Yay! Going to Vietnam!

November 24, 2006 8:27 AM

Vietnam Travel: We'll arrive in Ho Chi Minh City next week and attend wedding ceremonies in Buon Ma Thuot and Quang Ngai. What to do, where to go, how to behave?

We have 3-4 days after arriving in HCMC and before going to Quang Ngai and then Buon Ma Thuot for the weddings (3 days between the weddings). According to this previous thread, it looks like spending the few days we have in Ho Chi Minh City is not so recommended. Any hints on what to do and where to go (and how, i.e. transportation) would be helpful, also for the days between the wedding places. Bonus question: What to expect for a wedding, what to wear, how to behave, gifts, etc.

And for visiting Vietnam in December, what should we pack, which kinds of clothes, do we need vaccinations, do European mobile phones work, what kind of money to bring (or ATMs?), is there anything I forgot?

posted by meijusa to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

I was in Saigon in September, and I ended up really liking the city. Yes, it's the most western city I visited expect for Bangkok (I was in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia), and the traffic is crazy and all. But it has great restaurants, some interesting sites and all the traffic and insanity can be charming.

I would visit the Reunification Palace and the Ho Chi Minh City Museum. Also the War Remnants museum is really great (it used to be called the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes). (my Flickr photos here - if you're interested). And if this is your first time in SE-Asia visit some pagodas.

I did a day tour to the Cu Chi tunnels, which I thought was worth the trip. Although not as impressive as the Vinh Moc tunnels, they were still very impressive. Also try to ride around on a moto if you have the courage, it's definitely the way to travel in HCMC

As for the other questions, I don't know about the climate, but I think the rain season is over - so it's basically just light clothing. My Icelandic cell phone worked. Bring dollars if you want to bring money, but there are plenty of ATMs in Saigon.

Oh, and enjoy the food. The Vietnamese cuisine is awesome.
posted by einarorn at 8:59 AM on November 24, 2006

Oh, and you can probably do a day tour to the Mekong Delta from HCMC.
posted by einarorn at 9:00 AM on November 24, 2006

I lived in Vietnam for six months, dress light and towards the modest side, be quiet and respectful, and expect a lot of heavy drinking at the wedding.
posted by Deep Dish at 9:11 AM on November 24, 2006

I know in terms of flowers, red is for weddings, white is for funerals. Hopefully, someone who knows more detail will stop by.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 9:19 AM on November 24, 2006

Oh, BS. Ho Chi Minh City is a great place and has plenty of charm. Anyone who says otherwise wasn't looking hard enough.

HOWEVER, if you have only three or four days there are better ways to experience Vietnam. A day trip to the Cao Dai temple, Cu Chi and My Tho/Ben Tre are all great. I would say pick two of those (My Tho/Ben Tre/the delta is the coolest, I think) and spend a day strolling around HCMC. Check out the standard tourist stuff - Reunification Palace, Ben Thanh Market, go bowling in Diamond Plaza. Eat street food. At night, go to Quan An Ngan (it's in the lonely planet) for dinner, then finish it all off with a drink or eight in a classy hotel bar like the Rex or Caravelle. Note, that isn't exactly a classic Vietnam experience, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. At three or four days, you're not going to be able to "get into the culture" as people say, so don't worry about it.

Transportation to anywhere IN the city is as easy as finding someone shouting "YOU! MOTOBIKE?!?!" and paying them 10,000 dong. For day trips, go to the Pham Ngu Lao area and head into a tourist agency. It's easier than you could possibly imagine.
posted by borkingchikapa at 9:51 AM on November 24, 2006

I've already offered some suggestions on previous Vietnam threads, so I'll just say that Vietnam is on the GSM network like Europe, so all you'd need to do for your phone is buy a new SIM card from either VinaPhone or Moby. It's so ridiculously cheap to do so that it makes no sense to do anything else.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 10:18 AM on November 24, 2006

I second everything borkingchikapa said and would only add that I had a good few hours at the chinese market in Cholon district in HCM.
posted by peacay at 10:50 AM on November 24, 2006

My HSBC ATM card works (opposite the Cathedral) , and my Citibank ATM works (where Hai Bai Trung meets the river) but I would still bring TCs. If you want a local number you will have to have an unlocked phone, but the guy who sells you the sim card will unlock it if it is a common regular phone. Phone shops are everywhere, go to the mom & pop looking one not the big branded Nokia showroom.
posted by priorpark17 at 11:18 PM on November 24, 2006