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Hello TLers,
I live in South Korea and I'm heading to Thailand and Vietnam for my winter vacation in January/February.
Would really really appreciate some help from anyone who's been down there, I heard it can be a bit rough for 1st timers to that area. So please seasoned travelers, share your gosu knowledge! I put my faith in the unparalleled awesomeness of the TL.net community.
Kinds of things I could use any advice on:
1. Travel: I have heard of cheap air carriers in Thailand flying to Vietnam for like 10 dollars. Anyone had any experience of this?
2. What sucks and is overrated, what is awesome and a must-see?
3. What is the best way to get around?
4. How expensive is it?
5. Anything I need to worry about in terms of crime/where not to go etc.?
6. In terms of which areas in the countries to go, what would you recommend?
7. Should I spend more time in Thailand or in Vietnam?
8. Anything you think will be useful! Seriously any information here will be just awesome.
Thanks in advance to anyone who could help, you guys are all awesome and handsome.
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Do not visit the Orchid Gardens.
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Do not befriend any purple people eaters. They are lying to you and cannot be trusted with money.
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Uh, proper vaccinations. Be careful of what you eat and drink.
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On November 24 2010 17:04 Ixas wrote: Uh, proper vaccinations. Be careful of what you eat and drink.
What this man said. Be careful of sanitation.
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Only went to Phi Phi Island and Phuket in Thailand. Phi Phi is ok, but overrated. Very busy too. Phuket was kinda meh.
Thai meals are usually cheap. Phi Phi being a quite expensive place, I paid around 80 Baht (~2 Euro) for a meal. For a little more fancy Thai meal, I paid up to 120 Baht (~3 Euro), but it was a huge meal! Western food usually costs more (up to 200 Baht, which is still acceptable by western standards).
Get your vaccinations, especially Hepatits A and B if you're going to SEA.
Take: Toilet Paper Insect Repellant Bottled water
Do NOT drink tap water, only bottled water. Do NOT leave your valuables lying around. Common sense, I know, but you'd be amazed of the stories I heard.
Go to a Fish Spa Go get a thai massage
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awesome thanks guys!
anyone else got gems of wisdom?
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Look poor.
Dirt Broke.
Serious. If you look like you come from money, it becomes REAL reasonable that you are held for ransom by some weird organization.
Wear cheap, torn clothing, and leave all your jewelery behind, rings, earrings, ect. Only have enough cash on you to get you through your trip, I'd even be hesitant to bring credit cards.
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I've never been there personally, but like one of the above posts said, be very careful about leaving stuff around. The theft rate is very high.
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Watch the Top Gear Vietnam special and consider doing the same (renting a bike).
Are you really going alone btw? I would advice against it but if you do - be sure to spend a lot of time at hostels with backpackers and tourists.
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Beware of Ladyboys lol.
All kidding aside, make sure you have someone you can trust there to take you around.
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been in vietnam 10 days ago for a month, visited all. I'm actually vietnamese, so i may not have got the same experience as you would have. 1. Dunno. I flew over from the north to the south of vietnam for about 70-80 dollars
2. must see, cat-ba island. stay there for a couple of days, because it's a must. ha long bay, of course. I recommend you doing a tour. What sucks is=> almost no one speaks proper english. Even tour guides have a heavy accent.
Saigon city is like any other big city. Pho in the south sucks though. Don't ever eat Pho in the south. Eat Pho in the north like a real vietnamese. And only eat Pho in really fucked up places. Seriously. Dirtier Place= better Pho/food. Stay out of the swimming market. There are just some shitty boats selling some overpriced bananas. Nothing special.
3. You usually won't get screwed over by taxi drivers.
This is normal for vietnam. Don't worry, you won't get hit by any of them if you are crossing the street. They are good at dodging. But beware of cars (driven by ruthless rich assholes). They usually won't stop for you.
Watch the locals how they behave, or better, ask some if they help you crossing the street/stay near them.
4. Since you are not vietnamese, it will depend on your barter skills. It's still fucking cheap. I recommend you going to the dentist (most of them learnt in the U.S, google for some good dentist in vietnam, some of them will still try to screw you up)
Go to a tailor, purchase a tailor-made-suit (or whatever you desire). There are good and bad ones of course. Google for it.
5. Well, I didn't encouter anything dangerous.
6. As I said, Cat-Ba Island. Lots of things to do and definately the uncrowdiest place in vietnam. Hanoi is fine, visit the old quarter. Lots of foreigner there (there is street crowded with foreigner only, mostly european/u.s american). Saigon is almost the same=> only richer. Clubs will close at 0:00 am. I heard there are nightclubs in saigon which will close at about 3am-4am. I didn't visit them though. Ask some locals/expats where they are located.
7. 2 weeks for vietnam is enough, if you are doing the same program I did. I don't know about Thailand though.
8. PC bangs are located mostly outside of the actual city. All of them don't have scbw installed. They won't run sc2 either.
If you are on facebook, vietnam blocked it, as well as some other foreign websites.
Use google dns and lite.facebook.com (maybe google chrome as well). Worked for me on any computer.
Massages = prostitution. Even in 5 star hotels, you can get a 'happy ending'.
You don't need to get vaccinations, unless you go into the deepest of the mekong delta.
You might as well consider doing your drivers licence for a motorbike and rent one. I don't recommend it though, but it must be fucking amazing driving in vietnam's streets. All you need to have is good micro.
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Massages are not always prostitution! If the place looks dodgy and your masseuse is even vaguely attractive... she probably is a prostitute. But Thailand offers lots of great massages for a good price, and you should definitely have a lot! You'll regret not having had more when you leave, I guarantee you.
A good trip (if you want to have a bit of an "adventure," but it is a fairly established backpacking trail) is to go to Bangkok, go north, see some northern Thailand, and then take the "slow boat" down the Mekong from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang, in Laos. Then explore Vang Vien, Vientiene, and go East to Vietnam. Hanoi and Ha-Long Bay are awesome, then do the Vietnam coast south. making sure to stop in Hoi An.
Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) is alright, but west to Cambodia is much more awesome. If you don't have much time, you really have to see Angkor Wat at least.
From there... fly back to Thailand, see some beaches in the south, full moon party on Koh Phangan, chilling on Koh Lanta or diving on Koh Tao... and then home!
Alternatively, consider hitting up only the Philippines! Friendliest people in the world. That's where I went on my break from teaching in Korea.
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Psh screw the guy who said there's only real Pho in the North. There are plenty of decent pho places in the south, but yeah its true about going to the dirtier looking places.
Don't eat the eggs btw... beware of meat and eggs...
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On November 25 2010 11:52 Snuggles wrote: Psh screw the guy who said there's only real Pho in the North. There are plenty of decent pho places in the south, but yeah its true about going to the dirtier looking places.
Don't eat the eggs btw... beware of meat and eggs...
Yeah, but not my taste. The south is known for sweetening every food they have. Even Pho in the south tastes more like a cake than actual Pho.
Try vietnamese coffee, especially the coffee with condensed milk. Usually better in south though.
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Language can definitely be a problem, so it's best to travel with a friend. I've been all over SEA though, and I've never felt unsafe. Only "dangers" are pickpockets, con-men, and HIV if you're looking for that kind of adventure. Con-men are especially prevalent in the big cities like Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh, esp if you dress like a tourist. Never trust anyone who offers to show you around. And NEVER trust anyone trying to sell you jewelry. I know many friends who have been cheated, and they definitely aren't the gullible type.
In Vietnam, esp Ho Chi Minh, practically all massage places offer sexual services. The girls will automatically reach down there to "massage" you. Happy endings are NOT part of the official price, and if she services you you MUST pay the tip she asks for, or risk trouble with her pimp. If you don't want a happy ending be firm and say no, and they will just give you a normal massage. In Thailand though, you can definitely find real massage places with no hanky panky. Look for nice, open and clean establishments. If the lights aren't dimmed and the masseuse is wearing proper clothes, don't expect any "specials". Thai massages are a great experience and are a definite must-try.
Both Thailand and Vietnam are really cheap. The best food are those u buy from stalls along the street. I travel a lot so my stomach is pretty accustomed, but generally cooked food is safe. Never buy any food that is cold or has been left in the open for long. If you're going budget, you usually never have to pay more than $2 USD for a meal, and about $10-15 USD for accommodation. Alcohol may be expensive, depending on where you are.
My best advice is to avoid the tourist traps. The further I was away from the big cities, the more I enjoyed myself. Also, unless you want to hang out with drunk Americans and Australians, don't bother going to Phuket or Koh Phi Phi.
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Phở is a must-try :p. Also Chả giò (Spring Roll) And wear a hat. Seriously, i have been living in vn for 19 years and i still cant stand the heat. Find some places to 'hide' at noon. Traffic may looks chaos, but it's pretty safe (except buses)
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go to malaysia as well! i really love malaysia especially malacca, penang and the highlands. huge diversity in cultures and everyone is very nice. its a beautiful country
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No need to vaccination, people please stop that bullshit. Vietnam may not look as clean and civilized as Japan but everything there is safe.
Food: Pho is must try, actually you may want to have it as much as you can. So delicous it will blow your mind. Try food on the sidestand, its good food. If you want many small Vietnamese dishes but dont have to look for them one by one. I recommend a restaurant called " Quan Ngon". Both Hanoi and HCM has this chain.
Place: Halong bay(must see) Hanoi(experience the life of people their: coffee shop, streets, French quarter) Hoian(middle Vietnam), Nhatrang(one of the best beach in Asia) and HCMC(Saigon)
Coffee: Try the Vietnamese coffee, very nice.
Girls: Try the chicks at local bars, beaches etc. Some are very hot.
Watch out for: 1. Traffic - If you are not comfortable cross the road yourself, just go the nearest person and do some body language, there is a very high chance that they will help you. 2. People that follow you to sell their goods. Just ignore them, after a while they will go away. Only happens at tourist heavy places though. So most of the time you are free to explore the country.
Prices in Vietnam are cheap, but not that cheap. So dont expect everything is dirt cheap you will be dissapointed.
In January weather in the north of Vietnam is cold. Bring some clothes. Once you cross Danang(middle) it'll hot as hell. Be prepared for it.
Good luck! If you want to ask anything more specific. Just reply or PM me.
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