Asia - An extra 2 days in Saigon or Hong Kong?

I have a trip coming up next June that I am trying to finalize. I'll be spending 4 days in Bejing and then 4 days in Saigon. I have two days that I don't know where to go...The flight back from Saigon stops over in Hong Kong en route for SFO. The question is, do I:

- spend 2 days in Hong Kong and resume the journey back to SFO or

- spend an extra 2 days in Saigon and head straight back.

I've heard that Hong Kong is like any large "westernized" city - NYC, London. I'm not much of a shopper so, is it worth spending time there? or is Saigon the place to linger longer?

apples and oranges perhaps?

Thanks for any input...

I would venture that Saigon is a "three day city." You can see all of the major sights and fairly well experience the city in three days. That said, you cannot get out to the Cu-Chi Tunnels, the Delta region, or the nicer bits of the coast in three days, so if you're planning on that, you'll need more time. In addition, my three-day rule of thumb is based on pure tourist time. If you're there to meet family or friends, or to do business, that time needs to be deducted from the time you'll have for touring, which should be a net of three days. If you're a history buff, consider bringing a book about the war with you, such as those on the fall of Saigon, Robert MacNamara's book (low-quality bootleg copies are ubiquitous in Saigon but difficult to read), or perhaps the landmark biography of Ho Chi Minh published a few years ago in the U.S. I went to Saigon to experience the historical aspects of the city, and having a book enriched the experience. Above all, be sure to visit the Presidential/Reunification Palace; it was the high point of my visit; and beware that it's closed at least one day of the week (Monday, IIRC).

So, if you're just touring, the first four days you've planned for Saigon should be enough. There may be another factor here too. Reading between the lines of your post, it seems like you've never been to Hong Kong. HK is without doubt a city not to be missed. It has some aspects of "Asia lite," as your post surmises, though Singapore is the real champion of that category. You will find HK plenty Chinese. Similar to New York as a (post-)modern metropolis, but also radically different. You can easily spend more than a week experiencing Hong Kong--without doing much shopping. Since you seem a bit skeptical of HK as a destination, I'd suggest spending your two days there. The comparison to Beijing and Saigon will alone be worth it, and you can ask yourself the question: Did China absorb Hong Kong in 1997, or is Hong Kong slowing swallowing China? In any case, two days ought to give you enough of a taste of HK to decide whether you'll want to go back for more.

Thanks for the comments. You are correct that I've never been to HK and am a bit sceptical, but you make a good point about the opportunity to sample it for 2 days and see if I want more...

I'll head over to the Hong Kong forum for the "Hong Kong in 2 days" list of things to do...

Four days is plenty in Saigon. Even if you're not a shopper, 2 days isn't very long in HK, but it helps to appreciate a city that's like New York on steroids. Spend some time in Causeway Bay with, perhaps, an early morning walk through Victoria Park, and take the tram to Western.

I personally wouldn't miss a walk through Chungking Mansions, ground level, as a first time HK experience. Have a drink in the Regent, err, Intercontinental bar. Take the escalator toward mid levels. Walk along Hollywood Road and then back down through Central.

HK is one of the great food cities on the planet. I won't suggest where to go. There are plenty of opinions about that.

I don't think you need an extra 2 days in Saigon unless you want some pool time. Hong Kong is well worth a visit. We recently did a HK/Saigon and BKK trip- this was our second trip to HK. There are loads of things to do in HK but you could cover a lot in 2 days. It is so easy to get from one place to another as well- so no need for tours, just get a couple of good guide books

If you're looking to unwind after your business trip, then I'd say head to Mui Ne Beach east of HCMC or if you're looking to see/learn more about the culture, then I'd book a 2 day/1night Mekong Delta Tour. If you're 4 days in HCMC are working days, then you could easily fill up 2 days seeing the sights around town w/o leaving. It will be cheaper for hotels and food to stay in HCMC. Just remember it will be hot in both cities, but a little hotter in HCMC.