I really appreciated your honesty about cons and pros in Vietnam. These things need to point out so that people are watching your videos are aware and try to avoid if they are planning to visit Vietnam. Scams are everywhere and can happen to anyone, foreigners or locals. You just make sure to be careful and be caution. Vietnam is a cheap and safe place to visit and also experience different culture and environment comparing to the west. The most important is to have a good time and enjoy the visit.
In my opinion : Weather we cannot control. South east asia is hot and humid. Unless high elevation. Language well depends on who colonised them(it is the french). But travellers cannot expect host country to speak english. Only 3 countries in south east asia speak proper english...singapore, philippines, malaysia.
Great video and I agree with all of your pros and cons - it was precisely on a visa run in 2020 (at the end of my 3 month visa) which got me stranded in Malaysia for several months when all the borders closed - I sure hope that three month visa comes back soon - like you said, visa runs are a pain and I love going to countries where I get three months right off the bat, like the EU or Mexico, etc. A one month visa is just too short!! I was most recently in Vietnam for a month in April just after it dropped all restrictions and I had a great time as always. Personally, I LOVE Danang and always base myself here because of the convenience and one of the world's top 10 beaches. There is a lively expat community, Hoi An is half an hour away by motorbike, Hue is a couple hours away in the other direction and the international airport is right in the city - 15 minutes from the beach with lots of cheap domestic flights (like a dozen a day to Hanoi or HCMC) and daily flights to Bangkok and other regional centres! Yeah, it is blazing hot in summer, BUT, there is always a nice breeze by the ocean (heaven help you if you go inland!!). I would put in a strong pitch for Phu Quoc Island as well, where I spent a month in early 2020 - awesome place to kick back. Rents are even cheaper than Hanoi or HCMC in Danang. I paid $300 usd for a large new studio on the 9th floor with a nice view of the ocean, utilities included and wifi, fully furnished, 5 minutes from the amazing My Khe Beach. People in Canada don't believe me where average rents are now north of $2000 in major cities and quite frankly I try not to tell them because I don't want everyone to suddenly immigrate to Vietnam en masse, haha - but true story. Also, you can start with an airbnb but if you are going to stay longer than a month, just tell them directly and you will usually get a much cheaper rate. My apartment went from $475 to $300 when I did that. It is so cheap that you can book one airbnb for a month and leave your stuff there while spending weekends in other cities. SO CHEAP!! Like the taxi from Danang airport to downtown is around $5!! Grab is awesome, renting a motorbike is cheap, eating out is cheap and delicious, oh man, this video has already got me planning my next trip - Bourdain said it was his fav country - mine too. Oh, and the people of Vietnam are wonderful - I made friends there at my very first hotel stay in 2018 when I was working in China and came down for a short vacation. I ended up having such a great time I came down again a month later, then a month after that - then I said screw it and moved there for awhile. I have so many friends there now and so many great memories - love the people!!!! Having said that, don't take the motorbike taxis in HCMC, high liklihood of getting scammed, especially if it is your first time. Better to get your own motorbike instead and join in the general mayhem - once you get used to the only two rules - 1)never look behind you (trust me, you don't want to know) and 2)never hit anything in front of you - you are good to go. Looks crazy but somehow it just works.
As an American expat who has lived in Vietnam (mostly in Hanoi) for the past 3 years, I agree with everything you said but I would add the following: CONS: pollution, useless police. PROS: best women in the world, stress-free living. Once I learned how to avoid the scammers and found a Vietnamese gf (now wife), life became amazing and I have never been happier.
You are wrong. Police in Vietnam looks useless. But you don't know who are the real police in Vietnam, can the person who eat breakfast next to you, a vendor seller or anyone on the street. That why any International crimes ez got caught in Vietnam, any big criminal cases solve in few days and no way for terrorism in Vietnam.
Pollution is always bad in the city, but it's getting better in the urban area. I have to agree with you about the police and I think it will never change.
Nice vlog Sky, agreed the Visa is problematic, even a Visa on arrival for less that 15 days you have to obtain an approval letter not much difference in cost to the E Visa, can't wait for the next instalment 😎👍👍
Here some place in Vietnam you would want to see and you can google image how the place look like: Phu Quoc Island, Dalat, Danag, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Ha Long Bay, The Marble Mountain, Ninh Binh, Dragon Statue Mountain in Tam Coc, Hue, Bà Nà Hill, and Ban Gioc waterfall.
scams are everywhere you travel. But in Vietnam you just need to be on the alert and avoid interact with people approaching you voluntarily. your chance of getting scam will reduce down to zero... Its good that you provide the CON items. Like all the up and coming countries Vietnam needs to be aware so they can work on improving. That's the one thing I know about the Vietnamese. They always work hard to change things for the betterment of their country future...
@@SkyeSamuels Western tourists got killed in Thailand is not uncommon. You know about two western girls were killed in a remote forest? But it never happened in Vietnam.
@@mtha7796 Google search "Tourists killed in Thailand" and you'll spend hours reading them all. Since 1990 Vietnam opened its doors to international tourists, not even one tourist got killed in Vietnam. It's facts.
@@thumtlnguyen3626 well English is the international business language of the world and if countries who a lot of their population rely on tourism it makes sense to learn some English, especially in tourist areas,it's a no brainer.
Thanks for the video! I'm going to Vietnam for the first time on Oct 20th. I'm flying in with VietAir to HCMC. I read one of your comments below about not recommending VietAir, oops! Haha. You mentioned that you did do 1 visa run. I've never did a visa run to another country border and back before. If I like Vietnam after 30 days, then I would need to do a visa run. Is it as simple as taking a bus to the Cambodian border, enter Cambodia, and then re-enter Vietnam the same day for another 30 days? If you could explain to me how this works and the exact process, that would be great! Thanks in advance!
Skye,just a quick heads up if you're thinking of coming back to Thailand again. From 1 October they are extending the visa exempt (which both of you qualify for being UK passport holders) from 30 days to 45 days. You can then extend this for another 45 days at any immigration office for 1900 baht so it's possible to stay 3 months without having to leave.
@@SkyeSamuels I live here up in Udon Thani which is in the North East region called Isaan. If you do come back the Isaan region is worth a look at. Anyway if you do come back to Thailand enjoy yourselves wherever you go. Also from mid October to February is the best weather in Thailand,called the cool season but it's perfect,no rain,28/30 degrees in the afternoon and the nights are cool,15/18 degrees. Just perfect 👍
@@SkyeSamuels they're not touristy but have some great places to see and you'll find very decent hotels too and half the price of Bangkok or Phuket. I know you & Charlie like to stay in nice places. Also the nightlife is pure Thai which I think you'll both like.
What you say are absolutely true Skye. Im a 31yo Vietnamese and still so many people try to scam or over charge me when I visit other regions or touristy places it's really sad and annoying. Of course since Im Vietnamese I wont fall for that but clueless foreigners will. In my opinion it's the ugliest truth about tourism in this country. Also sad to see you're leaving but I hope to see you come back one day.
Yes I completely agree with all the Pros and Cons you said about VN . But about the scams here , it generally happens with street vendors and illegal taxi drivers ( always use Grab or legit taxi companies like VinaSun or Mai Linh ). And even if they do overcharge you , it' s definitely not a big amount , like 1 or 2 $ max. That compensates a bit the very low cost of living here . At the end of the day , you are still paying a very cheap price comparing to what you used to pay in the west . At the local markets , don`t be shy to bargain . It' s completely normal here . The vendors are always expecting the customers to haggle , so they tell a high price at the beginning , but after 5-10 minutes of negotiation both sides will get to a compromise . You have the price you are ready to pay and the vendor gets the price she (he) wants to sell If you are not good in haggling or don`t want to waste your time , so never go shopping at the local markets , go directly to the modern shopping malls where all the prices are set , like in the West .
Hello. This is my 1st Video of yours I've seen. I decided to Search Vietnam Vloggers and saw a Few & yours is what I liked so Far. I used to be a Correctional Officer but we're Hurt on The JOB. I had Knee Replacement Surgery and didn't take it well. America is on a Collapse I'm not Happy Here anymore! As far as Online Jobs because I never had any do you have Suggestions? And far as Paid is the Pay in American Currency and it can be transferred into Vietnam Currency? It's a bit too ask but I won't know unless I ask. Thanks.
Thank you! 🙌🏻 online jobs, well firstly I would always recommend teaching English or any language. And the currency depends on the company you work for. E.g. I used to work for a Chinese company and was paid in yuan but it transferred to gbp and my bank through another application (forgot the name sorry it was 2019).
Went to June 2023 and landed in Hanoi.. came from 16*C to 40*C from a 17h airplane with AC.. thought my skin would melt away.. took two days but then it was ok -and I like when it's 10*c and love the winter here in the north of Europe.. but yeah.. summer is rought!! Regarding the traffic it also took 2-3days to get used to but after that I was walking around without any troubles and crossed the streets like a pro and almost only kept my eyes out for the cars and trucks. When getting to Ho Chi Minh City it felt like a walk in the park.. they had street lights and everything!! ..I liked the feeling of Hanoi better though. Some people say that many parts of Hanoi is dirty and yea compared to standards I can agree as I'm not used to the whole -bring out the trash to the sidewalk and they pick it up- thing.. all were gone in the morning ..but compared with our visit in London where any other eoad smelled like piss Hanoi smellt nice and clean wherever we went... it was a mindF for me... If I were to move there long term though I think I liked Nha Trang the most though our visit because it had a little of both cities combined.. Ha Long were also nice and the views from the water were breathtaking.. but long term I think thats my pick. My worst part after returning is that cash is king in Vietnam.. last time I used cash must have been about 10-15 years ago so I don't like to carry it with me. In Ho Chi Minh it's not that large of a problem but it's more common that uncommon that you'll need to pay with cash. Another problem as non-asian were that I'm not that fond of larger groups of people and just Hanoi have more people living in the city than my whole country.. and if going to a market they all grab you and point for you to sit down and eat at their place.. I'm a little too polite and/or shy so I just say sorry.. but after some days when not walking around with a backpack and just say "kông may" they ignored me because they thought I were not new. Though when we sat down to the place we were going we always got a good table up front with great service wherever we went.. the service were always good anywhere but in crowded places it felt like thay also used us to say to others that "look, others like you eat here -you should too" ...can't complain on that part because damn it's smart 😂😂 Grab however is the best thing ever!!! The taxis take pay per mile but grab is just like uber.. you see the route and payment for it. Once going to a place in Halong Bay with grab he told us the route differented with 300k and asked if we had change.. we tooked up 300k and he were "no 200" and we were baffled.. he handed us 500k and tried to explain that the price for grab were too high so he wanted to give us 300k but only had 500k to give us back.. so instead of just dropping us up with extra earnings he took money from his own pocket to give us a better price. We ended up reversing him with 100k in tips anyways and left with a fair ride 200k lesser than we were supposed to pay if he would have kept silent... so the scam part is sad but from our visit we only met people happy to see that tourism were going up again... good to have it in mind though that scams and pickpockets can still be around. Note: a common thing at many places is that you can be brought to a table while eating and they might present you with extra things to eat. If you take things you didn't order you will have to pay for them. It's optional food that you can have and if you don't they wont pay you for it. And if you go for cruises at Ha Long Bay all the drinks are at extra cost and the prices are extra high due to taxes etc, and also often in cash.. so do research. Ending: if you are vegan or vegitarian I'll be sitting in a courner and giggle because this really is the land of pork and egg-lovers ^^
Hi Skye. As an oversea Vietnamese, I feel privileged for having you visited my country. I am hooked on the HaGiang series and had put it on my bucket list. I think your assessment of the pros and cons was objective. Two cons stood out for me are the visas and the scams. These are something that the local authorities can do something about to encourage tourism in VN. Anyway, I wish you fun and safe travels. Warning: Malaysia is on the equator.
The visas are too expensive for the style of holiday. Only been to Ho Chi Minh, loved it, food had to be VERY CAREFUL where you choose to eat, but Thailand wins on hospitality, spirituality and modern development
Started following yas here. Just on the adorable ‘la’ observation in Malaysia, I never noticed til your vid, my gf here in danang throws that la thing around constantly, la😂. Cute, la. Hope yizzer well, great vids…
Great video ^^ I remember the first time I came to Hanoi, in 2012 I believe (jeez 10 years ago !!) and I couldn't agree more with you about traffic. I saw a girl READING a book while driving her bike...!!! True story :O I can't wait to get back to Asia, just a couple of month now ! (And then on how to stay long term overthere as a self employed...)
Thanks for being honest. It's unfortunate, but I hope VN can fix this Visa issue if they want more visitors. But it is a small country and real estate is limited.
I'm travelling from Thailand to Vietnam and back but i'm only in Vietnam for 14 days. Aren't I correct in saying I don't need any form of visa? I don't think UK citizens have needed one if you're there for less than 15 days since March. Just clarifying cause don't want to be hit with a surprise fine lol, thanks!
Citizens of UK , France , Germany , Italy , Ireland , Spain , Norway , Denmark , Sweden and Finland don`t need a visa to enter in VN , if they stay there only 15 days or less . More than that they need a visa . Actually the Vietnamese government is studying the possibility to ease the visa policy in the near future
Hi there ! I am flying into Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City and also flying back home thru there as well... my plan was to check out vietnam, thailand and possibly Bali, but have learnt that e-visa is not a multiple entry visa, and single entry only. Do you have any suggestions on what to do... should I do the visa run? Reschedule my return flight from a different place? Tell me more about the visa run, I wasn't totally clear on what that is, even after googling it lol
Would you mind sharing more about the scam(s)? I am thinking of going to Vietnam as a solo female traveller and would appreciate knowing what to look out for and how to be safe :) Thanks!
I think the fact that less people speak English in Vietnam is a pro and not a con. That forces you to find ways to communicate using other means, including attempt to speak the language. There's always Google Translate to assist in that. Everywhere you travel, if you attempt to speak the local language, the people there will most likely treat you better because they know that you're trying.
One con of Vietnam is they don’t speak English what a disrespectful comment, you do know your not in England ,try learning the lingo and please keep these silly comments to yourself embarrassing 🙈…
@@SkyeSamuels I heard you ok, you said to visitors wanting to come to Vietnam one con is they don't speak enough English here ,how is that a con please tell me ?? why should they speak English ,your in they're country not the other way around.
The scam thing is real. Some restaurants have 2 menu, one for locals and one for foreigners. I would recommend go with a Vietnamese to avoid this scam.
Most restaurants are not like that. What you say is not common, so it is necessary to have a specific restaurant name, if you say it wrong, you will be responsible for it
@@minhvu8057 Please don`t exaggerate and generalize dude . It was maybe true 15 years ago , but today all the legit restaurants are inspected regularly by the police . Only the mobile street food vendors might not be controlled by the local authorities
Thank you for sharing! Do you buy insurance before traveling to each country? I wonder how the healthcare, accidentals, loss of valuables would be covered if things happen.
Hi! Thank you. I would say probably not, Thailand would be much better for your honeymoon. Beaches & resorte are a lot more beautiful (in my opinion) ❤️
@@SkyeSamuels Hey! Thanks. I kinda have already picked it for mine. Well.... I'd love to keep you posted about how it went. (Psst. It's going to take more than a half year though!)
@@veenalshah3311 A lot of interesting things there , such as the Safari park ( second biggest in the world ) , the Aquarium , the Cable Car ( the longest over-the-sea cable car in the world . 8 km long and takes 27 minutes to get to the destination spot from the main island of PQ ) , many theme parks with European inspired vibe ( the Asian tourists adore them ) , Waterparks with Water and Light shows , nice and amazing resorts with beautiful and clean beaches , delicious and very affordable seafood restaurants , Rain Forests , pepper and cashew nuts plantations ( VN is actually the biggest producer of pepper and cashew nuts in the world ) , Pearl farms , very affordable cost of living comparing to other vacation and honeymoon sites in SEA , top ratio quality/price and many many more other things . Best time to visit that Island is between December and end of March ( dry season ) . Avoid Summer ( too crowded and too warm and humid ) and the rainy season ( from June to end of November )
Hallo what are current requirements when entering Vietnam? Are they pretty much the same as before Covid? If not, I had a booster shot over a year ago, is that still valid? Thanks.
Thank you for recomedations for and guides to Vietnam . All it's true, all the discomfort and lack have to be corrected, improved, but please come to our country next times, you will discover more values of vietnam and Vietnamese people and culture, deeper understanding. You're always Welcome.
One thing I want to point out: the visa issue. The reason the visas are only 30 days is because of digital nomads like yourself. Many were squatting there tax-free because it is so cheap. If you're going to live and work there, you have to pay taxes just like you would any Western country...the difference is that you'll have to pay WAY more for living, food, entertainment, etc., in Western countries.
Agree with most everything- apart from Vietnamese food. I have been many times now - there is Zero health and safety - meat that is thrown into the pho is not fresh ! A lot of fresh vegetables maybe - meat , a couple of days out in the sun - certainly not a fridge. Take your life in your hands. Pretty much the same wherever you go.
Can get much cheaper monthly apartments in Thailand, especially Chiang Mai, Pattaya area, even outskirts of Bangkok, for a least half the price you quoted, or even better deals the longer you stay, I believe you stayed awhile in Phuket, that is the most expensive area of Thailand! Yes probably everything else is a little cheaper in Vietnam, but not much, in my experience. Big ups for pointing out the problems you can encounter👍
Oh for sure!! We do tend to splurge a little more on our apartment just because we’re inside a lot working and so we really value a nice place ☺️ yes I agree. Thank you!
They picked the VIP choice of apartment since most standard ones sit at around $400-500. I'd say $700 is exactly what most global entrepreneurs pick for their specialists working abroad in Vietnam. I've noticed a clear difference in apartment choice between Bangkok & Hanoi/Saigon. BKK values apartment size & all interior are not that much different, in VN no one would bargain in terms of size so it's either 80 squares or 100 & +100 or no one would rent your appartment, price difference lies in the interior quality which is kind of wild.
Now that you mentioned it, each country has its "pattern" of scam, I haven't bumped into much of this but I can say the most popular pattern in Vietnam is "imitating" - it's not straight up fake but sits on the gray area, most of the time you're gonna get worse experience & rarely you can even find hidden gem which is funny. I noticed you guys bumped into banh mi Hong Hoa in Saigon, actually "one of the best banh mi in HCMC" which trumps almost every other store in that district 1 is Huynh Hoa; but Hong Hoa is ok, I know the place also, sits among the "fair deal" spectrum anyways, so I didn't mentioned at that episode lol. Imagine you came to Da Lat for holiday, decided to eat at a famous bistro named "Ba Toa Beef Hotpot", just to found out there're literally 10 beef hotpot bistros named "Ba Toa", and another 10 bistros with very slightly different name than "Ba Toa". Btw the central & south has quite some lush beaches & islands apart from the popular ones but not foreigner friendly like, at all, sadly.
One of the cons for animal lovers to come to Vietnam or Southeast Asia in general is to witness the barbaric dog and cat meat trade and slaughtering of these stolen, domestic animals infront of people without any conscience.
Wow I wish I saw this video before I went back! I went during August and the Heat was unbearable. My kids and I could not do anything, not even at night because of the humidity. Staying in HoChiMinh was insane with the traffic. I would pay a grab just to cross the street. Definitely not a country to travel to if you didn’t do your research even for someone whose parents are from Vietnam. 😂😂😂
The barrier in languages also falls upon you and your educational backgrounds. You sounded spoiled and disrespectful if you expect every country around the world must know English and wait for your visit? You could have prepared yourself by learning the culture and the language of the country that you intend to visit. You need to be more open minded that Thailand was colonized by the British and did not have wars. Vietnam had wars and was colonized by the Chinese for 1000 years; with the French for 100 years+; WWII with the Japanese about 10 years; and finally, the 20 years Civil War between the North & the South (which the country was divided in half at the 32-degree Latitude) which the US helped the South, and the Soviet Union/Russia helped the North, that ended 04/30/1975. Vietnam was closed to the world, during which they also had wars with Cambodia and China. Vietnam opened the country to the World for tourism and free marketing in 1996 until the present time. Therefore, the younger generations learned many foreign languages to keep up with careers and foreign companies and industries residing in Vietnam, including tourism, restauranteurs, hospitalities, etc. Vietnam is the second produce & exporter of coffee in the world (Brazil ranked 1st). With the common sense, you came to Vietnam after Thailand. They both lie near the equator. You went to Thailand earlier in the summer season, of course the weather would be less hot & humid. You were right about travel to the tropical countries in the winter times. About the scams during your trips, lol. Scams happen everywhere you go even in England, US, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, China, Thailand, Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, ..., around the World. You need to be more mindful of your rudeness and attitudes when you make a total, general judgement about a country or a group/population of people of such things, which could stigmatize the integrity of every individual of a country. Vietnam is a fast-developing and modernizing country as they are trying to catch up to the first World countries after long histories of wars and colonization from other countries. Learn to enjoy and to appreciate Vietnam and the people more, who try to make money to survive their harsh daily survivals/livings for themselves and their families. Thanks for your pro's comments and your visits to Vietnam. I hope you will visit Vietnam again in future times and hopefully Vietnam will improve more as they get more modernized.
Lol, English is the global language, Vietnamese is nothing outside Vietnam. No one spends a year or two learning a language just to visit a country for a few weeks.
Well said tom,ive been twice.the language barrier is part of the experience.a fun part.i spoke to a vietnamese lady shop owner for about 4 hours.i dont speak vietnamese and she didnt speak australian lol.a great nite i wll never forget.
Thailand was never colonised by the British idiot though I understand they teach racist xenophobic viet nothing about the outside world in their communist medieval schools, having a subject on the nature of uncle ho’s skid marks is considered more important
My bad. Thailand was influenced by the British, hence they drive on the opposite side of the road like in England, which is nothing wrong at all. The matter is that such ill-mannered, poorly educated, disrespectful, spoiled, hateful, xenophobic, racist, oxymoronic bigot like you to look down on Vietnam and/or other third world countries, with rich long history, heritage, culture, and respectful, kind, beautiful, hard-working people who struggles daily to make a living and to survive.
@MrNixity Since you said and claimed English is the Global language, then, explain why it is not the main spoken and written language by the people in every country around the world? All languages are beautiful to know and to learn. Language is the important communication tool for people to break down the barriers in order to understand, to know, to learn, to do business, to share and to respect the differences among the worlds. Your parents and teachers should have taught you some manners to prevent you from become such a racist, xenophobic, hateful oxymoron to the world.
Love this, completely agree with your pros and cons, we loved Vietnam! 🇻🇳
Thank you!! 🙏🏻❤️
I really appreciated your honesty about cons and pros in Vietnam. These things need to point out so that people are watching your videos are aware and try to avoid if they are planning to visit Vietnam. Scams are everywhere and can happen to anyone, foreigners or locals. You just make sure to be careful and be caution. Vietnam is a cheap and safe place to visit and also experience different culture and environment comparing to the west. The most important is to have a good time and enjoy the visit.
In my opinion :
Weather we cannot control. South east asia is hot and humid. Unless high elevation.
Language well depends on who colonised them(it is the french). But travellers cannot expect host country to speak english. Only 3 countries in south east asia speak proper english...singapore, philippines, malaysia.
Great video and I agree with all of your pros and cons - it was precisely on a visa run in 2020 (at the end of my 3 month visa) which got me stranded in Malaysia for several months when all the borders closed - I sure hope that three month visa comes back soon - like you said, visa runs are a pain and I love going to countries where I get three months right off the bat, like the EU or Mexico, etc. A one month visa is just too short!!
I was most recently in Vietnam for a month in April just after it dropped all restrictions and I had a great time as always. Personally, I LOVE Danang and always base myself here because of the convenience and one of the world's top 10 beaches. There is a lively expat community, Hoi An is half an hour away by motorbike, Hue is a couple hours away in the other direction and the international airport is right in the city - 15 minutes from the beach with lots of cheap domestic flights (like a dozen a day to Hanoi or HCMC) and daily flights to Bangkok and other regional centres! Yeah, it is blazing hot in summer, BUT, there is always a nice breeze by the ocean (heaven help you if you go inland!!). I would put in a strong pitch for Phu Quoc Island as well, where I spent a month in early 2020 - awesome place to kick back. Rents are even cheaper than Hanoi or HCMC in Danang. I paid $300 usd for a large new studio on the 9th floor with a nice view of the ocean, utilities included and wifi, fully furnished, 5 minutes from the amazing My Khe Beach. People in Canada don't believe me where average rents are now north of $2000 in major cities and quite frankly I try not to tell them because I don't want everyone to suddenly immigrate to Vietnam en masse, haha - but true story. Also, you can start with an airbnb but if you are going to stay longer than a month, just tell them directly and you will usually get a much cheaper rate. My apartment went from $475 to $300 when I did that. It is so cheap that you can book one airbnb for a month and leave your stuff there while spending weekends in other cities. SO CHEAP!! Like the taxi from Danang airport to downtown is around $5!! Grab is awesome, renting a motorbike is cheap, eating out is cheap and delicious, oh man, this video has already got me planning my next trip - Bourdain said it was his fav country - mine too.
Oh, and the people of Vietnam are wonderful - I made friends there at my very first hotel stay in 2018 when I was working in China and came down for a short vacation. I ended up having such a great time I came down again a month later, then a month after that - then I said screw it and moved there for awhile. I have so many friends there now and so many great memories - love the people!!!! Having said that, don't take the motorbike taxis in HCMC, high liklihood of getting scammed, especially if it is your first time. Better to get your own motorbike instead and join in the general mayhem - once you get used to the only two rules - 1)never look behind you (trust me, you don't want to know) and 2)never hit anything in front of you - you are good to go. Looks crazy but somehow it just works.
Awesome video! There is a tonne of really valuable information packed into this video!
Thank you ☺️❤️
it's sad that you haven't explored much in the southern region.Thank you very much for coming to vietnam.have a good time and good luck.
Thank you so much! 🙏🏻❤️
the south is 10x better than the north!
As an American expat who has lived in Vietnam (mostly in Hanoi) for the past 3 years, I agree with everything you said but I would add the following: CONS: pollution, useless police. PROS: best women in the world, stress-free living. Once I learned how to avoid the scammers and found a Vietnamese gf (now wife), life became amazing and I have never been happier.
Thank you ☺️❤️
Lucky guy
You are wrong. Police in Vietnam looks useless. But you don't know who are the real police in Vietnam, can the person who eat breakfast next to you, a vendor seller or anyone on the street. That why any International crimes ez got caught in Vietnam, any big criminal cases solve in few days and no way for terrorism in Vietnam.
Pollution is always bad in the city, but it's getting better in the urban area. I have to agree with you about the police and I think it will never change.
How to avoid scammers? Or overpriced items?
It’s really true! Love your feedback and reflections.
Thank you ☺️❤️
Nice vlog Sky, agreed the Visa is problematic, even a Visa on arrival for less that 15 days you have to obtain an approval letter not much difference in cost to the E Visa, can't wait for the next instalment 😎👍👍
Thank you! 🙏🏻
Here some place in Vietnam you would want to see and you can google image how the place look like:
Phu Quoc Island, Dalat, Danag, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Ha Long Bay, The Marble Mountain, Ninh Binh, Dragon Statue Mountain in Tam Coc, Hue, Bà Nà Hill, and Ban Gioc waterfall.
Hi Skye! 👋 Cant wait to see your next adventure!!! 🧡 I want to go do the Hajjang Loop now because you looked like the happiest girl in the world!!!🏞🏍
Thank you! Honestly please do it!!!!☺️❤️
scams are everywhere you travel. But in Vietnam you just need to be on the alert and avoid interact with people approaching you voluntarily. your chance of getting scam will reduce down to zero... Its good that you provide the CON items. Like all the up and coming countries Vietnam needs to be aware so they can work on improving. That's the one thing I know about the Vietnamese. They always work hard to change things for the betterment of their country future...
Everything you say is true. There is one thing I don't think Vietnam is less safe than Thailand. Thank you very much from Vietnam.
It was just from my personal opinion and how I felt in the country not in general ☺️ thank you!
@@SkyeSamuels Western tourists got killed in Thailand is not uncommon. You know about two western girls were killed in a remote forest? But it never happened in Vietnam.
@@thumtlnguyen3626 two western girls were killed in a remote forest? ----> What's the headline of this news?
@@mtha7796 Google search "Tourists killed in Thailand" and you'll spend hours reading them all. Since 1990 Vietnam opened its doors to international tourists, not even one tourist got killed in Vietnam. It's facts.
I agreed with you about the English limit for the older generation. You could speak French with them and they will respond to you easier than English.
☺️🙈
@@SkyeSamuels really enjoyed all your videos in Vietnam. Thanks for sharing.
Going to Japan and expect Japanese speaking English??????
@@thumtlnguyen3626 well English is the international business language of the world and if countries who a lot of their population rely on tourism it makes sense to learn some English, especially in tourist areas,it's a no brainer.
@@pauldo6625 thank you! 🙏🏻
Great vid! Sorry if you mentioned but what SIM card would you recommend?
Thanks .
Love from Vietnam ❤️
Thank you ❤️
Very professional,keep up the good work.
Thank you Mark! ❤️
Thank you for sharing the prons and cons about vietnam👍
Thank you! I loved vietnam ❤️
Thanks for the video! I'm going to Vietnam for the first time on Oct 20th. I'm flying in with VietAir to HCMC. I read one of your comments below about not recommending VietAir, oops! Haha. You mentioned that you did do 1 visa run. I've never did a visa run to another country border and back before. If I like Vietnam after 30 days, then I would need to do a visa run. Is it as simple as taking a bus to the Cambodian border, enter Cambodia, and then re-enter Vietnam the same day for another 30 days? If you could explain to me how this works and the exact process, that would be great! Thanks in advance!
Yes, that's basically what One Trip Wanderers did last year. They crossed over into Cambodia or Laos and then came to Vietnam a few hours later.
I'm going to try veitnam next year. You'll love Malaysia people are so friendly.
Skye,just a quick heads up if you're thinking of coming back to Thailand again. From 1 October they are extending the visa exempt (which both of you qualify for being UK passport holders) from 30 days to 45 days. You can then extend this for another 45 days at any immigration office for 1900 baht so it's possible to stay 3 months without having to leave.
Ah that’s amazing news, thanks so much! I think we will be back soon, we loved Thailand so much 🤩
@@SkyeSamuels I live here up in Udon Thani which is in the North East region called Isaan. If you do come back the Isaan region is worth a look at. Anyway if you do come back to Thailand enjoy yourselves wherever you go. Also from mid October to February is the best weather in Thailand,called the cool season but it's perfect,no rain,28/30 degrees in the afternoon and the nights are cool,15/18 degrees. Just perfect 👍
@@geezer1888 yes I think I’d like to visit some more lesser known places in Thailand next time for sure. Thank you! 🙏🏻
@@SkyeSamuels they're not touristy but have some great places to see and you'll find very decent hotels too and half the price of Bangkok or Phuket. I know you & Charlie like to stay in nice places. Also the nightlife is pure Thai which I think you'll both like.
Love your videos ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks Kushal 🙏🏻❤️
My only con was leaving Vietnam 😂 I did get scammed, but because of it I could see the genuine people of Vietnam!
I love northern part of Vietnam, really beautiful
Very very beautiful 🤩
Vietnam here I come
What you say are absolutely true Skye. Im a 31yo Vietnamese and still so many people try to scam or over charge me when I visit other regions or touristy places it's really sad and annoying. Of course since Im Vietnamese I wont fall for that but clueless foreigners will. In my opinion it's the ugliest truth about tourism in this country. Also sad to see you're leaving but I hope to see you come back one day.
Oh no that’s really sad to hear that it happens to locals too. Thank you for sharing and I will be back ❤️🙏🏻
Thank you for sharing.
😍😍😍
❤️❤️❤️
I just want to let you know that you can get a VN visa that is valid for 5 years. It's around $80.
I need to do a border run for 31 days in vietnam. My flight got changed. All that hassle for 1 day. It's gonna suuuuucccckk!
Yes I completely agree with all the Pros and Cons you said about VN . But about the scams here , it generally happens with street vendors and illegal taxi drivers ( always use Grab or legit taxi companies like VinaSun or Mai Linh ). And even if they do overcharge you , it' s definitely not a big amount , like 1 or 2 $ max. That compensates a bit the very low cost of living here . At the end of the day , you are still paying a very cheap price comparing to what you used to pay in the west . At the local markets , don`t be shy to bargain . It' s completely normal here . The vendors are always expecting the customers to haggle , so they tell a high price at the beginning , but after 5-10 minutes of negotiation both sides will get to a compromise . You have the price you are ready to pay and the vendor gets the price she (he) wants to sell If you are not good in haggling or don`t want to waste your time , so never go shopping at the local markets , go directly to the modern shopping malls where all the prices are set , like in the West .
So helpful, thank you! Im heading to Vietnam in March with my boyfriend and the most difficult thing to wrap my head around is the visas!
Hello. This is my 1st Video of yours I've seen. I decided to Search Vietnam Vloggers and saw a Few & yours is what I liked so Far. I used to be a Correctional Officer but we're Hurt on The JOB. I had Knee Replacement Surgery and didn't take it well. America is on a Collapse I'm not Happy Here anymore!
As far as Online Jobs because I never had any do you have Suggestions? And far as Paid is the Pay in American Currency and it can be transferred into Vietnam Currency?
It's a bit too ask but I won't know unless I ask. Thanks.
Thank you! 🙌🏻 online jobs, well firstly I would always recommend teaching English or any language. And the currency depends on the company you work for. E.g. I used to work for a Chinese company and was paid in yuan but it transferred to gbp and my bank through another application (forgot the name sorry it was 2019).
@@SkyeSamuels Thanks for Replying.
thanks for doing a summary of your country tour. *this really helps* !
Thank you for sharing 😊
Thank you! ❤️
Went to June 2023 and landed in Hanoi.. came from 16*C to 40*C from a 17h airplane with AC.. thought my skin would melt away.. took two days but then it was ok -and I like when it's 10*c and love the winter here in the north of Europe.. but yeah.. summer is rought!!
Regarding the traffic it also took 2-3days to get used to but after that I was walking around without any troubles and crossed the streets like a pro and almost only kept my eyes out for the cars and trucks.
When getting to Ho Chi Minh City it felt like a walk in the park.. they had street lights and everything!! ..I liked the feeling of Hanoi better though. Some people say that many parts of Hanoi is dirty and yea compared to standards I can agree as I'm not used to the whole -bring out the trash to the sidewalk and they pick it up- thing.. all were gone in the morning ..but compared with our visit in London where any other eoad smelled like piss Hanoi smellt nice and clean wherever we went... it was a mindF for me...
If I were to move there long term though I think I liked Nha Trang the most though our visit because it had a little of both cities combined.. Ha Long were also nice and the views from the water were breathtaking.. but long term I think thats my pick.
My worst part after returning is that cash is king in Vietnam.. last time I used cash must have been about 10-15 years ago so I don't like to carry it with me. In Ho Chi Minh it's not that large of a problem but it's more common that uncommon that you'll need to pay with cash.
Another problem as non-asian were that I'm not that fond of larger groups of people and just Hanoi have more people living in the city than my whole country.. and if going to a market they all grab you and point for you to sit down and eat at their place.. I'm a little too polite and/or shy so I just say sorry.. but after some days when not walking around with a backpack and just say "kông may" they ignored me because they thought I were not new.
Though when we sat down to the place we were going we always got a good table up front with great service wherever we went.. the service were always good anywhere but in crowded places it felt like thay also used us to say to others that "look, others like you eat here -you should too" ...can't complain on that part because damn it's smart 😂😂
Grab however is the best thing ever!!! The taxis take pay per mile but grab is just like uber.. you see the route and payment for it.
Once going to a place in Halong Bay with grab he told us the route differented with 300k and asked if we had change.. we tooked up 300k and he were "no 200" and we were baffled.. he handed us 500k and tried to explain that the price for grab were too high so he wanted to give us 300k but only had 500k to give us back.. so instead of just dropping us up with extra earnings he took money from his own pocket to give us a better price. We ended up reversing him with 100k in tips anyways and left with a fair ride 200k lesser than we were supposed to pay if he would have kept silent... so the scam part is sad but from our visit we only met people happy to see that tourism were going up again... good to have it in mind though that scams and pickpockets can still be around.
Note: a common thing at many places is that you can be brought to a table while eating and they might present you with extra things to eat. If you take things you didn't order you will have to pay for them. It's optional food that you can have and if you don't they wont pay you for it.
And if you go for cruises at Ha Long Bay all the drinks are at extra cost and the prices are extra high due to taxes etc, and also often in cash.. so do research.
Ending: if you are vegan or vegitarian I'll be sitting in a courner and giggle because this really is the land of pork and egg-lovers ^^
Hi Skye. As an oversea Vietnamese, I feel privileged for having you visited my country. I am hooked on the HaGiang series and had put it on my bucket list. I think your assessment of the pros and cons was objective. Two cons stood out for me are the visas and the scams. These are something that the local authorities can do something about to encourage tourism in VN. Anyway, I wish you fun and safe travels. Warning: Malaysia is on the equator.
Do you speak the language of every country you visit?
The visas are too expensive for the style of holiday. Only been to Ho Chi Minh, loved it, food had to be VERY CAREFUL where you choose to eat, but Thailand wins on hospitality, spirituality and modern development
Visit jakarta, white crater, mount bromo, borobudur temple
Started following yas here. Just on the adorable ‘la’ observation in Malaysia, I never noticed til your vid, my gf here in danang throws that la thing around constantly, la😂. Cute, la. Hope yizzer well, great vids…
Great video ^^ I remember the first time I came to Hanoi, in 2012 I believe (jeez 10 years ago !!) and I couldn't agree more with you about traffic. I saw a girl READING a book while driving her bike...!!! True story :O
I can't wait to get back to Asia, just a couple of month now ! (And then on how to stay long term overthere as a self employed...)
Thanks for being honest. It's unfortunate, but I hope VN can fix this Visa issue if they want more visitors. But it is a small country and real estate is limited.
Good video,thanks for sharing❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
would love to see a video detailing the costs of travelling around the S.E.A countries
I'm travelling from Thailand to Vietnam and back but i'm only in Vietnam for 14 days. Aren't I correct in saying I don't need any form of visa? I don't think UK citizens have needed one if you're there for less than 15 days since March. Just clarifying cause don't want to be hit with a surprise fine lol, thanks!
You’re right ☺️ you get 15 days on arrival
Citizens of UK , France , Germany , Italy , Ireland , Spain , Norway , Denmark , Sweden and Finland don`t need a visa to enter in VN , if they stay there only 15 days or less . More than that they need a visa . Actually the Vietnamese government is studying the possibility to ease the visa policy in the near future
Hi there !
I am flying into Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City and also flying back home thru there as well... my plan was to check out vietnam, thailand and possibly Bali, but have learnt that e-visa is not a multiple entry visa, and single entry only. Do you have any suggestions on what to do... should I do the visa run? Reschedule my return flight from a different place? Tell me more about the visa run, I wasn't totally clear on what that is, even after googling it lol
I have a video on the visa run which might be helpful for you 🫶🏻
Would you mind sharing more about the scam(s)? I am thinking of going to Vietnam as a solo female traveller and would appreciate knowing what to look out for and how to be safe :) Thanks!
I think the fact that less people speak English in Vietnam is a pro and not a con. That forces you to find ways to communicate using other means, including attempt to speak the language. There's always Google Translate to assist in that. Everywhere you travel, if you attempt to speak the local language, the people there will most likely treat you better because they know that you're trying.
How do international students then apply for visas?
One con of Vietnam is they don’t speak English what a disrespectful comment, you do know your not in England ,try learning the lingo and please keep these silly comments to yourself embarrassing 🙈…
Isn’t it funny how people pick and choose which part of a comment they want to hear 🤣
@@SkyeSamuels I heard you ok, you said to visitors wanting to come to Vietnam one con is they don't speak enough English here ,how is that a con please tell me ?? why should they speak English ,your in they're country not the other way around.
@SkuSamuels are there any mosquitoes in Vietnam ?
The scam thing is real. Some restaurants have 2 menu, one for locals and one for foreigners. I would recommend go with a Vietnamese to avoid this scam.
Oh I didn’t know that! But I’m not surprised either 🙈 which is sad…
Most restaurants are not like that. What you say is not common, so it is necessary to have a specific restaurant name, if you say it wrong, you will be responsible for it
@@vuavietnam that is why I have the word "some" because not every restaurants do that. But I have seen a few restaurants did so.
@@minhvu8057 Please don`t exaggerate and generalize dude . It was maybe true 15 years ago , but today all the legit restaurants are inspected regularly by the police . Only the mobile street food vendors might not be controlled by the local authorities
@@hungcuongnguyen293 Sounds horrible . Police patrols restaurant . There no freedom in Vietnam . Polices are in everywhere !!!
My wife and I love so much that we moved to Hoi an and never looked back! Amazing country with incredibly friendly people! Sam Adler
Love your videos on TH-cam and Tik Tok!
Thank you ☺️❤️
my favorite food in thailand is vietnamese food.
udon thani: VT Namnueng
nong khai: Daeng Namnuang Vietnamese Restaurant
Thank you for sharing! Do you buy insurance before traveling to each country? I wonder how the healthcare, accidentals, loss of valuables would be covered if things happen.
Great video! Question please! How good is it for a honeymoon?
Hi! Thank you. I would say probably not, Thailand would be much better for your honeymoon. Beaches & resorte are a lot more beautiful (in my opinion) ❤️
@@SkyeSamuels Have ever been in Phu Quoc Island
@@SkyeSamuels Hey! Thanks. I kinda have already picked it for mine. Well.... I'd love to keep you posted about how it went. (Psst. It's going to take more than a half year though!)
@@hungcuongnguyen293 Anything special about this place..?
@@veenalshah3311 A lot of interesting things there , such as the Safari park ( second biggest in the world ) , the Aquarium , the Cable Car ( the longest over-the-sea cable car in the world . 8 km long and takes 27 minutes to get to the destination spot from the main island of PQ ) , many theme parks with European inspired vibe ( the Asian tourists adore them ) , Waterparks with Water and Light shows , nice and amazing resorts with beautiful and clean beaches , delicious and very affordable seafood restaurants , Rain Forests , pepper and cashew nuts plantations ( VN is actually the biggest producer of pepper and cashew nuts in the world ) , Pearl farms , very affordable cost of living comparing to other vacation and honeymoon sites in SEA , top ratio quality/price and many many more other things . Best time to visit that Island is between December and end of March ( dry season ) . Avoid Summer ( too crowded and too warm and humid ) and the rainy season ( from June to end of November )
Hallo what are current requirements when entering Vietnam? Are they pretty much the same as before Covid? If not, I had a booster shot over a year ago, is that still valid? Thanks.
City traffic is chaos in Henoi and there are trashed everywhere, but Thailand seems better…..
Thank you for recomedations for and guides to Vietnam . All it's true, all the discomfort and lack have to be corrected, improved, but please come to our country next times, you will discover more values of vietnam and Vietnamese people and culture, deeper understanding.
You're always Welcome.
Hi I'm curious what month exactly you were there as you said it was super hot. I'm looking into going end of April/beginning of may
Really wish Vietnam had more long term visa options 🥲
need them long term visas back, miss that jungle beach life.
Thanks!
Welcome! Thank you 🙏
One thing I want to point out: the visa issue. The reason the visas are only 30 days is because of digital nomads like yourself. Many were squatting there tax-free because it is so cheap. If you're going to live and work there, you have to pay taxes just like you would any Western country...the difference is that you'll have to pay WAY more for living, food, entertainment, etc., in Western countries.
It was fun watching your Vietnam series….you have a great personality 👍
Thank you so much 🙏🏻❤️
Best.
Thank you! 🙏🏻
Where is that? 3:33
Agree with most everything- apart from Vietnamese food. I have been many times now - there is Zero health and safety - meat that is thrown into the pho is not fresh ! A lot of fresh vegetables maybe - meat , a couple of days out in the sun - certainly not a fridge. Take your life in your hands. Pretty much the same wherever you go.
Hello ma'am
I will be da nang month of July and stay positive to enjoy simple minimalist lifestyle
True for the cons! Scams are actually everywhere not just VN but yes be aware of scams in VN :)
If you can use three words/phrases to describe Vietnam destination image what would it be?
Can get much cheaper monthly apartments in Thailand, especially Chiang Mai, Pattaya area, even outskirts of Bangkok, for a least half the price you quoted, or even better deals the longer you stay, I believe you stayed awhile in Phuket, that is the most expensive area of Thailand! Yes probably everything else is a little cheaper in Vietnam, but not much, in my experience. Big ups for pointing out the problems you can encounter👍
Oh for sure!! We do tend to splurge a little more on our apartment just because we’re inside a lot working and so we really value a nice place ☺️ yes I agree. Thank you!
They picked the VIP choice of apartment since most standard ones sit at around $400-500. I'd say $700 is exactly what most global entrepreneurs pick for their specialists working abroad in Vietnam.
I've noticed a clear difference in apartment choice between Bangkok & Hanoi/Saigon. BKK values apartment size & all interior are not that much different, in VN no one would bargain in terms of size so it's either 80 squares or 100 & +100 or no one would rent your appartment, price difference lies in the interior quality which is kind of wild.
I really liked the fried Squid!
Now that you mentioned it, each country has its "pattern" of scam, I haven't bumped into much of this but I can say the most popular pattern in Vietnam is "imitating" - it's not straight up fake but sits on the gray area, most of the time you're gonna get worse experience & rarely you can even find hidden gem which is funny. I noticed you guys bumped into banh mi Hong Hoa in Saigon, actually "one of the best banh mi in HCMC" which trumps almost every other store in that district 1 is Huynh Hoa; but Hong Hoa is ok, I know the place also, sits among the "fair deal" spectrum anyways, so I didn't mentioned at that episode lol.
Imagine you came to Da Lat for holiday, decided to eat at a famous bistro named "Ba Toa Beef Hotpot", just to found out there're literally 10 beef hotpot bistros named "Ba Toa", and another 10 bistros with very slightly different name than "Ba Toa".
Btw the central & south has quite some lush beaches & islands apart from the popular ones but not foreigner friendly like, at all, sadly.
Hi! I got to Vietnam end of October for a month what do you think the weather will be and how in advance do you sort your E visa?
Well, it's depending which area you are talking to. In general, October to maybe March is a good time. Temperate much cooler and less rain.
One of the cons for animal lovers to come to Vietnam or Southeast Asia in general is to witness the barbaric dog and cat meat trade and slaughtering of these stolen, domestic animals infront of people without any conscience.
Thats a good one actually, completely forgot about that. We saw it a few times 😢
The 4-day tour in the North... what company did you do it with? Thanks
hi skye i agree with u all the way
Well i followed paddy doyle. He is amazing too. Thumbs up to british travellers
What about the weather in Hanoi in late-Jun early-July?
Like!
Thank you! ❤️
How do i obtain a evisa for vietnam and what are all the requirements to go to vietnam?
See you again! Have fun in next country :D
3 month visas are back 👍
You said in your video you would put a link to E Visa in the description, it’s not there
Sorry watch Forest life skills DT, Hoang Thi Binh, and Ana's bushcraft. Amazing people.
I’m from Vietnam so I know that😊
Wow I wish I saw this video before I went back! I went during August and the Heat was unbearable. My kids and I could not do anything, not even at night because of the humidity. Staying in HoChiMinh was insane with the traffic. I would pay a grab just to cross the street. Definitely not a country to travel to if you didn’t do your research even for someone whose parents are from Vietnam. 😂😂😂
Vietnamese Dong convert to Australia Dollars
$10,000 Dong = 0.65
$20,000 Dong = $1.30 Dollars
$30,000 Dong = $1.95 Dollars
$40,000 Dong = $2.60 Dollars
$50,000 Dong = $3.25 Dollars
$60,000 Dong = $3.90 Dollars
$70,000 Dong = $4.55 Dollars
$80,000 Dong = $5.20 Dollars
$90,000 Dong = $5.85 Dollars
$100,000 Dong = $6.50 Dollars
$200,000 Dong = $13.01 Dollars
$300,000 Dong = $19.51 Dollars
$400,000 Dong = $26.02 Dollars
$500,000 Dong = $32.52 Dollars
$600,000 Dong = $39.03 Dollars
$700,000 Dong = $45.53 Dollars
$800,000 Dong = $52.04 Dollars
$900,000 Dong = $58.54 Dollars
$1,000,000 Dong = $65.05 Dollars
Vietnamese curency is so low compare to Australian Dollars.
Not even close to Australian $100 Dollars.
Hết 30 ngày bạn có thể gia hạn thêm thị thực mà
What on earth is going on with the visa 😲😞
Was Charlie out getting ice cream?
No he was working ☺️❤️
Disagreed on English part. Why do you think people of the world must speak your language?
Oooh, my god.
Uber got bought out by grab not long ago in Vietnam.
almost 10 years ago
Did you get some mooshy peas luv and we're dey cheap?
Aloha from Hawaii, please watch these vietnamese rain forest farmers, will give prospective - Forest Skills DT, Hoang Thi Binh, Ana's Bushcraft. Start will oldest videos.
South vn is the best.
Ang vietnam lit bit dirty, right?
P.S. Philippines has worst WiFi so good choice not to travel there as a Vblogger.
The barrier in languages also falls upon you and your educational backgrounds. You sounded spoiled and disrespectful if you expect every country around the world must know English and wait for your visit? You could have prepared yourself by learning the culture and the language of the country that you intend to visit. You need to be more open minded that Thailand was colonized by the British and did not have wars. Vietnam had wars and was colonized by the Chinese for 1000 years; with the French for 100 years+; WWII with the Japanese about 10 years; and finally, the 20 years Civil War between the North & the South (which the country was divided in half at the 32-degree Latitude) which the US helped the South, and the Soviet Union/Russia helped the North, that ended 04/30/1975. Vietnam was closed to the world, during which they also had wars with Cambodia and China. Vietnam opened the country to the World for tourism and free marketing in 1996 until the present time. Therefore, the younger generations learned many foreign languages to keep up with careers and foreign companies and industries residing in Vietnam, including tourism, restauranteurs, hospitalities, etc. Vietnam is the second produce & exporter of coffee in the world (Brazil ranked 1st). With the common sense, you came to Vietnam after Thailand. They both lie near the equator. You went to Thailand earlier in the summer season, of course the weather would be less hot & humid. You were right about travel to the tropical countries in the winter times. About the scams during your trips, lol. Scams happen everywhere you go even in England, US, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, China, Thailand, Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, ..., around the World. You need to be more mindful of your rudeness and attitudes when you make a total, general judgement about a country or a group/population of people of such things, which could stigmatize the integrity of every individual of a country. Vietnam is a fast-developing and modernizing country as they are trying to catch up to the first World countries after long histories of wars and colonization from other countries. Learn to enjoy and to appreciate Vietnam and the people more, who try to make money to survive their harsh daily survivals/livings for themselves and their families. Thanks for your pro's comments and your visits to Vietnam. I hope you will visit Vietnam again in future times and hopefully Vietnam will improve more as they get more modernized.
Lol, English is the global language, Vietnamese is nothing outside Vietnam. No one spends a year or two learning a language just to visit a country for a few weeks.
Well said tom,ive been twice.the language barrier is part of the experience.a fun part.i spoke to a vietnamese lady shop owner for about 4 hours.i dont speak vietnamese and she didnt speak australian lol.a great nite i wll never forget.
Thailand was never colonised by the British idiot though I understand they teach racist xenophobic viet nothing about the outside world in their communist medieval schools, having a subject on the nature of uncle ho’s skid marks is considered more important
My bad. Thailand was influenced by the British, hence they drive on the opposite side of the road like in England, which is nothing wrong at all. The matter is that such ill-mannered, poorly educated, disrespectful, spoiled, hateful, xenophobic, racist, oxymoronic bigot like you to look down on Vietnam and/or other third world countries, with rich long history, heritage, culture, and respectful, kind, beautiful, hard-working people who struggles daily to make a living and to survive.
@MrNixity Since you said and claimed English is the Global language, then, explain why it is not the main spoken and written language by the people in every country around the world? All languages are beautiful to know and to learn. Language is the important communication tool for people to break down the barriers in order to understand, to know, to learn, to do business, to share and to respect the differences among the worlds. Your parents and teachers should have taught you some manners to prevent you from become such a racist, xenophobic, hateful oxymoron to the world.