What's to see in Vietnam?

[Ice Burn]

I'm planning a trip there in October. What's to see?

Please don't say Vietnamese!!! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

[virgo14]

rice paddies? :D

seriously tho, i hear it's really cheap there so you might find some good bargains. but it's less developed than manila so don't expect too much. i'm sure they have a very rich culture (i like their food http://www.pinoyexchange.com/yummy.gif ) and it should at least be interesting. have fun! :)

[This message has been edited by virgo14 (edited 09-25-2000).]

[DAILO]

Originally posted by Ice Burn:
I'm planning a trip there in October. What's to see?

Please don't say Vietnamese!!! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

Vietnamese!!! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

[yuri]

The climate is generally hot and humid,try going to Ho Chi Minh City formerly known as Saigon, is the largest city an important comm'l. and economic center.

Hoan Kiem Lake,Hanoi

[ChiQui]

I plan to go there also on October. Kelan ka punta?

[Ice Burn]

I might go there on October 6...

[ChiQui]

You going alone?

[Ice Burn]

nope...with parents.

Ewan ko nga kung matutuloy eh...My mom suddenly told me to pick either Vietnam or Switzerland and Germany (like isn't it obvious what my choice will be? :lol: )

[yuri]

beware for the landmines..ingat

[tr|n|ty]

the big statue of Ho Chi Minh :lol:

seriously, there are a lot of great street food in vietnam.. i love their pho..but be careful ha, dog dishes are a delicacy for them..baka makain mo aso

[Pink_mermaid88]

Well, if you go to Ho Chi Minh City :D ... one of the tourist spots they have there is the biggest mall they have in that place where there is this hi-tech bowling alley... it was the most hi-tech bowling alley i've seen 4 years ago... i don't know now... :*)

They also have this Market Place... the Red Market I think where the buildings are of British style... It's ok and the things you could buy there are quite inexpensive... their faces don't differ much to filipinos, but there are a lot of bicycles and motorcycles and it's an interesting sight where you'll find it difficult to cross the roads.. :confused:

just beware of the snatchers there, their hands are fast... told you, the place is quite SIMILAR to the phils... :l

[sweet_7326]

any updates? kasi pag travel expo, medyo cheap pumunta ng vietnam. am planning my travels for next year :)

[Dunedain]

The Coochi Tunnels (not sure of the spelling though). It's them underground forts used by the NVA during the war. I'm still at awe that they can dismantle and assemble a howitzer from under the ground to above ground and fire 2 or 3 rounds and repeat the same process but bring it back underground in a span of less than 20-30 minutes.

[leeney_b]

Ice Burn...I guess this post is a little bit late...I'm sure uve opted for Germany or Switzerland. But then again..this might help the others who may want to travel to Vietnam in the future.

Ive been living in Ho Chi Min City (or Saigon)since Jan. of this year...and yeah, the place is pretty cool. It's not so modern..most buildings r French-inspired..mostly old buildings...and a few high rise ones. But the food and the shopping is great! Vietnamese food is very similar to Thai food, except that it's not as spicy as the latter..so u can just imagine how good it is.

If you're a film buff like me..you'd go crazy with the pirated dvds over here....the selection is awesome! They have art films, commercial ones, indies, oldies...u name, theyve got it. Yun nga lang, lahat pirated. Plus..theyre so cheap..say..60 bucks approximately. Mura din dito yung mga bags for women...the beaded ones and embroidered bags...super dami, and theyre really trendy! Once, while I was reading Vogue..I saw one bag (made in Vietnam) and they were selling it for 50 pounds..eh dito, 4 dollars lang yun. Dami rin dito yung embroidered duvet covers, bedsheets, tablecloth, etc. My friend from the States told me that those duvets r being sold in the US for more than a hundred dollars...but I can only get them for like, 22 dollars.

Here in the South...the most popular tourist spot is the Cu Chi Tunnels. Very interesting and educational...they showed us where the Vietnamese hid during the war. These tunnels r sooo small, the average American cannot fit inside them...no wonder natalo ang mga Americans. Anyway...they allowed us to go inside the tunnel just to get a feel of what it's like ..if u're claustrophobic..then this isnt the place for u. Sa North part ng Vietnam, the nice places to go to r Hanoi, Sapa, and Halong Bay..though Ive never been to those places.

This is a nice place..not so modern but it's got it's appeal..sort of like Malate, in a way. And man...theyve got sooo many tourists..just walk around, and you'll notice that it's like a melting pot over here.

Hope this helps.

[flavvvah]

I last visited Ho Chi Minh siguro 5 years ago. So it wasn't developed talaga.

The only American establishment I saw was Baskin Robbins (imagine, nauna ang Baskin sa McDo!)

What can you see? Well, you'll find a lot of jewelry stalls! They sell really cheap Blue Sapphires. You won't find a better price anywhere in the world! You'll also find a lot of pirated stuff. And if you're into decors and stuff, you'll find lots! I went crazy for the antique opium pots and the pipes.

Sadly, you'll also see a lot of poor people. A lot of them half-breeds. Alam mo yon. Half-American, half vietnamese. Probably as a result of the Vietnam war. You'll also see a lot of mine victims. So, try not to sit sa may windows when you're eating at a restaurant. It's hard to chow down food when you see people with missing limbs, starving outside, tapping at your window.

What to visit? Well, ako I went lang to the museums. And of course, the Cu Chi Tunnels. I also ate at that Floating Restaurant Thingy. And I ate Vietnamese style sa street restos nila.

Tips: Drink lots of water! Na-heat stroke ako when I went there! Keep an eye out for your belongings. And of course, try out the food! It's really good. Kahit street food, masarap!

I don't know how much Ho CHi Minh has changed since my last visit. But I still hope this helps. :)

[jump]

quote:

"If you're a film buff like me..you'd go crazy with the pirated dvds over here....the selection is awesome! They have art films, commercial ones, indies, oldies...u name, theyve got it. Yun nga lang, lahat pirated. Plus..theyre so cheap..say..60 bucks approximately."


E d papatalo pilipinas pagdating sa mga dvd na yan courtesy of our muslim brothers of quiapo. dami don, sobra! malulula ka! P65 nung huling punta ko don. Panay kasi raid ni pareng Bong kaya di bumababa presyo.

[leeney_b]

To flavvah...Saigon has changed so much since the last time u were there..I have a friend who has been living here for 4 years, and she told me na malaki na nga daw yung changes. As early as 2 years ago..*** pa daw mga big department stores..but now, meron na rin. But, ofcourse...u really cant compare their dept. stores from the ones in Manila. Malayong-malayo. Pero...they dont have Baskins anymore...how sad . And it's true what u said that there r so many poor people dito..nakaka-awa. Most of them r beggars..who roam around the city..w/ missing limbs, ha. But u have to be careful with the beggars since I heard that there r a number of them who r snatchers..who try to distract u, while they rummage through your purse.

To jump...yeah, I'm aware of what's available in Manila since I just went home last August. Pero..iba talga dito yung selection. In fact, almost all my pasalubongs r dvds. My friends love indies..and they couldnt find the titles that I bought for them, here in Manila. Mas mabilis din yung new titles...I should know 'cus my cousin sells dvds in Greenhills (used to, atleast), and he asked me to buy pa for him. But u really have to pack them in your suitcase in a certain way, to avoid paying a fee at the airport.

[flavvvah]

leeney_b: wala ng baskin? how sad nga! hehe. when i was there, baskin lang pinupuntahan ko hapon hapon after shopping and touring. kasi dun lang sobrang lakas yung aircon. hehehe. marami pa bang motorcycles? and those bicycle thingies where you get to sit in front, tapos yung mama sa likod yung nag-p-pedal, is it still around? sabi ng iba, mas maganda na daw Ho Chi Minh now kaysa sa Manila. is this true? :) i'd love to go back there sometime. their country is rich in culture. and the food is wonderful.

[SiOMs]

leeney_b: yup i heard embroidered and beaded bags in vietnam are really cheap.. in terms of shopping (hehe :teehee: ) do you think vietnam's better than bangkok? (wag na naten isali ang hongkong hehehe!)

we're planning to go to bangkok kasi pero vietnam sounds great too :)

thanks! :D

[XetraDAX]

wow. gusto kong pumunta ng vietnam......

[thomyorke]

hello. maybe anyone of you knows a cheap but quality hotel near the center particularly Dong Khoi St, District 1. let's say maximum of 30USD a night. thanks!

[leeney_b]

sorry for the late reply. i'm in hawaii right now, taking a vacation..and it was only today i checked on my mail.

flavvah..nope..I would think Manila's way, way better than Saigon..except that, Saigon has one thing that Manila doesnt..and that is...a bright future. sounds bad no? but, really...and dami nilang foreign investors..nakaka-inggit. Saigon (or HCMC), is like Manila 20-30 yrs ago..medyo backward ng konti.

Sioms...I havent been in Bangkok for the last 10 yrs so I wouldnt know if it's still the same. But accdg to my friends..Manila is better than Bangkok when it comes to shopping. What's nice in Vietnam is...they sell things that u normally dont find in Manila. Unlike in Bangkok, na almost the same din nung nasa Manila. But I would think Bangkok is still a tourist's paradise..madami silang tours na maganda eh. Pero flavvah is right..the food in Vietnam is glorious! Super sarap!

Thomyorke..got ur pm and sent a reply na. still need to wait for my hubby's email.

[markpaul]

SEA GAMES!