Vietnam

[fortunehunter]

HDL opening soon at D7 crescent mall.

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[TabascoSauce]

If u like cities, can start with HCM, but you probably just need 3 days or 5 days at most for a very relaxed schedule. Unless you adventurous enough to spice it up by going nearby cities such as Vung Tau (3 hours) or Da Lat (6-8 hours). Vung Tau is more like beach kind, Da Lat is more like Malaysia's Cameron Highlands.

If you fond of cultural or historical stuff, you can choose to go Hanoi and mix it up with some hiking adventure at Sapa.

Danang, Hoi An, Hue combo is a good mix i guess, I can't say much cos I haven't been there myself. So I think for that many days, it's best to go with Henabi's recommendation.

What you should really be careful of: pickpockets and snatch thieves. Don't use your phone while walking. If you need to, stop and use it at a corner where you're covered. Another thing is, don't board random cars at airport that offer to bring you to your destination. Get Vinasun/Mailinh or call Grabcar. Those random cars may offer you a cheap price, but especially if you are unfamiliar with the currency notes, they will take advantage and snatch the money out of your wallet and take whatever amount and say it's enough for the car ride.

For must-trys, I'm sure you can search online (example Mark Wiens or Best Ever Food Review Show) to get started on the food that Vietnam has to offer. Too many types of food to go through everything...haha.

thanks for the suggestions and advises. Henabi too

 

[Henabi]

Another suggestion for airport transfer to hotel, is to get it from the airport arrival halls.

For Hcmc, usually I get SongViet. To District 1, it is around 200K vnd ($12 sgd) as the airport is very near to the city. You wanna use Grab also can, it is usually between 100k to 130K (depend on surge)
I think fortune can advise on the Airport buses from Hcmc airport, I nv taken those before

For Hanoi... the airport is almost 1 hour away from the city, I wont recommend airport transfer, cuz it's extremely ex. Around 600K vnd.
You can consider Grab or the Airport TAXI. Which should be 250K to 300K

For Danang... Usually I use Grab or the VINASUN taxi app

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[Ole Gunner]

HDL opening soon at D7 crescent mall.

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Wa nice, my favourite mall, time to go

 

[Ole Gunner]

Another suggestion for airport transfer to hotel, is to get it from the airport arrival halls.

For Hcmc, usually I get SongViet. To District 1, it is around 200K vnd ($12 sgd) as the airport is very near to the city. You wanna use Grab also can, it is usually between 100k to 130K (depend on surge)
I think fortune can advise on the Airport buses from Hcmc airport, I nv taken those before

For Hanoi... the airport is almost 1 hour away from the city, I wont recommend airport transfer, cuz it's extremely ex. Around 600K vnd.
You can consider Grab or the Airport TAXI. Which should be 250K to 300K

For Danang... Usually I use Grab or the VINASUN taxi app

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One problem with grab from Hanoi airport is that the car that comes is different from the car assigned in grab. In fact grab will have the pop up alert say don’t take if number plate is diff.

The driver will come up with some cock excuse, but I always just take it anyway.

How do u guys deal with it?

 

[Henabi]

I will just cancel and give the reason that it is wrong car plate number

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[Irenicis]

Just changed VND from Arcade at Raffles Place and the person gave me all in 500k notes. As there was a queue behind I didn't really ask if I could change to smaller notes.

Is is possible to ask for currency exchangers to help me break into smaller notes? Or is it better to do it in Vietnam. I scared 500k notes the Vietnamese annoyed haha.

 

[rrr2015]

Bún thịt nướng … can share your favorite stall in hcmc?

 

[Junken]

Just changed VND from Arcade at Raffles Place and the person gave me all in 500k notes. As there was a queue behind I didn't really ask if I could change to smaller notes.

Is is possible to ask for currency exchangers to help me break into smaller notes? Or is it better to do it in Vietnam. I scared 500k notes the Vietnamese annoyed haha.

just avoid going directly to street food and pay 500k, they won't be annoyed lah, just that they may not have change. but any convenience store or taxi driver should be no issue receiving 500k.

 

[Junken]

One problem with grab from Hanoi airport is that the car that comes is different from the car assigned in grab. In fact grab will have the pop up alert say don’t take if number plate is diff.

The driver will come up with some cock excuse, but I always just take it anyway.

How do u guys deal with it?

never met such a situation before, but sounds risky. if is me i may reject. how do you verify if it's the same person? how can you guarantee so? later bring u go sell ah....

 

[Junken]

Bún thịt nướng … can share your favorite stall in hcmc?

my favourite one is in Duc Hoa, Long An, near my factory haha, not in hcmc.

but the one thing i hate about bun thit nuong is this particular herb that smells of ammonia or very fishy smell, called râu diếp cá, or translated to chameleon plant. the smell/taste is damn potent and a huge turn off. but it does have many health benefits like cancer preventing.

u can find more info about it here: https://caythuocdangian.com/cay-rau-diep-ca/

 

[invisible999]

One problem with grab from Hanoi airport is that the car that comes is different from the car assigned in grab.

How do u guys deal with it?

Simply - NEVER get into car which is different then the one displayed on app. Plain and simple. If you got into different car then you release grab from all liability - it was your choice not go to assigned car.

Just ignore whoever will tell that 'they've been sent in replacement' and wait until your car arrives. If it doesn't then cancel the trip, for Grab write that driver didn't show up and book again.

Grab directly tells you on app that don't do it - I don't understand why do you want to do it?

 

[Henabi]

Just changed VND from Arcade at Raffles Place and the person gave me all in 500k notes. As there was a queue behind I didn't really ask if I could change to smaller notes.

Is is possible to ask for currency exchangers to help me break into smaller notes? Or is it better to do it in Vietnam. I scared 500k notes the Vietnamese annoyed haha.

Change in Sin..they give you 500k
If you change in Vietnam, if they give you all 50K notes... You will cry

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[Henabi]

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[shadow84]

just avoid going directly to street food and pay 500k, they won't be annoyed lah, just that they may not have change. but any convenience store or taxi driver should be no issue receiving 500k.

Some taxi/grab drivers dun have much change with 500k as well. Heck, even 100k change they tell me dun have. But sometimes they can accept that i pay slightly lesser than stated value like 74k instead of 75k.

Convenience stores dun have issues breaking down the 500k notes.

 

[Ole Gunner]

Simply - NEVER get into car which is different then the one displayed on app. Plain and simple. If you got into different car then you release grab from all liability - it was your choice not go to assigned car.

Just ignore whoever will tell that 'they've been sent in replacement' and wait until your car arrives. If it doesn't then cancel the trip, for Grab write that driver didn't show up and book again.

Grab directly tells you on app that don't do it - I don't understand why do you want to do it?

To be honest I’ve done it at Noi Bai like 10 times already Almost impossible to get a Grab there.

And it seems to be a Hanoi problem? I never encounter this at TSN airport.

But correct - you have a point on the liability, which is what I was wondering. Next time I will take taxi, since anyway I can claim from my company

 

[invisible999]

To be honest I’ve done it at Noi Bai like 10 times already

I was there two weeks ago, and get Grab car within a 3 min, then took grab about dozen times while in the city. While this never happened to to me, the fact that Grab warns you in app - 'don't get into different car' means that the problem is there.

If all Grab users would refuse to getting to different car, the problem will go away.

A side question - would you do the same (getting to different car) in Johor, KL or in Indonesia? Or in South Africa, Brazil or US? If not, what makes Vietnam different?

 

[Ole Gunner]

I was there two weeks ago, and get Grab car within a 3 min, then took grab about dozen times while in the city. While this never happened to to me, the fact that Grab warns you in app - 'don't get into different car' means that the problem is there.

If all Grab users would refuse to getting to different car, the problem will go away.

A side question - would you do the same (getting to different car) in Johor, KL or in Indonesia? Or in South Africa, Brazil or US? If not, what makes Vietnam different?

Wow you are very stern

To answer your points:
- You are correct in that the problem is there, though it seems to be specific to Noi Bai Airport.
- Again, you are correct to say that if everyone declined to go in, the problem will go away. But this is good food for thought, I have never framed the problem this way
- Why do I still do it? Because it is close to impossible to get a Grab from the airport where the license plate matches the one on the app. And frankly, when I touch down all I want is to get to my hotel ASAP.
- Would I do it elsewhere? In airports of places like Hanoi, Saigon, KL or some parts of Indonesia where I am very familiar with the routes etc, why not? It’s a risk but one I am willing to take, for a quick ride aka being able to hop in the first car sent my way and being sent to my hotel with as little fuss as possible. I’ve been to each of these cities 10, 20 times over the past few years so I am comfortable doing this.
- In Brazil, South Africa, US? No way.
- That said, I would probably not recommend tourists to do this. If I were with my family? Perhaps.
- Outside of airports - no way. I will insist on the correct car.

Anyway, this is a lot of reflection for a Hanoi problem. Next time maybe I will just hop into a Mai Linh

 

[invisible999]

- Why do I still do it? Because it is close to impossible to get a Grab from the airport where the license plate matches the one on the app. And frankly, when I touch down all I want is to get to my hotel ASAP
Anyway, this is a lot of reflection for a Hanoi problem. Next time maybe I will just hop into a Mai Linh

Here is the suggestion for you - in addition to Grab, there are two other apps. One is FastGo and second - Be. FastGo has English interface and Be - only Vietnamese. Both of them are cheaper than Grab, sometimes - several times cheaper. Once in Hanoi Grab wanted 162K and FastGo - 56K.

So you have an alternative. Plus you can use Mai Linh's app, I think they've just released it.

It just simply a safety matter - on TripAdvisor forums there are several stories how people ended in different car and then driver either dumps them in the middle of nowhere or demands additional money.

 

[rrr2015]

too far lah haha …
that herb also called 鱼腥草 locally. stall i went have free flow of gardens greens, can't remember if râu diếp cá is one of them.

my favourite one is in Duc Hoa, Long An, near my factory haha, not in hcmc.

but the one thing i hate about bun thit nuong is this particular herb that smells of ammonia or very fishy smell, called râu diếp cá, or translated to chameleon plant. the smell/taste is damn potent and a huge turn off. but it does have many health benefits like cancer preventing.

u can find more info about it here: https://caythuocdangian.com/cay-rau-diep-ca/