Im wondering. For those vietnamese like "Duan Du" that located outside of Vietnam, do you peoples return to vietnam may be like each year? Like me as a chinese, I visit Malaysia and China.

I've never been to Vietnam. I've been to Europe and the U.S but never Vietnam.

May be you can visit Vietnam sometime, it is your homeland.

Some do but most don't go that often, I think. I'd like to visit China someday, do you know anything about Hangzhou ?

Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province. It was once the largest city in China and maybe even the whole world, although I forget which dynasty it was.



Hangzhou is known for it's Xi Hu, or West Lake. My grandfather was once stationed there with the Chinese Air Force (ROC not PRC) during the Chinese civil war between KMT & CCP.

I plan to visit China again this year. May be around August... Hmm lets see, Beijing is a nice place. I like to visit the Great Wall.

Also may be to the Nanjing to review the history of the Japanese.

Have you been to Beijing before? If not, I'll let you know some great places to visit over PM

As for Nanjing, you will like it there, especially during summer time because it's one of the cooler places in southern China and there are trees everywhere.

i haven't visited VN yet since the day i left.. but i'm going this summer!! yea!!.. i'm so excited.. i miss VN so much!

my friend is from Szechuan... and she asked me to go with her sometime.. iono... tell me something about it so i can surprise her with my knowledge ... i know where Szechuan is.. and i know that they're famous for their yummy spicy food... *drool*

That will be great Kulong.


Yah, Im planning for Nanjing too.

Make sure you take lots of pictures and share them with us when you get back



Both of my maternal grandparents are from Sichuan

Two major cities in Sichuan are Chongqing (which is a special district now like Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin) and Chengdu.

Chongqing


Chengdu


The Wolong Panda Perservation & Research Center is also located in Sichuan.

Chongqing was Republic of China's stronghold and temporary capital when fighting the Japanese during World War II.

Skyscrapers everywhere in every China city. Hmm, Kulong you been to Hainan and Dalin?

I'm afraid not I have seen many pictures of both Dalian and Hainan and really want to go. But it's more likely I'll go to Hainan before Dalian though. <crosses fingers>

Haha... China indeed have alot of large city to visit.

thx for the nice pix... nice place and history too!....

i sure will take h3lla of lots of pix!.. but u may not b able 2 c all the nice places 'cuz i will only visit a few of VN's beautiful landscapes.. it's more like a visit to my family u know... i plan to go Hue, Binh Dinh, Dong Phong Nha, Da Nang and ...

Wow.. China is a real power!! So beautiful...

Hangzhou had always remained a good-size city until middle Qing. It was the captial of South Song dynasty.

Ah yes, Song dynasty. Now I remember. It was Marco Polo who wrote a description on how big of a city Hangzhou was.

Hmm... I think I've only been to Vietnam, China and Hongkong each only once in my life.

I'm going to Hong Kong this summer, and my mother said she'll take me to Vietnam sometime.

-Norm

I'm going to Hong Kong this summer for 2 months. One of my best friends who is Vietnamese, is also going to Hong Kong and she wants to take me to Vietnam after. Haha I don't know if I can afford so much $ on plane tickets considering the tickets are around $2000 to and from HK.

China's coastal cities are well developed but the inland is still very poor. I have seen people living in huts with no electricity or running water in many remote Western parts of China.

When I was in Hunan near the Guizhou border, our tour van struck and killed an old gentleman who sat in the middle of the highway (that was being built) in the late evening. Many American businessmen on board were scared to death. The driver had taken a wrong turn that led to the unfinished part of the new highway.

I have no idea why the old gentleman thought it was all right to sit there and enjoy his tea.

Exellent topic! At first I thought this is another useless online war again, but exellent topic.

I don't visit Vietnam each year like most people, because I don't have money, and time. I visit Vietnam like once every 4 years (just like an Olympic game to me). Heheheheh... 1996, 2000, 2005 (the plan was 2004, but got pushed back). Darn it!

Vince,

Buy the ticket to Vietnam instead of Hong Kong. You get a free trip there with a brief stay in Hong Kong. I think Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific both stop in Hong Kong.

guess the olympic starts late this time eh?... i haven't been to VN for like 8yrs... i can't seem to save money .. sigh...

That's... uh horrible. Now you know that highway is going to be haunted!

-Norm

Well actually the schedule is really messed up. I'm not going on the same date as my friend so if I goto Vietnam I wouldn't know a damn thing about where to go. Plus I would be by myself as well.

But is it cheaper to fly to Vietnam stopping in HK? If that's so, could I just stop in HK for over a month or whatever and then go to Vietnam?

Ask your parents Hy, that's what I do. Hehehhhhehe...

Yes, you can. I do that all the time but you must arrange your traveling schedule with your Vietnamese friend(s) because the tickets must be printed in advance. HK, as you know, is a super hub so it's where people change planes to go to other destinations.

So let's say if you buy a plane ticket to Vietnam from Singapore Airlines, you will get essentially two tickets - one is from your home to Hong Kong and one from Hong Kong to Saigon (via Singapore). Since you will be stopping in Hong Kong to switch plane to Saigon, you can arrange for a stay in Hong Kong and then use the other ticket to go to Vietnam at any arranged time. The thing is, I know this option is available in San Francisco where I am but I am not too sure about where you are. The best thing, Vince, is to check with your travel agency.

It's much cheaper that way. When I was living in Hong Kong back in the early 90's, a Dragon Air ticket to Saigon cost me around $US 350 alone.

I think you'll enjoy your stay in Vietnam as well. You can get along fine with just Cantonese & English in Saigon.

tsk tsk tsk.. well my parents r paying for my ticket.

That's what I though. And my parents wouldn't even let me go to Vietnam by myself! Arrgghh... that's so lesbian.

are you serious? how old are you... i am going back by myself.. btw, IT'S GAY! Lesbian has nothing to do with it

When I was in Saigon near the China border, our tour van struck and killed an old gentleman who sat in the middle of the road (that was being built) in the late evening. Many American businessmen on board were scared to death. "Oh my god they almost DEAD!" The driver had taken a wrong turn that led to the unfinished part of the new highway. HOLY CRAP THE BUS DIDNT EVEN DROP DOWN FROM THE HIGHWAY! AND DUAN DU IS ALIVE!

I can just simply create a very similar information above Duan Du.
You have to provide proof to support your information.

I never read news about an old man killed on the highway in China. Provide proof.

huaren, there's no need on wasting time challenge Doan Du's "stories". To me it's just "blah blah blah..." But if anyone who believes everything Doan Du says than he or she is probably too gullible to matter anyway -shurg

Here I made one story when I am in vietnam.

I am driving my small bus down the town. Suddenly I saw a group of Vietnamese eating tourist. They kill and eat them alive! Holy god! I was shock! So I turn my bus but accidentally I killed an old man! The old man was in the middle of the road trying to make $hit. He is so unlucky. The road was incomplete and under construction so i don’t think it is my fault.

I have no proof nothing! Can anyone believe what I said?

Saigon is in south Vietnam and it's not near any border... anyway, sorrie that u felt offensive of what Doan Du said, but in Vietnam there are "haunted highway" stories... i have travelled through them too... .. and please, no-one would eat tourists.

Who cares if you believe me or not? Itt's not like you matter that much...

Try some oxycontin and valium. That ought to help you calm down.

And I suppose you think you matter?

Hahahaha...you are smoking something strong there...Does anyone in here know how to practice exorcism?

If we do, we would've practiced on you a long time ago...

I do speak with facts... but thanks for your input anyway....Care to share with us the reasoning behind your disdain, or is that a private matter of personal grudge?

You speak with facts? So says you...

Nothing personal

doan du is right about western china. it's still poverty strickened. i was watching a documentary on china's economy on t.v. i think things would've been different if china didn't have a large population. they have too many people to support.

Oh, no...I am not the one who acts strangely...That is meant for someone who seems borderline schizophrenics and those who defend him.

China does have too many people, that's why it has the One Child Policy.

Define "Western China". I've been to Sichuan, Xinjiang, and Gansu, which I think falls under the "Western China" region. To be honest, I didn't leave Chongqing in Sichuan but Chongqing didn't seem "poverty strickened" to me. Neither did Urumqi, Turpan wasn't that bad either. Dunhuang wasn't a major metropolis like Beijing or Shanghai but it wasn't flooded with poor people or anything, people seemed to be well-fed. Don't tell me "they hid the poor people" too. Dunhuang isn't big at all, I think we went around the whole city.

I have no doubt that western China is poorer than coastal China, that's a given. It would take some time for the Chinese government to develope the west. In fact, they have already started with their "Westward Project".

China has 1.2 billion people, give or take a billion. It's already amazing enough that in 20 years, it went from the bottome of the barrel to where it is now. It's not like China's stopping either.



You can dingzui with me all you want, it would only make you seem youzhi

No Proof? Than my story is true then.

how come huren and kulong are talking about china in a vietnamese forum?how come they always go to non-chinese forums and try to get us to talk about china?

Fools. If this is the case, other members also cannot talk about vietnam, malay or other in the chinese forum. Browse around the chinese forum fools.

Guys, I've posted some new pictures of Saigon in the "Vietnam-culture" thread. Come and have a look and see how it has changed. I was so surprised at the level and pace of change as well as the mass of people on the street hovering around on their scooters... cool

Maybe during the Southern Song Dynasty. I've heard of the West Lake and intend to visit it too. Thanks for the info.

I've already started saving for my South East Asia and China trip in 2006. First stop Denpasar-Jakarta-Singapore-Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok-Luang Prabang then off too China- HongKong-Xian-Chengdu-Beijing-Shanghai (but of course once I'm in China I can just go to more cities and places if I want, especially Dun Huang and the Guilin mountains) then back to Vietnam all in 3-5 months immediately after my graduation. I've been told that it will cost me roughly 2200-2500 Australian dollars and looking at spending $4000 MINIMUM. That's alot of money to save.

shi ma? Ni shuo de hen xiao...Hahahaha....