Hi has anyone been able to organise a tour to Long Tan from HCM city whilst in Vietnam?
Also any tips whilst travelling the country would be greatly appreciated
Cheers. Hol
Vietnam Trip to Long Tan
Hol on 29/03/2023 - 08:29
Comments
Klook or as @singlemalt72 mentioned
Or OP could google, but that be hard work.
From ChatGPT
Yes, it is possible to organize a tour to Long Tan from Ho Chi Minh City while in Vietnam. There are many tour operators in Ho Chi Minh City that offer Long Tan tours. You can find them by searching online or by asking for recommendations from your hotel or other travelers.
When traveling in Vietnam, here are some tips to keep in mind:
Be prepared for the weather: Vietnam has a tropical climate, which means it can be hot and humid throughout the year. Make sure to pack appropriate clothing, sunscreen, and insect repellent.
Respect local customs: Vietnam is a culturally rich country, and it is important to be respectful of local customs and traditions. For example, when visiting temples or other religious sites, dress modestly and remove your shoes.
Be cautious when crossing the street: Traffic in Vietnam can be chaotic, and crossing the street can be challenging. Look both ways and try to cross when there is a break in traffic.
Try the local food: Vietnam is known for its delicious cuisine, so be sure to try some local dishes while you are there. However, be cautious about street food and make sure to eat at reputable restaurants.
Learn some basic Vietnamese phrases: Knowing a few basic phrases in Vietnamese can be helpful when traveling in the country. Locals will appreciate the effort, and it can make communication easier.
"Wait for a break in traffic" - that ain't gonna happen on a lot of streets in the busier cities. You can pick better times to do it but to cross the road in Vietnam you need to get comfortable with the concept of walking through traffic while it goes around you. Just don't stop. Everyone is expecting you to keep moving and they'll calculate how to miss you based on that. ;)
Like anywhere, watch the locals do it and copy their approach.
As old GPT suggests, never assume the direction of traffic or where they're driving. Motorbike's are the bulk of the traffic and those riders will generally go anywhere they please, i.e. along the footpath, across the footpath (to get to parking), the wrong way up a one way street, the wrong way on the wrong side of the road. Pedestrians do not have the right of way. Red lights are generally obeyed… but they'll sneak through if they can and if someone else does it first.
I disagree with the street food suggestion.
Your own hygiene around having clean hands and face is more the issue with eating street side. You'll find some great food at road side shacks and stalls - the coffee usually great too. When you get away from the tourist areas you'll see plenty of road side options and the locals use them.
There are an endless amount of good restaurants for just about any styles. I'm biased but HCMC does seem to have it in spades with styles and quality. Servings sizes tend to be modest for Vietnamese dishes. Pick up the dish names and you'll notice lots of places offering staples like com tam and Sườn Nướng (I'll use the right letters ;) ) - you'll pick it on street and footpath signage. There's more to soups than Pho too - try Bun Bo Hue as the best example.
Just as a side note and with utmost respect - some of the best Pho you'll get in the world is in the Vietnamese areas of Sydney and Melbourne. But I'm nit picking really, it's generally all good.
If you like a beer, look up Bia Hoi. I think you tend to see it up north more than south.
My tips:
- Appreciate what the people of Vietnam went through during the decades of wars. It wasn't 'the Vietnam War' with only the USA and Australia.
- Be respectful of people; I don't try to bargain on most purchases (I've witnessed a tourist from USA getting really agitated over a discount of the equivalent of $1). If you aren't happy with the price you will probably find a better price down the street.
- The fresh beer is freshest in the morningi haven't been tho VN for a very long time.
But you find that vendors will charged more for tourist than locals. Even if you can speak Vietnamese, if you not local, you still considered a tourist.
If your aware of what the local price is then you should be prepared to haggle prices.If your aware of what the local price is then you should be prepared to haggle prices.
You do you, but surely you would factor in what the local income is as well?
If you are asked to pay the equivalent of a couple of $ more for something authentic, is it worth the disrespect and embarrassment?Haggling over price is part of the custom (except at fixed price shops) so should be done. But as you say, dont get hung up over that last few dollars.
@Hellfire: this!
Especially at the markets. When they see a foreigner, they raise the price by 10 fold.
Rule of thumb for these markets is to immediately cut the asking price by at least 70%. Then negotiate - you will end up somewhere in between.
I get GG57's point though and I won't sweat over nickel and dimes but i'm not ready to be fleeced either. Plus they think you're a dummy if you agree to their initial asking price.
actually it's more insulting to the buyer if you know what the local prices are. I go shopping with my family and when i ask for price ( but not to the knowledge of the seller) another family member asks why is it more for me? and they drop the price straight away. If it a fixed price ( hardly anything has a listed price) i don't have a issue with that.
We went through these guys once we landed in Ho Chi Minh
Mr Thomas was always so good to us whenever we went to Vietnam.
Hi Hol. I did the trip to the old base and Long Tan in 2009 and had a good result organising it. I'd recommend using a tour company that knows the site and history so you'll get a better experience - for example, they keep the brass plaque from the Long Tan cross at the local political office / police station so your tour people need to know how to collect it before hand so they can put it on the cross while you're there.
I used www.vungtautourist.com.vn and looks like they're still around. I organised it from Australia and you should be able to do it easily in country too. Give them a call or drop them an email, details are on their website. They had a Word document with the itinerary, details from that:
"Old Battle Field"
Tourism schedule:
- Pick-up at requested place (within Ba Ria, Vung Tau) & departure to Ba Ria Town.
- Visit :
+ Nui Dat Base( Pearly Gate, RAA rocks, Kangaroo Pad, Luscombe Field……)
+ Long Phuoc Tunnel ( If requested)
+ Long Hai Hill
- Drive to Long Tan village. Visit:
+ Long Tan Cross
+ Gia Quy Mount (Horseshoe) .
- Parting at departure place, end of tour.Included:
- Transportation.
- Entrance fee, fresh flower.
- English spoken guide.
- VAT
- PermitPrices (this was 2009)
01Pax 88USD
02Pax 56USD/pax
03-04pax 42USD/pax
… up to…
27-30pax 18USD/paxThe guide we had was a local and had very good knowledge of the area. He knew the layout of the base and what parts of it were still there to be seen, he knew SAS Hill, could point out the old runway that they've built a village next to now, he even read The Ode at the cross after we put the plaque in place. It was just my wife and myself there with the guide, it was very unrushed. They waited while I went on a walk to the actual site where Detla Company were at, it's not far from the cross but I'd have to look that up again to get the location correct. The site is not marked.
These days the area around the Long Tan cross is a rubber plantation again, as you'd expect. It's actually quite a peaceful place.
As you'll appreciate, these are sensitive sites for the local authorities. They want to keep visitor numbers low and the tours respectful etc. We had zero issues with planning the visit or getting access, getting around etc. I've read that they restrict access to the site around key political events/dates.
As for Vung Tao - we got the ferry down there from HCMC. Those ferries were showing their age back then and they stopped the service not long after. If there is another ferry service these days I'd recommend looking into it. Sure beats all the horns and emergency braking you get on the bus tours on the open road.
Thanks for that great information I had googled a tour but not much came up.
Just another thought - Vietnam can be a noisy and busy place, but that can grow on you. It's easy to find quieter areas even in the big cities and after a while you tend to miss the bike horns and activity.
The bus and truck horns are another subject though. They're jarring.
For entertainment keep an eye and ear out for trucks/vans reversing. Instead of a boring beeper with their reverse lights they'll often wire in a device playing Lambada or some catchy and completely unrelated tune. It just adds to an interesting life.
Speaking of buses - don't take the first one you see. Ask about the style (sitting or sleeping / multi deck) and how many enforced stops. I'm not a fan of the buses in general but given a choice I'd go for a mini van with locals over the bigger coaches and I'd never do those multi-deck, sleeping buses.
There's a Vietnamese term for buses that make mandatory "eat here, shop here" stops - Jail Bus.
Flying used to be cheap and easy enough in VN. No idea how the prices look lately.
Thanks all for the advice
There are travel companies on almost every block in HCMC district 1 - just walk into any one and they will organise it, or speak to the desk at your hotel, they are more than happy to arrange any tours you want.