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Which place in Vietnam?

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keyboardsmash

I arrived for my first time yesterday here in Saigon.

I have 3 weeks here this trip. What's the best way to cover distance fast and comfortable? Can you kindly give example transport prices in dong or US dollars or GB pounds or thai baht, or Philippine peso.   I'm a multi currency thinker  ;)

I've no internal flights booked but i heard they are cheap. How much? I like trains too if they are fast. (over 50mph/ 80kmph please).

I really don't know much about Vietnam but have traveled SE Asia extensively. I kind of arrived here due to a cheap flight connection to Indonesia but from what I have seen i like ho chi minh city a lot! And I like the Vietnamese people.

I've been suggested to go to Na Trang. I already made a great friend here and I'm staying for free in the north area of Saigon city.

I want to see beaches, i have a modest budget of about $35 a day, but if it comes in under, all the better.

keyboardsmash

No advice?

Yuveshen

Hello keyboardsmash,

Welcome to Expat-Blog..:)

I would advise you to browse the Saigon forum in order to get more information while waiting for members to respond.

Thank you
Yuveshen

sensesofvietnam

There are a whole lot of information in this blog. so you can search and go through them and see what you like. So many option but you have limited time.  If is me on the budget you can take a bus or night train and stop at Nha Trang. Enjoy the beach there. Then take an overnight bus or train again to Da Nang. Here also is a beach resort but different then Nha Trang. Then hop to Hue which is 2 hours away and enjoy the imperial city culture. Check out the blog at sensesofvietnam.blogspot

keyboardsmash

How much would i pay for a clean room in those areas and what is the transport arrangement? I hate waking in the heat.

charmavietnam

Most tourists depends motorbike taxis for short trips.
Accommodation is cheap if you check clearly. It starts from $10
Vung Tau, Nha Trang beaches are better.
You can book cheap flights to Nha Trang or bus. Hydrofoil or bus are the best options to Vung Tau beach. Better you should book room before your trip. Otherwise they will cut your throat, sometimes  :)
Hope you enjoy your stay here!

keyboardsmash

charmavietnam wrote:

Most tourists depends motorbike taxis for short trips.
Accommodation is cheap if you check clearly. It starts from $10
Vung Tau, Nha Trang beaches are better.
You can book cheap flights to Nha Trang or bus. Hydrofoil or bus are the best options to Vung Tau beach. Better you should book room before your trip. Otherwise they will cut your throat, sometimes  :)
Hope you enjoy your stay here!


Please tell me your experience of travel there without booking and with booking so i can't evaluate the strength of your experience. Prices for buses would be helpful too.

And how much are they motorbikes going to rip me off seeing as I'm a westerner?

charmavietnam

I have a bitter experience in Vung Tau once when I visited without booking. May be you don't believe. Most of the hotel asked more than 1200.000 VND for one night instead of 150.000 to 200.000! I just simply returned by next hydrofoil then  :)
is the link for hydrofoil time and fare to Vung Tau.
Contact for fare to various cities from HCMC
or
to ask the fare. Both of their staff can speak English well.
or
Just head to Pham Ngu Lao, Q.1 where you can see and ask to many travel agencies!
If you use motorbike taxi ask the cost before hire. Try to bargain  :)  There is no fixed price!

keyboardsmash wrote:

Please tell me your experience of travel there without booking and with booking so i can't evaluate the strength of your experience. Prices for buses would be helpful too.

And how much are they motorbikes going to rip me off seeing as I'm a westerner?

keyboardsmash

charmavietnam wrote:

I have a bitter experience in Vung Tau once when I visited without booking. May be you don't believe. Most of the hotel asked more than 1200.000 VND for one night instead of 150.000 to 200.000! I just simply returned by next hydrofoil then  :)
is the link for hydrofoil time and fare to Vung Tau.
Contact for fare to various cities from HCMC
or
to ask the fare. Both of their staff can speak English well.
or
Just head to Pham Ngu Lao, Q.1 where you can see and ask to many travel agencies!


Are you vietnamese? How many hotels did you check and what kind of day did you visit? Was it a special (busy) holiday time?

do the motorbike drivers speak any english ?

saigon_dep_lam

You must like the heat if you are in Vietnam.  Especially in the south.  I don't know about the north.

keyboardsmash

The weather outside of Saigon (Nha Trang and Q Nhon) is lovely and warm but not oppressive.

larsay

3 weeks just in the South ? It's like visiting Indonesia by staying just around Djakarta ! The Centre (Hue and Hoi An) is very nice and the North stunning. As for Nha Trang, coming to Vietnam to be in a big sea resort like you have anywhere else in the world... REAL Vietnam is everything except Nha Trang !

For information, I would suggest that you buy the Lonely Planet Vietnam ; you have all the info you need.

jimbream

Uhg. The backpackers bible.
Best thing keyboardsmash is-
a. Do a bit of research from Google.com
b. Have a look at tripadvisor.com
c. Go to a bar where visitors hang out. Shout a beer and ask questions.
d. Make a couple mistakes and learn as you go along on your trip.
e. If you know it all and the trip's laid out for you,then it's no longer an adventure,it's just just a well edited YouTube video.

Redmundial

jimbream wrote:

Uhg. The backpackers bible.
Best thing keyboardsmash is-
a. Do a bit of research from Google.com
b. Have a look at tripadvisor.com
c. Go to a bar where visitors hang out. Shout a beer and ask questions.
d. Make a couple mistakes and learn as you go along on your trip.
e. If you know it all and the trip's laid out for you,then it's no longer an adventure,it's just just a well edited YouTube video.


Now thats what I call wisdom...will take that advice myself when I get there if thats alright, thanks Jim ;)

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