Vietnam

[leogeo]

oops.....flooding occured in hanoi....and now hcmc.....hope thgs ok soon!

oh no...

i will be there from 7th Dec onwards...hopefully it will be fine....it is supposed to be the DRY season!! argh

 

[ahkwan]

hi guys, i am in hcmc... everything is fine... weather almost the same in spore except that their taxi s not as cooling as spore's... my work place is just beside the zoo...

 

[leogeo]

hi guys, i am in hcmc... everything is fine... weather almost the same in spore except that their taxi s not as cooling as spore's... my work place is just beside the zoo...

eh, no flood meh?

 

[playhard]

Just answered a PM for some guy about long-distance bus service, thought i should share with all:

There are some bus services besides SinhCafe, but i've never took any so I can't recommend you.

I think you can read around this thead to know some info regarding other bus services.

If you know where Sinh Cafe is located in HoChiMinh city, then around it you can find other bus services.

In Vietnam there are two types of bus service (for long trip)

1st one is cheap bus service. It always comes with small car (around 21-seat car). Never take this one, you can save about 2,3$ taking this bus, but driver drives carelessly, takes many passengers, spends time on the road waiting for passengers, transfers passengers from this car to another... Foreigners should always stay away from this service.

2nd is more expensive one (but not much, around 2,3$ more), but safe, comfortable, always ontime. This service always come in 52 seat air-con bus. It always starts the journey at a fixed time, and even there is one passenger on that trip, it still goes, and never stop on the road to pick up more passenters. This type of service can be found on Pham Ngu Lao street, around Sinh Cafe (expect that you know where Sinh Cafe is located).

 

[ahkwan]

eh, no flood meh?

i'm staying at a hotel at district 1... so far everything is ok... no rain and nothing at all... jus that the roads are damn scary...

 

[jokerpoker81]

oh no...

i will be there from 7th Dec onwards...hopefully it will be fine....it is supposed to be the DRY season!! argh

yea, i be there 8th dec onwards....i also pray thgs ok....

 

[pyw_BXS]

i'm staying at a hotel at district 1... so far everything is ok... no rain and nothing at all... jus that the roads are damn scary...

Omg... They dont follow traffic light ma?

 

[Techadd]

Just answered a PM for some guy about long-distance bus service, thought i should share with all:

Option 1) Is highly dangerous for ones safety sake..you'll end up getting sandwiched with overload of passengers and goods..cheap but life threatening...

Option 2) its the best option, but it travels at a fixed time daily and only makes one trip per day. Miss it and you end up waiting the next day. Good but not good timing.

Option 3) Local long distance Bus at Local Bus station. Only Option left if either of the above is not available. Better than Option 1, More frequency of travel than 2. but not so comfy as 2. cheap but still a good alternative.

 

[weird]

Omg... They dont follow traffic light ma?

nope they dont.. u ever see those indian construction workers follow the traffic light,
talking on the phone and slowly jay walking while so many cars waiting for them to cross over..
viet is like tat but they dont reali take their own sweet time..

i'm staying at a hotel at district 1... so far everything is ok... no rain and nothing at all... jus that the roads are damn scary...

y the road damn scary? i find it jus like the olden day of SG

 

[ahkwan]

nope they dont.. u ever see those indian construction workers follow the traffic light,
talking on the phone and slowly jay walking while so many cars waiting for them to cross over..
viet is like tat but they dont reali take their own sweet time..



y the road damn scary? i find it jus like the olden day of SG

... crossing the small roads ok lah but big roads i dunno sia... the taxi driver also very power... all like takumi or like driving fast and furious... woohoo...

 

[weird]

... crossing the small roads ok lah but big roads i dunno sia... the taxi driver also very power... all like takumi or like driving fast and furious... woohoo...

i was there for 6days and i have master the tactic of crossing the road as if im a local...

 

[leogeo]

i was there for 6days and i have master the tactic of crossing the road as if im a local...

wow, every1 is making it sound like the roads are SUPER scary to cross!

I guess I have to be there to actually experience it myself!

 

[weird]

no lar.. i jus have some culture shock. after awhile im found out the pattern n used to it liao..im so pro even some ang mo follow mi crossing the road.

"i road, they cross"

but seriously hor.. i nv c ani accident even thot it is damn messy n no rule or even raining.
In SG almost everyday esp raining sure hv accident

 

[skilled]

becoz in front have thing, you must siam what.

i sit pillon on my wife's bike also relax.

 

[ahkwan]

the technique for crossing road is never dash across and just slowly walk... they will siam u de... at most kena horn but got used to it liao...

 

[ahkwan]

back to hotel now... the pho24's pho was damn nice lah although i haven try pho2000... ellios hotel look sibei classy wor...

another thing is the kebab here in vietnam is god damn nice, win singapore deep deep and it's dirt cheap... sizing is almost the same in singapore... 15000 dong only which is like SGD$1.50 and 1 glass bottle 300ml soft drinks are like 5000 dong which is SGD$0.50... $2 settle 1 meal...

 

[leogeo]

has any1 eaten here b4?

they say the queues after 6 is ridiculous....does it really live up to its reputation?

 

[ahkwan]

has any1 eaten here b4?

they say the queues after 6 is ridiculous....does it really live up to its reputation?

ermmm, haven really explore around hcmc... too busy... maybe after next week... give u all a review...

 

[hungrymons]

I'm planning to go Vietnam but does not even have a vague idea of how Vietnam is like. Is Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City better or more interesting/ tourist friendly? Which is the best month to visit? How much do I need to budget for?

How does Vietnam compare to Thailand in terms of:

1) ease of transportation
2) affordability
3) safety
4) english standard
5) fun places

Appreciate your enlightenment please.

 

[watchlooker]

Hi Guys,

In my research..... there are 6 shopping centers in HCMC as follow.....

Diamond Plaza Center
Add: 34 Le Duan St., Dist 1
Tel: 8225500

Tax Plaza
Add: 135 Nguyen Hue, Dist 1
Tel: 8213849

Sai Gon Center
Add: 65 Le Loi, Dist 1
Tel: 8232505

An Dong Plaza
Add: 18 An Duong Vuong St., Ward 9, Dist 5
Tel: 8323288

Zen Plaza
Add: 54-56 Nguyen Trai St., Dist 1
Tel: 9250339

Parkson Trade Center
Add: 35 Bis Le Thanh Ton St., Dist 1
Tel: 8277635

My Qn is which of the above is best for shopping Sport Goods such as Nike, Addidas shoes and apparels etc? And which is best for shopping for a wrist watches? Price wise which is cheaper..... or am I better to shop in the Markets?

I have been waiting and waitng.... and 5 days gone liao still no ans to my enquiry... am sure those experts down here must have know a thing or two.... pls lei dun keep your secret... share with ppl like us newbies.....

Time is running low liaoz..... and off I fly to HCMC in 2 wks. And research online everyday until blurr liaoz......