Asia - 10 Hours in Saigon - Worth it?? What to Do??

The long and short of the story is that I am trying to pack as much into what could be my last journey to Asia for quite some time.

I have Hong Kong lined up for the Lunar New Year fireworks, then off to Saigon. I arrive at 10:30'ish PM and leave at 11:05AM enroute to Bali.

Long and short, where to stay (good/cheep/location) and what to do with such a narrow time.

Thanks as always

Vietnamese New Year (Tet) is celebrated at the same time as the Chinese New Year, so it's going to be very quiet the next day (or, in your case, night).

duplicate.

not good choices here.

you basically get to pick between staying near the airport where there isn't that much to see but you might get a little more sleep or staying downtown where there is more to see, but you have to get up earlier to get to the airport.

If i remember right, it's about half an hour from the airport to downtown. A little faster early in the morning, but if you have an 11:05 a.m. international flight, that means like a 8:35 a.m. taxi.

so unless you want to get up and walk from 7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., I'm not sure there's much difference.

HCMC will be shut down for lunar new year (aka tet) - can you re-route through Singapore?

Even Changi airport will have more excitement that particularly night. Stay in transit hotel and do some window shopping before your Bali connection (or try to get earlier Bali flight out).

According to the OP, they will be arriving the night before the start of TET. HCMC will be far from shut down that evening. There's a huge block party on Nguyen Hue in District 1. The close down the entire street and set up all sorts of little shops/food stalls. Starting the next day though, things will be pretty quiet.

That being said....traffic getting into downtown will be crazy. If it were me, I'd probably find a hotel near the airport.

My Singaporean friend told me that many things will also be shut down in Singapore starting on Lunar New Year. He told me to go elsewhere if I could.

According to the OP, they will be arriving the night before the start of TET. HCMC will be far from shut down that evening. There's a huge block party on Nguyen Hue in District 1. The close down the entire street and set up all sorts of little shops/food stalls. Starting the next day though, things will be pretty quiet.

That being said....traffic getting into downtown will be crazy. If it were me, I'd probably find a hotel near the airport.

My Singaporean friend told me that many things will also be shut down in Singapore starting on Lunar New Year. He told me to go elsewhere if I could.

My apologies, should have been clearer. Traveling, visiting new year's eve will be chaotic so I was suggesting that OP merely overnight at the Changi airport and then try to catch earlier connection to Bali.

I myself will be in Bkk working on that same Wed and had the option of rushing to Taiwan on a 6 pm flight arriving coincidentally same 10:30 pm or taking new year day's morning flight....decided the latter because arriving new year's eve will be just as crazy in Taipei.

POV

Not much sense of adventure here!

Think I'd get a hotel near the airport (Amara on Le Van Si is not far away)... Then get a taxi into the centre - be prepared for good-natured grid lock. See the Vietnamese do their thing around Nguyen Hue/Le Loi. Will be great fun!

Don't take any valuables... just enough cash to get yourself back. Return some time after midnight.

Not much sense of adventure here!

Think I'd get a hotel near the airport (Amara on Le Van Si is not far away)... Then get a taxi into the centre - be prepared for good-natured grid lock. See the Vietnamese do their thing around Nguyen Hue/Le Loi. Will be great fun!

Don't take any valuables... just enough cash to get yourself back. Return some time after midnight.

For me it's a lack of desire to hang out in another crowd in HCMC and get stuck in another traffic jam. I always leave Vietnam during TET.

Not exactly "cheap" but I believe the Parkroyal Saigon (formerly Novotel)http://www.parkroyalhotels.com/en/hotels/vietnam/saigon/parkroyal/index.html is very close to the airport.

OP is looking for entertainmnet not expensive hotels that will be about as exciting as Aberdeen on a flag day

What, if anything is going on the night of February 9th??

What, if anything is going on the night of February 9th??

The tourist restaraunts/bars will be open, but many other small shops close for the first 3-4 days of TET.