When I left for Chau Doc from Ho Chi Minh City, it was my first time actually renting a private car for an inter-city trip in Vietnam. When I created my 5-day Vietnam itinerary, I knew that I wanted to spend two in Ho Chi Minh City, and then another two in An Giang Province before heading to Ha Tien to take the bus to Cambodia.
So in this post, I'm going to share my experience when I rented a private rental car with driver in Vietnam through G5 Car Comfort Car. So, let's dive deep into how it went and why I'd recommend it if you have an extra budget to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Chau Doc comfortably!
Ho Chi Minh City to Chau Doc: Why I Chose to Rent a Private Car
Some view on the way to Chau Doc.
I know, I traveled solo and all that… Why bother renting a private car, right?
Here's the thing, I got a discount from Bookaway and I thought, why not? After all, I would use some cheaper transportation options for the rest of my trip anyway. Besides, I really thought that renting a private car would allow me to have some flexibility in terms of where I could stop for maybe taking pics on my way to Chau Doc.
Besides, with my big luggage, renting a private car was really the most comfortable option that I got. I got picked up at Novia Hotel, so there was no need for me to spare some VND for a taxi to get to the bus station or anything.
The normal price for renting a private car through Bookaway was around $100 USD. I know it's quite pricey, but you can get 20% off using my referral link here.
The rented car that I used for Ho Chi Minh City-Chau Doc trip.
G5Car Comfort Car through Bookaway
Life is good from a passenger's seat.
When my booking on Bookaway got confirmed, I was a bit worried since I didn't know how I could contact the operator, which in this case is G5Car. The day before my departure date to Chau Doc, someone from G5Car reached out to me via Whatsapp to confirm my booking as well as my pick up time from the hotel.
Gao, the driver that I was with on my way to Chau Doc, arrived earlier than our estimated time of departure from Saigon. At first, I sat on the passenger seat, but on the way to Chau Doc I asked him to move to sit in the front so I could get a better view.
I was actually quite impressed with the car itself. It's Mazda A3, probably the fanciest car that I've been in since I get so used to Daihatsu Xenia and Toyota Avanza back in my home country Indonesia. LOL.
Gao doesn't speak English at all, so in the beginning, it was quite challenging to communicate with him. Especially since I traveled alone, it was just awkward to try not to make small talk along the way. But then, in the end, I found a way to have a little chit-chat with Gao: Google translate.
It helped me ask for a toilet break and even some stops for a coffee and snack. To be fair, as I checked the record of my conversation by the time I arrived Chau Doc, most of them were related to either my bladder or my appetite. Blessed.
Some sign on the way to Chau Doc.
Review: G5Car Comfort Car from Ho Chi Minh City to Chau Doc
They prepare a bottle of mineral water for each passenger.
It took us around 6 hours from Ho Chi Minh City to Chau Doc. We were off from Novia Hotel at around 12.30 and we arrived at my hotel in Chau Doc around 18.30ish. We only stopped a few times for a toilet break as well as snack and coffee time. However, due to the lack of communication, I wasn't aware of what area where we stopped or anything.
Besides, Gao wasn't really the kind of driver who was warm and welcoming. The whole trip, he was busy listening to his own playlist on his phone through his headset. So I was quite hesitant to ask around.
But other than that, I was happy with the service of G5Car in general. With Mazda3 as the vehicle, as well as the refreshment in the form of mineral water for each passenger.
The car is eligible to rent for up to 3 passengers, and they prepare a bottle of mineral water in each passenger seat. In my case, I got 3 of them since I traveled alone. Apart from that, they also provide wet napkins along with the mineral water. It was quite convenient.
Plus, since my destination was Chau Doc in An Giang province, we had to take a ferry boat twice. All fees were included through the booking on Bookaway, so we didn't have to pay extra for them. If anything, you could just spare some cash to tip the driver.
The wet napkin with the detailed information of G5Car.
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It was super convenient, because they picked me up at my hotel and dropped me off at my hotel in Chau Doc too. In fact, Gao even helped me contact the hotel in Chau Doc when we weren't sure of the address.
Since it's a private car, it was a plus point to have the flexibility to stop when we wanted to stop. Be it for a toilet break or simply just to take a picture.
This transportation option is suitable if you're a family traveling together. The car is enough for up to 3 adult passengers, and even more if you're petit.
The staff from G5Car was quite communicative. Although to be fair, I was a bit worried that they wouldn't contact me since they reached me out a bit late at 11 PM the day before my departure to Chau Doc.
All the fees are included, along with the ferry boat fees to get to Chau Doc.
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I know, $100 USD is a bit pricey. But given the idea that the journey takes around 6 hours, and you have the car all by yourself… The price is only fair.
I think the trip would have been more fun if the driver was more friendly and communicative. Not that I complained about Gao, he was fantastic. It was just since I traveled alone, it became a bit awkward to barely have anyone to talk to during the trip in 6 hours.
One of the ferry boats we took to get to Chau Doc.
Final Verdict: Is it convenient to get out of town with a rented private car when you travel solo?
The night view from the ferry boat that took me to Chau Doc.
Yes, it's definitely still more convenient than other options. If you have enough budget for it, I'd strongly recommend a private car still. No hassle taking your big luggage, or trying to find the address of your hotel.
For instance, we took 2 different ferry boats to get to Chau Doc. I'm not sure how it works if I take the bus, but with a private car, I only waited inside the car when Gao bought the ferry boat ticket, which was already included in the fee paid to Bookaway.
So yeah… When money isn't the issue, I'd definitely choose a private car over any other option to get out of the town around Vietnam.
Have you rented a private car to transfer to another city in Vietnam? Do you have any other car operator that you would recommend? Share your two cents in the comment, and cheerio! 🙂
Disclaimer:
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine. Also, this post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.
