Salam.
hi peeps.
im going to share some tips and pics from my trip to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam last 3-6th june 14.
i went there with my colleagues, under travel agent. So tix, accom, food and fares were included.
so people. here are some tips that i could think of and share with u prior and during the trip.
things you have to prepare/ pack :
1) valid passport
(expiry date must not be less than 6 months)
2) medicine that u need
3) food (instant noodle, 3in1 drinks, etc)
4) a big empty (or with only needed clothes) luggage - so you could put ur shopping stuff in it!
i travel light though my luggage was big. haha.
5) international adapter (vietnam plug is quite different) - but most rooms have
one international plug host.
6) clothes- you have 2 options- to buy them there and wear OR to bring urs. bring sth that does not need to be ironed. ironing would cost you (room service charge).
7) wear comfy shoes and clothes (june; quite hot) . you could also bring shades (i didnt)
8) power bank ; travelling a lot from morning til night would consume ur phone's battery. especially if you use it to snap pics, etc. so Power bank is a must!
9) Vietnam Dong - would be better if you change the money in vietnam (not the airport though- unless you need to use public transports/ buy drinks there). rate is higher at the town. and rate is higher in vietnam as compared to Malaysia. my exchange rate at Vietnam, that time was; RM1=6300D. while in malaysia; RM1=6006D.
and of course......
CAMERA..hihi.
Safety (and other) TIPS:
1) Food and Drinks:
there are a lot of HALAL food restaurants. Near the hotels and Ben Thanh Market.
they would display the halal certificate. So you could check!
*i would share some of the halal restaurant names and pics in other entries!.
-most of the restaurants also have wifi! just ask for the password if it is not displayed. hehe :p
Drinks:
At the hotel, I boiled water using bottled water / mineral water. I didnt use the tap water to make hot drinks. Tap water could not be directly drink (like in NZ, etc). their plumbing system is old and it is not quite safe to drink it directly. Plus, it smelt lil bit like rust. hence, to be safe, i boiled the drinking water to make milo, etc! hehe. oh, 500ml drinking water would cost around 10 000 D (approx RM 1.50).
2) Money:
-When you change you money at HCM money changer, make sure you count it right, in front of the person (my friend was not given 100 000 D at the money changer. so it became quite an issue coz they thought she kinda cheated. lol).
-under travel agent (coz food and fares were covered), you dont really need to change a lot of Dongs. for 4days and 3 nights, i just changed RM150 into Dong. more than enough. i just need Dong for food (drinks, etc), luggage wrapping at the airport (100 000 D), shopping at mall and yeah.. i think that's it.
-When you got ur balance from shopping, etc, make sure you count and check the money! dont be cheated coz we are definitely not familiar with its money and currency. so check! ( my friend was cheated coz she didnt check. she was supposed to get 30 000D of balance. instead, was given 3000D; worth for a trip to toilet only! ;p)
-Paper money (1000D and 3000D) and coins are not really worthy. so try to avoid having/ keeping these type of money. they worth cents only. huhu.
3) Shopping
-most shopping places (the markets) accept Dong, RM and USD. it is easier to use RM as u could directly compare the prices etc. you could also pay by paying half Dong and RM (especially if you still have a lot of Dong).
-paying using Dong is quite more expensive compared to RM.
-Saigon Square does not accept RM (only Dong and USD)
-Always ask for their calculators before paying. easier for you to calculate/ compare and bargain. just show the number you desire to them.
-Some sellers would make body contact with you, like holding your arms or clothes to attract you to go to their shops. Just say NO if you dont want to. Say "dont touch me" with serious face and look at his/ her hand.
-DO NOT show that u r interested or down for a bargain if you are actually not interested at all. DO NOT say "later" or "tomorrow" if u dont want to buy, especially at street sellers. They would follow you and tomorrow, you magically gonna see em again. hehe. some of em would bring their cute baby (yes, cute!). but it is up to u to buy or not (not the baby of course. ahaha). Still, i am amazed with street sellers' perseverance and hard work!
*interesting and cheap places for shopping would be discussed in next entry! tips and tricks for shopping too! :D
4) night market and other places
-CAREFUL.... of snatch thefts!!! they eyed for your phones, cameras and wallets! (i will tell what happened to my friends!- in next entries! hehe)
5) Traffic
-Super amazing. ahahaha. here there left right...motorbikes!!
-cross the road confidently. OR cross with the locals/ in groups OR zebra crossing OR use ur hand to signal them to slow down OR ask the man with green uniform (if there are there) to help u cross. hihi
6) Weather
-June was quite hot. I think i got tanned after the trip. huhu
So drink a lot of water, wear sunblock and perhaps, shades. hehe.
-baju tebal2 tu..lupakan ya kanda!
7) Hotel
-most would provide wifi (good and fast!)
and also weighing scale (yang besar macam timbang daging tu). so you could check ur luggage weight before leaving. hehe
-for kiblat, you could ask the bellboy (some might know)
-bellboys were really helpful. they carry your luggage to your room, etc. and also heavy luggage from hotel to car/ bus. give them tips please... berpeluh kot klo angkat sorang. hehe
8) Time Difference
-it is an hour difference. Eg: Malaysia 9pm..Vietnam= 8pm
*hence for Muslims, you could download prayer time in advance!
-flight journey would take around 1hour and 40 mins.
9) keeping in touch with loved ones in Malaysia
-alright.. now, if u r using line, activate roaming from malaysia (if you want to).
-if you are using prepaid.. u could contact / text ur fam in malaysia..but it would cost more.
-if you answer calls from Malaysia, duit you pun akan jatuh jugak T__T.
-another option is to buy Vietnam Prepaid and make whatever important calls / message that u need. You could ask help from the bellboy (they are really helpful. haha) or hotel receptionist. they would buy it for you. they accept RM too.
-But the BEST option is to utilize free and fast WIFI at hotel and restaurants! ahahah :p
10) ATM
-in case you go broke coz of shopping or any mishaps, you could draw money from ATM using ur bank card. BUT.. you need to activate it at MAlaysia prior ur trip. This could be done through ATM machine or phone call. buat kat Malaysia ye.. Just state that you want to activate from when until when.
11) Luggage weight limit
-some of you might already aware of this but upon leaving (especially from vietnam), if you are flying by MAS, make sure your luggage does not exceed 30 kilos. if you are willing to pay for extra kilos, you may. but use a second luggage.
Do not pack everything into one luggage and exceed 30kg. you might be asked to unpack at the airport then. so pack the extra kilos into your second luggage ya. (i will share a story that happened to my friend too. hehe)
i guess this would be really helpful for those who are planning to go to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
:D
p/s: i will share my experience and pics i took at various places of interest.
i would also slip some tips and stories there! :D
