy ordered a variety of dishes for us to share and he explained each dish as it was served.  We enjoyed a Vietnamese Pancake, Broken Rice with grilled pork and two bowls of PHO – (pronounced FO-Ah) along with a salad.

As we were wrapping up lunch we ran into a few people from the Amsterdam who took the $59 shuttle to Saigon to tour the city on their own.

Ho Chi Minh Airport

It took about 20 minutes to get to the airport and we arrived about 1:45. Checking in took another 20 minutes.  Going thru immigration took 8 minutes and security took another 8 minutes.  We were flying to Siem Reap on Vietnam Airlines, which is part of Delta’s Skyteam, so we were able to access some of the Sky Priority Lines, which probably cut some of our waiting times in half.

To summarize, it took about 45 minutes to get from the curb to the lounge.  I would add about 15 minutes if you didn’t have status and had to wait in all the normal lines.

We started to board our flight about 30 minutes before our scheduled take-off time and we pushed back 6 minutes early.  The flight boarded more quickly that USA flights because many of the passengers didn’t have any carry-on luggage so there was less time spent waiting for people to muscle luggage into the overhead bins.

Shortly after takeoff, the flight attendants passed out Cambodian Immigration and customs cards.   The forms were in English and easy to understand.

Siem Reap

We landed a few minutes early and taxied to our parking spot.  There aren’t any air stairs connecting the aircraft to a terminal building, so everyone gets off the plane using portable boarding stairs and then walk outside until you get to the terminal building.

Once in the terminal building you will see a sign with three arrows:

•  Visa on Arrival – straight ahead
•  Transit Passengers – to the right
•  Passport Control – to the left

If you already have your VISA from the eVisa system you can proceed directly to the immigration officials seated in a line of booths off to your left.  There weren’t separate lines for Cambodian citizens or anyone else so pick whatever line appears to be the shortest.  We arrived at the same time as several other planes so the lines for immigration were probably about 30 people in each of 10 lines.  The wait turned out to be about 45 minutes.  At one point we were approached by someone who offered to expedite our passage thru immigration for a fee of around $10 per person, which appeared to be negotiable.  We weren’t sure about the legality of this service, so we elected to wait in line.  We did see some large tour groups get escorted thru a separate gate and we heard, but can’t confirm, that this group paid $15 a head for priority service.  If you sit toward the front of the plane and have an eVisa, walk fast to the terminal and your wait to clear immigration should be less.

After immigration, you must pass by a customs official who will collect the customs declaration you completed while on the plane before landing.  Once you clear customs and leave the terminal building you will find a line of people from taxis and hotels holding signs with various names.  If you have a prearranged transfer, this is where you will find your driver.  If you don’t have a prearranged driver, you will be able to find someone who will be more than happy to help you get to your hotel.

We quickly found our representative from the Golden Temple Residence and he phoned our driver who arrived in a few minutes.  Once in the van we were offered cold beverages as we sped off for the 20-minute drive to our Hotel.

Golden Temple Residence

The lobby for the hotel is covered, but while open to the elements remains surprisingly cool, despite the higher temperatures on the street.  We were seated on comfortable chairs to complete our check in process and get an orientation to the hotel’s many amenities and features.  I called our guide, Rin Nom, who came over to the hotel, so we could discuss our plans for the next day.  We were able to make some adjustments to my preliminary schedule based on his extensive experience.  The most important decision is whether you will view Angkor Wat at sunrise and if so, from what vantage point.

The most popular spot to view sunrise is adjacent to the north reflecting pool inside the Angkor Wat Compound.  This spot will be crowded with people jockeying for position and some people arriving an hour before sunrise to get a prime spot.  We elected to go to a spot outside the main compound, which we felt was a good compromise, between arrival time and crowds.  There is a map on the blog showing the choices.    Do some Google Searches for Angkor Wat sunrises and you can decide for yourself if the difference is worth the extra hassles.   Keep in mind that the rising sun is usually hidden by an agricultural haze and doesn’t come into sharp focus until it is higher in the sky than you may expect.

Based on my previous visit, we decided to end our touring the first day at noon and relax in the hotel for the remainder of the afternoon.  On our second day, we would start a little later – 7 AM – and end our touring around 1 PM.  The weather is so hot and humid that the enjoyment of touring late into the afternoon goes way down and you can’t really enjoy much of what you are seeing.  If you have limited time, you may want to stay busy all day, but brace yourself for hot, humid conditions in the afternoon.

We agreed to meet Rin Nom at 5 AM and headed off to dinner in the hotel, which was included in the room rate, and watch a traditional Apsara Dance.  You will inevitability have an opportunity to see the same show at almost any hotel in Siem Reap.  The show consists of 6 traditional dances and if you are interested, you can find more information about these performances on the You Tube.  Here is a copy of the program.

Our 4:30 AM wakeup call would come soon so we headed off to our rooms to get some sleep.  The rooms are first class all the way, with large bathrooms.  The internet is free and very fast.  There were plenty of electrical outlets (220 volts – euro style plugs) and a nicely stocked mini-bar.

This entry was posted in 2018 Grand World Voyage, Asia, Cambodia, Phu My (Saigon), Siem Reap, Uncategorized, Vietnam

• Angkor Wat
• overland