Tuesday, December 29 – In order to get to Cholon (Chinatown) we had to have help. We chose to take a metered taxi, since the guidebook suggested rides within town generally only cost a few dollars.
Well, not this one. The meter started where it was supposed to, but it seemed to climb very quickly. It wound up costing us about US$20 for the ride. If that were the price in Ottawa, we wouldn’t have batted an eyelash, but this is Vietnam!
We probably should have negotiated a price rather than relied on the meter. Oh well. Lesson learned.
We decided not to chance it on the way back to our hotel. The public bus terminal was right smack in the middle of Cholon and we had some experience with the bus. It cost us only about US$0.15 each to ride back to our area of town – and it was pretty much just as fast as the cab.
For anyone going to HCMC, it’s worth figuring out the bus system.
It’s a bit different from what we’re used to in Ottawa. Instead of paying when you get on the bus, you just go sit down (how civilized) and after a few minutes, once you’re had a chance to get comfortable, the bus conductor (who works alongside the driver) comes along to sell you a ticket. Nice system.
Of course labour is cheap and plentiful and so HCMC can afford to have two employees on each bus and enough busses running to prevent a “standing room only” situation – the norm on Ottawa busses – that would make it tricky for the conductor to do his job.
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