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Post by PinkFloyd on Jul 4, 2015 19:13:18 GMT
My friend and I have decided to spend a few weeks over in Vietnam this September and I'm wondering if any of you guys have ever been? If, so, any tips for the first time visitor?
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jc
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Post by jc on Jul 4, 2015 19:35:05 GMT
That should be a great trip! I've never been there but I suspect similar rules apply as to most of SE Asia. Remember you are no longer in a nanny state, health and safety don't really exist so e.g. if taking any adventure or extreme sport activities check your own gear. Respect the religion, political figures, royal family, police and army. This extends to any images or associated items such as physical currency (do not e.g. deface a coin or note) Stick to the main tourist areas and guided excursions.
Be happy, be safe and have fun. Balshyness, arrogance or other nasty western traits tend to be "dealt with" quite swiftly.
edit=
How could I forget, FOOD, try everything at least once!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jul 4, 2015 20:35:09 GMT
That should be a great trip! I've never been there but I suspect similar rules apply as to most of SE Asia. Remember you are no longer in a nanny state, health and safety don't really exist so e.g. if taking any adventure or extreme sport activities check your own gear. Respect the religion, political figures, royal family, police and army. This extends to any images or associated items such as physical currency (do not e.g. deface a coin or note) Stick to the main tourist areas and guided excursions. Be happy, be safe and have fun. Balshyness, arrogance or other nasty western traits tend to be "dealt with" quite swiftly. edit= How could I forget, FOOD, try everything at least once! Hi Chris, I am not a British "yob" that travels abroad and will be extremely respectful of the country and culture. I do NOT, however, intend to stick to ANY tourist areas as I detest being surrounded by "tourists" and hate to be "guided".... we are going over to see the real country, the real people and don't want to be herded around like sheep in tour buses. It cost £415 "return" for the plane fare and, from what I can gather, it's exceedingly cheap in Vietnam for accommodation, food and transport...... hell, a packet of 20 Marlboro is only 62 pence!!! £0.62 GBP compared to £9.40 here in the UK (yes..... NINE pounds forty pence!!) We are booked into this joint for the first two days: www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g298082-d4940019-Reviews-Camellia_Homestay-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.html#REVIEWS I got in touch with them "direct" and secured two single rooms (air conditioned / Jacuzzi etc) for (cough) £11 GBP per night!!! There is no plan (as such) apart from hiring a motorbike and taking it from there..... basically, me riding the bike and my mate holding on for dear life and see where we end up type of thing...... Motorbike hire is a ridiculous £8 per day..... not even the price of a packet of fags in the UK!!!! We are leaving the length of stay as "open" (see how we get on over there) but it will be a minimum of three weeks for certain..... any longer and I'll have to cancel the return flight with the airline and slot in another return date (for a fee). I absolutely hate a holiday that has a firm "end date", we are both single with no ties and neither of us are getting any younger so what better time to explore Vietnam and enjoy the freedoms that this shit hole of a country (the UK) have all but banned. It's not a "sex" holiday..... if I never see another woman again it won't bother me BUT, if I do happen to get attracted to the opposite sex (and vice versa) over there then I certainly won't complain My friend (Rob) wanted to go to Spain or Greece....... FFS! That's not a holiday, that's a load of fat ignorant English bastards congregating en masse in theme pubs.... erm, no thanks, not my scene at all! We may pop over the border into Cambodia, it's pretty stable there these days..... sorry, I'll rephrase that..... we WILL pop over the border into Cambodia as I will be riding the bike Seems that Cambodia is even cheaper than Vietnam! It's not about the "cheapness", not at all, but it will be great to experience a night's accommodation, dinner and a night out for under a fiver! Yes, there are loose women over there who will throw themselves at you for a few dollars but If I come across any, in my travels, I will do my best to steer them toward the holy bible........ Yeh, like fekk! Stroll on September!!!! Here we go here we go here we go!!!!!
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jc
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Post by jc on Jul 4, 2015 21:52:49 GMT
Hi Chris, I am not a British "yob" that travels abroad and will be extremely respectful of the country and culture. You'd be amazed how many are and from backgrounds that should know much better. They do get dealt with accordingly though I do NOT, however, intend to stick to ANY tourist areas as I detest being surrounded by "tourists" and hate to be "guided".... we are going over to see the real country, the real people and don't want to be herded around like sheep in tour buses. Be safe though, Vietnam still has pockets of trouble out in the wilds. It cost £415 "return" for the plane fare and, from what I can gather, it's exceedingly cheap in Vietnam for accommodation, food and transport...... hell, a packet of 20 Marlboro is only 62 pence!!! £0.62 GBP compared to £9.40 here in the UK (yes..... NINE pounds forty pence!!) Yes prices are incredible to us but have to be on the wages the locals earn.We are booked into this joint for the first two days: www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g298082-d4940019-Reviews-Camellia_Homestay-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.html#REVIEWS I got in touch with them "direct" and secured two single rooms (air conditioned / Jacuzzi etc) for (cough) £11 GBP per night!!! When we go to Thailand Mrs cj makes the bookings direct in Thai and we get even lower prices There is no plan (as such) apart from hiring a motorbike and taking it from there..... basically, me riding the bike and my mate holding on for dear life and see where we end up type of thing...... Motorbike hire is a ridiculous £8 per day..... not even the price of a packet of fags in the UK!!!! Sounds good to me.We are leaving the length of stay as "open" (see how we get on over there) but it will be a minimum of three weeks for certain..... any longer and I'll have to cancel the return flight with the airline and slot in another return date (for a fee). I absolutely hate a holiday that has a firm "end date", we are both single with no ties and neither of us are getting any younger so what better time to explore Vietnam and enjoy the freedoms that this shit hole of a country (the UK) have all but banned. Sort of similar to what I did in Thailand, went for a couple of months, maybe 3 and stayed nearly 3 years! Plus it's good to see it now before it gets "touristafied" all over.It's not a "sex" holiday..... if I never see another woman again it won't bother me BUT, if I do happen to get attracted to the opposite sex (and vice versa) over there then I certainly won't complain My friend (Rob) wanted to go to Spain or Greece....... FFS! That's not a holiday, that's a load of fat ignorant English bastards congregating en masse in theme pubs.... erm, no thanks, not my scene at all! Whole heartedly agree but you can have a nice holiday in Spain too, if you keep away from the areas that have the above.
We may pop over the border into Cambodia, it's pretty stable there these days..... sorry, I'll rephrase that..... we WILL pop over the border into Cambodia as I will be riding the bike Seems that Cambodia is even cheaper than Vietnam! It's not about the "cheapness", not at all, but it will be great to experience a night's accommodation, dinner and a night out for under a fiver! If, erm , when you hit Cambodia you MUST go down to Angkor.Yes, there are loose women over there who will throw themselves at you for a few dollars but If I come across any, in my travels, I will do my best to steer them toward the holy bible........ Yeh, like fekk! Stroll on September!!!! Here we go here we go here we go!!!!! ENJOY!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2015 0:09:42 GMT
Several of my workmates in Irvine Calif. are from Vietnam. They'd advise getting a guide - someone reliable.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Aug 8, 2015 21:46:11 GMT
It's all changed.... the 18 hour flight to Vietnam and 26 hour return flight put me off big time.
Off to Bulgaria next week and will land in Bourgas at 14:45 hrs Bulgarian time. There is no plan, we'll get there and then take it from there.
We will be "based" in Golden Sands, near Varna, so will probably cross over into Romania for a couple of days and generally go off the normal tourist "map".
The flight time from Aberdeen to Bourgas is 3.45 hours so I'll be gagging for a fag...... maybe a good idea to whack a couple of nicotine patches on for the journey? The last time I was on a plane I had a puff in the toilet and all was fine UNTIL this damned lesbian / non smoking / vegan "type" went in after me and complained that she was choking on "tobacco fumes"...... the air hostess (quite a tidy arse) approached me and told me that it was VERBOTTEN to smoke in a toilet at 30,000 feet in the air etc..... I assured her that I was a Vegan and the "fumes" the lady had complained about were probably dry rot in her knickers.......
3.45 hours, for a smoker, is a LONG haul in the air...... it's not like you could sit at the tail end and have a puff.... the slightest "sniff" of anything nicotine related will have politically correct lesbians screaming out "my human right to clean air is being breached"!
I ENJOY smoking and am looking forward to being able to enjoy a Cuban cigar in a public place without someone complaining about my emissions..... it will be fine when we reach Bulgaria, from what I gather it's pretty much a "free to smoke as you wish" zone, it's the 3.45 hours without a smoke that's worrying me.
If I DO my normal "quick puff in the toilet" thing....... what can they do? They won't open a door and throw me out at 30,000 feet?
Off next Saturday and looking forward to "sunshine" and politically incorrect things like FUN!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2015 22:11:04 GMT
Don't be an ass. Get the nicotine patches, and have a drink if they serve them.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Aug 8, 2015 22:28:59 GMT
Don't be an ass. Get the nicotine patches, and have a drink if they serve them. A cup of "in flight" tea? That will really stop the cravings
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2015 22:42:02 GMT
Don't be an ass. Get the nicotine patches, and have a drink if they serve them. A cup of "in flight" tea? That will really stop the cravings The patch will ease the cravings, and you may be able to buy a Scotch ? The last thing you need is to get pissed off when rebuked for smoking when it's not permitted, and be taken into custody on arrival, and eventually sent back home.
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jc
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Post by jc on Aug 8, 2015 23:14:24 GMT
Alex is spot on Mike. These days the airlines, in general, just don't put up with anything that infringes on their safety rules. I've seen a few passengers on both the plane and in airport security be dealt with. The last was at CDG airport at the final check before the gate. Some guy made a stupid comment, maybe from just being a tired and fed up traveller but was restrained immediately and then carted off by airport security. On the plane the only information we were given was on the lines of "Sorry for the delay while we remove a passengers luggage from the plane after an incident at security"
Slap on ten patches if you have to, maybe nicotine impregnated long johns!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Aug 8, 2015 23:28:41 GMT
Alex is spot on Mike. These days the airlines, in general, just don't put up with anything that infringes on their safety rules. I've seen a few passengers on both the plane and in airport security be dealt with. The last was at CDG airport at the final check before the gate. Some guy made a stupid comment, maybe from just being a tired and fed up traveller but was restrained immediately and then carted off by airport security. On the plane the only information we were given was on the lines of "Sorry for the delay while we remove a passengers luggage from the plane after an incident at security" Slap on ten patches if you have to, maybe nicotine impregnated long johns! I'll be smoking in the toilets. Old school!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2015 23:43:31 GMT
Alex is spot on Mike. These days the airlines, in general, just don't put up with anything that infringes on their safety rules. I've seen a few passengers on both the plane and in airport security be dealt with. The last was at CDG airport at the final check before the gate. Some guy made a stupid comment, maybe from just being a tired and fed up traveller but was restrained immediately and then carted off by airport security. On the plane the only information we were given was on the lines of "Sorry for the delay while we remove a passengers luggage from the plane after an incident at security" Slap on ten patches if you have to, maybe nicotine impregnated long johns! I'll be smoking in the toilets. Old school! The Midges will look forward to seeing you back so soon !
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jc
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Post by jc on Aug 9, 2015 0:00:15 GMT
I'll be smoking in the toilets. Old school! You'll get nicked son......old school/sweeney style.
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Post by garyh on Aug 9, 2015 18:39:38 GMT
Re: Cambodia/Thailand Gf's brother is there at the moment as part of an extended Oz, NZ, Thailand etc trip. He's just gone down with a very bad case of food poisoning after eating steak in Cambodia and is now back in Thailand in supposedly the best hospital in Bangkok. They take him off the drip he's on every day and demand another 400 Euros before they'll give him more treatment ! If anyone is going there get some decent travel insurance that covers everything and doesn't require you to pay for treatment up front!
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jc
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Post by jc on Aug 9, 2015 19:36:56 GMT
If anyone is going there get some decent travel insurance that covers everything and doesn't require you to pay for treatment up front! The golden rule! For all its shortcomings it's easy to forget that the UK has one of the best "free" health systems in the world. You can get very basic treatment at a state Thai (for example) hospital but they are mainly for Thai citizens (naturally and understandably) that receive basic treatment for free and anything more at heavily subsidised rates. Foreigners must have insurance for the private system. When I was living there the daily basic care rate was a little less than half what you quoted, at over 20 years ago I think the increase is pretty reasonable for a top class, capitol city hospital. I hope your relly recovers very soon.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Aug 9, 2015 21:00:31 GMT
If anyone is going there get some decent travel insurance that covers everything and doesn't require you to pay for treatment up front! The golden rule! For all its shortcomings it's easy to forget that the UK has one of the best "free" health systems in the world. You can get very basic treatment at a state Thai (for example) hospital but they are mainly for Thai citizens (naturally and understandably) that receive basic treatment for free and anything more at heavily subsidised rates. Foreigners must have insurance for the private system. When I was living there the daily basic care rate was a little less than half what you quoted, at over 20 years ago I think the increase is pretty reasonable for a top class, capitol city hospital. I hope your relly recovers very soon. I've got one of those NHS European health cards Chris and took out holiday insurance which only cost £8.40 for the 14 day stay so should be fine if I fall off the edge off a cliff or get attacked by a shark etc. I want to get a sun tan but don't want to get sun stroke or be picking off crispy layers of dead skin from my face so I've gone for factor 50 for the bald head, factor 15 for the face and rest of body....... I will also be incorporating a bit of "Australian Gold Dark Tanning Accelerator" into the mix. Gone are the days where I lay in the sun for hours on end plastering myself with olive oil and lemon...... I'm 54 now and don't want to end up with sun stroke (or an ACTUAL stroke)...... it's a bit of a system shock going from 12C, pishing it down with rain, to 37C of pure sunshine. The legs (my legs) these days are the colour of an uncooked chicken and the varicose veins are NOT a good "beach look"...... I certainly won't be "pulling" on the beach I'll whack on a shitload of that fake tan gear onto my legs and that should hopefully allow me some "grace" to leg it into the sea without somebody shouting "plucked chicken alert!"....... it's no fun getting older is it? To be TOTALLY honest...... today was the first time I have closely studied my legs in about 10 years and, shit, they don't look good.... varicose veins, very dry skin and red blotches in places..... fine above the knee but below the knee is just not a leg as we know it Jim. I blame the effin' weather in Scotland for that..... it's either pishing it down or blowing a gale....... when you "do" get a half decent day you are eaten alive by insects if you dare venture outdoors. Essentially, 30 years of sitting on my arse smoking and drinking and expecting to be "fit for a beach presentation"? No way! more like an urgent admission to a crash team in the connery department This is supposed to be a "review" of this Golden Sands place: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMbJdpOZVaALooks like hell on earth to me and NOT my idea of a relaxing 14 days in the sun...... we will reside there (sleep there) but take the bus in to Varna every day (and explore the rest of the small villages)....... one DAY on "that" beach and I'd end up knocking some fekkers light out..... what sort of holiday is that??!!! It looks like a load of semi naked chavs spoiling an otherwise nice and peaceful beach. Oh well, another fine mess I've got myself into Stanley
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Post by vietzay on Sept 15, 2015 7:11:22 GMT
I live in Vietnam for 2 years, Vietnam is an easy country to travel to, make sure of following: - Apply visa beforehand ( British , Italian, German, French and Spanish) are recently granted a free 15 days visa, however, if you need to stay longer i strongly advise you to apply 1 or 3 month visa in advance and pick up your visa upon arrival. - Make sure which places in Vietnam you are traveling, vietnam is a large country and traveling from north to south takes you 48 hours by train ( if you are a slow traveler and want to stop along the way) - Dont fool yourself with the dirty cheap prices of Halong boat, they are just only a small boat, not cruise, i advice to take at least 2 day 1 night cruise that is cost around 100 to 150 $ per person, this one have a lot of information on different cruises: luxurytravelvietnam.com/EN/Vietnam_tours/Vietnamcruises/Vietnamcruises.htm - Go to Sapa, from Hanoi ( capital) take a night train which is the safest way, dont go by bus as it is very danger. however, go to Sapa by train, and visit the ethnic minoroties, do homestay and visit the sunday market, also, if you have more time, go further and visit Ha Giang town. - Hue and Hoi An are so beautiful and if you are a history lover then you will love these cities in central vietnam - in Southern Vietnam stay in ho chi minh cty ( Saigon) and make sure to visit Mekong delta ( Ben tre, Cai be and cai rong floating markets) - One thing: Visa on arrival is only for air traveling, if you enter the country via land borders then make sure to have the visa stamped into your passport beforehand. hope this helps
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nando
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Post by nando on Nov 13, 2017 16:14:36 GMT
troll.....
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 13, 2017 20:11:45 GMT
Yes, indeed..... will remove her / him later
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 13, 2017 20:21:45 GMT
I left the other guy.... at least he took the time to upload a nice avatar and type a few sentences He looks like a "Bob" to me....... Bob's a nice guy, down to Earth salt of the Earth Vietnamese dude
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nando
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Post by nando on Nov 15, 2017 9:34:01 GMT
Now we are here. Did you go to Bulgaria and did you have a illegal smoke in de toilet of the plane?
Another sollution would be to stop smoking. Leadfumes are dangerous enough.
I went to Japan a couple of years ago. It was fantastic but what a long journey to get there... and I don’t smoke.
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