Hey! I'm going to visit Vietnam next month, as I've managed to currently save up some money, and I couldn't be happier for my achievement! Although I'm very excited, I still take my trip with a grain of salt because I'm not really informed about anything concerning Ho Chi Minh, the place where I will stay for the next 5 days in July. I've heard from friends that it's a very busy and noisy city, with scooters roaming around "obliviously", haha. This doesn't concern me as much as the fact that it's an enormous city in which I could easily get lost. In fact, I've recently seen news about people getting lost in this city quite often, and they would spend their night outside, fearing that someone might try to rob them. I know that I "whistle before getting out of the wood", and that this paranoid attitude will not bring any fruition whatsoever, but I'd still want to receive some advice from you, if possible; it's better to prevent than cure, after all. Oh, and what tourist attractions do you recommend? Thank you in advance!
A friend went last year after a 2 month stay in the Philippines. She is French speaking; I don't know if that helped her or not. My dad said it was not necessary to know French when he was there, but he was there for different reasons years ago (the war). My friend who went for vacation said she loved it! She said there was no problem getting around even though they did not have transport, it was beautiful, and everyone was very friendly. I'm sorry I can't give you any other tips. My friend is not currently in my country but traveled to Chile with her husband. But since no one had replied yet, I wanted to tell you that much and say have a great trip! Post a photo when you get back! It'll be nice for others who might want to go in the future to have this post as a reference of what you did.
Thank you for your wishes! I will surely post a photo of my trip here, and I will inform everyone in this thread about my trip when I get back. I've got my hands on additional information though: You can pay for services with US dollars and, more restrained, Euro. That's good to know because I intented to exchange some of my money for their local currency, and I would have lost some money for the exchange. Now that I know this, I can afford additional things which weren't included in my "To-Do" list.
What timely thread. It's currently my third day here in Vietnam. Since I'm pressed for time almost all the time, I booked a 3-day Mekong River tour with a touring company. I cut the tour to 2 days and went back to HCMC yesterday afternoon. Here are things you have to remember:Never ever book a taxi outside of the airport. Go to the Tourist Information Center first and pay your taxi fare there for $8. They will book the taxi on your behalf. Many HCMC taxi drivers are scammers and I had the same problem on my first day here.Be careful when you cross the roads. They have a badly organized traffic system and worse, some of the streets don't have traffic lights - especially when there's a rotunda at the center. Motorbikes, cars and trucks barely pay attention to pedestrians and they have speed-hungry drivers.A little asking around would help. The GPS isn't much of help sometimes. You can ask motorcycles to take you to your hotel or hostel. Bargain with them first. I asked a driver to take me to Le Lai for 20,000 dong. They'll be okay as long as it's near.Money here is like won and yen: they're in thousands. Change your money in your home country. The rates in Vietnam are pretty shady.Don't be shocked by the presence and regular smell of incense sticks because they're everywhere. They'll fill your nostrils wherever you go. This country is predominantly Buddhist.Bargain, bargain, bargain.I think those are the basics. If you book a short tour, the tour guide will tell you the rest. Tour guides here are a bit tactless but the culture is very evident. The people tend to be serious on the whole (and they wake up so early, mind you) but it's a cool place to be especially when you're looking for a cultural yet relaxing experience.
Thanks for the information, xTinx. It's very valuable, but unfortunately I had to cancel the flight due to recent events in Nepal, because I am afraid of the possibility of the earthquake expanding to Vietnam, too. It's just too risky this period, and I consider going next year! Thanks for the insight though, I will keep it for next year.
I joined my parents in Saigon (they were employed with and American company) when I was a little girl in 1970. At the time there was political unrest and war. But I had wonderful memories of my 2 years stay there as a girl (my sisters joined me, too). The Vietnamese always smile and are very accommodating. They are easy going and are hardworking. I spoke the language quite well. And was mighty proud of it. Open markets were so fun and exciting to go to with my Mom.
