More things to do in Ho Chi Minh/Saigon? Longer term...

I (23.y.o female aussie) have been in Saigon for a couple of days, and my passport has been stolen. I was meant to be flying to India tonight, but it looks like I will be here for at least another wk, what with visa replacements, public holidays, etc etc.

I have done all the touristy things, walked over the central city (districts 1-6) 1000 times, treated myself to massages, been to the mekong delta, done a homestay, done a cooking course etc etc....

I was just wondering if anyone has ideas of more things to do, such as

- Getting out of the city on day trips (can't go to far as am reporting to multiple embassies etc)

- Anywhere out of the hectic centre of the city, ie where one could go

- Volunteering anywhere? Orpanages or schools?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!

For a day trip you could try Vung Tau. You get there by hydrofoil slong the Saigon River. You get tickets from the booths at the river front.

Not a bad idea, Vung Tau. Tickets cost about $8 one way and ride is about 1 and a half hours each way. You catch the boats at the downtown wharf, easy as pie. Here's a link to a review and and from there a link to Greenlines and Vina Express's sites, operators of the funky hydrofoils. The ride itself is a bit of an adventure, oweing to the age of the boats and apparent lack of maintenance on some of them anyway.

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/cbdf9/1665d5/9/

Please do others a favor and report how your passport was stolen. Sorry for your troubles, hope it ends well.

Re stolen passport, keep in mind that once you have obtained your replacement passport, if and when your Vietnamese visa was stolen as well, you'll also need to replace it to exit the country. Day trips: Vung Tau by hydrofoil and/or get out of the downtown area: the Cholon markets, Cu Chi tunnels -not my favourite, Saigon River cruise for starters.

The Water Park, with its pools and water slides, is worth a visit on a hot day.

Hey Danziella, I heard the night clubs were quite hectic. tried them yet? I'll be there next Tues/Wed.

The Christina Noble foundation works out of HCMC you could visit their orphanages to help out.