Southeast Asia Part 1: Brunei and Vietnam

Nha Trang, Vietnam

Brunei
The Celebrity Century docked in Muara which is a 45 minute drive from Bandar Seri Begawan (the capital of Brunei).

When I did my research for Brunei I had read that there would be limited taxis available to take passengers to Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB). To my surprise we encountered many private vehicles and taxis offering rides to BSB while walking away from the cruise terminal in Muara.

Map of Muara posted at the cruise terminal

We decided not to go to the capital of Brunei and chose to explore the area around the port of Muara instead. Since the majority of cruise passengers go to BSB the benefit of staying in Muara is you aren't surrounded by tourists. Granted there isn't much to see in Muara in terms of "tourist attractions" but I'm happy with seeing locals going about their daily lives in a new place. We made our way to Old Town Muara where the shops and bank is located. There are several supermarkets that sell unique snack items and cold drinks at very good prices. We bought some snacks and drinks from the supermarket and made our way back to the cruise terminal since it was extremely hot and humid outside.

Tip: The cruise terminal is air-conditioned and has free WiFi.


Vietnam
The ship made two stops in Vietnam: Nha Trang and Phu My (Ho Chi Minh).

Cable cars in Nha Trang to take people to Vinpearl Resort

The port of Nha Trang is a tendered port. As we got off the tender there was an outdoor market with several tables set up selling souvenirs a few feet away.

There were a lot of taxis waiting for passengers as they left the port area. I definitely learned the importance of saying a firm "no thank you" to the taxi drivers. I made the mistake of saying "maybe" to a taxi driver and was followed all over the city as I walked away.

While walking around the streets of Nha Trang I saw an alley of what I thought was a market. Turns out it was actually just the alley of people's homes. It was nice to walk through the alley and take a peek into what a local's home looks like from the gates outside.

Alley in Nha Trang

As the sun was particularly strong on this day my family decided not to make Nha Trang a beach day because we didn't want to become "lobsters" (having our skin burnt red). However, we still wanted to explore Nha Trang so walking to Vinpearl Land was our way of accomplishing that.

Vinpearl Land is where you can take the cable car to Vinpearl Resort. To get to Vinpearl Land we walked along the water and followed the direction of the cable cars.

Almost at Vinpearl Land

The entrance to Vinpearl Land has many park benches shaded by trees making it the perfect spot to cool off after the walk from the port. There also is a neat looking fountain to take pictures by.

Made it to Vinpearl Land!

Our second stop in Vietnam was Phu My (Ho Chi Minh). The ship docked in Phu My which is a 2 hour drive from Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). When doing my research for this port I found that the best price for a shuttle service to Ho Chi Minh from Phu My was through a Celebrity Shore Excursion called Saigon On Your Own.

Tip: Ho Chi Minh is easy to navigate on your own without a tour guide. Since we knew where the shuttle would be dropping us off in Ho Chi Minh we used Google Maps to plan out our day. We made sure we visited several of the major landmarks, architectural marvels and famous markets.

On the ride from Phu My to Ho Chi Minh we passed by a lot of motorists and rice fields. It still amazes me how casual the motorists are about driving in traffic. They weave around other motorists and people crossing the street with ease.

Motorbikes in action in Ho Chi Minh

The shuttle dropped us off at the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Notre Dame Cathedral

From there we followed the itinerary we planned out and walked from landmark to landmark. Our first stop was to see the Saigon Opera House.

Saigon Opera House

Next we walked by City Hall.

City Hall

We then walked into Rex Hotel (which is close to City Hall) to use their washroom facilities.

Tip: The cleanest washrooms in Ho Chi Minh are inside the malls and in fancy hotels.

From there we made our way to Saigon Square to check out the market. After wandering around the market for a little bit we made our way to Ben Thanh Market. This market is more crowded and popular with tourists than the market at Saigon Square.

Ben Thanh Market

On the shuttle ride over to Ho Chi Minh our tour guide mentioned the restaurant Pho 2000. It was made famous when Bill Clinton ate there in 2000. Since we were in the vicinity of Pho 2000 (located on the 2nd floor of a building to the right of the clock tower side of Ben Thanh Market) we ate lunch there.

Pho 2000

After eating lunch, we made our way towards Bitexco Financial Building (the 2nd tallest building in Vietnam). It has a helicopter landing pad on the side of the building and was quite the architectural marvel to look at.

Our final stop of the day was the Reunification Palace which was formerly the presidential palace. To get there we made our way back towards the Notre Dame Cathedral and Post Office.

Notre Dame Cathedral (left) and Post Office (right)

Reunification Palace

One final note: Crossing the streets in Ho Chi Minh is absolute insanity. The best thing to do is to walk at a steady pace as you cross the street and let the motorists weave around you. I have to admit I silently screamed to myself every time I stepped out onto the streets.


Read Part 2: Singapore here
Read Part 3: Thailand here

Sojourn to Southeast Asia

Have you ever experienced something really amazing and said "check that off the bucket list" even though it was never on your bucket list to begin with? Just me?

I've had some really memorable experiences where it never occurred to me it was something I wanted to try or was even a possibility to do in the first place. Examples include jet skiing in St. Maarten, renting a Hourstan Glascraft (a 16 foot, 50 horse power boat) to drive around the waters of Vancouver, and attending a lecture from the strength and conditioning coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

I caught myself saying "check that off the bucket list" again after getting up close and personal to an elephant in Pattaya, Thailand but I'll explain that in more detail later.

At the Elephant Village in Pattaya

My family and I booked two cabins on the Celebrity Century for a Southeast Asia trip about a year in advance. After several months of planning for this trip it was finally time for us to fly out of Vancouver to begin our cruise adventure. We embarked the ship in Singapore on February 22, 2015. Two weeks later we disembarked in Singapore and left with hundreds of video clips, thousands of pictures, and more than enough memories to last a lifetime.

Since there is so much to write about I will be splitting my experience in Southeast Asia into three parts:
Part 1: Brunei and Vietnam
Part 2: Singapore
And saving my best memories for last,
Part 3: Thailand

A Log Of Completed Cruises

As a passenger:
1. August 2008 - 7 night Alaska cruise on the Celebrity Mercury
Roundtrip Vancouver
Ports: Ketchikan; Hubbard Glacier (scenic cruising); Juneau; Sitka

2. August 2009 - 7 night Western Caribbean cruise on the Liberty of the Seas (RCCL)
Roundtrip Miami
Ports: Labadee, Haiti (private island); Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico

3. May 2010 - 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Solstice
Roundtrip Fort Lauderdale
Ports: San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Maarten

4. October 2011 - 4 night Bahamas cruise on the Norwegian Sky
Roundtrip Miami
Ports: Nassau; Great Stirrup Cay

5. May  2012 - 14 night Hawaii cruise on the Celebrity Century Read about it here
Roundtrip San Diego
Ports: Honolulu (Oahu); Lahaina (Maui); Kona; Hilo; Ensenada, Mexico

6. May 2014 - 14 night Japan (Transpacific) cruise on the Celebrity Millennium Read about it here
Yokohama to Vancouver
Ports: Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan; Hakodate, Japan; Sapporo (Muroran), Japan; Petropavlovsk, Russia

7. February/March 2015 - 14 night Southeast Asia cruise on the Celebrity Century Read about it here
Roundtrip Singapore
Ports: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Ho Chi Minh (Phu My), Vietnam; Bangkok (Laemchabang), Thailand

8. September 2016 - 15 night Bering Sea and Japan cruise on the Celebrity Millennium Read about it here
Read about my 5 day post-cruise experience in Japan here
Vancouver to Yokohama
Ports: Dutch Harbor, Alaska; Otaru, Japan; Hakodate, Japan; Tokyo, Japan

**Non-cruise trip**
1. September 2017 - 10 day East Coast Canada bus tour Read about it here
Provinces: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island


As a crew member:
1. December 2012/January 2013 - 2 weeks on the Ruby Princess
(2x 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise roundtrip Fort Lauderdale)
Ports: Princess Cays, Bahamas (private island); St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Maarten; Grand Turk, Turk & Caicos

2. June/July/August 2014 - 11 weeks on the Golden Princess Read about it here
(11x 7 night Alaska cruise roundtrip Seattle)
Ports: Juneau; Skagway; Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); Ketchikan; Victoria, BC

3. November 2014 - 1 week on the Crown Princess Read about it here
7 night Mexico cruise roundtrip Los Angeles
Ports: Puerto Vallarta; Mazatlan; Cabo San Lucas

4. December 2014/January 2015 - 7 weeks on the Sun Princess
(1x 7 night Tasmania cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Hobart; Port Arthur; Burnie; Melbourne
(1x 13 night Fiji and South Pacific cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Noumea, New Caledonia; Port Denarau, Fiji; Suva, Fiji; Savusavu, Fiji; Dravuni Island, Fiji; Lifou, New Caledonia
(2x 13 night New Zealand cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Fjordland National Park (scenic cruising); Port Chalmers; Akaroa; Wellington; Napier; Tauranga; Auckland; Bay of Islands

5. March/April 2015 - 4 weeks on the Regal Princess Read about it here
(4x 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise roundtrip Fort Lauderdale)
Ports: Princess Cays, Bahamas (private island); St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Maarten

6. June/July/August 2015 - 10 weeks on the Ruby Princess Read about it here
(10x 7 night Alaska cruise roundtrip Seattle)
Ports: Ketchikan; Tracy Arm Fjord (scenic cruising); Juneau; Skagway; Victoria, BC

7. November 2015 - 9 days on the Star Princess Read about it here
(1x 5 night Baja Peninsula cruise roundtrip Los Angeles)
Ports: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
(1x 4 night West Coast cruise roundtrip Los Angeles)
Ports: Santa Barbara, California; Ensenda, Mexico

8. December 2015/January 2016 - 5 weeks on the Sea Princess
(1x 11 night New Caledonia and Vanuatu cruise roundtrip Brisbane) Read about it here
Ports: Port Vila, Vanuatu; Mystery Island, Vanuatu; Champagne Bay, Vanuatu; Noumea, New Caledonia
(1x 14 night New Zealand cruise roundtrip Brisbane) Read about it here
Ports: Auckland; Tauranga; Napier; Wellington; Akaroa; Port Chalmers
(1x 10 night New Caledonia and Vanuatu cruise roundtrip Brisbane) Read about it here
Ports: Champagne Bay, Vanuatu; Port Vila, Vanuatu; Lifou, New Caledonia; Noumea, New Caledonia

9. March 2016 - 2 weeks on the Grand Princess Read about it here
(2x 7 night California Coast cruise roundtrip San Francisco)
Ports: Santa Barbara, California; Long Beach, California; San Diego, California; Ensenada, Mexico

10. June 2016 - 10 days on the Grand Princess
(1x 10 night Alaska Inside Passage cruise roundtrip San Francisco) 
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Icy Strait Point; Tracy Arm Fjord (scenic cruising); Victoria, BC

11. June/July 2016 - 3 weeks on the Coral Princess
(2x 7 night Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Vancouver to Whittier) Read about it here
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Skagway; Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); College Fjord (scenic cruising)
(1x 7 night Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Whittier to Vancouver) 
Ports: Hubbard Glacier (scenic cruising); Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); Skagway; Juneau; Ketchikan 

12. August 2016 - 25 days on the Sapphire Princess (Chinese Chartered Cruises) Read about it here
(6x 4/5 Night Japan & South Korea cruise roundtrip Shanghai)
Ports: Jeju, South Korea; Nagasaki, Japan; Hakata (Fukuoka), Japan; Kagoshima, Japan; Busan, South Korea

13. December 2016/January 2017- 7 weeks on the Emerald Princess
(1x 7 night Tasmania cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Melbourne; Wineglass Bay (scenic cruising); Great Oyster Bay (scenic cruising); Hobart; Port Arthur 
(1x 14 night New Zealand cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Bay of Islands; Auckland; Tauranga; Picton; Wellington; Akaroa; Port Chalmers; Fjordland National Park (scenic crusing)
(1x 8 night Tasmania cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Port Arthur; Hobart; Wineglass Bay (scenic cruising); Great Oyster Bay (scenic cruising); Melbourne (overnight)
(1x 11 night New Zealand cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Fjordland National Park (scenic cruising); Port Chalmers; Akaroa; Picton; Wellington
(1x 11 night New Caledonia and Vanuatu cruise roundtrip Sydney) Read about it here
Ports: Noumea, New Caledonia; Lifou, New Caledonia; Mystery Island, Vanuatu; Port Vila, Vanuatu; Champagne Bay, Vanuatua

14. June 2017 - 20 days on the Grand Princess
(2x 10 night Alaska Inside Passage cruise roundtrip San Francisco) Read about it here
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Icy Strait Point; Tracy Arm Fjord (scenic cruising); Victoria, BC

15. July 2017 - 3 weeks on the Royal Princess
(1x 7 night Greek Isles cruise roundtrip Athens [Port of Piraeus]) Read about it here
Ports: Katakolon (Olympia), Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Mykonos, Greece; Rhodes, Greece; Chios, Greece
(1x 7 night Mediterranean and Adriatic cruise from Athens [Port of Piraeus] to Barcelona) Read about it here
Ports: Santorini, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Messina, Italy; Naples, Italy
(1x 7 night Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Civitavecchia [Rome]) Read about it here
Ports: Cartagena, Spain; Gibraltar, UK; Marseille, France; Genoa, Italy; Livorno, Italy

16. August 2017 - 10 days on the Grand Princess
(1x 10 night Alaska Inside Passage cruise roundtrip San Francisco) 
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Icy Strait Point; Tracy Arm Fjord (scenic cruising); Victoria, BC

17. August/September 2017 - 7 days on the Sapphire Princess (Chinese Chartered Cruises) Read about it here
(1x 3 night Japan's Ryukuu Islands and 1x 4 night Japan's Ryukuu Islands roundtrip Taiwan)
Ports: Okinawa; Miyakojima; Ishigaki

18. November/December 2017 - 4 weeks on the Ruby Princess Read about it here
(2x 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise roundtrip Los Angeles)
Ports: Puerto Vallarta; Mazatlan; Cabo San Lucas
(1x 4 night West Coast Getaway with Catalina Island cruise roundtrip Los Angeles)
Ports: Catalina Island, California; Ensenada
(1x 10 night Baja Peninsula and Sea of Cortez cruise roundtrip Los Angeles)
Ports: San Diego, California; Cabo San Lucas; La Paz; Loreto; Puerto Vallarta

19. December 2017/January 2018 - 30 days on the Royal Princess Read about it here
(1x 10 night Eastern Caribbean Voyager cruise roundtrip Fort Lauderdale)
Ports: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis; Bridgetown, Barbados; Fort de France, Martinique; St. John's, Antigua & Barbuda
(1x 10 night Southern Caribbean Medley cruise roundtrip Fort Lauderdale)
Ports: Princess Cays, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Fort de France, Martinique; St. George's, Grenada; Kralendijk, Bonaire; Willemstad, Curacao
(1x 10 night Eastern Caribbean Voyager cruise roundtrip Fort Lauderdale)
Ports: Princess Cays, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis; Castries, St. Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados; St. John's, Antigua & Barbuda

20. June 2018 - 2 weeks on the Golden Princess
(1x 7 night Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Vancouver to Whittier)
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Skagway; Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); College Fjord (scenic cruising)
(1x 7 night Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Whittier to Vancouver)
Ports: Hubbard Glacier (scenic cruising); Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); Skagway; Juneau; Ketchikan 

21. July 2018 - 1 week on the Sun Princess See photos here
(1x 7 night Asia cruise Singapore to Taiwan)
Ports: Phu My, Vietnam; Nha Trang, Vietnam; Hong Kong (overnight)

22. July 2018 - 1 week on the Golden Princess
(1x 7 night Alaska Voyage of the Glaciers cruise Vancouver to Whittier)
Ports: Ketchikan; Juneau; Skagway; Glacier Bay (scenic cruising); College Fjord (scenic cruising)

23. July/August 2018 - 3 weeks on the Sapphire Princess
(1x 14 night Mediterranean cruise roundtrip Southampton) See photos here
Ports: Barcelona, Spain; Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; Livorno, Italy; Genoa, Italy; Marseilles, France; Gibraltar, UK
(1x 7 night Norwegian Fjords cruise roundtrip Southampton) See photos here
Ports: Stavanger; Olden; Geiranger; Bergen