Vietnam - HCM (Thread 3)

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by sailsingapore

Waaaaa ... 8 hours by taxi !! Best to fly there ( Lien Khuong Airport) in 30 minutes

I will not trade in the bus ride for flight...just doesn't make economic sense to pay 5mil plus compared to 880k for 2 pax return...on the way we saw many nice scenery which have no chance to see in both sinkie and malai lands...the sleeping seat coach is good enough to sleep..although I cannot sleep during travel..

every year i will travel once out of hcm which the experience is priceless...hehe...let the various bros post their experiences...

next year planning Danang, Hoi An, Hue...hehe....

[naemlo]

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

I will not trade in the bus ride for flight...just doesn't make economic sense to pay 5mil plus compared to 880k for 2 pax return...on the way we saw many nice scenery which have no chance to see in both sinkie and malai lands...the sleeping seat coach is good enough to sleep..although I cannot sleep during travel..

For me, I have serious back problem, sit more than 3 hours, my back will ache. Nowadays, I am very reluctant to go oversea esp those need to take more than 3 hours flight. Sometimes hour plus, my back ache. I will have to stick "tiger" plaster at my back.

I will try to fly else I will suffer a lot the whole trip. Like now, ask me go HCMC, I a bit reluctant, 6 hours bus ride and if there is a delay of an hour or 2 in ferry crossing, I will cry the whole trip. To save a few hundreds but to suffer the whole trip, I rather dun go.

[decent02]

Originally Posted by Singkieu

Judging by the faces and accents I'm seeing and hearing around town today, it looks like the 4-day weekend has come to HCMC!

unpatriotic lots ...haiz
Should stay like me in sg to sing national song ... Majulah Singapura on 9th Aug

[Hurricane88]

Originally Posted by naemlo

For me, I have serious back problem, sit more than 3 hours, my back will ache. Nowadays, I am very reluctant to go oversea esp those need to take more than 3 hours flight. Sometimes hour plus, my back ache. I will have to stick "tiger" plaster at my back.

you young man cannot compared to me older man...haha...for me i hate long travel too but the experiences and been there is priceless...

places I have been within Vietnam is very interesting...to me Vietnam is just not hcm...

[luv2cheong]

Hi Everyone,

Just sharing some knowledge about HCMC which i hope it helps:

1) Most of the 5 stars hotel are not girl friendly

2) So far i've been staying in the 3 stars hotels in Dist 1, Japanese area. Girl friendly and very clean and quite good. Only difference from the 5 stars are:
- room smaller
- no swimming pool
- no decent restaurants
My current favourite is Silverland Hotel and Spa. Booked from Agoda and sometimes the price is higher depending on your luck when you book.
Asian Ruby is also not bad.

3) Apocalypse is a good place for disco and pick up joint - reasonable price for the booze there
http://apocalypsesaigon.com/en.html

4) High end drinking place with lots of hot chicks - to Singaporean still consider cheap
http://www.chillsaigon.com/

5) Fantastic roast piglet: Lang Nuong Nam Bo, 285/C145 Cach Mang Thang 8, ward 12, Dist 10 - the food there very good almost full house every night

6) Vien Dong Hotel: Good massage packages
- normal head/foot, etc
- private room with bathtub: what they do inside? Go and check it out yourself. Don't want to spoil it for you. BTW just remember for tips locals usually give about 300K. they will ask for more if its foreigner.
- haven't been there for a couple of years. not sure is it still there. check online before you go.

7) Good brewery and restaurant: Lion, 11C Quang Truong Lam Son, Quan 1

8) Very good Shabu Shabu: Gyu Jin, 102 Cong Quynh, P. Pham Ngu Lao, Q1, singapore price

9) Good seafood www.ngocsuongsaigon.com.vn

10) Local version of hooters, gals there 10x better than the singapore hooters with all the pinos: Tram Chim, 303 Dien Bien Phu, Q3

11) Super ex but damn good Vietnamese fine dining:
Nam Kha, 46 Dong Khoi St, Dist 1

12) Very good mushroom hotpot, consider ex there but still ok to us:
Ashima - www.ashima.com.vn

13) Another good brewery: Hoa Vien, www.hoavien.vn
- must check out the lamb leg, goes very well with beer
- their steam vege with the vietnamese sauce also very good. can't remember the vietnamese name

14) 17 saloon, good rock live band and booze place

15) Ca Phe Tram, fantastic food
- ca phe sua da - vn ice coffee
- banh mi bo kor - french loaf with beef stew
- banh mi op la - french loaf with sunny side up eggs
- bo luk luc - fry beef cubes

16) Good ice cream: Fanny, 29 - 31 Ton Thiep St, Dist 1

17) Good and fantastic beach: Mui Ne
- 4 hours train ride from hcmc
- long stretch of beautiful beaches which are not as crowded as Danang

Hope this helps.

anyone here needs more info about hcmc can PM me as i seldom visit sammyboy nowadays due to work.

[naemlo]

Originally Posted by Hurricane88

you young man cannot compared to me older man...haha...for me i hate long travel too but the experiences and been there is priceless...

places I have been within Vietnam is very interesting...to me Vietnam is just not hcm...

Age is just numbers.... the actual physical body is the tell tale of old... some at age of 30 needs blue pill yet some 50 still going strong.

Originally Posted by luv2cheong

2) So far i've been staying in the 3 stars hotels in Dist 1, Japanese area.

Just curious "Japanese area"?? Where is this area??

[luv2cheong]

Very near to the riverside, about 10 mins walk. Go to agoda, search for hotels in HCMC, filter by Japanese area, choose any hotel and look at the map there.

Good location and the hotels there charge decent prices and gal friendly.

[naemlo]

Now then I realise there is so called Japanese area in HCMC. Learning everyday.

[luv2cheong]

Some additional info for those new to HCMC and planning to make a trip there:

1) After exiting the airport luggage area, there's a row of stalls providing taxi, money changing, limousine and local tour services. Go to the extreme right side and there's a mailinh taxi booth. tell them the address and buy a taxi ticket there. they will then bring you to the taxi boarding area. If mailinh is closed, the next 1 i normally go to is the saigon tourist taxi. Buying the ticket there and then getting a taxi is faster. if you go straight out and try to get a taxi, need to wait quite long especially during peak hours.

2) Most taxi driver speaks little english and thus safer to write or print out the destination address in vietnamese. Get the hotel business card and show it to them when going back hotel. Cos the way you pronounce their word is very different from the way they pronounce.

3) For tips to hotel staff, about 20 - 50K is good. This amount is nothing to us but they will give you better service if you need help.

[luv2cheong]

haha we all learn new things everyday.

That's the benefit of having a vn gf cos most of those above i found out from her.

[maddog_mlvn]

Originally Posted by luv2cheong

haha we all learn new things everyday.

That's the benefit of having a vn gf cos most of those above i found out from her.

Any chance of introduce 1 to me. Thks.

[volcano]

Originally Posted by naemlo

Just curious "Japanese area"?? Where is this area??

Thai Van Lung is the so called Japanese area..lots of Japanese restaurant within the perimeter.

[naemlo]

Originally Posted by volcano

Thai Van Lung is the so called Japanese area..lots of Japanese restaurant within the perimeter.

I only go to the pubs there Dunno about Jap restaurant there.

[luv2cheong]

Any good pubs that you would recommend?

Are there any other good disco or live band that plays english pop songs?

[mutantchicken]

U mean having a vn gf doesnt extend to that area