Saigon’s Hidden Treasures By Scooter

Saigon’s Hidden Treasures By Scooter
From US$50
Duration Half Day

TOUR INFORMATION

Go beyond the typical tourist attractions and go off-the-beaten-path sights in Saigon. Get to experience the real life in the city as you wander down narrow streets, discover the hidden gems and check out local markets.

 What’s Included

  • Minimum 2 persons
  • English speaking local guide
  • Entrance fees for all visits as mentioned in the itinerary
  • Scooter with private driver (helmet provided)

What’s Not Included

  • Other meals than mentioned
  • Other services than mentioned
  • International and domestic Flights
  • Laundry, telephone calls and expenditure of a personal nature
  • Tips, Travel insurance

TOUR MAP

ITINERARY BY DAY

Saigon’s Hidden Treasures By Scooter

Meet your local guide at your hotel and drive together to Chinatown, where you’ll stop at a Fruit Market. Enjoy a fruit tasting while you head towards Le Quang Sung Street, a must visit street for understanding Vietnamese life. It is the only place in town where they sell wedding betel and areca. Betel leaves, Areca nuts or Areca nut flower are very important in Vietnamese marriage ceremony.

Learn about Vietnamese & Chinese communities as you head to iconic Binh Tay Market, known for its beautiful Sino-French architecture. Wander around and take in the views of food stands, while you can ask your local guide to tell more about local’s lifestyle.

Next stop is Cha Tam Church, built around 19th century. This decaying light-caramel painted church exudes a sleepy, tropical feel. After hearing the local stories about the temple, continue to other markets like Kim Bien and Dai Quang Minh. Dai Quang Minh Market is heaven for Saigon creatives since it is full with shops that sell countless accessories for sewing and crafting.

Continue your journey to other beautiful temples where you and your group can adopt traditional gestures by making wishes for good fortune. Absorb the sacred atmosphere of the Thien Hau Temple, a revered structure built in the 19th century and dedicated to Thien Hau, goddess of the seafarers.

Time for a coffee break at one of oldest cafes in town, Cheo Leo. The place was founded by Vinh Ngo in 1938 and now it’s run by Ngo’s eldest daughter. She still brews the coffee in a traditional way, with an old-fashioned cloth strainer and a clay pot.

Finish your tour with a visit to Ban Co Market, a place where only Vietnamese go. The markets it’s full of stalls with clothes, jewelry, handbags or food. And how great it is to have your own private host! Nobody here speaks English, so either practice your Vietnamese or let your host do all the talking. Head back to the meeting point together with your local guide and say your goodbyes before you leave.

TOUR NOTES

Note: the tour is offered on a join in basis, so there may be other guests joining you on the tour. Our maximum group size is 8 people. For guests that do not want to go in a group, we also offer a private tour option for an extra charge.

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8 thoughts on “Saigon’s Hidden Treasures By Scooter

  1. Maryland Maryland says:

    Saigon Escorted Tour. Great!!!!!!!!!!

    We chose the evening tour from 5:30pm – 9:30pm, and it was, without doubt, the highlight of our stay in Ho Chi Minh City! It is an adventure of food and fun of getting to know the ‘real’ Ho Chi Minh City of hanging out in the best eateries…. and hanging onto the Detoured Asia. I had experience on motorbikes it was a first time experience for me. Right from the start I felt safe and comfortable – even in the Saigon traffic. The drivers are safe and you really feel part of the frantic traffic as you head off to experience the street food which is absolutely delicious. We have been on many different kind of tours over the years and in our experience, the great attitudes of Yen and Huyen really made a great tour concept even more exceptional. I really enjoyed it. Nice way to see city, eat delicious food I wouldn’t have known about otherwise and get to know some locals.

    All of the tour guides were amazingly friendly and helpful. I don’t know when I’ve ever felt so welcome or had so much fun. Very authentic and professional. The girls who took us around totally made it! Would be the first thing I do in Saigon again, 100% recommended!!

  2. Anton G Anton G says:

    Very safe, fun and a great way to see Saigon!

    Joseph very efficient when I inquiry with him about the tour via Facebook as I didn’t receive a reply through my email (think it got into junk!). But everything went accordingly as planned and my friends and I enjoyed the tour so much! Mr. Sau and his colleagues came to pick us up at our apartment even tho it was pretty far (District 2) then we started our tour for the day. We rode through the different districts, went to their local wet markets, went through small alley ways, got to see where their locals live and also got to try authentic Vietnam coffee (from their local coffee shop) – which was REALLY good and probably the best coffee I’ve ever had in my life. And then we ended the tour with a good bowl of Pho.

    My friends and I were really pleased with the service as Mr. Sau and his colleagues were really informative and funny! But most importantly, the entire bike ride was really really safe ? Upon finishing the tour, we asked Mr. Sau where to get good fresh spring rolls and he kindly offered to get one of his colleague to go down the streets to get it for us so that we can have it as tea break when we reach our apartment. They were all really thoughtful and flexible the entire tour. I would really highly recommend this for my friends and might even go for this tour again if I ever visit HCMC! Thank you so much Joseph, Mr. Sau and colleagues for this wonderful experience.

  3. Ruth H Ruth H says:

    Exploring the beauty of Vietnam with Scooter

    This was my first trip to Vietnam and I wanted to see and explore as much of this beautiful country as possible.

    My Saigon city tour with scooter tours was fantastic. My beautiful guide Trang speaks excellent English which for me was a great plus as my knowledge of the Vietnamese language is quite limited. I was a little bit worry at first travelling on the back of a motor bike but Trang’s beautiful smile and friendly conversation soon put me at ease. Trang took me to many lovely places and answered my many questions about Vietnamese life and culture. I saw many interesting places, and tasted the many different street foods not just in Saigon.

    I also toured Da Lat, traveled up the Mekong river, toured the Mekong Delta and visited the fish market’s and many other places. The beautiful escorts are all very experienced motor cyclists, so your safety is assured. The ladies are great guides and lots of fun to be with. Trang is not only wonderful company, she also has a fantastic sense of humor.

    If you’re visiting Saigon for a short or longer stay then a visit to Detoured Asia is a must if you want to experience the true culture and beauty of Vietnam. I am returning to Vietnam and will continue to explore this beautiful country with Detoured Asia.

  4. Klawbaugh Klawbaugh says:

    Excellent Way to See and Experience Saigon!

    Outstanding service with very personable guides who speak excellent English and pick you up and drop you off at your hotel We did two different tours with this company. Sophie and Kent were our fun and very informative guides (who spoke excellent English) on a half-day scooter city tour. We visited a variety of places outside the backpacker tourist area. And what a great way to experience the crazy Saigon traffic! I felt safe the entire trip. We also did the city food tour with Sunny and Ryan, and again it was an excellent way to experience the city and it’s food at out of the way local eateries. I can’t recommend these tours with Detoured Asia enough! A must-do experience!

  5. Ashley D Ashley D says:

    Saigon Unseen was seen

    I’ve been all around the world and have seen a lot of buildings and attractions so I like to focus on more local customary sites including interactions with people in various aspects of local life. This is why I chose this tour.

    They could not have found me a better person for the Tour than Thao. She was easy going, always helpful and made sure I saw what I wanted to see. I thought we would be popping wheelies all around the city, sitting on the back of a motorbike being twice her weight but she managed to maneuver my mass deftly, smoothly and effortlessly around the city.

    Interesting aspects of my trip were viewing temple services, seeing huge paper statues, walking the market and eating at local a vegetarian restaurant. The highlight of my tour was sitting down in the market with a vendor and her regular customers, that had been there making this local drink for 35 years. We were talking and joking through my trusted interpreter Thao who whispered furtively to me the appropriate Vietnamese phrases I needed to keep the conversation going.

    I sometimes travel solo and feel like a stranger in an unfamiliar city but Thao made me feel very comfortable touring with her and it felt she was more like a travel buddy than a tour guide.This aspect made the tour so much more memorable and enjoyable.

  6. Raqalex C Raqalex C says:

    Explore Saigon By Scooter

    Four of us did 2 of their tours. We enjoyed both and and learned a lot about Saigon. The first day we took the “Exploring Saigon Sights & Local Street Food” tour. We each rode on the back of motorbikes driven by young local women. Saigon streets are packed with motorbikes and riding through the city traffic, seeing shops, restaurants, pagodas, and people gave us a real feel for the Vietnamese city culture. Our guides, Trang and Yen, were fun and informative.

    We stopped for street food twice. First we ate the very popular and Vietnamese “crepe” named Bahn Xeo at our first street food stop. Before eating we got a quick look at the recipe and preparation of this tasty treat. Later on the tour we stopped for BBQ “baby bird” and “chicken feet”… fun and very good. The second day we went on the “Karaoke Tour”. Karaoke is popular in Saigon. We began with a “Lau De” dinner which is a really flavorful noodle soup. At the Karaoke bar our guides led us in singing and dancing and generally enjoying an evening at a spot we would never have discovered on our own. We had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat.

  7. Kerryn P Kerryn P says:

    Great Tour in Ho Chi Minh City

    We wanted to fill our last morning in Ho Chi Minh doing something special and these guys made it extremely special. At our initial early morning meeting they questioned us hard on what we had already seen then proceeded to take us on a wonderful trip. Seeing the city as a local and visiting some of the less seen sights was brilliant. Doing it from the back of a. Moped in the rush hour even better. And the highlight of our tour was the coffee shop or was it the flower market or…. a memorable morning in the compan of two extremely friendly and knowledgable guides that we will remember for a long time to come. Thank you guys for the tour, the memories and the photos!

  8. Avatar Kim Graham says:

    Simply Amazing way to see Saigon

    Joseph was amazing and tailored our tour to fit my 80 year old mother and her mobility issues. He is a very thoughtful guide and passionate about Saigon/Ho Chi Minh city. At the end of the tour he even arranged to have special items sent to our hotel that he took the time to source himself. Very considerate and reinforced our positive feeling about the entire country before leaving. It really is a great introduction to a very hectic city that requires an insider to help navigate.

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