I am thinking of going to Vietnam for a vacation later this year.
Which are the best months to visit and which city is better for shopping and nightlife...Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi?
In terms of landscape, is Vietnam modern or does it still have many historic buildings left?
I tried to find some pictures of Ho Chi Minh city by searching on Goggle but to no avail.
If I don't remember wrongly, I saw some pictures of Ho Chi Minh posted by Nam Quoc Son Ha and was pleasantly surprised by how modern everything was. (can't find the thread now >.<)
Is it dangerous for a female to travel or take public transport there alone?(e.g cab)
Lastly, is Vietnam good for shopping (clothes) and I heard some of my friends saying that some shops only accept US currency...more so if u are a tourist.
So will it be necessary for me to change some Vietnamese dong if I intend to buy a lot of stuff?

if you a good night life go to saigon, if you want to see the historic imperial city go to hue, if you a piece of everything go to hanoi

Do a search for "Sai Gon" for "Saigon" and you'll get more results, not that Ho Chi Minh City crap. Most Saigonese still refer to their city as Sai Gon..so if you stop by there, be sure to refer it by its historical name and you'll offend less people that way.

In addition to getting advices here, maybe you should also try Lonely Planet Vietnam - it's a popular tour guide...don't know if it's truly accurate though.

Lonely Planet Guide To Vietnam

Foders.com Miniguide to HCM City

All shops accept both the US Dollar & Vietnamese Dong, however it would be a better idea to change your money to the local currency @ a bank because exchange rates @ the retail stores are not as favorable.

thanks for the useful links... plans to go back there this dec. for the first time since i left vietnam in the middle of the nite.

Personally i think Hanoi's a lot more beautiful than Saigon.

But Saigon is more crazy for the nightlife and probably shopping.

Why the interest in Vietnam btw?

The climate in Vietnam varies greatly from region to region.
Weather Pattern in Vietnam
It's all depend on which area you are planning to visit.

If you are a nightlife person, Saigon probably would fit you more.
Shopping for clothes depends on what types of clothes you want. Contemporary items can be found anywhere now but Saigon would carry much more variety. If you want to shop for the traditional Ao Dai, Hoi An (middle region, 30km from Da Nang) is a place to be. You'll find the custom made Ai Dai in a hour or so. These are some of the top-notch taylors in the country. And it's very cheap.
Shopping for artworks, you can do pretty much anywhere. Every place has its uniqueness. So it also depend on what artworks you would look for.
If you're a sight-seeing person, Ha Long Bay is an eye opener. Have you seen the movie "IndoChine" ?
If you're a beach person, the central region would be a treat.
If you are into food like I do, always try the street vendor stalls. Alway ask for advise from the local. Especially in Vietnam, every place has its specialty in certain dish.

Don't carry too much cash along with you. Use traveler check if you can. Most banks are now offering free traveler checking. Although the exchange rate differ from banking institutions to public services', the exchange rate is not that much to make a difference.

Other than that, just be adventurous; happy-go-lucky attitude. Be on the lookout for the street motorbikes. This you will need to get some use to.

Good luck and have fun!

Money....Money...Money....Money....Corruption... Fake Lisence

remember to bring sun screen.. the sun are extreme big at vietnam.. i been there once.. gosh.......it's sooooooo hooott.. i don't want go there anymore...too hot and too dirty for me

my mom and i went to vietnam last year and it is not at all the way it was portray in movies, the city of saigon is really modern and nice
we are planning to go to vietnam again this christmas it should be exciting since i kinda know my way around vietnam now

i been to HO Chi Ming.. it's so hot.. i have to hide in hotel everyday
i want to go to Korea

Vietnam...err very hot and humid but I would avoid the moonsoonal season. Not advised to wear singlets or shorts if you are a girl, you will get stares everywhere (my gf got stared at for weaing this). If you look Japanese or Korean, the locals will treat you like a goddess but if you look Chinese or Taiwanese, watch out.

Saigon is good, Hanoi is something of a relic site. Saigon is much more Westernised, as for shopping I dont recommend you buy anything as a lot of goods are cheap Chinese/HK/Taiwan goods. Other top quality stuff, you can get it in Japan or Korea. Shopping in Vietnam is like shopping at K mart or Target or Walmart in the West. Life is still relatively tough for the average Vietnamese.

There is a international quater in Vietnam where you see lots of Japanese and Korean girls hanging around. I would finally recommend Vietnamese dollars for small things ( you will get ripped off badly if you use US dollars for purchasing small goods).

Overall, a trip to Vietnam will make the majority of us who live in the West realise how lucky we are and to cherish our lives a lot more.

My only regrets about my trip to Vietnam earlier this year for Tet was that I:

1. Did notGo to Hue
2. Did not Took as many pictures of the places I went to as I would have liked to
3. Did not give enough money to the beggars (Coz they were kinda annoying and nagging)
4. Did not eat out in restaurants often (pigging out on sidewalk stalls and "ganh hang rong"... they were awesome and cheap though)
5. Bought a pack of postcards for VND20,000 even though they sell in the shops for VND5,000 (I felt sorry for the lady... and she was hella annoying so I had no choice but to shut her up with the money)

Overall it was a fun trip. Learnt alot about Vietnam and how beautiful Vietnam is.

i remember i gave 2000 dollars to a vietmanese begger..see i know 2000 is not a lot..but i don't have money that time... and i also saw a very very skinny vietnamese girl..when i get back to the hotel. i pray for them.. sigh..

i gave out close to 100,000 dong in vietnam to beggars that equals to about 15 dollars in american money

My grandma naively gave 200,000 to a woman with a child begging. I was like why so much?

Then I told her stories of how pimps hire babies and give it to their "beggars" to pretend their babies are sick and beg for money. Those pimps and "beggars" are sometimes Vietnamese billionaires with huge villas.

Anyway I usually gave only 2000-5000 and no more than that.

Most of the big cities now has program to relocate those unfortunate people. I can hardly find any in Saigon or Da Nang the last time I was back.

I thought begging was illegal in Vietnam. Maybe stupid rumor i heard then.

thank god, god job Vietnam

They didn't actually change anything. Poor beggars are deported back to where they came from. Unless more jobs are created and opportunities are given, the beggars will always be beggars no matter what.



I'm not so sure but the Saigon authority is tried to get rid of the beggars during SEA Games to present Saigon as a beggar-free city. How sad.

That's what my Vietnamese friend said.
He also told me that the weather is much cooler in Hanoi.
I love to travel and have never been to Vietnam before so I'm really curious and interested.
Like to go there alone (backpack) but not sure how safe it is.

vietnam is quite safe even at at night but as in any other countries it is better to meet up with a group and stick together for backpacking

Comparatively, to other nations, it's pretty safe. But IN ALL COUNTRIES there are always weirdos. Seriously, even in Canada there are girls who are lifted off the streets. So be careful.

When backpacking always bring friends, share the experience, protect eachother from weirdos.

Vietnam is hot and humid, i'd rather to go Hanoi, or Da Lat or something to avoid the heat.

[/QUOTE]I am thinking of going to Vietnam for a vacation later this year.
Which are the best months to visit and which city is better for shopping and nightlife...Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi?
In terms of landscape, is Vietnam modern or does it still have many historic buildings left?
I tried to find some pictures of Ho Chi Minh city by searching on Goggle but to no avail.
If I don't remember wrongly, I saw some pictures of Ho Chi Minh posted by Nam Quoc Son Ha and was pleasantly surprised by how modern everything was. (can't find the thread now >.<)
Is it dangerous for a female to travel or take public transport there alone?(e.g cab)
Lastly, is Vietnam good for shopping (clothes) and I heard some of my friends saying that some shops only accept US currency...more so if u are a tourist.
So will it be necessary for me to change some Vietnamese dong if I intend to buy a lot of stuff?[QUOTE]

I am only 16 and been to Vietnam 4 times already its really fun if u know what to do n stuff.

-Best month to visist vietnam would probley be b4 july because it gets really hot that time of month and it rains to.
-Best city to go shopping of course be the big city like Saigon. Lots of store there. n uhh ho chi minh and hanio are the same city..... just change name.
-N yes there are plenty of historical building left there.
-I would also probley say that it would be pretty dangerous if u go all around vietnam by yourself espeically if ur a female.
-Vietnam is very good for shopping. Cheap stuff fake brand name lol uhh lots of stuff u want nike they have it u want adidas they have it w/e brand u want they probley have it.
-some store accept us currency but most dont and most jewlery store exchange us dollars for viet dongs. 1 us dollar = 15,000 dongs. That alot over there that would get u a good meal to eat.
- uhhh also like saigon and big city and stuuff there food n stuff cost more then little city or towns because they know most asian-american go there so they raise tehre price

hope that helps

No, Ho Chi Minh and Ha Noi is NOT the same city.


Ho Chi Minh City is the bastardized name for Sai Gon.

I am thinking of going to Vietnam for a vacation later this year.
Which are the best months to visit and which city is better for shopping and nightlife...Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi?
In terms of landscape, is Vietnam modern or does it still have many historic buildings left?
I tried to find some pictures of Ho Chi Minh city by searching on Goggle but to no avail.
If I don't remember wrongly, I saw some pictures of Ho Chi Minh posted by Nam Quoc Son Ha and was pleasantly surprised by how modern everything was. (can't find the thread now >.<)
Is it dangerous for a female to travel or take public transport there alone?(e.g cab)
Lastly, is Vietnam good for shopping (clothes) and I heard some of my friends saying that some shops only accept US currency...more so if u are a tourist.
So will it be necessary for me to change some Vietnamese dong if I intend to buy a lot of stuff?
Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon are the same. Not HCM and Hanoi...

When the communist took over Saigon they changed the name to HCM City. Everybody still calls the city Saigon though. Hanoi is still called Hanoi.

Well I went to Vietnam during "winter" in early January 2004 so it was all nice and cool. Average temperature was around 20 degrees celsius-ish.

Its called the wet season, Vietnam doesn't have a winter

Ummm I know there's no such thing in Vietnam so I placed quotation marks to indicate it. Theoretically January should be winter time in Vietnam, however due to its proximity to the equator, such weather pattern is nonexistent.

Also, it's the dry season dude.

LOL

oh well, but remeber there is no such thing as winter in vietnam

yes there is, my mom says it snows in like hue, once every few years, haha but its not every year so yea...

LOL

OMG, snow in Hue? The day after tomorrow is closer to reality than I could have ever thought.

Backpacking throughout the entire country was one of the most memorable experiences in my life, you won't regret it
My friend & I hooked up w/ a group of Japanese during that trip, it was a win-win cultural exchange situation for both parties.

ahha iono my mom lived there, i never did lol.

see i'm too little to have that much money hehe

could you or anybody for that matter post or give me a link where there are photos of MODERN saigon?? i'd like to see it
thnx:)

Lets designate this thread as the Vietnam Travel thread.
I'll scan & post some pics from past trips so peeps can get a feel for the place before they go.