Vietnam
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
We just arrived in Hanoi, coming from Laos and crossing the borderpoint at Nameo, east of Vieng Xai (Laos). I must say, it was a real calvary...
From Vieng Xai to Nameo was ok, a ride in a saengthaew for 15,000 kip to the border crossing but there the troubles began. We took a motorbike from Nameo to Quan Son ($10/54km) but there we got stuck. There was one minibus going to Than Hoa, we knew the price (from other travellers in Laos who fell victim to the same scam - but in the reverse direction), 49,000 dong but we couldn't enter the bus before having paid 300,000 dong/person and there was no discussion possible: it was either get stuck there or pay - and I must say, the atmosphere was really threatening, almost violent - some of them were laughing in our face ("maybe you go by foot then, hehe...") Although we're two really tall men and are travelling already for more than three months in SE-Asia, we're used to bargaining. We ended up by paying after having tried to arrange other means of transport (mainly trucks) - but the guy from the minibus prevented us to do so by riding by on his bike and talking to everyone in Quan Son before I could to.
I wouldn't recommend anyone trying that border crossing before there's 'regular' bus correspondence to Hanoi or Than Hoa - for us it was the worst travel experience (it lasted the whole day) we had during our travel and I thought I'd let you guys know about it.
Jeroen Decuyper, Belgium (Feb 06)
This is just a small warning about the Laos-Vietnam border crossing. I recently crossed there and an immigration official (doubling as a tout, apparently) tried to sell me a ticket on a 'public bus' to Hanoi for US$20. I was suspicious, and declined. I found a public bus to the main north-south highway for a reasonable price. As I was boarding my bus the immigration official/tout appeared and demanded $5 for his services. I watched him try this little scam with about 10-15 other travelers as well. The important thing to note is that there is no bus from Nameo to Hanoi, and anybody trying to sell a seat on one is fradulent.
Ben Ploeger, USA (Jan 06)
I read in the guidebook that arranging a visa for Vietnam is done very easily in Phnom Penh, but didn't know that it could be done in almost every guesthouse and travel agency. I thought it would still entail a lot of paperwork with embassies and the like and arranged my visa beforehand. You could state explicitly that it's a breeze to have your Phnom Penh guesthouse take care of it.
Paul de Vries, The Netherlands (Nov 05)
We wanted to cross the border from Laos into Vietnam. LP says it's OK to cross the border at Cau Treo (Lonely Planet South East Asia On A Shoestring). Our experiences are totally different. From Laksao, there were no buses going to Vinh. It's very hard to find anybody who speaks English and nobody could explain us how to get to Vietnam. In the end we found a minibus going to Vinh. Together with a Japanese girl (who took the bus from Vientiane to Laksao and was scammed and robbed, and lost all her luggage) we got onto that minibus, which turned out to be a drugs smuggling bus. A very long story, which I shall not tell right now, but we were very afraid. Frankly it was a very dangerous trip. Also the people at Customs didn't want to give our passports back. They wanted money. Again a long story. Nearly robbed, with physical aggression etc. After a very bad day we arrived in Vinh where more trouble awaited us.
When we were finally in the tourist trail (usually we avoid the tourist trails!!!) we felt safe and told the locals what had happened. They told us that it isn't even safe for them to go there, and especially for travellers it's a very unsafe area in Vietnam. You should not any longer advise travellers to take that route. Even locals say it's very unsafe! In the end we were not physically hurt, but it could have ended a lot worse!!!
Joost & Ellen Grommel, The Netherlands (Sep 05)
The Vietnamese Embassy (in Germany ) is not in Bonn anymore.
The new address is: Botschaft der Sozialistischen Republik Vietnam in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Elsenstraße 3, 12435 Berlin
Dirk Winkler, Germany (Jul 05)
Don't get the Visa for Vietnam at the Vietnamese embassy in Pnom Phen, do it with the travel agencies at the Lakeside, because they charge for the Visa only US$23.80 in comparison with the embassy price of US$30 (plus taxride from the center and back!).
Franko Petri, Austria (Mar 05)
If you're traveling in Thailand, especially in the northeast, wait to pick up your Vietnamese visa at the Vietnamese consulate in Khon Kaen.
Address: 65/6 Chatapadung Road, Khon Kaen 40000
Tel: 043-242-190; 0-4324-1586; fax: 0-4324-1154
Email: hue@kkaen.loxinfo.co.th
Wait: 15 minutes
Cost: US $50
My case: 10-day tourist visa
John Davies, Thailand (Mar 05)
Just wanted to let you know that there are at least two new borders open between Laos and Vietnam. I crossed over the recently open one about 4 hours east of phonsovan in the north of Laos. The border is called Nam Cam/Nong Haet. The route from Phonsovan to the border is relatively easy and hassle free. The bus trip should cost around $2.
Once over the border its a different story. the Vietnam border control have a habit of searching all items in your bag - more out of personal interest than for security reasons. From the border there is no way to get anywhere other than the monopoly of motorbike driver charging a fortune (about $10). this should improve with time - although its a communist country so who knows.
I managed to make my way to Ky Son, which is the first town in Vietnam over the Nong Haet border. really a nice place to stay for a night and still very much off the back packer trail. but be careful as there are no services including no place to change money - so bring dollars. From Ky Son to Vinh took about 10 hours and the roads were extremely bad, with lots of rowd works underway. this will naturally improve over the next few years, but it is a long road, and it could take years.
Herman Zolty, South Africa (Jan 05)
Travel Tips
If you are travelling through Vietnam starting in the South and ending in Hanoi and you're concerned about doing too much shopping along the way - don't despair! It appears that they sell the same stuff throughout Vietnam so if you didn't get it in any of the places you visited - you will still find it in Hanoi. However Hoi An is still good for having clothes tailor made and buying art.
Rorgani Padayachy, South Africa (Feb 06)
If you get sick in Nha Trang you are much better off heading to Saigon if you can. The Nha Trang Hospital should be a last ditch choice. I was witness to a very ill western tourist who had a severe viral infection that left him unable to walk. The hospital took blood samples and the results were back in five minutes. I imagine they were taken just to prove that he did have blood. After X Rays and an ultrasound they deduced he had a chipped bone in his pelvis and of course this was the reason he could not walk...no amount of talk could explain that this was an old football injury and it was years old. His case was simply put in the "too hard" basket and they wanted to discharge him, still sweating, dizzy and unable to take a step. I managed to arrange a medical evacuation from one of the Australian run clinics in Saigon who sent a ambulance with two Australian paramedics to pick him up.
Since Nha Trang is well and truly on the tourist route, with grand new hotels rising skyward along the beach front you would have thought it would have adequate medical facilities in its hospital but this is not so... very 3rd world and a quick flight to Saigon is a much safer option.
Garry Adams, Australia (Jan 06)
I should have changed to US$ before I left NZ because no bank in Vietnam, including ANZ, will buy NZ dollars! I confirmed this with the NZ embassy in Hanoi. I had to exchange my cash on the "black market" for about one third less than what the Kiwi dollar is worth on the world market! Not something I could afford on my budget. Interesting to note though, the ladies were offerring a significantly higher rate for US$ to dong than the Vietcom bank they were standing outside of, and were honest people and very nice.
Rohan Wittmer, New Zealand (Sep 05)
In Hanoi watch out for guesthouses and travel agents putting on a sales tax of 12%. They won't tell you about this until it comes to the time to pay. If you bring it up beforehand they will often drop the charge. Nowhere else in Vietnam seems to do this.
Steve Waller, UK (Sep 05)
Travel insurance is a "must have" when travelling in Asia. If, sadly, you are injured and you have not got travel insurance you should be prepared to pay out a lot of money because medical aid for foreigners in Vietnam is expensive.
Even with Travel insurance there can be snags...... the local medical centers like SOS and the HCMC Family Medical Center have their "preferred" insurance providers and the insurance you by from firm "A" might not be accepted where as the insurance provided by firm "B" will be accepted without question.
If you happen to be insured for example with firm "A" and are injured or ill and turn up at a medical center who has an arrangement with firm "B" you may well have to haul out the credit card or cash and claim later...or hop back in your taxi and try the various medical centers until you find one who is happy to accept your insurance company.
It would be prudent to contact your travel insurance firm to see which medical centers they had the deals with for health care in Vietnam or anywhere else in Asia you intended traveling to. It might save a lot of running around if something did go wrong.
Garry Adams, Australia (Sep 05)
During my visit to the Cu Chi tunnels I purchased various war souvenirs, which were made from "old" bullet shell casings. When I arrived to the airport I was delayed getting to my plane because even though the bullets are now squished and empty they are not allowed on the plane in either check in or carry-on, so I was forced to chuck them at the airport. Waste of money.
Darren Price, Canada (Jul 05)
Pedestrian safety is a serious issue in Vietnam. The residents of the various cities we visited were not reluctant to run red lights, even with people in the crosswalk. Also, people often drive their motorcycles on the sidewalk. With the incessant background noise from the street, it is easy not to hear a scooter coming up behind you. My advice is to keep alert for motorcycles when on the sidewalks and don't assume that traffic will stop for you when you venture across the street, even with the light.
As for annoyances, we stayed in several different mini-hotels and none of them had window blinds and they all had rather thin curtains. If you find it hard to sleep in a semi-lit room, you might want to bring an eye mask with you. Also, if the noise and the lights get to you, ask for a room on the inside of the hotel as opposed to the back of the hotel, as that will have fewer windows. We stayed in the back of some hotels and they were still pretty noisy.
Mike Hennessey and Diem Pham, USA (Dec 04)
Moving About
The Lonely Planet guide encourages travelers to use local transport and the edition I have laughed at those who use the tourist buses, but in December I had a really bad bus journey beginning at the public bus station in Hanoi, where bus ticket touts kept on grabbing my suitcase and packing it in their buses before I'd agreed I wanted to go with them or that their departure time/ ticket price suited me. Then they wouldn't give me my bag back or let me off the bus, so I'd have to physically force my way through and extract my bag. It happened with countless buses. Each time I retrieved my heavy bag from one, another tout grabbed it away.
Eventually I gave in and stayed on one of the buses, where people chain smoked for the entire 16 hour journey, the bus driver was into incense and I sat above the bus exhaust pipe by a window that leaked clouds of black exhaust into the bus (one third of the passengers were wearing face masks, but I lost mine in the dark, & they don't help much anyway).
To be fair, the bus driver did invite me to dinner with him at a stop and the old lady in front was very friendly, but one of the bus staff groped me in the middle of the night, while everyone around was asleep or disinterested. Thankfully I got rid of him. I couldn't escape easily myself, as there were so many cardboard boxes of Chinese safety pins and sacks of whatever around me.
We arrived at my destination (Dong Hoi) at 3am instead of 10pm and so I refused to get off at the side of the motorway in the dark, and asked to wait until the next city. An hour later, the same ticket guy who had groped me, threatened to dump me at the side of the motorway in the dark if I didn't give him the expensive (by Vietnamese standards) additional fare, which he had made up. In the end I gave in, he smiled and put the money in his pocket. Then at 5.30am I was suddenly left by the side of a motorway in the dark, being told that was the next city (Hue). I subsequently had a really hard time in the dark and pouring rain trying to negotiate a sensible price for a ride on the back of a motorbike into the real city, which was some 25 minutes away!!
As a result of this experience, I vowed to avoid public buses in Vietnam and have traveled on tourist buses ever since. I recently met a Spanish couple that'd decided to only travel by plane in Vietnam after their bad bus experience! I was initially reluctant to take tourist buses as I have used local transport everywhere else I have traveled in the world, and I think you can learn a lot about a culture from the people you meet and the things you see on buses.
Local buses are an "interesting" way to travel in Vietnam, but I do not recommend foreign women travel on their own on them, and I believe that it is even more of a risk at night. Although I do think such trips would be easier for those with good Vietnamese language skills.
Karine Jones, UK (Jan 06)
Travelling around Hanoi and touring Northern Vietnam: In the vicinity of Hanoi are many places which are definitely worth visiting. Among them are the Perfume Pagoda, Tay Phuong Pagoda, Thay Pagoda, Ba Vi National Park or Mai Chau. Not to forget the Dry Halong Bay with Tam Coc and the Cuc Phong National park.
It is not so easy to get to all these places with public traffic. We can recommend to do a combined tour to these places with your own driver. Actually we toured for one week this way and were very happy doing so. Having a car and a driver saves a lot of time and trouble and prevents uncertainties. A good driver also knows a lot to tell about the places to visit, about places to stay, boat trips and about less known sights along the road. Usually there are fixed costs per day for the car and the driver and no extra costs for overnight stays of the driver. Rates start from about US$30 per day.
Manfred Krautter, Germany (Jan 06)
There are a lot of taxis with a sign saying 'metered taxi' on the top. However, many of these meters are rigged. How to spot the unrigged taxis: The meter should be placed on top of the dashboard, and covered with a transparent plastic box, such that the meter can be clearly seen when looking at the taxi from the front. If the meter is hidden from view (i.e put near where the radio or air-con control is), there is a chance that the cabs are rigged
Wu Shao Rong, Singapore (Jan 06)
ON the things to bring I would like to suggest people bring disinfectant hand wash which does not require water. Often their is no water supply at toilets especially when at bus stops when the bus stops when travelling.
Vanessa Fries, Australia (Dec 05)
International Drivers licenses are not recognized in Vietnam, need to obtain a permit from police here. Motorbike licenses are relatively easy to get if you have your license in another country already, otherwise you have to sit a written test here. Car licenses are harder to come by, I think you have to be a resident here to get one of these.
Nikki Poulish, Australia (Nov 05)
Travelling by train is highly
recommended; the trains are cheap, on time and comfortable. The internet page of Vietnam Railways provides excellent information on fares and times. They have only recently updated the layout and the information, making it much easier for foreigners to find the necessary information. We took the night train from Hanoi to Hué in an aircon sleeping berth. The aircon is pretty cold, so you'd better take a sweatshirt with you. But as it is very hot, it's still better to take aircon. The train was on time, quite clean and comfortable.
Sabine Welte, Germany (Oct 05)
When trying to buy tickets to Sapa (one way) and using the various travels agencies about town to book the ticket, the travel agencies promise to provide you with soft sleeper cabins (4 bed and more secure) for a price of between US$15-17. However, when collecting the ticket, the tickets they are economy and hard sleeper. When noticed the refund offered is usually US$1 per person. This happened twice to me. The first place, after a fight gave us our money back. the second travel agency did exactly the same scam. I am in another travel agancy using interent and another couple have come in and having exactly the same problem - paying for secure cabin's on the Sapa train and then not getting them, allowing the travel agency to make about US$5-7 profit each time.
Oliver Matthews, UK (Oct 05)
General Info for using trains: When we went to Sapa (from Hanoi), some guy (maybe from the railway corp.?) approached us and showed us our train and the compartment in the train. When we offered him one dollar as a tip, he wasn't satisfied and said, we would have to pay one dollar for each person (because other tourist had gave him so much (according to him)). When we refused, he became very angry, shouting something in Vietnamese, so that we really had to throw him out of our compartment. A very annoying experience which I would like to spare other travellers.
Felix Timischl, Japan (Oct 05)
Ho Chi Minh City : This city is full of mopeds and motor scooters. Crossing the street is an art in itself. The secret is once you've started across, don't turn back. Walk slowly and deliberately. Watch the traffic but also the road in front of you. The law does give the right to the pedestrians but that does not mean that it is adhered to. It is said that there are six million people living in Saigon and three million motor scooters. You will see anywhere from one to four people riding on the scooters.
Chris Louie, USA (Aug 05)
I thought that I ought to let you know about the Vientiane ( Laos ) to Hue ( Vietnam ) bus route. Although you do mention in your book that it is not a great route it is not said that the bus does not actually take you to Hue . The bus in fact drops you a good 22km away from Hue at about 8-9pm at night. There is taxi's and moto-taxi's to take you into Hue , but of course they charge some very high prices - we paid $15 for a taxi.
Sarah Collinson, UK (Aug 05)
I think it may be worth mentioning that if you travel down to Nimh Binh from Hanoi , it's impossible to get a sleeper train to go further south, as they apparently don't stop at this station. In fact, getting any train proved impossible for us, as the station could only confirm ticket availability on the morning of departure - reserving a seat a day in advance was not an option. For us, this meant either going back up to Hanoi to get the sleeper or the torturous 10 hour bus trip to Hue . The latter was no fun and 'getting to know the locals' on the night bus was far from enchanting. Our worst experience in Vietnam so far.
Edward Sylvester, UK (Jun 05)
My one piece of advice... take a motorbike to get places its the best way around, cheap, but ALWAYS DISMOUNT ON THE LEFT, otherwise the muffler will burn you... I saw several people (including myself) about the place with scars, blisters and bandages on that spot.
Anna Canton, NZ (Jun 05)
Nha Trang's airport has now moved about 30 kilometres out of town. A shuttle bus costs 30.000 dong per person.
Yiannis Ioannou, Cyprus (May 05)
There seem to be different categories of taxi, western style ones, usual white in colour being considerably more expensive. In HCMC there are smaller, less luxurious and therefore cheaper taxis, used by locals, which are red in colour, they are perfectly adequate. The going-rate from the airport was about 60,000 Dong, ie 4 USD. Outside up market hotels, I get the impression that only the more expensive ones are allowed to line up. So I just went down the street to hail a normal one. In Hanoi , there are mini taxis, not red I think, but same applies. Never had any problem with drivers cheating or not turning on meter.
Liam Long (Apr 05)
Recently while travelling through wonderful Vietnam, my girlfriend and I were to catch a flight from Hanoi to Danang. Our flight was at 3am so we decided instead of paying for accommodation; we would spend the final day out and about in Hanoi city then just wait around at the airport. We arrived at 11pm and settled down on the comfortable sofas in the waiting area. But at 12pm we were told to get out in no uncertain terms. So we decided to sit outside the front doors until 1am when the doors would re-open for check-in. Suddenly all the lights inside and outside went off. Eventually after about 20 minutes panicking two security men drove up to us and told us to go away. We tried to explain, but they wouldn't listen. They made us walk for about 30 minutes to the nearest hotel and check-in for 1 hour.
Emmett Breen, Ireland (Feb 05)
Upon arriving in Hanoi, we took Lonely Planet's advice and used our cafe/hotel to book our train ticket to Hue. Two days later we received the tickets and noticed we had been bumped to the 'S3' rather than the E1. We paid a massive commission fee (about 100%) as a result. My advice to travellers would be to check the Vietnam Railways website http://www.vr.com.vn/English/index.html and verify what the train ticket should cost. Alternatively, jump on a motorbike for US$1 and buy your ticket from the train-station a couple of days before you plan to depart. You'll pay the correct fare and get the train & class you want.
Richard Heath, Australia (Jan 05)
Phu Quoc island, Vietnam- there is now a super dong fast boat service between the island and Ha Tien, costing 120,000d and taking 2 hrs.It leaves An Toi at 7.15am but has an irregular service-check the office in Duong Dong for what days it runs. This is the best way to get from the island to Chau Doc for Cambodia- get the boat, then local bus at midday from Ha Tien for 22,000 d taking 4hrs.
As a general comment I would say Phu Quoc island isn't really backpacker territory cos it's so expensive and most accomodation is in resorts. However getting off the beaten track on a motorbike is worth the effort.
Madeline Lasko, UK (Jan 05)
Scams & Warnings
Having spent 3 weeks in Vietnam we encountered a scam which I thought your readers would be interested to know about. We took the 4-5 hour journey from Nha Trang to Mui Ne Beach. The bus dropped us off at 'Mui Ne' Beach. It was only about 4 hours later when we could not find any of the restaurants listed in your book that we discovered that we had in fact been dropped off about 6-10 km away from the centre. Where we were dropped there are 2 hotels which have been named the same as the ones at the proper resort strip. We felt the names had been copied so that you think you have arrived at the correct destination. Where we were dropped the beach was dirty with raw sewerage gushing into the sea from nearby hotels. The next day we took a taxi to Mui Ne Beach proper and had a great time.
Jessica Metherell, UK (Mar 06)
Bad experience in Halong Bay, Vietnam! We took a (guided) cruise with a typical boat along the magnificant rocks in Halong Bay. Beautiful! Until We discovered that we where robbed... Apparently during our swim a lot of money was stolen from several (locked) huts. We searched the whole boat, everywhere, but only found extra keys to the huts (and a lot of cockroaches in the kitchen!!). We suspect the whole staf was involved in this robbery, including the captain and possibly even the guide. So be warned, take your money with you or give it to the guide (after counting it!) to keep an eye on it.
Suzanne Ijsselmuiden, The Netherlands (Feb 06)
A classic returns - Hanoi: Our travel partners were in a licensed (or so it seemed), metered taxi at night for a short hop across the old quarter. The 10 minute trip showed "8" on the meter, and the driver pulled out a blacklight flashlight, which revealed the words "USD" under the number (it was a $1 trip at most). He then locked the doors and threatened my friends until they coughed up.
Michael Gordon (Oct 05)
For those who wander down beautiful Dong Khoi Street in Saigon you will usually be accosted by children who would be better served if they were in school... These are the "Chewing gum" sellers who try and sell you packets of chewing gum which you can buy in the supermarket for less than the amount asked by the children. These kids are coached and run by the parents who are usually hovering nearby directing the juveniles to new targets as the tourists wander down the street. The parents then take the money from the kids if they happen to sell a packet to someone who usually buys out of sheer frustration to try and get rid of them. It is just one of the minor nuisances you have to put up with in this area along with the beautiful girls dressed in Au Dai's who are touting for various massage parlors in the area.
Garry Adams, Australia (Sep 05)
In Hoi An at a small family run shop that sells mostly womens' scarves and T-Shirts I was secretly overcharged US$100. The storekeeper pretended to make a mistake when running my VISA through and then proceeded to tear up what looked like the receipts and then start again to process my transaction. I figure he was actually tearing up a strategically placed piece of paper and keeping the original receipt which I never saw. He then had me sign my transaction and I am unsure how he would get my signature besides by forging it but the US$100 purchase did show up on my VISA bill along with my actual purchase. I am currently going through the motions with VISA to try and get my money back. In the meantime I have to pay my bill and the merchant in Hoi An gets my money! The moral of the story, never take your eyes off of your credit card and be sure to insist on keeping all voided receipts. Cash may end up being a wiser choice for payment.
Anonymous (Sep 05)
I want to warn travellers of a scam in the Nah Trang area of Vietnam with regards to clubs giving fake notes in their change at the bar. I met several people who had been given fake 100,000VD notes in their change, this happened several times to me and people I met. Don't accept any 100,000VD notes insist on 50,000 or you will be surprised the next day when you find out it's fake. Always pay in dong and not in US dollars.
Paul Fortune, UK (Sep 05)
I was glad of your warning about men offering to show one around/trying to 'befriend' people, pretending to shout a drink or meal and then coming out with an exorbitant bill. Two guys tried this on me. He was obviously testing whether I was gay by saying 'you are very handsome'. I'm not gay, so he changed the subject to prositutes. I had to be very firm to get rid of them after giving them the benefit of the doubt. He was a persistent and dishonest weasle! The next time he saw me he behaved meekly, knowing that I mistrust him after I had shown my annoyance.
Rohan Wittmer, New Zealand (Sep 05)
I would like to report a scam going on in Hanoi's Old Quarter. When we arrived at Hanoi in July '05 we gave the taxi driver a hotel name that my friend had recommended. Upon arriving a man quickly came out and told us that they were full. He then said they have a 'sister Hotel' just a few blocks away. When we arrived I went in to look at the room while my friend waited in the car with the bags. The room was fairly clean and very cheap so we decided to stay one night. After we checked in we were hounded by the staff regarding trips/flights they offer. We said we would look around. We did and the price they offered seemed very good for a flight to Saigon. They kept the tickets till the very last minute after we had checked out and pushed us into a taxi. When I looked at the price and converted it, they had charged us $40USD more per ticket. They had also charged us 2 nights as opposed to one night, They said they had run out of till roll and said they had cancelled one of the transactions (this I found out when I got home). I called them from the taxi and the response was 'I don't understand what you are saying'. I am a seasoned traveler and was well aware of scams going on in Vietnam but you really do have to have your wits about you all the time and it is quite exhausting. I met a couple from New Zealand that had also stayed there and who had been over charged when booking a tour.
Charlie Earl, UK (Aug 05)
Taxi drivers are still trying to get a few extra dollars from pick ups outside Tan Son Nhat, both Domestic and International (all the same terminal). The problem seems to lie with the older Airport taxi's and they want to charge $10 USD to get into town.. Do not accept these prices... all taxi's are metered and each taxi bears a sign, inside under the meter which states that the passenger should "Pay metered fare only". If they are reluctant to put the meter on then the passenger should get out of the taxi and go to the next one. They will find the meter suddenly works okay. Average fare from the airport into the city, depending on the time of day and the traffic will be between 45,000 and 60,000 Dong which is roughly between $4.00 and $5.20 AUD. There is no shortage of taxis in Saigon, or anywhere else in Vietnam these days and it is a cheap and easy way to get around the city
Garry Adams, Australia (Jun 05)
There seems to be a very elaborate scam involving solo travellers who go from Ninh Binh to Tam Coc (" Halong Bay on the rice paddies"). I found this out myself when travelling there on the back of a motorcycle taxi, and so did two other travellers that I met who went there on their own rented motorbike.
What happens is as you are going along the road to Tam Coc, one or two Vietnamese women intercept you and say that they are boat drivers there, and then ask you to follow them to the boat. When you do, rather than taking you to the jetty where all the boats are, they take you to what appears to be their house, and then try to get you to go on their boat. They ask for 120,000 dong (which is twice what you'd pay at the jetty), and then take you to several caves (not the three caves where Tam Coc gets its name). Here, you're charged another 10,000 dong each time just to go in, with a Vietnamese guide who explains everything in Vietnamese (not terribly explanatory!).
The whole time you're on their boat, they are constantly saying how hot it is, and how you should buy them a drink, and what tip you should give them. And when you finally get off the boat after your "tour", they still demand yet more money, becoming very aggresive and grabbing at my money belt, putting their fingers into my pockets, etc.
So not only do you not get a proper tour of the area, you shell out over twice the correct amount and have to give it to the most aggressive, rapacious people. Not a very nice situation!
John Pascoe, UK (May 05)
My concern is with the increasing use of children in the selling of goods, such as cigarettes, flowers, chewing gum, postcards etc, in the major tourist areas of Vietnam, though I've also witnessed this growing trend in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. These children are often as young as 3 and 4 years old and as a consequence of tourists buying from them are often still on the streets until 3 or 4 in the morning. They therefore receive no education, are in a totally unsuitable environment, and frequently before they reach the age of ten, are then forced into prostitution by their parents. Since the parents are driving this evil exploitation of their own flesh and blood, and authorities are turning a blind eye, it has to be left to the responsible traveller to help in this issue. The message is very simple: never buy off children and never never engage them in any conversation other than a polite refusal, including buying them food and drinks, as this is just another way to keep them where they do not belong. I truly understand the motivations behind the backpackers who want to help these children, but buying off them is merely fuelling the problem, no matter how well intentioned.
Anonymous (May 05)
Predictable rant now coming about the Hanoi - Vientiane bus scam. We (20 of us) boarded buses in Hanoi, to be thrown off without explanation at about 2 am into a carpark (sounds familiar?). We waited an hour til a rattle trap minibus crammed us all in for the hair raising trip up the misty night time mountains to the Cao Treo border. On arrival at 6-ish they booted us off, and low and behold there was no bus to Vientiane! What a surprise! We organised ourselves pretty well and got various songathews to Vientiane and arrived 28 hrs after setting off! My complete advice would be DO IT YOURSELF- it may seem like the easy option to get an organised trip, but we had ten times more of an adventure without it and your not giving your hard earned cash to some nasty Vietnamese who treat you like tourist cattle!
Marianne Nicholls, UK (Feb 05)
There is something of a scam happening involving buses from Vietnam to Laos. Specifically, we were travelling from Hoi An (Vietnam) to Vientiane (Laos) in Jan 2005. We purchased tickets for $US20 each (we had to purchase 4 - 2 people, 2 bikes) in Hoi An. We were told the bus - a chartered tourist bus - would take us all the way and it would take about 24 hours. We were lied to, and we met many other travellers en route who found the same thing.
At about 2pm, a nice bus took us from Hoi An to Hue, but then we were told to get off and get on a minibus, which would take us to the border. When we got to the border (Lao Bao) at 11pm, the border crossing was closed. The tourist company must have known this. We were forced to pay a large amount for a very poor quality guesthouse in Lao Bao. Not happy.
The next morning at 7am a young woman met us at the border - she was actually a money-changer, there are lots of hopeful ones at the border. She guided us through the border crossing and then, on the Laos side, insturcted us to get on a local bus. The cost of this bus would have been about $2 and would take a long long time to get to Savannakhet - but we had been promised faster tourist buses. We had been ripped off. We told the woman we had paid for a tourist but she just sort of shrugged and walked away. Aboard the local bus, local people told us there were foreigners on it every morning. This was not a one-off.
It took us 6 hours to get to Savannakhet, and another 8 to get to Vientiane (after a 6 hours wait for a local bus). We got to Vientiane about 16 hours after we were supposed to and we had taken buses that cost less than half of what we had paid the tourist company. Other people travelling between the two countries might find it helpful to know that this scam is happening, and ask alot of questions when purchasing tickets to make sure they're gettign what they paid for.
Renee Imbesi, Australia (Jan 05)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
Slightly to the West of the Ho Chi Minh museum at Ngoc Ha there is a small pond of water in amongst some high rise apartments. In this pond there is part of the undercarriage of a B-52 which was shot down over Hanoi . Only three wheels are visible - I think it's been left there because there's no way to get it out through the narrow streets. There is a small sign but it's in Vietnamese so I couldn't read it.
There is a memorial stone tablet commemorating the downing and capture of (now Senator) John McCain erected on the shore of Truch Bach Lake approximately opposite the floating restaurant, which is located over the road on West Lake. Apparently McCain has visited the memorial twice. These two things are just there, they don't cost anything to look at.
Terry Hogan, USA (Aug 05)
Yarns, Fables & Anecdotes
We visited the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City on a Saturday only to find that it offered much more than our guidebook suggested. Apparently, this is a popular venue for wedding photos and we noticed that the price list at the ticket box at the entrance listed a charge for weddings. All around the gardens and in the building itself were couples dressed in their wedding finery. Brides in red, yellow or white wedding dresses posed with their husbands-to-be while photographers accompanied by assistants with large reflectors photographed the happy couples. The absence of bridesmaids, groomsmen and other family members in the wedding parties puzzled us. Later we were told that in a Buddhist society the wedding ceremony is usually a small affair often held in the morning with the reception being the main celebration. Couples organise for their wedding photos to be taken up to a month in advance. This not only helps to spread the cost of the wedding but also enables the best of the photographs to be enlarged and put on display at the reception.
Ros Osborne, Australia (Oct 04)
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