Vietnam

[dede1217]

never been to vietnam yet, but do share your experience once you're done with it!

as a whole , lower your expectations if u r going there
not much shopping malls there compared to bangkok

hotel there r usually about 50 rooms ...
the selections of 5 stars hotel in district 1 is not much , maybe aroudn 10+
hcm people seldom speak english, as compared to bangkok
hcm cab driver mostly on meter, very honest !!!

 

[NobunagaOda]

as a whole , lower your expectations if u r going there
not much shopping malls there compared to bangkok

hotel there r usually about 50 rooms ...
the selections of 5 stars hotel in district 1 is not much , maybe aroudn 10+
hcm people seldom speak english, as compared to bangkok
hcm cab driver mostly on meter, very honest !!!

If they can't speak english then how to communicate?

 

[Gaiason]

If they can't speak english then how to communicate?

depend on which area u go, touristy area or hotel/backpacker location sure have english speaking staff... if go too ulu or local areas then better bring along translator...

 

[WhiteAnt]

depend on which area u go, touristy area or hotel/backpacker location sure have english speaking staff... if go too ulu or local areas then better bring along translator...

go to those districts more for tourists and will be fine in general

i find bkk shop sellers better in their english tho

 

[figo16]

yup! agree !!!
cox many people flying hcm also

hanoi is better. dalat is also good. halong bay is stunning. tam coc, perfume pagoda , mai chau are good places to visit as well. sapa is a bit touristy so maybe i visit next time.

hcm nothing much to see unless you like history stuff. the scenery sucks. the mekong delta looks like some longkang so i don't even want to go there.

 

[bunnypangsai]

Bkk chop carrot head. It's too tourist-ie alr. Must go to the outskirts then it will be cheap.

as a whole , lower your expectations if u r going there
not much shopping malls there compared to bangkok

hotel there r usually about 50 rooms ...
the selections of 5 stars hotel in district 1 is not much , maybe aroudn 10+
hcm people seldom speak english, as compared to bangkok
hcm cab driver mostly on meter, very honest !!!

 

[dede1217]

hanoi is better. dalat is also good. halong bay is stunning. tam coc, perfume pagoda , mai chau are good places to visit as well. sapa is a bit touristy so maybe i visit next time.

hcm nothing much to see unless you like history stuff. the scenery sucks. the mekong delta looks like some longkang so i don't even want to go there.

haha u seems to hate hcm sia lol
hcm go there relax walk walk c c lol
yup war museum, cucu tunnel etc lol...

hanoi too far lol ... 3hrs + haha

 

[dede1217]

go to those districts more for tourists and will be fine in general

i find bkk shop sellers better in their english tho

haha bangkok more tourists ...
they wanna learn ur cash, so mux learn english and mandarin lol ...

 

[Twentytwo14]

Been to Vietnam about 8 times, all HCMC except once in Dalat and once in Hanoi. Somehow I've come to realise that most Singaporeans prefer Thailand to Vietnam once they've been to both. Reasons being "shopping heaven in BKK", "friendlier locals" (more smiles), "feels safer"... Personal conclusion is that you either love or hate either place. I've always felt more 'at home' in Vietnam than in Thailand. Vietnam is not particularly safe in terms of snatch thieves and pickpockets, but every country has its risks, just gotta be vigilant.

Although not many speak English, it really is sufficient to get by through mere gesturing. Tourist traps are definitely around especially in the central Ben Thanh area, so gotta be discerning and compare prices around a few areas to prevent being cheated.

Have never joined packaged tours during all my trips there - it is sufficient to wander on your own actually. Did join a local tour in Hanoi (free street food tour!) and went around tasting food with 2 locals - really great experience. In HCMC you can try the Free Motorbike Tour with Triip.me too. Doing a free and easy tour on your own, then set aside 2-4 hours for a local tour won't disrupt your itinerary too much.

My recommendation is to go to Da Lat - cool weather, small town easy to explore on foot. Great for outdoor activities like canyoning, hiking. If you're adventurous you can do a bike tour too - did one from Di Linh (near Da Lat) down to Phan Thiet - super fun!

 

[rayban]

Been to Vietnam about 8 times, all HCMC except once in Dalat and once in Hanoi. Somehow I've come to realise that most Singaporeans prefer Thailand to Vietnam once they've been to both. Reasons being "shopping heaven in BKK", "friendlier locals" (more smiles), "feels safer"... Personal conclusion is that you either love or hate either place. I've always felt more 'at home' in Vietnam than in Thailand. Vietnam is not particularly safe in terms of snatch thieves and pickpockets, but every country has its risks, just gotta be vigilant.

Although not many speak English, it really is sufficient to get by through mere gesturing. Tourist traps are definitely around especially in the central Ben Thanh area, so gotta be discerning and compare prices around a few areas to prevent being cheated.

Have never joined packaged tours during all my trips there - it is sufficient to wander on your own actually. Did join a local tour in Hanoi (free street food tour!) and went around tasting food with 2 locals - really great experience. In HCMC you can try the Free Motorbike Tour with Triip.me too. Doing a free and easy tour on your own, then set aside 2-4 hours for a local tour won't disrupt your itinerary too much.

My recommendation is to go to Da Lat - cool weather, small town easy to explore on foot. Great for outdoor activities like canyoning, hiking. If you're adventurous you can do a bike tour too - did one from Di Linh (near Da Lat) down to Phan Thiet - super fun!

compare to the bombing in thailand , i think vietnam is safer....

 

[dede1217]

compare to the bombing in thailand , i think vietnam is safer....

vietnam hcm very hard to cross road, motorbike too many haha ...

 

[rayban]

vietnam hcm very hard to cross road, motorbike too many haha ...

i learn to cross the most busy road in vietnam in hcm, then when i go danang, da lat nha trang, the road is like so less crowded and bz

 

[UknowIknow]

vietnam hcm very hard to cross road, motorbike too many haha ...

Walk like a boss everyone will give walk to you

 

[dede1217]

Walk like a boss everyone will give walk to you

risky leh ... later u walk then knock onto u , then nt very nice already
normally would follow the locals there, when they cross, then we faster cross lol

 

[dede1217]

Vietnam
10,000 note
100,000 note
look very similar, both also green color


once took cab, think gave wrongly
cox is at nite, quite dark
instead of giving 20,000, think have given him 200,000
went back hotel count my notes, like fewer by alot lol ...

 

[rayban]

Vietnam
10,000 note
100,000 note
look very similar, both also green color


once took cab, think gave wrongly
cox is at nite, quite dark
instead of giving 20,000, think have given him 200,000
went back hotel count my notes, like fewer by alot lol ...

200,000 got one pc one....

 

[bernardtan89]

Walk like a boss everyone will give walk to you

I tried crossing the road in front of ben thanh market around the roundabout, my balls shrink.

 

[batniss]

I tried crossing the road in front of ben thanh market around the roundabout, my balls shrink.

Any reason for that?

 

[qhong61]

Vietnam
10,000 note
100,000 note
look very similar, both also green color


once took cab, think gave wrongly
cox is at nite, quite dark
instead of giving 20,000, think have given him 200,000
went back hotel count my notes, like fewer by alot lol ...

Maybe in future should separate the big notes from the small notes.

 

[batniss]

Went VN a few times for work. Never like the place maybe is just me..