Explore Southern Vietnam in 4 days and 3 nights for under 10,000 baht!
This trip was born from missing a promotional ticket to Singapore for the second time. So, I decided to plan a trip to another country that wouldn't require waiting for a promotional ticket. I ended up choosing "Southern Vietnam."
We have round-trip flight tickets for 2,609 baht. The outbound flight is with Jetstar, and the return flight is with Nok Air. (There are even cheaper promotional tickets available!)
Our journey begins at Suvarnabhumi Airport. As I was flying with Jetstar, I had to board my flight here. I took the opportunity to use my King Power lounge access.
This flight goes to Ho Chi Minh City, Gate F1.
Here it comes, it's an A320.
It didn't take long to reach Ho Chi Minh City.
First, you need to purchase a SIM card. We recommend Vinaphone's Unlimited 5 GB plan, priced at 100,000 VND.
The review suggested taking bus route 152 to Pho 2000, which costs 5,000 VND. However, since we left the airport at 7 pm, we thought route 152 was no longer running, so we decided to take route 109 instead, which costs 20,000 VND per person. As soon as we boarded the bus, we looked back and saw the 152 bus. We missed it! 5555
After about an hour, we arrived at the snake farm.
We opened the map to walk to the Futa bus lines to exchange tickets for the sleeper bus to Dalat tonight. We had booked online in advance and upon arrival, we exchanged the confirmation email for the actual tickets. We booked the 22:20 slot, which costs 210,000 VND per person.
Once you have your ticket, you will need to go and wait for the van on the opposite side to take you to the sleeping bus. You need to arrive 1 hour before your scheduled departure time, as the pick-up point is quite far away.
It was around 8 pm and we still had an hour to spare, so we decided to grab a bite to eat. When in Vietnam, you can't miss out on pho and Saigon beer!
Around 9 pm, we took a van to board the sleeping bus.
The interior of the car is equipped with water and blankets.
We arrived in Dalat at 4:00 AM. The weather was quite chilly. Upon getting off the bus, there were vans available to take us to our hotel for free. However, when we arrived at the hotel, it was still closed. The doors were locked and the lights were off, so we had to wait outside for a while. Luckily, an elderly woman came by selling sticky rice with some kind of pork and spring onions. We decided to try it, and the taste was quite unique.
After waiting for a while, I started to feel impatient due to the chilly weather outside. I decided to try calling out to see if anyone was around, and to my surprise, there was! 5555 It turned out that there was an employee sleeping downstairs. When the employee heard me calling, they came out and opened the door for me. Luckily, there was a room available, so I was able to check in right away.
We have booked the Tulip II hotel.
After putting my belongings in the room, I went downstairs to buy a one-day tour of Da Lat and a bus ticket to Mui Ne for tomorrow morning.
After that, I went out to find some food before starting the Dalat Tour.
To Dalat.
The Dalat City Tour starts at 8:30 AM and ends around 4:30 PM. A car will pick you up at your hotel. The price is 170,000 VND.
The first place we visited was the Bao Dai Summer Palace, the palace of the Vietnamese emperor.
Shoe covers must be worn before entering to prevent floor contamination.
The interior is divided into separate rooms, similar to a typical house.
Outside, there will be a horse waiting for you to take a picture with. If you want to take a picture on the horse, you will need to pay a fee.
The next is Sakyamuni.
The guide will then take you to sample coffee, tea, and wine. The most famous coffee is civet coffee, which is delicious.
Snacks are available to accompany tea and coffee.
The next stop should be the flower museum.
Next, we will visit the XQ Historical Embroidery Art Village, a center for traditional embroidery crafts. Here, skilled artisans create stunning works of art using intricate needlework techniques.
We then took the Robin Hill Cable Car to enjoy the view of Da Lat city.
Next, we will head to the Datanla Waterfall by roller coaster. Please note that the tour price does not include the cable car and roller coaster, which cost an additional 100,000 VND.
The guide initially intended to cancel the program due to the rain, but it seems that the tourists were insistent, so they went ahead with it.
It was a lot of fun.
The tour was originally scheduled to end at Datanla Waterfall, but we wanted to visit Crazy House as well. The guide kindly took us there. The entrance fee was 40,000 VND per person.
The interior features a winding staircase that spirals upwards.
Finished Dalat City Tour and took a taxi back to the hotel.
Arriving in Dalat, how could I miss the chance to try the local milk? (Let's see if I can find it, haha)
The taste is actually the same as our local milk.
As evening approached and hunger pangs set in, we found ourselves conveniently located near the bustling Da Lat Night Market. The abundance of culinary delights and trinkets made for an easy and enjoyable exploration.
There are many pizza shops like this.
The soy milk tastes just like home.
After wandering around for a while, unsure of what to eat, we came across a restaurant with a menu in English and a staff member who spoke Thai. We decided to give it a try. The restaurant was a tent set up on the side of the road and offered a wide variety of dishes.
This is a seafood tom yum soup, served with noodles similar to rice noodles but thicker.
Steak, please.
Seafood BBQ. This meal cost around 500,000 dong for 3 people. We are now continuing to Muine.
We have booked a car to Mui Ne through the hotel. The price is 120,000 VND per person. The car will pick us up at the hotel at 7:30 AM.
The journey from Dalat to Mui Ne takes approximately 5 hours. The route involves crossing mountains, and the road conditions can be challenging. If you are prone to motion sickness, it is advisable to bring medication to alleviate the symptoms.
The road is incredibly smooth, so much so that my shoes can't seem to stay put! 55555
We booked a hotel at Rang Garden Beach side in Mui Ne. Overall, it was okay.
We booked a private Jeep Tour for 4 people through the hotel. The cost is $25, or 560,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND). The tour is a half-day trip with two options: morning (sunrise) or afternoon (sunset).
Our belongings arrived at 1:00 PM, so we booked an afternoon session that would start at 2:00 PM and end around 6:00 PM.
The first place we went to was Fairy Stream.
Next, we will proceed to the fishing village.
Next, the highlight of Mui Ne: White sand dunes.
To reach the scenic viewpoint for photography, visitors can choose between an ATV or Jeep ride, both costing 300,000 VND per person. (This price is considered very expensive.)
Please note that it is advisable to wear long pants when going up to the top, as the strong wind can blow sand onto your legs, causing significant discomfort. Contrary to popular belief, the weather is not as hot as one might expect.
After the White Sand Dunes, we continued to the Red Sand Dunes, which was the last stop.
As soon as our car stopped, local children swarmed around us, offering to rent sand surfboards for a very high price of 100,000 VND each. We asked our guide to negotiate, and he managed to get three boards for 200,000 VND. Even then, it was clear that we were being overcharged.
After finishing the game, the child who brought us asked for a tip. We looked in our bag and found about 34,000 VND in change. So we gave him 24,000 VND. The children said it was "small money" and asked for more, so we gave them another 10,000 VND and then walked away.
Upon returning to the hotel, hunger pangs set in, prompting us to embark on a quest for a seafood restaurant. The delectable seafood, boasting exceptional freshness, proved to be a culinary delight.
The restaurant also offers lobster, but at a price of 800,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram, it was beyond my budget.
I ordered just enough to satisfy my cravings.
Today, I spent approximately 650,000 VND. This is my last day in Ho Chi Minh City.
Today is the last day. Let's start with breakfast from the hotel first. ^^
We booked a car from Mui Ne to Ho Chi Minh City at the hotel for 160,000 VND per person. A car will pick us up at the hotel around 9 am.
The sentence is already in English and does not require translation.
The journey will be on a sleeping bus, similar to the one from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat. The travel time is approximately 5 hours, and the bus will arrive near Ben Thanh Market.
We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City around 2 pm. Unfortunately, it was raining heavily, and we only had 5 hours before our flight. We decided to run and find a coffee shop to shelter from the rain.
As the rain began to subside, we opened Google Maps to plan our next move. Due to time constraints, we decided to visit only the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office. According to Google Maps, both locations were within walking distance, approximately 20 minutes away. However, since we had our backpacks with us, we decided to try hailing a taxi. The driver either did not understand English or found the distance too short, as he shook his head and refused the ride. So, we decided to walk.
Following the g.map directions, you will come across a church. However, the name of the church is unknown.
We arrived after a short walk.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Saigon Central Post Office
After strolling around for a while, we noticed it was almost 5 pm. We hailed a taxi to Ben Thanh Market for a bite to eat before catching the bus to the airport.
From Ho Chi Minh City (Pham Ngu Lao), we took bus number 152 to the airport. It cost 5,000 VND per person.
I've arrived at the airport, but I don't want to leave yet. TT
This concludes our first travel experience in Vietnam. We appreciate everyone who read our blog and hope that our travel information will be helpful for those who are planning to visit Vietnam. Thank you.
Total Expenses Summary:
Round-trip flight ticket 2,609 baht
A hotel in Dalat for 3 people costs 191 baht.
A hotel in Mui Ne costs 1,303 baht for 3 people, which is 434 baht per person.
Book in advance from Thailand for 3,234 baht.
Bus 109 from the airport to Ho Chi Minh City = 20,000 VND.
Sleeping bus Ho Chi Minh City - Da Lat = 210,000 VND
Da Lat City Tour: 170,000 VND
Cable car and roller coaster: 100,000 VND
Crazy House = 40,000 vnd.
Dalat-Mui Ne bus = 120,000 VND
Half-day tour to Mui Ne = 560,000 VND / 3 people = 187,000 VND
ATV rental at White Sand Dunes: 800,000 VND / 3 people = 267,000 VND per person.
Sand surf board rental: 200,000 VND / 3 people = 67,000 VND
The total cost was 1,286,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND), which is approximately 2,057.6 Thai Baht (THB) at an exchange rate of 0.0016.
The estimated cost of food and travel is approximately 2,000 baht per person.
The total cost of the trip was 7,292 baht, which is the sum of 3,234, 2,058, and 2,000 baht.
Note: If there are 4 people, the cost of the hotel and tour in Mui Ne can be further reduced (the divisor increases 5555) ^^
Prakan Wongsupa
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 11:17 AM