Vietnam (Thread 4)

[iamshiela]

^thanks sis!

[kho_leen]

Im here in Hanoi.  Will take the 1am flight later back to manila. 

I love it here! Culture+Food+Coffee

Here's our itinerary:

Day 1: 
- Arrival
- Sunday Walking Tour at Old Quarter from 5:30am-8:30am . Includes free Pho beef or chicken with vietnam coffee.  (USD 1 c/o Vietnam Awesome Travel)
- Explore Old Quarter / Lake area / Night market / street food
- Vietnamese massage (USD10)

Day 2:
Halong Bay Day Tour

Day 3:
- Shopping at wholesale market
- Explore Women Museum / Gem Museum at Ruby Plaza
- Savor Trung Nguyen Coffee (better than starbucks
- Departure

[i_v_y]

if you guys are a coffee lover, buy the viet coffee pot and a viet coffee. there are many coffee stalls in the street, buy the beans and they will grind it for you. I bought the moka coffee and smells so good.

I bought my viet coffee pot for $1.25.

If you want to see the city by night, go to IFeel cafe and bar, it is near the lake with the temple in the middle , just look for the silversprings clotheshop, get inside and take the lift. its on the 5th floor.

[SOFIEMAE]

mga sis baka may IT naman kayo ng Ho Chi Minh for 3D2N this coming august na alis namin... thanks

[nettai]

^ Usually what my workmates recommend (since rainy day na ang August): 1st day: Mekong Delta or full-day City Tour, 2nd day: Cu Chi Tunnels + half-day City Tour/Cao Dai Temple (Day 1 and Day 2 can be interchanged), 3rd day: food trip/Ben Thanh Market/Saigon Square. If one day falls on a Sunday at Catholic ka, you can go to the Cathedral at 9:30am for an English mass. I once toured with Sinh Cafe. Pwede ka rin mag-DIY, yun nga lang you have to print out the addresses of your destinations in Vietnamese language to show to the taxi driver.

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Share ko lang experience ko kagabi. Currently on a business trip here in VN.

So nagkaroon ako ng infected wound sa paa. I know naman yung dapat na gamot, pero dahil nga a little number of hospital staff and almost no pharmacists ang marunong mag-English dito, I went to an international clinic.
 
Jusko, infected wound lang, pero almost 100 US Dollars ang siningil sa akin! Isang tingin lang ng isang local doctor tas konting prescribe ng medicines lang ang ginawa. Naman, if in the same case to dyan sa Pinas prolly mga 1k lang gagastusin ko, magaling na doctor na yan ah!

Lesson learned for me (dahil it's my fault for not bringing emergency stuff) -- I should bring medicines (antibiotics included) before the trip. Hehe

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And another experience:

So I was learning how to speak in Viet. I tried to speak 32 (ba hai) in Vietnamese sa mga taga-planta, but they laughed.

Pagkakaintindi nila, "second wife" (vo hai) daw yung sinabi ko. LOL!

[SOFIEMAE]

Thank you sis nettai, aug 9-12 punta namin... Wag sanang ulanin ang trip namin .... sis vietnam ka ba naka assign? Ask ko na rin sis or sa mga ibang sis natin dito halos lahat ba ng tinda sa Ben Thanh market e class A? Like kippling and TNF? Kasi yung TNF jacket namin orig na orig ang dating pati yung ibang TNF bags namin pero yung kippling hindi masyado heheh.... May manager kasi kami dito almost twice a month napunta sa vietnam, kasi may branch kami dun nag aattend siya ng meeting then papasuyo kami pabili sa kanya May alam ka ba na store na overruns talaga ng kippling or TNF? And last ano ba magagandang bilhin sa vietnam? thanks so much

[nettai]

^ Sis, temporary assignment lang ako sa Vietnam (kauuwi ko lang kanina, not sure kung kelan sunod ko dun LOLS)
Hopefully okay ang weather dun. Pero basta may payong ka naman, you can still roam around.

Ewan ko, for TNF, mas mukhang japeks yung mga nasa Ben Thanh, so mas okay talaga sa Saigon Square (yung malapit sa Saigon Tax, Ben Thanh at Liberty Central ah, dalawa kasi yun). May isa kaming binibilhan sa second floor nun. The owner says overruns naman yung binebenta nila.
For Kipling, not so sure ah, kasi kahit din naman nagbebenta ng Kipling sa SS they admit na di naman sila orig (or even as tough as the orig ones). And I doubt may store talaga sa VN na nagbebenta ng Kipling overruns.

[SOFIEMAE]

We plan sis s liberty central mag hotel.... What building sis yung second floor... mura din ba yung price?thanks so much sis...

[nettai]

^ Wow Liberty Central... Kayo na! 

Sa Saigon Square sa 2nd floor, dun kami bumibili. Mas mahal sya compared sa Ben Thanh pero ewan ko, there's really a difference eh, for me mas okay yung mga TNF bags sa Saigon Square.

Pero try nyo na rin maghanap sa Ben Thanh. Malay nyo, makahanap kayo ng maganda na, mura pa.

[SOFIEMAE]

ah ok... kasi sis yung mga bags lalo na yung jacket para namang orig talaga yung itsura ng mga napapabili namin sa manager namin lalo na ang TNF na surge style at super mura pero meron ding parang hindi orig... problema yung binibilihan niya limited stocks at minsan may kasabay siyang other country na pinapakyaw talaga kaya tanong na ako sayo para hindi na maubos oras sa pag iikot... kaya itry ko rin yung sa saigon square naku ok lang yun sis sa liberty kami mag stay free naman kami may sasagot ng hotel namin may budget kami hehe... actually kaya lang kami pupunta talaga sa HCM vietnam para mamili lang marami daw kasi mura... mga shopoholic mga officemate ko ako sasabit lang pero kasama na ang gala balik nalang pag ok... try ko mag business hehe sis may nabili ka na bang TNF sa Saigon square? how much if tanda mo pa kahit yung range lang... thanks so much sa pag sagot

[nettai]

^ Naku sis, the only time we were able to take a glimpse of Liberty Central was nung nagkamali ng booking yung kasama ko. Usually kasi sa Liberty 4 kami pero nagkamali sila ng booking, so napunta sya sa Liberty Central. Aside sa maganda yung hotel amenities, maganda din ang location. (Well of course Hyatt pa rin ang the best, pero syempre sky-high na ang presyo dun LOLS) How I wish may manlibre din sa akin dun. <3

Haha, funny enough, madaming Pinoy dun sa Saigon Square, at may mga nagtatagalog sa Ben Thanh: "Bili na po kayo dito, mura lang dito" =))

Isabella is about 320k VND, Hot Shot and Box Shot is about 450k, Surge is about 400k ata, Calyx is 150k, yung lagi kong binibili na di ko alam yung tawag, basta sling bag sya... 150k din. (Exchange rate sa airport about 20900 VND = 1 USD nung pumunta ako.) Dun ako bumibili kasi subok na yung mga binibili namin dun, and suki na yun ng company namin for a long time na eh. Minsan may mga nakakasabay din akong mga Pinoy na bumibili sa kanya.

You may find these items cheaper in Ben Thanh though. Canvas-canvas ka na lang, tutal lapit lang naman Ben Thanh at Saigon Square sa Liberty Central eh

[SOFIEMAE]

Isabella is about 320k VND, Hot Shot and Box Shot is about 450k, Surge is about 400k ata, Calyx is 150k, yung lagi kong binibili na di ko alam yung tawag, basta sling bag sya... 150k din. (Exchange rate sa airport about 20900 VND = 1 USD nung pumunta ako.) Dun ako bumibili kasi subok na yung mga binibili namin dun, and suki na yun ng company namin for a long time na eh. Minsan may mga nakakasabay din akong mga Pinoy na bumibili sa kanya.

searching thru agoda nga sis ang gaganda ng mga hotel sa HCM district 1 halos lahat may free breakfast pa at hindi ganun ka pricey ganda rin ng mga reviews hanap nga ako ng cheaper lang pero near ben thanh para in excess sa budget pang food nalang namin, so tipid diba heheh... sayang kasi matutulog lang naman kami basta comportable ok na ako dun mababait naman mga officemate ko. Kapapabili lang ng officemate ko ng surge 430K kahapon dumating yung manager namin, so siguro unahin ko magtingin then compare yung sa saigon square. Mas like ko ang overruns kesa sa class A hehe.... Thanks sis

[i_v_y]

district 1 is the backpackers area. i stayed in Thanh Ha Guest House  for 12 usd a night. just add $2 for extra persona. sia [textspeak!] ang guesthouse sa disrtict 1 na may elevator. i so loved it there that i stayed for 2 weeks.

[k_heart]

Ok ba mga sis ang Caravelle Hotel? will be staying here for the duration of our business trip.

[airish_2]

gusto ko pumunta dito sana sa birthday ko kayanin pero si mama at papa ayaw nila si bf naman hindi rin ganon kaamor ang vietnam sa kanya ako gusto ko talaga

[kalad]

magkano po kaya rough overall estimate going to vietnam for 3D2N?parang plan ko po from Friday to Sunday lang then dapat makauwi ako para mag work ulit ng Monday. thanks

[SOFIEMAE]

magkano po kaya rough overall estimate going to vietnam for 3D2N?parang plan ko po from Friday to Sunday lang then dapat makauwi ako para mag work ulit ng Monday. thanks

may nabasa akong blog yung kay TRIPADORA she almost spent Php 10,977.00 for 4D3N pero that was feb 2012 pa inclusive of airfare, travel taxes, hotel, food, activities(tour) and may souvenir pang kasama
 pa punta palang din kasi ako this coming august puro hearsay palang alam ko heheh...

any updates sa mga kagagaling lang sa HCM share naman dyan. TIA

[i_v_y]

magkano po kaya rough overall estimate going to vietnam for 3D2N?parang plan ko po from Friday to Sunday lang then dapat makauwi ako para mag work ulit ng Monday. thanks

hi sis, i went to vietnam as a backpacker. bigyan kita ng estimate based on my trip pero exclude naten ang airfare ha kasi this varies. if you take advantage of promos, you can get as low as 3k for a round trip.

 you can go to hostels. hostels are great place to meet fellow travelers. mura lang din magstay dito at karamihan included na ang simple breakfast. sa saigon, cheapest i know is $5 a night. meron $6 a night, sa PP backpackers sa Pha Ngum Lao area. the latter is what i recommend.

pero if you want your own room, go to a guesthouse, cheapest fan room on low season (feb to oct) - $8, with AC $10. 

I dont like staying in sa hotels kapag i travel as a tourist kasi tutulugan ko lang naman yun, baket magbabayad pa ako ng mahal.

Food in Vietnam is gastronomically orgasmic and inexpensive. Try the local food. Per meal I guess pwede ka mag budget ng $2.

Tours - eto yung medyo mahal. A day tour sa Mekong Delta is $10. ask around kasi maraming nag offer neto at paiba iba ang price nia.
 
So I say, pwede kang magbudget ng mga $50 dollars on tours alone sa Saigon; tunnels, mekong delta, war remnants. sobra na yan.

Shopping, i guess this one depende yan sa budget mo. Pero ako kasi, when i shop sa countries na pinupuntahan ko, i only shop for items na dun ko lang makikita. super mura sa vietnam, so haggle  and do the walk away strategy hanggang ibigay nila sayo yung gusto mo na price.

Lets take the max estimate:

Room is $10 x 3 - $30
Food  is  $6 x 4 - $24  (3 x day for 4 days)
Tours                 $50

Total is $104 dollars.  Bahala ka na magbudget sa shopping mo.  This estimate sis is only for one city, either HCM or Hanoi.

Take note that Halong Bay tour price varies. Pinakamababa na nalaman ko is $45 for an overnight trip.

[SOFIEMAE]

wow ang mura

[hanshellite]

Saan pwedeng magpapalit ng peso to vnd? How much ang current rate?