Vietnam

ngandtk89

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Or maybe you can buy a sale tour in this website : hotdeal[dot]vn. They have a lot tour or hotel with a sale price. Very good. If you can book from your country, I'll have you :) No fee and just want you happy when you come here.
Welcome to Vietnam.
 

critical888

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grab a vietnam sim card locally in singapore, go there straight away find any info just use google to find, or google map to locate places, hassle free.. can even give friends /relative your vietnam fone number before you even land in vietnam..

just go hwz travel bazzar look for singapore vendor selling the sim card:
Travel Bazaar - www.hardwarezone.com.sg
 

audiovideo

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my viet friend said no need get sim card lah cos she always beside me :s13:
but if reach airport cannot find her how?
Just go to KFC to any fast food to get a drink and get free wifi to wechat whoever suppose to pick you up
 

Desmond_

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my viet friend said no need get sim card lah cos she always beside me :s13:
but if reach airport cannot find her how?
Just go to KFC to any fast food to get a drink and get free wifi to wechat whoever suppose to pick you up

interesting.... :s22: but the sim card there is not expensive :)
 

invisible999

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Kim is great, trust her!

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie and i'm from Vietnam, live in HCMC. If you want to go to Vietnam travel in this month. Don't. Because it's raining all time. Maybe next month, the weather is cold and sun is warm. And one more things you need to know, the restaurant in Vietnam don't always best. You need to try street food.

You can find some where for eat in here : foody[dot]vn or here : lozi[dot]vn. They have english version for you.

But local people always use this page : diadiemanuong[dot]com. They review any food they used, street food... Very good. I use it when i want to hangout with my friends.

Oh, if you want i help anything, when you stay in Vietnam now, pls call me anytime you want me help : 0938. 846. 510. I'll help you just like friend. No money or any fee. I swear.

And, welcome to Vietnam. If i have a chance, i'll show you another face of Vietnam. Very beautiful and very happiness.

Thank you so much.

Kim Ngan.


Hello everybody,

We are back to Singapore after our weekend trip in Saigon. After this message I contacted Kim because I always want to have a local connection to a new place and locals are best navigating you around.

What I can say - Kim is GREAT. She has lovely heart and charming personality. She and her friend spent two days with us, two strangers they never met - showing us around, taking us in places we would NEVER got there on our own. And she did it for FREE, not expecting anything in return.

I expect that Kim will be in much demand, so if you are planning to visit Saigon (and she obviously has time and energy) - contact her and she won't disappoint you.

DISCLAIMER: Once again - she is not a tour guide or representing an agency, rather she is a local which wants to make your visit in Vietnam rememberable. And I can tell - with us she definitely overachieved it.

I wish there would be more people in our world like her - probably our world would be much better.

Thank you Kim! And thank you Kevin!
 

invisible999

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Ok one more thing needs to be said. I would say this is assumed and reasonable person would not need to be told, but unfortunately there are number of people trying to take advantage of other people.

See, if someone spends their time for you, taking and showing you around and does it for free, be courteous and pay incurred expenses - transportation, dining or entrance tickets at sites.

I hope above does not need explanation/justification.
 

56mimosa

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Hello everybody,

We are back to Singapore after our weekend trip in Saigon. After this message I contacted Kim because I always want to have a local connection to a new place and locals are best navigating you around.

What I can say - Kim is GREAT. She has lovely heart and charming personality. She and her friend spent two days with us, two strangers they never met - showing us around, taking us in places we would NEVER got there on our own. And she did it for FREE, not expecting anything in return.

I expect that Kim will be in much demand, so if you are planning to visit Saigon (and she obviously has time and energy) - contact her and she won't disappoint you.

DISCLAIMER: Once again - she is not a tour guide or representing an agency, rather she is a local which wants to make your visit in Vietnam rememberable. And I can tell - with us she definitely overachieved it.

I wish there would be more people in our world like her - probably our world would be much better.

Thank you Kim! And thank you Kevin!

It is heartening to hear there is such kind soul around !

Thumb up for Kim and Kevin !!
 

56mimosa

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Ok one more thing needs to be said. I would say this is assumed and reasonable person would not need to be told, but unfortunately there are number of people trying to take advantage of other people.

See, if someone spends their time for you, taking and showing you around and does it for free, be courteous and pay incurred expenses - transportation, dining or entrance tickets at sites.

I hope above does not need explanation/justification.

And .... yes! It is good that you mentioned this. There are, unfortunately, lots of people out there who take things for granted. If it were me, I will insist to offer them a token as appreciation ( even though they may refuse ) on top of paying for the entrance, food and transportation.

Thanks for sharing invisible999 !
 

dleodleo

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Would like to ask all bros on this quote that I got from Vega Travel.

Total is 280 USD per person based on the following. Is it a good deal?

For the tour below:
Tour Itinerary

Day 01:

Hanoi – Lao Cai by night train
- 19:30 our tour guide will transfer you to Hanoi station for the 21h15 train to Lao Cai
- 8 hours sleep on the train
Inclusive services: Transfer and train ticket

Day 02:

Sa Pa Trekking to 4 villages: Ylinh Ho - Lao Chai - Ta Van – Giang Ta Chai village
6-7 hrs trekking throughout 4 hamlets - visit 2 different kinds of minority.
- 05h15 you will arrive at the last arrival station – Lao Cai station. Picked up and drive up to Sapa. First of all, get shower, luggage store and then enjoy breakfast
- Trek down to YlinhHo and Lao Chai village of the black H’mong people.
- After a picnic lunch, keep on alongside Muong Hoa stream, over suspension bridges to Ta Van village of the Dzay people.
- Keep trekking to Cau May (Rattan Suspension bridge) - Giang Ta Chai I. Visit and stay overnight with a local family of the Dzay minority
- With your tour guide and the house owners, we will set up a temporary cooking class to learn how to cook Vietnamese food for dinner.
- Enjoying your dinner and getting to know local typical traditional customs, cultural….
Inclusive services: Transfer, tour guide, home-stay permit and meals
(B + L + D)

Day 03:
Giang Ta Chai - Su Pan - Sa Pa
- 5 - 6hrs trekking with surprises at what you have never seen before
In the early morning you will be sure to be woken up by the households but lucky to see how is their daily life for a new day coming!
- Enjoy some pancakes made by your tour guide’s skillful hands.
- Start a new trek into Hoan Lien Son National Park by more stunning landscapes and other ethnic minority villages dotted further your eyes sigh. Visit Giang Ta Chai village of the Red Dao minority and then continue that trail to Su Pan village for lunch
- Enjoy magnificent view of Ba Ho valley or visit some local houses of the Tay and then a car to Sapa
- Check in hotel, free and easy in Sapa.
Inclusive services: Transfer, tour guide, Panorama hotel*** (Deluxe room) and meals (B + L)

Day 04:
Sa Pa sightseeing and Cat Cat village - Lao Cai - Hanoi
- In the morning: Visit Sapa market on way down to Cat Cat village, visit Cat Cat beautiful waterfall and the water power station built by the French in early 20th century.
- In the afternoon: Free and easy until 18h00 transfer down to Lao Cai station for the night train back to Hanoi – 8 hours sleeping on the train again.
Inclusive services: Tour guide, transfer, entrance fee, train ticket (same type) and meal (B)

Day 05:
Arrival Hanoi - Ha Noi – Bai Tu Long Bay - Ha Long bay - Overnight on Vega Cruise
- 05h00 the train arrives back Hanoi – you have to take your own way to Vega Travel where you can put down your luggage and take a bath in the meantime
AM
- Approximately 08:00 our professional tour guide and driver will pick you up the 3,5 hour drive through the Red River Delta to the wharf of Halong Bay
PM
- 12:00 – 12:15 Welcome aboard to cruise out to the Bay
- Sit back on the boat restaurant or the sundeck to relax as we cruise past the hundreds of islands and islets of Bai Tu Long Bay area that is lesser traveled by tourist and well-known for its magnificent seascapes
- Cruising and enjoying the first fresh lunch served by Vega’s boat staffs
- Turn right to reach the centre of Halong Bay for a visit to its largest cave called Hang Sung Sot (Surprising cave) for more or less 40 minutes
- Paddle in our 2-person kayak through a limestone Tunnel Grotto called (Hang Luon) into a lovely lagoon. You may even see wild monkeys playing on the mountain cliffs. Paddle along and through narrow passages to visit the Man head island, Butterfly cave and Horse Neck stone
- Spend more time in swimming from the boat or from your kayak in the emerald waters…
- Anchor in a tranquil lagoon among Bai Tu Long Bay, Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay for dinner and a peaceful night on the boat.
Inclusive services:
Sharing transfer in a minivan 16 seats and en-suite room on Vega Cruise, full-time English speaking tour guide, kayak, entrance fees into Halong Bay, meals (L+ D)

Day 06:
Halong Bay – Bai Tu Long Bay - Hanoi
AM
- 07h00 Wake up for a new day by Walking up 340 constructed terraced steps to the top of Titop Mountain to watch the sunrise over the bay. The 360 degree view is breath-taking from this peak with views of Halong Bay - Bai Tu Long Bay - Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Island National Park.
- Walk down to Titop beach, a naturally formed sand beach, for a refreshing dip in the bay.
- Afterwards enjoy breakfast on the boat while we cruise towards Lan Ha Bay, passing by the Pearl farming to listen to our tour guide explaining how the local people here raise and harvest pearls.
- Following this inner route will lead you through the most beautiful zone of Halong Bay including the Dog stone, the Fighting Cock islet, the couple islet, the 3 -tunnel grotto and the floating fishing villages and fish farms.
- If time and tide permit, we will stop for a while in a peaceful place for relaxation on the boat deck
- Enjoying our last lunch on the boat en-route heading up to Halong wharf
PM
- 11h45 -12:00 pack up and disembark then we continue our land driving trip to Hanoi
- Estimated to arrive in Hanoi between 16h30 – 17h00.
- We will drop you back to your hotels in the old quarter of Hanoi or Drop to Vega Travel office

Perhaps you want to email to some hostel in hanoi to check the price? Then from there do some calculations and compare the price?

You can negotiate with them too. So far i have asked a few B&B hanoi hostel and hanoi guest house travel rates is the best.

For my coming trip to Hanoi, I have booked with B&B hanoi hostel for my hotel stay in hanoi, train ticket to Lao Cai and 2D1N Halong Bay.

My Sapa hotel i will book separately and also i will trek Cat Cat village on my own which i have google and found it is actually a straight forward road.

I will post my trip report when i back. :)

Now the USD keep rising and rising...:s22:.. hopefully it will drop.
 

cobragold

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Data SIM card

Hi all,
I just came back from vietnam and have a vinaphone data sim valid till 29/11/14, it can be extended if required. It still has about 3 gig of data left on it. Anyone going there can contact me by pm, it's self collect at my place in tampines.
No money is required, but if possible please pass it on after your trip.
Thanks
 

juuzbe

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Hi all,
I just came back from vietnam and have a vinaphone data sim valid till 29/11/14, it can be extended if required. It still has about 3 gig of data left on it. Anyone going there can contact me by pm, it's self collect at my place in tampines.
No money is required, but if possible please pass it on after your trip.
Thanks

Hi bro,
may I ask normally how much does it cost to sign up 1 data SIM card from their airport telcoshop? TIA for advise.
 

cobragold

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Hi bro,
may I ask normally how much does it cost to sign up 1 data SIM card from their airport telcoshop? TIA for advise.

Hi,
I bought the data sim from the airport shop for 140 k, which is about $8.50 for 4gig of data and for 1 month. 1 gig would cost around 100 k, but I do not know how long. But easily can cover a few days of usage, all hotels over there have very hood wifi networks, some people do not buy but use hotel or shop wifi for use. Hope this helps you.
 
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|XterA|

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Guys. Hanoi or hcm more things to see? Sg to hcm is much cheaper than Hanoi. Or able to transit from hcm to Hanoi? Anyone did that before?
 

juuzbe

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Hi,
I bought the data sim from the airport shop for 140 k, which is about $8.50 for 4gig of data and for 1 month. 1 gig would cost around 100 k, but I do not know how long. But easily can cover a few days of usage, all hotels over there have very hood wifi networks, some people do not buy but use hotel or shop wifi for use. Hope this helps you.

Thanks bro. I will need the data on the move like going to places of interests, and don't think they have wifi there. Might need the wifi for navigation around too. hehehe.. my 2star hotel has wifi but from my past experience with this hotel, their wifi not so strong. Probably will get the 4gig type and hotspot with my family members. Will be there for 6 days next week. If any balance, maybe I can pass to any bro here who might need them later. :)
 

feralslash

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what nice beaches are near HCM? thinking of having a 3d2n weekend trip.
seems like only those resorts will have clean beaches (since they clean up the rubbish). public beaches likely to be more polluted?
 

suangern

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what nice beaches are near HCM? thinking of having a 3d2n weekend trip.
seems like only those resorts will have clean beaches (since they clean up the rubbish). public beaches likely to be more polluted?
Vung Tau or Phan Thiet...
 

thenakedshades

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Hi all,
I just came back from vietnam and have a vinaphone data sim valid till 29/11/14, it can be extended if required. It still has about 3 gig of data left on it. Anyone going there can contact me by pm, it's self collect at my place in tampines.
No money is required, but if possible please pass it on after your trip.
Thanks

hi, may i know what brand is your sim card? which airport did you get them from? and does it come with nano sim version?
 

juuzbe

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hihi... would like to know besides the airport can change dong currency..... the gold smith in Ben Thanh still able to do so? Saw some bros stated that its illegal to change there liao...wonder how much I need to change in airport.... wonder should I change all i need at airport instead. :s13:
 

Aaron_soh80

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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.

call chicken ar?
 
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