Do you know that other than booking your travel Wi-Fi router with Changi Recommends, the travel brand also caters for travel accommodations and itineraries bookings? We booked our accommodation in Seoul, South Korea, with Changi Recommends on our previous trip and this time, we booked our travel itineraries in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam, with Changi Recommends.
For selected cities like HCMC, Bangkok and other destinations popular with Singapore outbound travelers, you can book everything with Changi Recommends, making it a convenient one-stop agent for all your travel needs.
Upon booking, a confirmation email will be sent to you and you just have to follow the instructions per the email. Booking can be done via the Changi Recommends website or at their concierge counters at Changi Airport.
Tour prices are relatively inexpensive and comparable to the prices you get when you book directly with the travel agent in HCMC. As such, it makes sense to book via Changi Recommends for convenience and peace of mind for those who prefer to plan your itineraries ahead of your travel.
For both of the tours, they were hosted by TNK Travel whom I have toured with previously when I had booked tours in HCMC. They are one of the larger operators around and are professional with their services. The tour guides speak good English and they do not ask for tips nor bring you to dodgy tourist traps to buy stuff.
For Cu Chi Tunnel, this is my second visit to the relic site of the Vietnam War and it still is an interesting way to experience history when you physically go into the guerilla tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the war.
At just S$16 for a half day tour per person, including return transports, this is one of the most popular tours in Ho Chi Minh for a short excursion outside the city.
A must-do activity is to go inside the Cu Chi Tunnel and experience first-hand, what it was like for the Viet Cong guerillas hiding in these tunnels during the war. Some entrances to the tunnels have been widened to accommodate larger size tourists and there are lights along the way. Even with the improved conditions, you still feel claustrophobic for the short duration when you are in the tunnel and can’t wait to get out as quickly as possible.
The tour ended with a shoot at the range at additional charges. There are many different guns you can choose from, ranging from the M16 I am familiar with in the SAF and machine guns. This is priced at around S$20 per round of ammunitions.
For the full-day tour, we visited the Cai Be Floating Market and Tan Phong Island. The drive to the pier took about an hour plus from the city. The tour includes bottled water, boat rides in the Mekong Delta, an English-speaking guide, bicycle and kayak rentals as well as lunch and other light refreshments.
The tour starts with a boat ride down the river to Tan Phong Island. Along the way, you can catch glimpses of how the locals live and work as they go about their daily lives.
The first stop was a local market that sells local delicacies like coconut candies, crispy rice popcorn and locally farmed honey. You are invited to sample these and there is no hard-sale tactic to pressurise you to make purchases.
Next, we were each assigned a bicycle to ride around Tan Phong Island together with our guide. We rode through small villages and visited fruit plantations. This was followed by a kayak tour down the river.
I really like the cycling and kayaking activities as alternative ways to explore the countryside in Vietnam instead of riding in a motorised vehicle. These are more eco-friendly and more leisurely in pace.
Lunch was an assortment of home-cooked Vietnamese dishes including pumpkin flowers stuffed with meat and a rice wrap with a locally caught fish.
We were also serenaded with traditional southern Vietnamese folk music while enjoying some local fruits.
The best thing about this tour is that the price include pick-up and drop-off at your hotel. After a long day out, it feels good to be dropped off right back at your hotel doorstep.
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I suppose booking an entire itinerary would simply things, but I kind of like making my own so I can pick and choose what I want to do and where I want to go. Even though it takes like 10 times longer to do it myself... :P