Vietnam

[kurtgoh]

this is what i have planned, after reading 10 pages of postings.

feel free to add pointers.

HCMC

shopping
• ben thanh market (shopping, eating)
• Binh Tay Market
• Saigon Centre
• Vincom Center

Sight seeing
• Vinh Nghiem Pagoda,(temple place)
• War Remnants Museum,( Entrance cost: VND 15,000) cu chi tunnel, book via Klook, involves a day
• mekong delta, book via Klook, involves a day ,VND 156,000 for a day tour
• The Independence Palace

Night activity
• Saigon skydeck VND 200,000, night time only.
• Starlight Bridge (Anh Sao Bridge), nearby got restaurants, relaxing

 

[Henabi]

Hello Henabi,

you mind sharing some itinerary for newbie who never step into Vietnam,
like where to go etc.
I'm thinking of visiting Vietnam for a long time, just fear the communication and safety.
just the 2 of us, my wife and myself
maybe some sight seeing, shopping and since you mentioned about having their seafood.

If fear communication, just use Google translate haha!

this is what i have planned, after reading 10 pages of postings.

feel free to add pointers.

HCMC

shopping
• ben thanh market (shopping, eating)
• Binh Tay Market
• Saigon Centre
• Vincom Center

Sight seeing
• Vinh Nghiem Pagoda,(temple place)
• War Remnants Museum,( Entrance cost: VND 15,000) cu chi tunnel, book via Klook, involves a day
• mekong delta, book via Klook, involves a day ,VND 156,000 for a day tour
• The Independence Palace

Night activity
• Saigon skydeck VND 200,000, night time only.
• Starlight Bridge (Anh Sao Bridge), nearby got restaurants, relaxing

Vincom is just like our regular shopping mall. Nothing spectacular.

Thou I would encourage you to try their gold class movie inside Vincom mall.

Add landmark 81
Add D5, Chinatown
The White Rabbit Amusement Park at 875 cach mang thang tam (CMT8)

IF you are really ok to eat street food, what parkjinyoung intro is very authentic VN coffee. Alot of small alleys have very local VN food, some of them only serve morning crowd.

Seafood... Look out for any sign board which says Quan Hai San, Oc, Cua, or you can try my recent fav
Oc Dao Nguyen Trai @ 212 Nguyen Trai

Otherwise, try the President Pho next to Benh Thanh Market, which is just above the Coffee Bean Cafe. It's just for the experience tbh.
At least if people ask you got try the "bill Clinton pho"? You can say yes!

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[Henabi]

And if you wanna experience a bit of night life in HCMC... Head down to bui vien walking street (yes it is now officially a walking street from 6pm onwards)

If you wanna have a good view of HCMC skyline...
You can go to glow skybar or bar eon 52 at Biteco. Thou these two places need guys and girls to be in smart casual attire

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[Negger]

Hi peeps, any recommendations for nice hotel and with good access to attractions in HCM? Thanks in advance!

 

[beanstalk6]

this is what i have planned, after reading 10 pages of postings.

feel free to add pointers.

HCMC
Sight seeing
• Vinh Nghiem Pagoda,(temple place)

What is it with this temple?

 

[dede1217]

Hi peeps, any recommendations for nice hotel and with good access to attractions in HCM? Thanks in advance!

Depending on your budget.
usually 3* hotels in d1 nearby ben thanh market is about 30+ onwards.
Those better ones would be at least 50+ onwards ...

Some of the better 3* hotels that I have shortlisted before are:
Le Duy, Lan Lan, Lan Lan2, Elios, Vien Dong ...
One thing to note is that HCM hotels usually "enlarged" their hotel room size.
Stayed before about 10+ hotels in HCM, almost all seems smaller than their room size.

If your budget is higher, can consider staying in other 4/5* hotels

 

[ParkJinYoung]

I stayed at Le Meridien last yr.
This year no budget so staying Fusion Suites

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[Henabi]

Usually I will recommend a few local chain hotels like
A25, A&EM, liberty Central

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[Henabi]

I stayed at Le Meridien last yr.
This year no budget so staying Fusion Suites

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Bo budget still can stay fusion

Steady

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[Beta_Tester]

Flying over tmr to Da Nang!

 

[kurtgoh]

If fear communication, just use Google translate haha!

Vincom is just like our regular shopping mall. Nothing spectacular.

Thou I would encourage you to try their gold class movie inside Vincom mall.

Add landmark 81
Add D5, Chinatown
The White Rabbit Amusement Park at 875 cach mang thang tam (CMT8)

IF you are really ok to eat street food, what parkjinyoung intro is very authentic VN coffee. Alot of small alleys have very local VN food, some of them only serve morning crowd.

Seafood... Look out for any sign board which says Quan Hai San, Oc, Cua, or you can try my recent fav
Oc Dao Nguyen Trai @ 212 Nguyen Trai

Otherwise, try the President Pho next to Benh Thanh Market, which is just above the Coffee Bean Cafe. It's just for the experience tbh.
At least if people ask you got try the "bill Clinton pho"? You can say yes!

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ok, remove Vincom then.

what are landmark 81& D5, Chinatown?
falls under shopping category?

great, will add White Rabbit Amusement Park for night activity.

Yes, seafood is a must since you guys mention its cheap.
So far, our stomach should be flexible, as we tasted BKK street food, batam environment.

Quan Hai San, Oc, Cua
these words will be found on their signboard?
I thought Vietnamese uses another font?

President Pho next to Benh Thanh Market,
if i'm not wrong, Pho = 'fen' refers to noodles?

 

[kurtgoh]

And if you wanna experience a bit of night life in HCMC... Head down to bui vien walking street (yes it is now officially a walking street from 6pm onwards)

If you wanna have a good view of HCMC skyline...
You can go to glow skybar or bar eon 52 at Biteco. Thou these two places need guys and girls to be in smart casual attire

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ok, i read that the night life is not very recommended..
always have people peddling drugs .

between Saigon skydeck & glow skybar or bar eon 52 at Biteco, which is better/recommended?

 

[kurtgoh]

What is it with this temple?

nothing actually, i saw it was recommended in 1 of the blog.
a temple with a mixture of east and west, nothing peculiar though

 

[Henabi]

ok, remove Vincom then.

what are landmark 81& D5, Chinatown?
falls under shopping category?

great, will add White Rabbit Amusement Park for night activity.

Yes, seafood is a must since you guys mention its cheap.
So far, our stomach should be flexible, as we tasted BKK street food, batam environment.

Quan Hai San, Oc, Cua
these words will be found on their signboard?
I thought Vietnamese uses another font?

President Pho next to Benh Thanh Market,
if i'm not wrong, Pho = 'fen' refers to noodles?

ok, i read that the night life is not very recommended..
always have people peddling drugs .

between Saigon skydeck & glow skybar or bar eon 52 at Biteco, which is better/recommended?

Landmark81 is the tallest Skyscraper in Vietnam now

D5 = District 5, it is the shortform (quận 5)
D1 will be quận 1 (Q1 is the shortform)

different district in hcmc will have different type of things and lifestyle. The pricing is also very different

the next post I will show the map of ho chi minh city with the different districts

quán = shop/restaurant
Hai San = seafood
Oc = shelled seafood, snails
Cua = crab
tôm = prawn
these are the common words they use for the signboards.

Vietnam has many types of noodles which are exactly the same as what we eat in singapore everyday.
but Pho is only made in Vietnam

Nightlife in Hcmc is not recommend?! Gosh! who did you hear that from??? HAHAHAAHHA!!! such ill advice...
imo there are drugs everywhere! haha! Most important is MYOB (Mind your own business)
when you go clubbing or just wanna checkout or see see look look their local nightlife. Just take care of your own drinks. Make sure you do not accept drink offers from strangers.

I have spent a couple of years in the hcmc nightlife but i only go with people I trust and know personally. Otherwise, I will just go to a local, clean drinking bar.

Saigon Skydeck and Bar Eon 52 are both within Bitexco
Between Bar Eon 52 and Glowbar, I would prefer Glowbar

reasons being:
1) Glowbar caters more to the local crowd, while Bar Eon 52 is mainly tourists
2) Thou glowbar's height is nowhere near the 52nd storey height of Bar Eon but I like it that its open space, with on Full window panels, so you can take really good night photos

Another place to visit is the Nguyen Hue night walking street

 

[ParkJinYoung]

Landmark81 is the tallest Skyscraper in Vietnam now

D5 = District 5, it is the shortform (quận 5)
D1 will be quận 1 (Q1 is the shortform)

different district in hcmc will have different type of things and lifestyle. The pricing is also very different

the next post I will show the map of ho chi minh city with the different districts

quán = shop/restaurant
Hai San = seafood
Oc = shelled seafood, snails
Cua = crab
tôm = prawn
these are the common words they use for the signboards.

Vietnam has many types of noodles which are exactly the same as what we eat in singapore everyday.
but Pho is only made in Vietnam

Nightlife in Hcmc is not recommend?! Gosh! who did you hear that from??? HAHAHAAHHA!!! such ill advice...
imo there are drugs everywhere! haha! Most important is MYOB (Mind your own business)
when you go clubbing or just wanna checkout or see see look look their local nightlife. Just take care of your own drinks. Make sure you do not accept drink offers from strangers.

I have spent a couple of years in the hcmc nightlife but i only go with people I trust and know personally. Otherwise, I will just go to a local, clean drinking bar.

Saigon Skydeck and Bar Eon 52 are both within Bitexco
Between Bar Eon 52 and Glowbar, I would prefer Glowbar

reasons being:
1) Glowbar caters more to the local crowd, while Bar Eon 52 is mainly tourists
2) Thou glowbar's height is nowhere near the 52nd storey height of Bar Eon but I like it that its open space, with on Full window panels, so you can take really good night photos

Another place to visit is the Nguyen Hue night walking street

Good tips!
Im bringing my friends in May but I dunno where to go

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[ParkJinYoung]

Next yr IF the mrt starts, will it be better to commute around ?

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[ParkJinYoung]

Henabi, any recommendations for seafood in D1? Or any other seafood place ?

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[ParkJinYoung]

I like to go to the wanton Mee street.
Can eat wanton Mee.
Got a back alley wet market to walk walk

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[Henabi]

There are cheap local seafood and there are expensive local seafood.
and then... there are seafood whereby they charge different prices to different type of people...

example:
regular local customers... dirt cheap
normal customers.... regular price
foreigners/AMDK/AMDL/tourists... CHOP CHOP CHOP

I have my fair share of such things and this was one of the reasons I went to learn some basic vietnamese.

In the map above, you will see the different district zones in Ho Chi minh city

The Tan Son Nhat airport is in Tan Binh district.

Most Tourists will usually hang out within D1, some will venture into D3 or D5 or D10. because it is very nearby.
rarely tourists will venture into other districts

D1 is like our Cityhall, raffles place, Orchard Road
The main tourist area. loads of hotels. embassies, big banks HQ, Vietnam Government HQ. Food and drinks are largely expensive but there are still many cheap places, just need to check out the small lanes and alleys.

D3 is the hangout place for young people. many food streets

D5 is part of the Chinatown or Cholon in HCMC, the larger part is D6

D10 many local small business and again food streets

D7 is the new luxury District in Ho Chi minh

 

[ParkJinYoung]

If I go eat food street, I will see wat they order. And order same and when they pay, I also pay. So they can't carrot me.

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