A perfect respite from eight million mopeds and motorbikes: inside the Park Hyatt Saigon – a colonial-style grand dame in the heart of the historic city
MailOnline Travel's Fiona Hardcastle checks in... She reveals there's "colonial elegance in every corner". READ MORE: Inside an extraordinary 'polar bear' cruise to the top of the world By Fiona Hardcastle For Mailonline
'Welcome to Saigon Water Park!' » Hong shouts, beaming through the torrential rain as we briefly disembark from our scooters to wrap ourselves in serious raincoats.
With eight million mopeds and of motorbikes - 15 for each car - there is only one way to do Ho Chi Minh City in a day, according to my husband, it is to join the swarm of two-wheelers which roam its streets at full speed. speed by hooking up with a woman who knows all the best restaurants.
Thanks then to Uncle Ho for XO Tours, the first all-female motorcycle company in the Vietnam, which combines an exhilarating four-hour tour of the city (it was called Saigon until the Communist victory in 1975) with an insider's guide to the best local cuisine.
Hong Tong, the leader of our group, meets us in the lobby of our hotel, the colonial-style grand dame, which sits in the historic heart of the city.
With its chandeliered, art-lined lobby, lacquered desks, and giant vases of flowers, I look rather out of place dressed for adventure in combat and Zara sneakers. Not so Hong, who arrives in a smart uniform of a white silk tunic and smart teal pants, complete with a helmet and a megawatt smile.
'Welcome to Saigon Water Park!' » Hong shouts, beaming through the torrential rain as we briefly disembark from our scooters to wrap ourselves in serious raincoats.
With eight million mopeds and of motorbikes - 15 for each car - there is only one way to do Ho Chi Minh City in a day, according to my husband, it is to join the swarm of two-wheelers which roam its streets at full speed. speed by hooking up with a woman who knows all the best restaurants.
Thanks then to Uncle Ho for XO Tours, the first all-female motorcycle company in the Vietnam, which combines an exhilarating four-hour tour of the city (it was called Saigon until the Communist victory in 1975) with an insider's guide to the best local cuisine.
Hong Tong, the leader of our group, meets us in the lobby of our hotel, the colonial-style grand dame, which sits in the historic heart of the city.
With its chandeliered, art-lined lobby, lacquered desks, and giant vases of flowers, I look rather out of place dressed for adventure in combat and Zara sneakers. Not so Hong, who arrives in a smart uniform of a white silk tunic and smart teal pants, complete with a helmet and a megawatt smile.
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