Vietnam

jqpooling

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Hi all, I would like to go for a trip to vietnam, free and easy, budget airlines.
I am thinking of joining a tour group when I am there. Dont wanna join the tour group here, feel that it is too rush. Recommended?

Any places to recommend? Going with a group of friends.
 

kokhong

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Hi jqpooling,

I've been to Vietnam twice, you need state more detail, area that you will be visiting?
Duration? first time going?

if first time i suggested you stay in one city neither Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City since communication will be a barrier to you. if you wan to travel outside main city to places like dalat or Hue, do some research first make sure you know.

For Ho Chi Minh City, visit Chi Minh Museum Reunification Palace Cu Chi Tunnels Notre Dame Cathedral Ben Thanh Market for example.
 
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jqpooling

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hey, thanks for the reply.

Yes, it will be my 1st time going. You went vietnam by following tour or F & E?? actually i dont have any area in mind. I am just gathering some info here and do some planning here before going there. Most likely, it will be like a free and easy back packing style of trip with my friends.

About duration? I dont mind going for 2 weeks. My budget is about $1000 for everything. is that possible? I dont expect 5 star hotel either. just a reasonable room will be fine.

Anyway, what is prawn and crab in vietnamese? I have allergy towards them.

Thanks man.
 

Lucidz

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wow, this is the wierdest thing. I overheard that my colleague is also going to vietnam with her friends soon too.
 

belgarathc

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I'm allergic to... = Toi bi di ung voi (doy bee zee urng ver-ee) ..
shrimp/prawns = tom (dohm)
crab = cua (koo-a)

Got these off lonely planet Vietnam. But I didn't include the Vietnamese Pinyin (not that I understand them).

$1000 inclusive of air tickets? If your air tickets are below $400, probably enough for 14 days if you stick to guesthouses ($10-$20) and cheap local tours.

I would recommend a visit to Sapa (Northern Vietnam). However, do check out the weather before planning your trip.
:)
 
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jqpooling

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belgarathc said:
I'm allergic to... = Toi bi di ung voi (doy bee zee urng ver-ee) ..
shrimp/prawns = tom (dohm)
crab = cua (koo-a)

Got these off lonely planet Vietnam. But I didn't include the Vietnamese Pinyin (not that I understand them).

$1000 inclusive of air tickets? If your air tickets are below $400, probably enough for 14 days if you stick to guesthouses ($10-$20) and cheap local tours.

I would recommend a visit to Sapa (Northern Vietnam). However, do check out the weather before planning your trip.
:)
lol, thought u are so fluent in vietnamese.. thanks a lot. but u haven answer my question. both trips that u went, both Free and Easy or tours?
 

jqpooling

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sorry, thought u are the kokhong, the 1st person who replied me. But this question is by all going and went vietnam before, you guys went or going with tour or F & E??
 

thuyngo

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No, you don't need Visa to go to Vietnam.
If you want some tips about Vietnamese, ask me. I'm Vietnamese.
 

absoluthal

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thuyngo said:
No, you don't need Visa to go to Vietnam.
If you want some tips about Vietnamese, ask me. I'm Vietnamese.

hmmm.....
where to book cheap but good hotel?
and places of interest to visit while im there.....
thanks.....
 

belgarathc

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I suppose you can call it free and easy. I did join a local 1 day tour to Tam Coc when I was in Hanoi though.

Singaporeans do not need Visa to enter Vietnam.
 

jamstart

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Vietnam is one of the ASEAN countries, maybe not many people know, Singaporean does not require any VISA if travels within ASEAn country.
 

galacticnick

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jamstart said:
Vietnam is one of the ASEAN countries, maybe not many people know, Singaporean does not require any VISA if travels within ASEAn country.

with the exception of myanmar
 

lestervan

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I am Vietnamese and stay in Ho Chi Minh City so just give u some infos if u wanna go HCMC.

With $1000, I think its ok for you in 2 weeks, lets say $400 return ticket + $50/day. If you go in group, I think hotels dun cost u much, since average hotels fee is about $12 to $20 only, and you can share 2,3, or 4 persons/room. For hotel booking, I think there's no need to book in advance, you can just go to the center and walk ard the Pham Ngu Lao Street, there are many there. U can book from this website also for budget hotels:
http://www.hostelbookers.com/

I love backpacking also so here are some infos for the backpacking, for the hotels and transport:
- From Tan Son Nhat airport, u can go by bus to the center, just tell them u go down @ Pham Ngu Lao Street (30 cents for the bus ticket).
- For going ard, I think since u go in groups, just share the taxi lor, taxi costs ard 1$/km (not very sure but 1$ is maximum already).
- For going to other provinces (assume u dun just stay in HCMC for 2 weeks, its damn boring in 2 weeks in HCMC), you can take bus (bus for province to province is different from bus within city, different vietnamese words also), or train.
+ For bus, its quite complicated, if you want to go South, you will need to go to province-to-province bus station for South-West routes, bus station for Noth routes if you want go North province. Take taxi to the bus station, buy tickets to go to the province tat you like. Price is from $5 (<= 200km from HCMC) to $20 ( $20 for going to Hanoi, 1000km+ from HCMC, not remember exactly).
+ For trains, you can book train tickets through agents ard ur hotel in the center, many Singaporeans going to Vietnam book through this one:
http://www.sinhcafevn.com/
price ranging from $5 to $60 depending on the province and type of trains, just ask the agents lor. but $60 maximum and from HCMC to Hanoi.

For the places to go:
- HCMC, I think you can search within this forums, many threads about places in HCMC, basically just historical places.
- I recommend some provinces from nearest to far, far away to Hanoi:
+ Vung Tau: got beaches, climb mountain to pagoda, seafoods, vung tau cafe!, Vung Tau hotels quite expensive from $20+ (can share of coz)
+ Binh Thuan province (Phan Thiet City): beaches (must go Mui Ne beach), again seafoods, got climb mountain also but not remember the name.
+ Ninh Thuan province: havent gone before, but basically beaches, more infos on hotels, places:
http://www.ninhthuanpt.com.vn/English/NinhThuan/du_lich/Index.htm
+ Khanh Hoa province (Nha Trang City): very nice beaches, must go Doc Let beach, vinapearl, waterfalls (not remember names), some historical places but i dun know loh.
+ Lam Dong province (Da Lat city): nice weather, mountain, waterfalls there, temperature always under 25oC, very chill, got fog, very romantic, waterfalls damn nice (not remember all names), Love Valley.
+ Dak Lak province (Buon Me Thuoc city): havent gone so no infos...
+ Da Nang: nice beaches and moutains, dun know much also liao.
+ Hue city: famous for historical places.
+ Ha Noi capital: havent gone before :p
In fact there are so many infos that I cant cover here lah, suggestions are get province map, map does show interest places, ask the hotel's reception for famous food at each province, and transport.
Btw, one more important thing is Vung Tau and Da Lat, there is no train as I know so far, so can go by bus only, for other provinces, theres train. If can go by train, better go since its more comfortable and can say safer, faster also.

If I remember anything else, will sure post here...
 

jqpooling

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hey thanks a lot man. that was really gd information. Really appreciate it.

How to say the following words in vietnamese?

1)Hello
2)Thank you
3)Bye bye
4)Allergic or allergy
5)Crab and Prawn

And erm any more useful words? haha maybe i love u? maybe get to know some chio vietnamese? lol
 

skilled

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1) xin chao
2) kum men
3) tam biet
4) dont know
5) qiab & tom

i love u..em you m

go cut your hair in HCM. nice experience hair salon

do not expect Ben thanh market to be like chatukchak. but theres more fake stuffs over in Vietnam. buy some food goodies back. Wooden ornaments are alot.

went over 2 times HCM, 1 time Hanoi already. Vietnam is really goin to be big.
 
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lestervan

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jqpooling said:
hey thanks a lot man. that was really gd information. Really appreciate it.

How to say the following words in vietnamese?

1)Hello
2)Thank you
3)Bye bye
4)Allergic or allergy
5)Crab and Prawn

And erm any more useful words? haha maybe i love u? maybe get to know some chio vietnamese? lol
1,2,3 as skilled said.
4: dzi ung
5: should be: "cua" and "tom"

I love you: if you are boy, its "anh yeu (somehow like "you") em", if you are girls, its "em yeu anh".

some other useful words I think:
- too expensive: "mac wa" - try to bargain when you buy, around 10% the price they give you. Anyway as my singaporean friends said, its very cheap already no need to bargain :D
- you are so beautiful: "em dep (pronouce it like dept without t) wa" :D


enjoy! u got time so should try Phan Thiet, Da Lat, or Nha Trang. Btw if you like coffee, try coffee in vietnam, I think its much better than coffee here :p. Try beer also, much cheaper.
 

skilled

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forgo bia 555. try hanoi bia.

Nha Trang should costs you ard 50USD to fly there. Try coffee anywhere if you like a richer taste of it. DaNang is flooded, i think. I just came back last week actually. Weather there is very irregular.

Dont let them quote u in USD. and bring USD and change at any goldsmith shops or within the airport itself. Btw, its the new airport. Looks nicer and similar to Shanghai International Airport

bargain 40% off 1st prices. and work slowly up.
 
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