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Bargaining is considered the most common way to buy things in Saigon. It is not that complicated if you think of it as a a harmonious yin-yang balance. You want the item, and the seller wants your money. Bargaining is simply a search for the balance between your desire and the seller's. However, should the items have price labels, there is almost no bargaining.
If you get hungry during your shopping spree, stop for some finger food or relax in one of the Saigon Restaurants along the city's shopping streets.
As the most active city in Vietnam, Hochiminh city offers an excellent variety of clothing, ceramics, ethnic fabrics and lacquered bamboo.
Please refer to the following blog which I've created specifically so as to recount my experience at the King Kong Bar in Cam Nam island, Hoi An.
I loved Nha Trang.
I emerged at night like the luscious amoral vampire I become in the tropics (something about crossing the equator - I follow the locals - do not go out in the heat of the day.)
Start at the Sailing Club and end up at the Why Not Bar (Why not?). 100 bars along the way but the real meeting places are the Sailing Club and Why Not Bar.
Every dollar I got ripped off, I loved, would've paid more to all the thieves and scammers if they would just play pool or backgammon with me! (Warning: all gambling is illegal in Vietnam.)
My body is at home in Australia but I accidently left my heart, soul and mind behind in Vietnam.
24 Tran Quang Khai
Nha Trang, Vietnam, 188463
The scenery at this inland version of Ha Long Bay is possibly even better. The same limestone karst structures rise up out of bright green rice paddies and you get rowed through on a little boat. It is quite touristy, but much less so than Ha Long Bay - make sure you get there first thing in the morning though, before the big coaches arrive. The best way to visit is to rent a bicycle in Ninh Binh and get them to show you the lovely backroads around the area.
Near Ninh Binh, about an hour south of Hanoi on main highway (buses will drop you there).
There are three different weather seasons in Vietnam and it's always good somewhere. Take a look at the following site for a really accurate break-down.
Stayed at the Omni as part of a tour and found the hotel very good. It is a little bit out of town but not a problem as this made the rooms much quieter.
The food was good and we also enjoyed the spa at fair price. The rooms are quite comfortable, and there are amenities including the many fine-dining outlets, popular Irish pub Mulligan's, and fitness centre.
The breakfast buffet was extensive and the food of good quality, which applied also to the other eateries offered in the hotel. Staff were pleasant and efficient, though not especially friendly.
Situated about 15 minutes from the airport and about 25 minutes from the centre of town.
Address: 253 Nguyen Van Troi Street Phu Nhuan District Ho Chi Minh City.
www.omnisaigonhotel.com/
www.sai-gon-hotels.com/
A great travel agency that organises small group,
low-impact tours. We took two teenagers who thoroughly enjoyed our five-day trip around Northern Vietnam. We cycled, walked, sailed and stayed with local people. One day was spent cooking with a family in a small village in the Red delta. The trip to Bai Tu Long bay was heavenly. We met no tourists there and only saw local fishing boats. Ask for Khanh who will tailor a tour to your needs. All the guides are really friendly and soon feel like old friends - our guide was so calm and had a great sense of humour. There are tours across Vietnam including Sapa and the Mekong Delta in the South. They even managed to book our hotel in Hanoi for us which we had previously tried to contact unsuccessfully.
Ethnic Travel, 35 Pho Hang Giay, Hanoi in the Old Quarter
www.ethnictravel.com.vn
Sells fantastic Vietnamese food and all profits from the restaurant and sales of postcards etc are given to the excellent Blue Dragon Childrens Foundation, who work with street children and children who have been trafficked in Hanoi and Hue.
Down by the riverside, close to the market.
www.bdcf.org
hoianhotels.org
Cold day in Nha Trang? Why not go and get completely covered in hot mud? We did and decided it was a very good plan indeed. Hot mud, hot pools and budget massages - perfect should you find yourself in Nha Trang in the rainy season!
www.thapbahotspring.com.vn/index.php?ha=home&site=en
It's the other side of town from the main hotels area, but its quite easy to organise a taxi + I think there are buses too.
www.vietnamtravels.org/nha-trang
Vietnam Airlines, the state-owned airline, is the major carrier in Vietnam for domestic flights. A second domestic airline, Pacific Airlines, which is owned by Vietnam Airlines, also offers flights between Hanoi, HCMC and Danang.
Fares for domestic flights are fixed and determined by distance, although there are some discount fares for advance purchase (with restrictions), late night flights, and student and senior fares. Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines both offer similar levels of quality and safety, with Pacific Airlines offering slightly cheaper fares.
Neither Vietnam Airlines nor Pacific Airlines currently offer e-ticketing or online booking, although Vietnam Airlines has announced plans to start e-ticketing in early 2007.
A few tips for booking internal flights - book flights only once you are in Vietnam for cheaper prices, book online with Vietnam Airlines website, or their agents for savings.
Useful websites:
www.vietnamairlines.com.vn
www.guidevietnam.com/flight/vietnam-airlines/vietnam-domestic-flights.html
www.smiletravelvietnam.com/travelvietnam/vietnam-airlines.aspx
vntraveler.com provides updated travel warnings and safety for tourists to Vietnam plus destination guide, travel tips and answers on travel topics in Vietnam.
Hate to post a negative comment on a suggestions site, but wanted to steer readers away from My Hoa Hotel in Nha Trang. We arrived to learn they'd given away our room, before being told they tried to call us even though we hadn't left a number.
It being Tet (hence us booking in advance) everywhere else was full, so in desperation we asked if there was anywhere they could put us. After saying no, they changed their mind and said they could make up a room, which they did, in a grubby old room in the house/office behind the hotel. We gratefully took it, before asking how much it would be – and were very surprised to hear $40USD, the full room rate. with no luck negotiating this down, we stayed, paid and left the next morning as soon as possible. Finally, arriving back in the UK, we've just found they actually charged us in pounds sterling!
I know this is all just one incident, but if you have a choice of places to stay I thought this might help future visitors.
Three hours by land from Saigon (or less than two hours by ferry and bus). Quiet and cool beach area with great seafood. Cute cabanas in Palace Hotel resort with swimming pool. Palace Hotel is 100 years old, built by the French and used in modern times as a reception place for French embassy.
The Vinpearl Land, located on white sandy beaches of Hon Tre Island, is just 10 minutes by sea cruise to the luxurious five-star resort, off the South East Coast of the cultural and historic township of Nha Trang, Vietnam.
It is wonderful for families or young couples on a romantic holiday. Outstanding customer service, very clean and beautiful public areas and rooms, excellent food at reasonable prices, largest swimming pool in Vietnam, beautiful beach (but watch out for floating garbage), an adequate business centre, next to an amusement park good for young children, and a decent spa and beauty salon.
Vinpearl Land - Nha Trang - Viet Nam
Tel: (+84) 58 598 188 - Fax: (+84) 58 598 199
Email: info@vinpearlland.com
www.vinpearlresort.com/
www.smiletravelvietnam.com/travelvietnam/vietnamResort.aspx
Paradissa Travel specializes in adventure tour and luxury travel packages in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Ground Floor, 166 Tran Quang Khai Street
Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi , Vietnam
Tel: 844 926 3509; Fax: 844 926 3508
Email: info@paradissa.com
www.paradissa.com
Smile Travel Vietnam is an online travel company based in Hanoi which offers a full range of service from visa to hotel reservations. They are receiving good comments from travel forums like Thorn Tree or Tripadvisor.
Address: No. 92, 81/24/47 Lane, Lac Long Quan Street - City: Hanoi, VIETNAM
www.smiletravelvietnam.com/
Nationals from some countries can enter Vietnam without a visa for certain period of time ranging from 15-90 days, such as Nordic and South East Asia. However, many travelers may wish to change their travel plan and stay in Vietnam longer than their given time. In this case, tourists need to apply for a visa while they are still in the country, and the fee they have to pay will be much higher than the normal one, around 50-70$ US.
So, keep in mind this problem when you plan your itinerary to Vietnam. It will save you a lot of money.
Happy travel.
My Vietnam Visa is a blog offering up-to-date visa information for travelers to Vietnam including visa exemptions, visa types, visa extensions and how to apply for a tourist visa.
www.myvietnamvisa.com/
www.myvietnamvisa.com/visa-guide/vietnam-visa-exemption/
For great, traditional and some unusual Vietnamese food, try Highway 4. The actual Highway 4 crosses the mountains and hill tribes (and ethnic minorities) of northern Vietnam, and this defines the cuisine (and the great fruit, herbal or medicinal flavored rice wine) of Highway 4 in Hanoi as well. All this can be had at reasonable prices, in a pleasant environment that evokes the highlands.
Recommended dishes: Nem Cá, or famous Highway 4 spring rolls with fried catfish and wasabi soy dipping sauce. But tell them to go light on the mayo inside the rolls.
Grilled chicken with lemon leaves (Gà Nương Lá Chanh) and the Bò Xào Dưa Chua (beef sautéed with local pickled mustard greens—translated as sauerkraut but it’s quite different).
A unique and wonderfully textured green that’s only available seasonally is Hoa Thien Lý Xào (sautéed Thien Ly vegetable/flower).
For seafood, try the soft shell crab roasted with Tamarind or Salt (Cua Dong Rang Me/Muoi) and Ca Kho To (fish simmered in clay pot). Also good: Green mango (Xoài Xanh) marinated with salt and chili; and for the pork lover—Thịt Kho Tộ (pork carmelized in clay pot with coconut—tourist places tend to use lean sliced pork, while more traditional places like Hwy 4 will use pork belly). Try the sampler set of their Son Tinh liquor.
5 Hang Tre, just east of the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake. For more restaurant recommendations (and travel itineraries and other great tips) go to www.savourasia.com - they really throw themselves into eating in Asia, and especially Hanoi!
A collection of war machinery that you wander among on the way to a three-sided building filled with photos of the Vietnam War taken by war correspondents from all over the world during the conflict.
The instruments of war are chilling and the results of the carnage they inflict ovewhelming. Not to be missed.
Central Ho Chi Minh City
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