Vacationing in Vietnam

[MTV Cribs]

If you bought your tickets at one of the travel agencies in Little Saigon, they usually charge $50-$60 for it. But if you already bought your ticket, I don't know if they would give you that price.

[guurl]

ugh i honestly wish i could tell you how much but i kind of forgot. KC Travel on Fraser across Pho Van

my plane ticket was 1250 and thats including the visa. so i would imagine it would have costed $100?

also i paid $90 for insurance as well for 5 weeks

[Fafine]

If u wanna save money, u can do visa on arrival
which is like 15-20 bucks for the online portion
then 40 usd when you arrive

[scottsman]

pay the extra money and get everything done before you arrive. The arrival area is a mess and can take a really long time. Also leaving your bags open to theft at the airport which is becoming a more common occurrence.

I recommend this to everyone who comes to visit me here. 150$ should be for 3 month multi entry? If not that is quite high.

[subordinate]

YVR Deals | Cheap Flights & All Inclusive Vacations from Vancouver

bump*

certain dates to vietnam starting 0000 am PST, Sunday. 560 bucks or so.

[subordinate]

how long does it take to roughly get a visa?

Quite a few options of getting it. Do paperwork, finish in Vietnam

Or go along kingsway to a travel agency, or just go DT to embassy.

[G]

My friend recently went and did the online letter + pay when you arrive and it was no problem for them.

I just did the same method. I am going in around 3 weeks! Definitely excited.

[J89]

Hey guys,

I'll be in Vacationing in Vietnam mid January till February 15 and I'm hoping I can get some advice on must do/have experiences while i'm there! This will be my second trip to Vietnam but the first time was spent mostly with family in Ben Tre.

I don't expect someone to answer all my rookie questions but I'll leave it it open to anyone that wants to help.

Things to do in Saigon?

Girlfriend is coming beginning of February she wants to beach, Nha Trang or Da Nang?

Since I probably won't be in Ben Tre with the family for chinese new years, is it better to be in Saigon or Nha Trang/Da Nang?

Thanks in advance.

[scottsman]

Start off with the beach first. The time you are here it could be a bit cooler (VN standards) so the beach in those areas might not be as sunny as expected. Nha Trang will be warmer and have better chance of Sun. I prefer Da Nang as you have access to travel to Hue and Hoi An. Both cities have good beach options that are both away from the mass amounts of people. Da Nang has a lot more high end options if you want to treat your GF for nice dinners (Intercon has a Michelle Roux Restaurant) Nam Hai, Hyatt also great choices as well.

I find Saigon a good city to go partying, eating, drinking, etc... whether it be low end or high end. Bit boring during the day unless you do day trips out of city to Vung Tau, Mui Ne/Phan Thiet, Cu Chi Tunnels, etc... Could do some Mekong trips as well. Depending on what kind of things you are looking for in city I can let you know more.

Been in all 3 of these cities for Tet, its all pretty much the same. If you want to relax then Da Nang, if you want some more partying then Saigon.

[RFlush]

Ill be in Da Nang with the family for a holiday from March 22-28. Any suggestions what to do? We are staying at the Hyatt but not sure whats around.

[scottsman]

@ R Flush - Try and get one of the condos at Hyatt, preferred to the hotel rooms
- day trips to Hoi An
- day trips to Hue
- Marble Mountain
- Monkey Mountain
- Cham Island Boat Trip
- 2 amazing golf courses within a 5 minute drive

Drinking and Eating:
- Hoi An has tons of places to eat, some a bit generic and not authentic VN food but good places none the less.
- spend a day at An Bang Beach - tons of restaurants along the beach
- drinks at Nam Hai for sunset is amazing
- Da Nang local food - check out a place called Bia To or My Hanh (Seafood, directly on water), a lot of other places but hard to explain.
- Western places - Waterfront, Luna, Fatfish, and tons more.

[RFlush]

Originally Posted by scottsman

@ R Flush - Try and get one of the condos at Hyatt, preferred to the hotel rooms
- day trips to Hoi An
- day trips to Hue
- Marble Mountain
- Monkey Mountain
- Cham Island Boat Trip
- 2 amazing golf courses within a 5 minute drive

Drinking and Eating:
- Hoi An has tons of places to eat, some a bit generic and not authentic VN food but good places none the less.
- spend a day at An Bang Beach - tons of restaurants along the beach
- drinks at Nam Hai for sunset is amazing
- Da Nang local food - check out a place called Bia To or My Hanh (Seafood, directly on water), a lot of other places but hard to explain.
- Western places - Waterfront, Luna, Fatfish, and tons more.

Ok thank you for the suggestion. We used our DSU to get into the executive suite, but hopefully can be further upgraded with diamond status.

We will be with out 23month old baby, so we need to find children friendly suggestions.

[scottsman]

Hoi An or Hue is a good option, can arrange a car with driver easily. No baby seats though...

[subordinate]

How you guys converting your money? Or just exchanging money over there?

[J89]

Thanks Scottsman for the suggestions.

Our money is so shit now it's 1.6 Mill for $100 CAD. I think i'll be doing it in Vietnam at Jewelry store..unless someone can chime in to see if it's better rates here or not.

[Fafine]

Originally Posted by J89

Thanks Scottsman for the suggestions.

Our money is so shit now it's 1.6 Mill for $100 CAD. I think i'll be doing it in Vietnam at Jewelry store..unless someone can chime in to see if it's better rates here or not.

if you got fam there maybe they know someone at a jewelry store that can hook up better price

[MTV Cribs]

Unless you plan on paying bribes to the airport workers, it is better to exchange it over there cause the rates are going to be better then exchanging it here. Bring new $100 bills in good condition cause they will give you more then $50 or $20 bills.

[hi-revs]

If youre going to HCMC, i highly recommend checking out the Ho Tram resort for atleast a one night stay.
They shuttle you to the destination and back to drop off point free of charge. (~2hrs)
I was just there 3 weeks ago and it was freaking sweet! Chill in/at the pool during the day. And spend all night gambling in their casino. Win some money, then spend it at the spa.

Definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Vietnam and i highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get away from the busy city.

Just remember to book through their casino and not directly through the hotel!
Booking thru the casino allows you to play at the casino and get your room for free!! Free!!

We got upgraded to an executive suite with ocean view free of charge as we checked in on a weekday as they weren't busy.

Heres their link :Home - The Grand Ho Tram

You will not regret.
TBH, i had a blast staying there for 1 night and checking out a 3pm the next day. 2 full nights may get a bit boring as there really isnt too much to do there.

[scottsman]

exchange at gold/jewelry shops however CAD doesn't have as much importance as USD. Getting paid in USD For the win 22.100

If your stopping in HCMC and making it to the CBD then there is a place off of Dong Khoi, across from Sheraton/Caravelle Hotel buildings that is popular to exchange.

[subordinate]

Exchange to USD here in Vancouver? then Exchange in Vietnam?

[raysquared]

I exchanged to USD here then to VND at jewelry stores. Got 2,225,000 every $100USD

[MTV Cribs]

So by doing that you have to pay an extra foreign exchange fee when exchanging from CAD to USD instead of just exchanging from CAD to VND. These rates are for today Jan 9, 2016 without the fee

$100.00USD = $141.72CAN
$100.00USD = 2,246,500‎₫
$141.72CAD = 2,246,579.5₫

Pretty much the same either way except you have to pay an extra foreign exchange fee when exchanging from CAD to USD.

[J89]

9 more days! Can't waitttttt

[subordinate]

Originally Posted by MTV Cribs

So by doing that you have to pay an extra foreign exchange fee when exchanging from CAD to USD instead of just exchanging from CAD to VND. These rates are for today Jan 9, 2016 without the fee

$100.00USD = $141.72CAN
$100.00USD = 2,246,500‎₫
$141.72CAD = 2,246,579.5₫

Pretty much the same either way except you have to pay an extra foreign exchange fee when exchanging from CAD to USD.

hmm, yeah I see what you mean. Makes sense to just exchange a bunch of vnd here in Vancouver. Carry a couple hundred americans just in case too eh.

How are you guys' carrying your money/passport?

[MTV Cribs]

Exchange for VND in Vietnam because the rates to exchange for it here is stupid. If you're staying at a hotel, they take your passport and hold it during your stay. Also the ok hotels have safe in the room where you can keep your valuables.