Vacationing in Vietnam
 

As corrupt and violent as I hear the place is, I just saw some pics of my friends vacation there and the place is absolutely stunning! that and top gear influence in my daily life.

It just seems like such an adventure for a clueless 17 year old CBC to be wandering into these depths. It's foolish I know, but the sheer character of the country is just so charming! I've been all over europe, and couldn't find one place that truly captured me.

Although I have been to malaysia which is a pretty fucked up place as well (my cousin was kidnapped and my uncle paid a fairly cheap ransom to have him back :haha:), but malaysia is a pretty ugly place...

What's RS take on vacationing there?

Cheap GOOD food. :D

Thats what i hear, and its not just pho :haha:

you're probably going to run along the same type of environment in Vietnam as with any of the neighbouring countries. I also hear it's great fun, but watch your back and watch your wallet/personal belongings. It's a poor country afterall.

Talk to MajinHurricane, I believe he just got back with wonderful pictures and knows a lot about the area.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...80924_7470.jpg
watched this while in the plane =p

http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...81112_4924.jpg

this is a must

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...81135_2668.jpg

baller status, even though its not a lot!

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-...92269_6673.jpg

vietnamese super market?!?

Stick to major cities, don't go into shady areas unless you're with a local, don't be stupid and you won't get scammed.
As good as cheap food is, if you're not used to it prepare to spend the next few days in the washroom. I think that applies to street food in most of Asia though.
Corrupt, yes; Violent? Maybe out North, I've yet to run into any problems and I've been there over 10 times. =S Could be luck, who knows.

Im with Complex on this. Vietnam is not violent. Quite the opposite. Philippines on the other hand.......

Have lived in VN for over a year and never had any major problems. Just dont be stupid. Its a country your not used to so dont think you can act or do the same things that you do in Vancouver.

Still 3rd world but a very beautiful country especially the drives between cities.

if they know ur a foreigner be prepared to get scammed or ripped off on every thing from food to taxi rides ( sitll cheap as fuck most of the time though)

places to check out while your in vietnam

cu chi tunnels near ho chi minh city

the military snake farm/zoo place that has eveyr known snake and a couple fucked up animals lol ill post my crazy ass pics if anyone wants to see

its preety much 8gbs of video/pictures of me narrating my journeys drunk as fuck every single day preety awesome when i showed my friends :lol

^
Please do post!

^

+1 I wanna see :haha:

yeah post up the pics and the videos too

my friend came back from vietnam with over 130 misquito bites in 3 weeks. LOl and they're not the same as the ones from van... they get swollen, every one of them

sounds great POST IT Vansterdam!!!

I hear ha long bay is amazing, anyone been?

its fucken beautiful man.

most of the videos i look like an idiot cause im so drunk but give me tommorow and ill start posting some up :) i ate the most fucked up and seen some of the most fucked up things like how they kill a pig for cermemonail purposes and ate shit like bees and drank bee rice wine etc.

sounds just like me bud. i have very sensitive skin and my scars are still with me even though my trip was this time last year. same thing happened to me when i was 3 years old and went.

lesson learned. the mosquito cream they sell everywhere in vietnam that so calls "last for 4-6hours" DONT DO JACK SHIT

one thing i learned go for the camping/fishing multi-bug spray they have at canadian tire or army and navy

we are just brain washed by watching too much rambo and all these crap hollywood movies thinking vietnam is a dumb ass poor place. it's actually amazing. i was in hainoi and i had no issues anywhere.

haha you just gave Malaysia a bad rep...:/

Ha Long Bay is awsome..

Sapa
Nha Trang
war remnence museum
cu chi tunnels

do it all.. it is the best place i have ever travelled.

i was never even once scared about anything.. well maybe one... the toilets on the trains..


it is safe.

I am stoked about going to Vietnam in a couple months... Apparently I'll be staying in a village a few hundred km's from Hanoi. That should be different to say the least!

I think I stayed in the same village. Are you training up to Lao Cai from Hanoi and heading into the Sapa Valley?

bump
im heading back to vietnam next month, any rs members gonna be there? gonna be dope

How much are tickets at the moment?

^ my grandma went last week and got a ticket for about $1500

the only corruption you'll come across are policemen trying to feed their families(they all make peanuts here). slip em a 200.000dong(12USD) and you're good to go.

vietnamese in vietnam are nothing like vietnamese in north america, i've only seen 2 fights in the 2 years i've been here, and i hit the clubs twice a week. one over a girl, one over a scooter accident. just be careful with who you're hitting on. if she's hot, and she's not looking at you, most likely she's with someone already and they'll go vietcong on your ass.


highlights:
-views in the countryside are just as beautiful and natural as vancouver's mountains
-saigon has one of the best party scenes in asia
-the food, all kinds, just let your imagination go..so many fusion restaurants
-3:1 girl to guy ratio, 80% of them are wearing skimpy clothes too, legs spread and back arched on a scooter.


like most have said, just don't be an idiot, vietnamese customs are heavily based on respect for one another.

I live in Da Nang if your coming through the Central Coast(Hoi An, Hue, Da Nang, etc.).

Generally even the police arent too bad. Just watch out around TET, they even bust expats and foreigners. Ive also found that Vietnamese in the clubs here are 100 times more friendly and approachable whether or not a Vietnamese guy wants to cheers with you or approaching girls. etc. As long as you treat everyone with respect here for the most part its all good.

Saigon^