: 🔗3 Coolest Neighborhoods in Saigon Tour: seeyouinvietnam.com/tour-item/the-coolest-neighborhoods-in-saigon/👇👇👇 We have used See You In Vietnam tours in Saigon and Hoi An and have had excellent experiences on every occasion. If you're in either Saigon or Hoi An, we encourage you to use them. We make no money from recommending them, but they are passionate, knowledgeable guides who have put together truly outstanding tours. They'd love your support, and we'd love this small, local business to succeed! ♥-Judy & Kevin
I’ve been to HCMC many times and crossing the street always feels like we’re playing froggers. Two tips to cross the street: 1. Find a local and follow them. When they cross, you cross, 2. Proceed at a steady pace. The cars and bikes will work around you, but don’t do any sudden movements that are hard for them to predict. Hope you’ll have a better time next time you visit HCMC! The food there is amazing.
Thanks so much for watching! And yes, you are right about how to cross the street. We were indoctrinated last year by the much more dangerous Cairo highways and that's exactly how we did it! Our experience in Vietnam was better in Hanoi and fabulous in Hoi An. At viewers' suggestions, we went back to Vietnam for three weeks so we could explore without the rains. It's a beautiful area and we did some great non-touristy activities there that we recommend! Check them out if you are so inclined. Thanks for taking the time to offer these suggestions and this comment. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
As a Saigonese, I appreciated you guys had taken time visited the city and shared many useful information for us. Actually, you two have a very deep understanding of the city more than many foreign expats as well as local residents. Thanks a lot.
Thank you so much for watching and for this incredibly kind comment! We have another video from Vietnam you might enjoy AND we are excited to say that we want to spend a little more time in Vietnam to get to know it better. We'll be in Central Vietnam for three weeks. If you have any tips or suggestions about that part of the country, we'd love to hear them! -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Absolutely come back for another visit. I went in March 2023 and will be coming back again this coming March after Japan. This will be my 4th trip to Viet Nam in the past 10 years and felt like I have not seen a fraction of what it has to offer. You will need at least a month to really hit just some (not all) of the most popular sites. Keep in mind that different regions can have different weather patterns, food and traditions. Even their pronunciation and slang change so much it sounds like different languages. Of all the cities, Ho Chi Minh city (aka Saigon) would be my least favorite. If you must, then stay outside of district 1. Most businesses inside district 1 have moved out in the last few years due to high rent and congestion. My top 3 places not to miss in Viet Nam would be Hoi An, Ninh Binh (Tam Coc), and Fansipan (in that order). Hope you have a chance to come back for another visit soon.
I mention it in another post to you, but we're going to find our way back to Vietnam, Hoi A specifically. We spent three weeks in HCMC and a week in Hanoi, so at this point we have some familiarity with Vietnam (we have a new episode coming out on Saturday). But being in the wrong location in HCMC didn't do us any favors, but we did enjoy our time in Hanoi. We'll be in Hoi A for three weeks. We'll be working at least half the time we're there, but it will give us some exposure to an additional part of the country that people have been excited about. We're open to your suggestions about places to see while we're in Hoi An, especially if you have any non-touristy ideas for us! -Judy
Thank you so much for watching, Varun, and for your very kind comment. We have a second video from Vietnam you might also enjoy, and thanks to a lot of helpful and encouraging comments, we rearranged our plans to go back to Vietnam in a month and spend some time in Hoi An, Hue, and Da Nang. We're excited to be sharing episodes from there as well. So if you have recommendations to share, we'd love to hear them! -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
😊 wonderful video! Thank you both for showing this. Love how you show about mistakes too or what you would change next time. Many TH-cam videos don't show this😊Thank you both again!
Hi Carolann, We try not to sugarcoat our experiences, but we try to have a positive experience if we can. Ho Chi Minh City was hard for us, but we really enjoyed our week in Hanoi. We're heading back to Vietnam (central this time) to see if that resonates with us. Here's our previous video from Vietnam; we'll be back there in a few weeks and we'll be sharing a little more from there. -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
I went to Hanoi, Vietnam in 1994 and fell in love with the country and people. I finally was able to visit again in 2017 with my husband. Our favorite stop was to Hoi An and i can't wait to visit again.
Hi Andrea, have you seen our videos from Hoi An? We had a hard time with Saigon, but we enjoyed Hanoi enough to listen to our viewers when they said we need to try again with Hoi An, and we are so glad we did. It made us want to see more of Vietnam as a result! -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I’m saving this video for future reference! Thanks. Very interesting and common themes for full time travel. Selecting an Airbnb is a gamble for the first visit everywhere. It looked like the weather was a little more comfortable than some times of the year.
Not sure what happened to my response, but here's another shot at it. We've lucked out for everyplace we've visited, so this was an anomaly. But it does always make us hesitate to book a place longer than a month in case we arrive and hate it. We can put up with anything for a month (mostly!). And yes, we had good weather. It was hot but dry in HCMC, which was nice (it wasn't scalding). It wasn't ideal for Da Nang, but hopefully Central Vietnam will be better for us next month when we visit. And although Hanoi was a little chilly, overall it wasn't bad. It's been interesting to see how mostly kind people have been, which has encouraged us to spend a little more time discovering more of the country. Thanks of course, for watching! -Judy
Thanks for featuring our '3 Coolest Neighborhoods' tour in the video! We're glad that you had a good time exploring those areas. Yeah, Saigon is not as easy to walk around compared to Ha Noi, which makes it a bit tough to take it slow and enjoy the city at your own pace, the city definitely needs a better public transport system. The Mekong Delta and Cu Chi tunnels are awesome to check out, and Central Vietnam has a lot of cool diversity. Let us know when you're planning your next trip, and we'd love to give you some tips to make the most of your time here. Have a great time in Cambodia!
I think it would be a bit unfair not to mention district 2, it's called the expat district due to the huge number of expats living here. But if anyone craves for some international cuisines, this is the place to go. The southside of District 1 is quite hectic though, we don't personally enjoy it very much.
@@seeyouinvietnam Thanks for the suggestion. We looked into District 2 when drafting up this episode, but we excluded it because it's farther away from the main sites of the city, lack of nightlife and fun things to do. We did find decent burgers at Marcel Gourmet Burger and a few decent pizza places, but sheesh, ideally people come to eat Vietnamese food! Thanks for your suggestion, and we totally trust your judgment on it; we're basing our opinion on District 2 on what we've read versus our personal experience. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie The city still lacks nightlife and fun things to do at night. And District 2 is being designed to be a more organized nightlife area in the future. The traffic is also pretty good in the district, making it quite walkable. Do you usually book an entire month at one Airbnb home when you travel to a new city? Moving luggage between different places can be a bit hectic and too much hassle, so staying in one place could make it easier. However, it's hard to get a feel for the surroundings of your Airbnb before making the booking. The surroundings can make a big difference in the overall experience, not just the quality of the Airbnb itself when you are staying for a long period.
@@seeyouinvietnam Good to know about District 2. Since it wasn't on your list of "3 Coolest Neighborhoods" and based on our (limited internet research), we didn't realize that it would be a good place to suggest to our viewers. Thanks for clarifying and it's great news to hear. Yes, we try to travel slowly and give ourselves a full month in one country from one home base. We might take a few day trips or a three-day trip somewhere (but that fell apart when Da Nang was flooded). Although the majority of people who pass through Vietnam take a few days in a place and then move on, that's not how we prefer to travel. Leaving HCMC a week early wasn't part of our plan. We had paid for an entire month, but it just wasn't resonating with us. We were coming up on our 40th wedding anniversary and couldn't think of a special place where we wanted to experience it in HCMC. So we had decided to shift to Hanoi to close out our time in Vietnam. Had we gone on your tour sooner, we would have stayed the full month and utilized our learnings of places to eat and experience, but we'd already booked a hotel in Hanoi by then. Especially as full-time travelers, we need some down time and moving nonstop is not something we recommend. And we agree with you about needing to give yourself time to experience a place and that it's more than the quality of the Airbnb. We're going to travel to Hoi An and give that a try for three weeks. It's shorter than we'd prefer, but it wasn't part of our original plan. Based on everything we've heard from our viewers, it deserves some time as part of our travels, so we rearranged our travels to experience it. -Judy We have second video coming out later today about some of our other learnings and experiences in Vietnam. We hope you enjoy it. -Judy
It is large country and there are so many different regions. i personally find central and northern areas to be my favorites. Da Nang, Hue, Dalat, Tam Cuc, ect ect. Go back, you'll love it. I also agree with you regarding tours. But frankly the scooter tours are great, and safer than you think.
Hi Dave, thanks so much for watching. Vietnam is about the same land mass as Japan, and there was no way we would be able to see enough of either of them and still get a deep sense of the culture. Vietnam also is more diverse because of all of the colonization and political differences that it's experienced. We definitely want to return to see more sides of the country than our narrow experience, but we'll choose a time when the weather is more optimal for Central Vietnam. I think maybe Kevin could have been convinced, but between the fumes and the headaches he'd been dealing with, it was a bigger lift than what he was willing to do. One of the interesting things we experience as full-time travelers is that sometimes we just need to decompress after we've had a lot of busy travel and Vietnam was just so much different than Japan that the transition was rougher than we anticipated. I think if we'd stayed in a smaller city after Japan, it would have given us what we needed. We've heard great things about Dalat and Da Nang and Hue, and most of those are close enough that you can still have a home base and then venture out for a few days for some side trips. Great comment and suggestions for us! Tam Cuc has not been on our radar. -Judy
Thank you so much, Julia! We saw your latest episode from Argentina, and we're bummed to be missing it this year. We had plans to visit Argentina in 2024, but we had to push it to 2025. We didn't originally have Mendoza on our list, but we may need to add it! For folks interested in learning more about food in Mendoza, here's a link to your latest episode! -Judy th-cam.com/video/3pslm9OQJbs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=URyxbrH4OerRMeHt
@@FindingGinaMarie Thanks for sharing! Argentina will still be there in 2025 🙂 We are heading back to Buenos Aires this year so I'll have more ideas for when you visit in 2025. Enjoy and Safe Travels!
I’m currently in Ho Chi Minh and have been here a month. The north is something that really needs to be visited. Ninh Binh area and Hanoi have been the top of my list as places that I fell in love with. The drive from Sapa back to Hanoi was beautiful. Ha Long Bay was a waste of time and money in my opinion and I have no idea why people like DaNang, it’s not for me but Hoi An is wonderful. I love this country but next time I return I will explore more of the north and spend more time in Ninh Binh region. Ninh Binh I hired a mountain bike the first day and accidentally did something magical and loved it so much I hired the bike and stayed an extra 4 days and heading off in different directions from Tam Coc to a different village each day. From the main part of the village where all the tourists would visit or ride though, there would be hidden tracks that would take you out to the rural farming parts of that village. I would spend all day out there deep in rural areas exploring the rice fields, little fish farms, village and rural life. In those 5 days I saw zero tourists, no cars as there are no roads, no shops, no restaurants, just tiny single bike tracks but the experiences and interactions I had with the locals and the kids in an absolute stunning landscape was something I will treasure. All the smiling and waving, being invited for tea or to go fishing and just being genuinely happy to see me passing through and stop me to talk to me with either very broken English or use google translate . It felt like many tourists do not seek or head out into those areas. Wildflowers, waterflowers, temples, caves, swimming ponds, the sounds of birds and animal life, insane amount of butterflies in so many different species, dragonflies, farming animals, buffalo, etc, I felt like I really experienced the true Vietnam and its people away from the tourists and I cannot wait to go back.
Hi Natalie, Thanks for sharing your Ninh bin experiences with us. What do you think of Ho Chi Minh City? Our location didn't serve us, but we wonder if we would have had a significantly better experience in another part of the city. We also enjoyed Hanoi and wish we had been able to spend more time there. Thanks to our viewers, we were encouraged to visit Hoi An, which we also loved. And although we haven't taken a Ha Long Bay cruise, we've heard good things about Bai Tu Long Bay and would consider trying that the next time we are in Vietnam. But your biking experience sounds like the ultimate one. When we were in Hoi An we attempted some less touristy travel, but still far from what you experienced. What an amazing time it sounds like that was! -Judy
How great for you! You might want to watch our other episode from Vietnam as well. We also plan to be visiting Hoi An and other places in Central Vietnam in another month or so, so we'll be bringing that episode soon. If you've ever been there and have tips to share, we'd love to hear them! -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for your words. I'm delighted with the quality of your videos. Great documentaries. I have travelled to Vietnam over 40 times. I know the whole country well. Hoi An is the lantern city.... very kitschy with lots of tourists. I really like this small town. It's a real old town. I always travel to Saigon. I always look forward to the food. Vietnamese food is the best food ever! Greetings from Switzerland...
Thanks so much for watching! Is there a favorite food or restaurant you recommend? We have a second video from Vietnam you might enjoy that I've linked below. Also, if you have any recommendations for things to do in Hoi An, Da Nang, and Hue, we'd love to hear them. We're heading back to Vietnam in about a month! -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for sharing these excellent videos! I wholeheartedly agree with the valuable information you provide from each district. Your dedication in creating and sharing these videos is truly appreciated. It's a tremendous help for those planning to visit Saigon, Vietnam. We are following you now 🙂
We appreciate your kind words very much! This is a travel day for us, but we’ll check out your channel as well. Thank you for following along! We have a first timer’s guide to Vietnam if you want to check it out. -Judy Vietnam Things to Know before you go: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Really hits home with what you said about how food helps you adjust to a place. This was a problem for us as well in Ho Chi Minh. We were in Nha Trang the month before and actually enjoyed the food which is why we really enjoyed the city. We were excited for HCM, but it was just a massive disappointment from every angle, most importantly, the food, and that really ruined our stay there.
Hi Lior and Mirit, We opted against going on food tours in HCMC because most of them were done on the backs of a moped/motorcycle, and we weren't game for that after seeing traffic looking very much the "Wild West." Also, the food tastings were scattered all throughout the city, so it would have been challenging to find daily eats without hopping in a Grab. But we had an amazing time in Hoi An, and that's a really beautiful city, albeit a touristy one. We made our way to some of the less touristy places, which helped a lot. We wish you didn't have that experience, but we're glad to hear we're not alone! -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
10:40 is no way a “local breakfast”, lol. I’m not sure how much time you spent or planned to spend in HCMC but you mentioned a month’s rental so I assumed you were going to make it a homebase and make excursions from there which is another mistake. HCMC is a huge, frantic, noisy, typical Southeast Asian capital and may be good for a visit but not to stay in and relax. Since the country is so lonnng, you might have a better experience turning it into a road-trip and venture out into the countryside from the cities. This may mean having to eat food in restaurants without AC and English translations on their menu.
Thanks for watching! When we were walking along the streets of town, we often saw people eating rice or noodles or soup or of course Bahn Mi. So while not the most authentic, the food at our hotel in Hanoi actually was a nice mix between Eastern/Western breakfast. Rice and curry or vegetables were other meals that our hotel offered and always fresh fruit. At our hearts we are slow travelers. We have struggled with moving too quickly and we made a decision last year that we'd try to move around spending less than a month in a place so we can deep dive into the culture and the people and establish some routines without moving around so swiftly. And because we travel full time, we're able to come back easily and see places we skipped the first time around. We weren't sure how well this philosophy would work in Asia. We moved a fair bit in Japan (too much and too busy), so we really needed to slow down in Vietnam. It's worked out well in Cambodia so far, but I agree that there's still so much of Vietnam we missed. And for what it's worth, we ate at many, many restaurants without AC and have no problem even asking for suggestions about food and eating what's put in front of us! Google and Apple translate work very well for us! -Judy Here's a link to the video where we discuss our thoughts on fast versus slow travel: th-cam.com/video/LrLGJ-X6I4A/w-d-xo.html
We hope you have an amazing time! We have a full video series from our time in Vietnam and we'd love to hear about your experience when you return! -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I visited Hanoi just before the Covid lockdown, staying in the Old Quarter, took a 4-day trip to Sapa, it was the highlight, could have stayed longer. Going back to Vietnam in March for 10 days in Ho Chi Minh City.
Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your experience. The Old Quarter of Hanoi is great and we could have stayed there longer as well. In fact, we have a an additional video from Vietnam and plan to go to Central Vietnam next month at the urging of our viewers. We're eager to share what we think of it! Have a great trip and let us know what you think of HCMC. -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the update and all the inside info that i needed. I am just early planning to visit Vietnam late this yr. Thanks to you guys I won't be making same mistake that u guys made.
We are so happy to help! We have a video coming out this Saturday and we also decided to rejigger our plans to spend time in Central Vietnam in a month or so from now so we can get a richer experience of the country. -Judy
@@solo022667 If you have any specific questions you'd like us to answer, let us know and if we can cover them in the video after we visit Central Vietnam, we will! -Judy
We hope you have a terrific time! Parts of District 1 are great, but we don't recommend being on the south portion of it. Here is our full Vietnam series if you're interested in it. We'd love to know how you like District 3 when you return. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I am only staying for a few days so being close to the sights will be key and I feel like you saved me a headache. I’ve watched a few of your videos today and found them super helpful. I will definitely let you know what I think. I’m traveling all over Southeast Asia for 6 months. So the tips are so helpful for me! So thanks again for your videos!
@@Travellexx We are so glad to hear that our videos are helpful. We appreciate that you would take the time to tell us this! We never expected to be on this side of the world for closing in on seven months, but it's been a very rewarding and satisfying experience. Not sure if any of the Asian countries we visited are on your list (Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea), but these all have been impressive as well. We definitely plan to return to Asia and Southeast Asia again soon. The people are some of the kindest in the world. Safe travels! -Judy
No. I will be in Vietnam. Philippines, Thailand, Bali and Singapore. And I’ve heard about the kindness of the people there. I’m very excited for my trip. Keep making those videos! 😊
@@Travellexx How awesome. Indonesia is high on our bucket list. Our daughter has been to Bali a few times and absolutely loves it! We tried to make Philippines work this year (we ended up detouring back to Vietnam to spend time in Hoi An instead), but since we slow travel, moving around among the various islands is more expensive for us. If you come across a place that you think could work for an extended amount of time, we'd love to know about it. We had looked at Cebu City and Manila, but we weren't sure how we'd feel about a month in them. -Judy
Well, this will be interesting. We are staying in almost the exact same location where you stayed in HCMC 😂. We will only be there there for a few days after we leave Chiang Mai so we'll try to make the best of it before we return to Thailand for our epic journey south to Malaysia and Indonesia. We have the same issue with travel planning that you described. We just don't have the time to deep dive on every location, and sometimes you just need time to rest and recover. We are currently doing that in Chiang Mai which has a totally different vibe - much more relaxed. We discovered that hotels in Vietnam may be a better value as they all seem to offer complimentary breakfast which has been really quite good. We are actually planning to return to Vietnam later this year and will probably use hotels rather than Airbnb simply because they have been more convenient. Thanks for sharing all these tips. They are definitely helping us and validating much of what we have learned during our time in Vietnam. Taking a tour is definitely a great way to learn a new city, however, we will be skipping the motor bikes. We are both too risk averse. Best of luck. Maybe we'll see you on the road. Steph&Chris@388_Days
Hi Steph & Chris, We wish you the best of luck, and hopefully you can learn from our experiences! Our next video will explain more about food, places to eat, and some other suggestions that will hopefully make it a little easier, but if you're only there a few days, it may not be any issue for you. We are heading to Chiang Mai in a week, so our paths have criss-crossed! Right now, we don't have Malaysia or Indonesia on our itinerary, but we have rejiggered our plans so many times that our heads are spinning! Part of our down time in Ho Chi Minh City was that the gas fumes were getting to Kevin and he was struggling with major headaches/migraines and wasn't really up to a lot of exploring in the beginning as much as we would have preferred. Our hotel in Hanoi was great, but it was much more expensive than our Airbnb in HCMC. I was very close to booking a motorbike food tour, but in the end it wasn't worth it since we had finally found some good local food beyond the small handful of places we already had been visiting. It's always nice to hear that other full-time travelers share similar experiences. We may have different workloads or energy levels, but there are some things we all share, and that's the beauty of building these communities of ours and hearing what other people are doing and learning and experiencing, too. Safe travels! -Judy
Thank you so much for watching. We have a second video from Vietnam/Hanoi and then several videos from our time in Hoi An, including doing some much less touristy things. I'll include a link to our full series below if you're interested. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Thank you so much for watching and for subscribing! We have a second video from Vietnam that I'll link below. Our viewers and had so many kind things to say about Vietnam that we are going back there next month to visit Central Vietnam (Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hue). We look forward to sharing more of our experiences. -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
@@FindingGinaMarie That would be amazing to visit Central Vietnam. My families are from Huế. Hoping one day I would be able to ho back and visit again. Again, thank you for all the tips. You both did an amazing job!
@@bepbe11 We are really looking forward to it! Thanks so much for watching and for your kind words. If there are places in Hue we should see or do or places or foods to eat, please let us know! -Judy
I have been to HCM city several times. I love District 3 for the relative quiet and the nice French colonial buildings, but I always walk from there to my favorite wards in District 1, Da Kao and Tan Dinh. Tan Dinh has a lot of good places to eat, both cheap and fancy. I also love Hanoi, and I would rather stay in Tay Ho, which is just a short ride from the old town.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and your favorite parts of HCMC and Hanoi. We wish we had been in a slightly different location in HCMC because we think it would have made a world of difference for us. When you are staying in Tay Ho, is it walkable and convenient to things or do you have to commute to the old town quite often? We don't rent motorbikes, so getting back and forth is a hassle. But if there's plenty to do in Tay Ho and you have an authentic experience there, we might try it next time we visit. Also, we have a full series from Vietnam, including an additional three weeks in Hoi A based on our viewers recommendations. Here's our full series if you're interested in watching! -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
@@FindingGinaMarie It's a long walk to the old and French quarters. Around 40-50 minutes, but Tay Ho is less noisy than the city center. There are many things to see like temples, cafes, and restaurants. The Intercontinental Hotel reflected on the big lake was quite a nice view. I learned to take the bus when my legs were complaining. The Vbus app helped a lot. Truc Bach area is nearer the center. It also gives a good view of the big lake. The nice thing about Truc Bach and Tay Ho (West Lake) is that they are near the big lake, which is a nice view during a clear sunset. It's not as culturally colorful as the center, but there are many places for eating. A long street named Duong Yen Phu has a variety of that. Thanks for the link to your series. I would enjoy that.
This is great and helpful information. I know where we stayed wasn't the cheapest area, but it was our 40th anniversary and we wanted to be comfortable. Your suggestion sounds great and will give us more of a local feel than a touristy one the next time we visit. Thank you so much for taking the time to give us more information! -Judy
I stayed at a homestay (Hello Saigon) in District 3, just off of Cao Tháng. That’s a very busy food street but once you go off that it’s a quiet(ish) neighborhood. It was a perfect home base from which I took various trips to other areas.
My brother left on January 24th and plans to live there for a couple of years. I hope he has a memorable experience. Personally, I couldn't handle the road noise, pollution, and the third-world living/lifestyle.
There are good parts to Vietnam as well. It was less chaotic in Hanoi and we were enjoying it before we left and also it's why we are going back next month to see what it's like in Hoi An, Hue, and Da Nang. We hope your brother has a great experience, too. We met a lot of people who absolutely love it, so there's more than meets the eye. In our second video from Vietnam, we share some of our other experiences. It's linked below if you want to watch.-Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Vietnam offers many different lifestyle. You could live on a budget and deal with all of the nuisance or you could live like a boss. It really depends on how deep you pocket is
@@4klense You are absolutely right. And each part of it is very different. Our video from Hoi An shows a much different situation than Saigon. 🎥 th-cam.com/video/w0nDoWQz_iQ/w-d-xo.html
Love the tips and the honesty. Btw, I got the travel scale based on your suggestion. It says to keep it level, but that is impossible in a suitcase. What have been your experiences traveling with it? District 3 it will be for me! Interesting about the cooler weather too. thx u
Thank yo so much for watching, BW! About the scale, the idea of keeping it level is only meant for when you are using it to weigh yourself. From their website, "Placing your scale on a flat surface as opposed to uneven flooring helps prevent any inconsistencies during the calibration process and subsequent measurements." And yes, one reason we chose Ho Chi Minh City was that it would be warmer and we were visiting in November/December and we didn't want to freeze. It was so much hotter than Hanoi. But fortunately it was dry. We had rain a few days, but it wasn't nearly what our viewers were encountering in Da Nang, etc. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie we are snug as a bug in a rug! All good. Cars, driveway, and walkways are all cleared. Roads are mostly clear as well. Wisconsin is typically always ready for this type of weather.
Hi Charley, Thank you so much for watching. We hope you will watch the rest of our series from Vietnam. We didn't love our specific location in HCMC, but we had a great time in Hanoi and also we went back to Vietnam for three weeks in Hoi An at the suggestion of our viewers. We were so glad to have spent more time in Vietnam! -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Yeah Vietnam is indeed an interesting place. Especially after Japan.. your heads must have been absolutely spinning. How was the air quality in Hanoi when you were there? Some of the days I was in the region I thought the apocalypse had happened and was half expecting people to drop dead in the street. The air quality was unlike anything I had ever seen.
Hi Karis, you are absolutely right about the dichotomy between Japan and Vietnam throw us for a loop. That was quite a challenge. The air quality was actually a little better in Hanoi than Ho Chi Minh City surprisingly. At the encouragement of some of our viewers, we've decided to rejigger our plans and circle back to Vietnam to spend a few weeks in Hoi An. We have to work around some other travel, so you can look forward to hearing about our experiences there in another month or so. We've got an episode coming out in a few hours from Vietnam to round out the month we already spent there. Thanks for watching and for your hilarious comment. You have a great sense of humor, which is sometimes how you need to approach travel! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Absolutely. Approaching travel with a sprinkle of humour is the only way, and I try to extrapolate that out to life in general. What a ridiculous predicament we all find ourselves in and yet, here we all are. I think it is amazing what you are both doing. It really is. Not many people understand the true challenges and blessings that this type of lifestyle brings. Congrats on your one year nomadversary and congrats on the 10K! I have a feeling that somewhere may well pique your interest in a special way this year. Just a hunch! Best of luck with the next leg of your journey! 🤗
Karis, there definitely will be many places that pique our interest. Spoiler alert: we have absolutely loved Cambodia and can't wait to share Siem Reap with our viewers. And you are right; although we are retired, we are working really hard, but we wake up excited to travel and live this way and share it all with our amazing community. Thank you so much for your kind words! -Judy
I think you should go back. We loved it. We spent 12 days, split to 3N in HCMC, then 2N in Hanoi (we flew up there) did a1N Halong Bay cruise (defo worth it!!). Then overnight train to Da Nang (DO NOT RECOMMEND!!) with 1N in Hue and 4N in Hoi An. It was a fabulous trip and i think we can tick it off, but I'd happily return to see further north and then over to Cambodia.... I do a lot of research before any travels, so we knew what we wanted to see and do before arriving - saves lots of time. Although i usually agree about doing a tour, we didn't for any of our trip and discovered some gems.
Thanks so much for watching! We have another episode coming out next week from Vietnam. We made a deliberate decision as part of slow traveling to not explore every part of the countries we are in-we travel full time so we can always come back and explore more of the places we love. But we think some of the other parts of Vietnam would have been enjoyable to experience, and we're so glad we carved out a week in Hanoi. We're currently in Cambodia, and we are absolutely loving it here. Before we traveled full time and could plan a trip for six months before arriving, we could have written a book about the places we'd be visiting. Traveling every month while working on a TH-cam channel and trying to make the budget work and the locations and weather all sync is nearly a full-time job as well! But we are so grateful to be living like this! Did you find the gems just by exploring? We love when that can happen as well. In fact we found a lovely little coffee shop in Hanoi (and Ho Chi Minh City) by doing that! We wish that we knew locals personally who could suggest their hidden gems to us so we could have less touristy experiences, but we're also grateful that those tours give us a good foundation for what we can do on our own afterwards. Safe travels! -Judy
Hi @Solapunk, We did visit Hoi An! After our experiences in Saigon and Hanoi, we knew we wanted to give Vietnam more of a chance (we really liked Hanoi but we didn't love the parts of Saigon that we stayed in), so we came back to Vietnam and spent three weeks in Hoi An. We had a terrific time. You can watch our full series from Vietnam through the link below. And we do also want to visit Da Lat, hopefully at the end of 2025. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
We visited Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, HoiAnn, and DaNang and would return, especially would like to check out the south. Love the coffee culture. Thanks for the good tips about the tour and best neighborhood in HCMC. A favorite memory is sitting on a 2nd story balcony at a coffee shop and watching the traffic below. I remember when crossing the streets we would cross with others (safety in numbers) and were warned to keep moving forward - don't step backward as the oncoming traffic will see you go around you. I would like to plan a SE Asia trip for a year from now. Happy New Year to you both!
Hi Merrill, we do plan to return. It's easier that Vietnam is not in Schengen so we don't have to follow the rules of staying out for a certain amount of time AND it's a good weather destination when Europe is too cold. We would have liked to have visited when the weather was more amenable to seeing Hue, Halong Bay, and Hoi An, etc. One of the challenges of the way we travel is that moving around too much isn't ideal, so at least for Southeast Asia we made the conscious decision to stay in one home base for each country versus exploring the entire country. We didn't love the huge highway crossing because there's also a drinking culture in Vietnam and there's always a concern that people driving may not be in the best mindset for good decision making. Your suggestions are spot on about just moving forward with purpose, which is what works best, as well as holding out your arm and trying to make eye contact when possible. The coffee culture is great and we wish we could have explored even more of it-but Vietnam's beans are Robusto and very strong! I love your coffee shop memory. Those are some of our favorite times! Thanks for sharing it as well as your tips and suggestions. We hope you can get back to that part of the world in 2025. We are in Cambodia right now and absolutely loving it! -Judy
They visited at a later time of year than we did (where the weather was more suited to that area), or else we might have explored there. There were a lot of places that we would have liked to visit, but the weather wasn't cooperative, unfortunately. Thanks so much for watching. -Judy
You may be right. It seems like the weather was dry and hot for them. I think they waited to be in Thailand until after burn season (so April if I recall correctly). -Judy
Hi David, Have you seen our full series from Vietnam? It’s linked below. Have a great trip, and we hope you find a place that is a great fit. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to leave this comment! We have one more episode coming from Vietnam to close out our series. -Judy
Hi CK, We'd love it. We plan to be back in Asia at the end of 2025! We've never been to either country, so we'd love to cover both of them! Here's our full series from Vietnam if you're interested. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Thank you so much for watching! We hope you have a great time. Please take our suggestion regarding what part of Saigon to be in for your accommodations. Also, we have a full series from our time in Vietnam (7 weeks). We visited Hanoi and Hoi An, which we highly recommend. We pack for three seasons, but we have a packing video that may be helpful for you. Disregard some of our extras since all we own is what we have in our packs, so we have a bit more than the average traveler. Let us know if you have questions. -Judy In January, Daily high temperatures are around 89°F, rarely falling below 84°F or exceeding 93°F. Daily low temperatures are around 72°F, rarely falling below 67°F or exceeding 76°F. You can look at the clothes we packed and see what would fit into those temperatures. Basically, I rotated three dresses I wore almost exclusively-two sleeveless and one with sleeves. They are wool and don't smell even after sweating. I wore black bike shorts underneath the dresses for modesty and to prevent chafing. You can see from all the episodes in our video that I didn't wear much else during that entire time! - Odor resistant. Wool reduces the opportunity for odors to generate because it's more efficient than other fibers at absorbing sweat and evaporating it into the air. ... - Temperature regulating. ... - Quick drying. ... - Breathable. ... - Wrinkle resistant. ... - UV Protection. 🎥 What we're Packing in 2024: th-cam.com/video/yD-45hCjQl0/w-d-xo.html ⚙️ GEAR LIST: findingGinaMarie.com/gear 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I spent a year in Vietnam back in that war. I was in Nha Trang. I have been back 6 times and have experienced most of what your video details. I think you rushed your time there and made decisions based on the rainy weather in the central part. I think you should stay longer and be patient. I commonly have stayed a month or longer and think I learned during my year in the country that patience is a good idea. Yes, as you say at the end of your video, planning ahead is the idea. I've known VN people that come visit and they stay a month or two or longer. Not just a week or two. Just because it was raining doesn't mean you can't experience that area too.
Hi Maurice, Thanks for watching and for sharing your perspective. We had a month in Vietnam initially (it was going to be a full month deep diving in Saigon, but we are glad we shifted to Hanoi for our final eight days. We actually ended up going back and spent three weeks in Hoi An. Although it certainly is a bit touristy, we explored some of the fringes and history and had a wonderful time there. During our month, our detour to Da Nang was only going to be for two or three days, which is why it wasn't worth our time when the weather was so bad. If you recall, it was an especially rainy time for that area (more than even usual). We didn't love the part of Saigon we were in, but we have another videos that showcases more of Saigon but also Hanoi. Here's a link to them if you're interested, which includes visiting My Son Sanctuary, taking a cooking class, a history tour of Hoi An, and spending time with some locals. We feel so much more comfortable after the time we spent in Vietnam that we will definitely explore more of the country that we missed.-Judy 🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
We'd love to hear about your experience after you return. We have a second video from Saigon/Hanoi and then a few from Hoi An, which we enjoyed very much. We are glad we gave ourselves more time in Vietnam to immerse ourselves more. There is more we'd like to see there, so we'll be back. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Hi Cung, thank you so much for your kind words! We are glad to be exploring more of Vietnam in another month or so. Thank you so much for watching! -Judy
Việt Nam là một quốc gia có nhiều vùng miền cùng với phong cảnh thiên nhiên đẹp , nhiều thức ăn ngon hợp khẩu vị rất xứng đáng tham quan hưởng thu với chi phí bình dân . Người dân cũng thân thiện với sinh hoạt sống sôi nổi có trực tự an ninh
Thank you so much for watching. We have another video coming out from Vietnam this Saturday. Based on all the comments we've gotten so far, we plan to visit Hoi An in mid February for three weeks. We'd love to hear your suggestions about places to visit or things to do, especially if they're off the beaten path or less touristy! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie February is close to Tet which is the biggest holiday for Vietnamese. It's the Lunar New Year and usually falls between January and February. Many places may be closed and food/hotels will be more expensive. It's great to visit and see how the people celebrate but I don't recommend as a first visit to Viet Nam. I find that March is best since the weather is still cooler across most of the country and prices are normalized.
@@trauden7684 Thanks for the reminder. We'll be in Hoi An a few weeks after Tết, and fortunately we got accommodations at a very reasonable price. We've got other plans to work around, so unfortunately, we don't have a wide-open schedule to choose our timing. We're only able to visit when we are because we're still in Southeast Asia and heading back there is fairly easy. Otherwise, we'd have to wait until 2025, but since we're in the area, we figured we'd try it out. 🤷♀ -Judy
Allow me to put some light on finding fish and prawns with their head on: to find n select fresh fish n prawns the head must be intact. To select fish we would look at the gills, the redder the better . For pawns the head must be intact and firm.
Hi MJ, for as much as I want to eat fresh fish, I do NOT enjoy eating intact fish or shrimp! I prefer when a fishmonger or restaurant takes the time to avoid putting heads on my plate! Thanks for watching! Have you seen our second video from Vietnam yet? We're also planning to visit Hoi An and surrounding areas in another month, so we'd love to hear suggestions if you have any. -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
I already made a comment but then I read this. I don’t think people are not taking the time to remove the head, there are people who love whole fish even the fish head and some even the eyes actually.
@@allthingsreview777 I didn't mean that the way it came across. My point is that I don't like eating or seeing those parts on my plate, so I get around it by trying to avoid ordering seafood where that will happen. I've been unsuccessful on a few occasions during our time in Southeast Asia. You go ahead and enjoy all the seafood you want; I just adjust my food choices to accommodate what my stomach can handle. I do realize that some people enjoy eating a whole fish or sucking the heads of shrimp, etc. I don't. 🤷♀ -Judy
We stayed in District 1 about a block from Ben Tanh Market and did a motor bike food tour. The paradox of traffic in HCMC is that, it is chaotic but mostly moves very slowly. In my estimation, it is fairly safe (my wife does not agree). I would recommend Sophie's Art Tour which operates in HCMC and Hanoi.
Thanks for the recommendation, Eric! I could have been convinced to try a motorbike tour, but Kevin was adamantly against it. And some of those food tours are so expensive considering how cheap food is in Vietnam. And I think your location was much superior to ours. We have a second video from Vietnam and we're also headed to Central Vietnam (Hoi An, Hue, and Da Nang) to experience more of that country to see if more of it resonates. We really enjoyed Hanoi, so we're going to explore more. If you have recommendations for these other cities, we'd love to hear them! -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
@@FindingGinaMarie I just found your channel/site yesterday and watched several videos and read some posts. Really relevant and interesting. Food tours can be expensive, but we enjoy them. The one in HCMC was over the top, we have never eaten so much in our lives. Really liked the medical tourism one, I have been interested in that for a while.
@@EricGraham64086 Thank you so much for watching. We are really glad to have you along with us! We've taken a few food tours over the years and they've been good, but we have to balance them against other types of tours. I might have been interested in a food tour of District 1 since that's where we spent the majority of our time. We just weren't keen on the motorbike aspect. We have a video from Serbia where Kevin had hernia surgery if that also is helpful for you. If you have other questions that we can possible answer, we would love to know them! -Judy Surgery in Serbia: th-cam.com/video/A2ps2BawyGw/w-d-xo.html
This is a great video with really helpful information as I plan my trip for February 2025. One suggestion, the audio seemed unbalanced between the female and male in the video. The male was difficult to hear without turning up the volume to its max, but then the female was too loud. Maybe a microphone or post production editing? Thanks for the great content.
Thanks for watching. We have a full series from Vietnam you might want to check out. We'll need to listen to it again because we do some serious post-production editing on our videos already. Kevin does have a much quieter voice than mine, and in loud places it can be challenging. Thanks for letting us know. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Thanks for watching! You might enjoy our second video from Vietnam that gives you a little more of what to see and do. It's linked below. -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Hi Richard, It was a bit jarring to have arrived in Saigon after 40+ days in Japan, and we needed a little bit of time to catch our breath. We don't typically book a guide per se, but we do typically go on tours. Our experience would have been totally different if our 3 Coolest Neighborhoods tour had been at the beginning of our time there versus the end. It wasn't our favorite place, but we did enjoy Hanoi, and we recently came back from three weeks in Hoi An, where we took several local tours to get out of the touristy areas and learn more about the people and culture. We never regret when we make time for those things! Thanks so much for watching. Here's the rest of our series from Vietnam, except for our final episode from Hoi A that will be released this Saturday showcasing some off-the beaten path experiences we had. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I experienced the exact same things as you guys did. Most of our decisions are affected by the internet especially when it comes to visitting a new country for the first time. I decided to stay longer in SaiGon but in the end wished I could have spent more time in Hanoi. Later found out that most of the Internet"s opinions come from Saigon people exaggerating their city and lowballing Northern cities. There were much more things to do in Hanoi and most things were cheaper but the internet said otherwise. Funny enough, I were getting scammed by a shoes-cleaner on the street of SaiGon, thay guy constantly said how Northern's part of Vietnam is a piece of s and gave thumbs down. Then he ended up charging me 200k VND which I think was quite expensive. But hey, like you said nothing was too bad. I would definitely come back and learn from our mistakes.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, John. We are learning that we have to do more advance research so we have a better experience. We did really like Hanoi! In part our decision was also tied to weather. We knew it would be warmer in November in Saigon, and we definitely weren't prepared for it to be cold still in Hanoi, but it made sense. We are going back to Central Vietnam in a few weeks to see if our experience there will be better. I think our location was a problem, and if we had learned a bit more in advance about where to eat, it would have made things so much easier, too. Hanoi seemed easier and friendlier, but that could have been location or just bad luck during the weeks we were there. I don't want to judge an entire population of 9 million people based on the small handful we met. And some were quite lovely; we just didn't build relationships. Our Airbnb host was a bit distant. However, our 3 Coolest Neighborhoods tour guide has reached out and has been very helpful and kind in helping us to have a good experience in Hoi An. We're excited to give it another shot. In the meantime,we have a second episode from Vietnam you might enjoy, so I'll link it below. -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
@@FindingGinaMarie Thank you, I love all of your videos. If you guys are on T*k**k. Try to see this.girl.travels video about how she will never come back to Vietnam and you will better understand my point. Everybody have their own experiences but what really catches me is the comment section. Just like when I was researching for my trip, most of the comments degrading the North are Vietnamese and they called Northerners with disgusting slur. If I listened to the toxic comments, i could have skipped Hanoi which would be a big mistake.
We'll check out her video, John. The comments I've seen have been on Facebook or Reddit mostly. We are crossing our fingers for Central Vietnam. We'll be there in a few days. We've done a bit more research, feel pretty comfortable with the location of our Airbnb, and have more of a handle on things this time around. Plus, we are going to try and meet up with our guide from Saigon, who has a home in Hoi An. Connecting with people while we travel makes such a difference. We've found that happy travels include meeting new friendly people. Especially as full-time travelers, we long to feel a sense of connection. Thank you so much for traveling along with us! -Judy
i went to vietnam myself in may, dipped my toe in easily as i didnt want anything to go wrong, i stayed in saigon, hanoi then da nang then back to saigon for my flight back to the uk via dubai, the good points of vietnam outweighed the bad, il start with the bad, got ripped off by a tuc tuc driver, and several taxi,s didnt lose a lot of money but made me mistrustful of vietnamese people which im sure most were just freindly, didnt see as much as i could of, but i did go myself and didnt want to venture to far from my hotels, incase i got lost or it maybe be too hot, like it was in saigon, also photos i took wernt up to my usual standard, but i got what i could, my 2 flights either way plus the wait in dubai made the journey very tiring, with no sleep for over 2 days each way, next time i break my journey at dubai, the good points, although i didnt see or do as much as i could have, i did relax more in hanoi and da nang and it was also cooler than saigon, also seen the cu chi tunnels. mekong delta and was museum, hope to back one day where i would go with somebody, would also try to see more of the cities i was in, and venture out more after dark, hopefully see the cities of hue and hoi an, and the trip to halong bay, other places i would like to see in vietnam are pleiku, nha trang, haiphong and phu cuoc, not sure about the spelling there, wasnt a fan of street food and vietnamese food seems to be mostly veg with no choice if you want veg or not, im not a vegy so the food wasnt my thing, was a great experience though and opened my eyes to more of what the country can offer, if i go back then i will aim for march, its cooler even in saigon and its dry, so avoiding the monsoon season, my tip for anyone contemplating going to vietnam is do your research, avoid going after june, make sure passport and visa ok, avoid taxis, use grab and be careful of the sun and traffic, and always have a contingency plan incase theres a change of plan you didnt count on,
It seems like you had a wonderful trip! I'm sorry about your experience with the tuk tuk driver, but bravo for getting around on your own and getting outside of your comfort zone. There are more parts of Vietnam we also would like to explore. We have a second video from Saigon/Hanoi and also a few from Hoi A that I think you would enjoy. You raise a great point about Grab; it's what we used each time and it really made traveling less stressful on the occasions we needed to use one. We visited in mid November and it was stifling hot in Saigon but when we visited Hanoi at the end of December, it was only slightly beginning to warm up. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us here! -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Thank you so much! We ended spending almost two months in Vietnam. Below is a link to our other video from Saigon and Hanoi as well as several episodes from Hoi An, including some really special non-touristy things we did there. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I will absolutely let you know about my trip to the Philippines. I wish I could stay a month in each place as well. I like really getting to know an area. I will definitely be going to Cebu and a few other islands. How lucky are we to see all these places. I won’t be in the Philippines until December. But I won’t forget!
Thank you so much, Alexa! We looked at Cebu City IT Park, but we weren't sure if that would even do justice to the Philippines. Have a terrific time! -Judy
Great question. Yes, we tip tour guides in cash at the end of the tour regardless of the country we're in. Vietnam is one of many countries where tourism hasn't fully returned and tour guides have to get extra jobs to cover the gap in supporting their families, so if you can tip, I would do it. We typically will tip 10-20% of what the total tour costs. Not everyone can afford a 20% tip and not every tour guide is worth 20%, so use your best judgment. They will be grateful regardless because some people don't believe in tipping at all. We also tip the driver a certain amount as well (a smaller portion of what we tip the guide). -Judy
Thankyou for your great tips and lovely, relaxed mannerisms. xo. I'm staying with my partner in APR-MAY in Quan (District) 1 [Ben Thanh] on north boundary of Saigon Central Park (D. Le Lai), near Ben Thanh Market. We will probably spend most evenings in District 1 Pham Ngu Lao D. Bui Vien Walking Street, on south side of the park. I am like you, and always usually book a HOHO near beginning of trips to new cities, but after a lot of hassle with a HOHO in Bangkok (took 2 Thailand trips to get it right!) this trip I have simply booked a 1-hr night sights bus tour for Day 2. I'm flying on a budget carrier - Viet Jet - but I got the 2nd cheapest package as it included check-in baggage and paid later for meals and seat allocation - but still cheap. Hopefully this will be my cheapest o/s holiday to date, at age 53! The best aspect is it is a single nonstop flight BNE-SGN, and only 8 hrs. Do you recommend the Cu Chi Tunnels and War Remnants Museum. I didn't realise that HCMC & Hanoi had such totally different climates! (not that I'm doing Hanoi). Any concern that VN is a communist country? Thanks again, beautiful couple. Where in the US are you from? xoxoxo
Thank you for this interesting comment and for watching our video! We missed the Cu Chi Tunnels because we were afraid they might be too touristy and not respectful of the war. HOWEVER, it was a mistake. Our favorite guide that did the 3 Coolest Neighborhoods Tour also does a tunnel tour and by the time we knew that and interesting it would have been, we didn't have time for it. We don't make a dime from recommending them, but consider using this tour company. We've gone on their Hoi A tours and they are some of the best guides we've ever had. Small company, but absolutely the most passionate and humble people you will ever meet: seeyouinvietnam.com/tours/ We weren't sure how to feel about Vietnam being a communist country, but what we were told over and over again by locals is that they aren't interested in the politics of their country (after years of being attacked or occupied). All they want is to be able to afford to feed, clothe, and care for their families and are happy with whatever regime allows them to do that with the least amount of hassle. There was nothing we saw or encountered that was a huge reminder that we were in a communist country, with the exception of some small amount of propaganda in the War Remnants Museum. We highly recommend it and actually appreciated seeing history from the other side. It's a brutal reminder that as Americans, there is propaganda, hidden reasons for doing things and lies by our government to keep or instill support about things. It's called the American War there, not the Vietnam War. It was a bit hot there, but there are huge fans to help you cool off. We think it's absolutely worth visiting. In fact, we talk about it briefly in our second episode from Vietnam, which is linked below). Congratulations on getting a good deal from VietJet. We flew them a few times and they are sticklers, so good for you to bypass some of that! We hope you have a great time in Vietnam and would love to know what you think about it when you return! And 53 is a great age for Vietnam! -Judy 🎥 Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Not sure if you have time to visit Hoi An during your trip, but you might want to watch our video from there that we just finished posting. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/w0nDoWQz_iQ/w-d-xo.html
Thank you so much for watching! We have a second video from Vietnam that we also think you will really enjoy that gives you an overview of our time there and things we think you should know. Also, thanks to popular demand, we're going back to Vietnam next month to experience Central Vietnam and learn more about the people and culture there, so stay tuned for more! -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Thanks so much for watching, Tati! We have another episode coming out on Saturday from Vietnam AND based on feedback here, we rearranged our 2024 travel to visit Central Vietnam as well. -Judy
Thanks so much for watching! The very busy street is actually a highway called HAM NGHI. North of that road is the Nguyen Hue Walking Street and the high-end hotels. We have a second video about HCMC and Hanoi and several episodes from Hoi An in our Vietnam series if you're interested. I've linked it below. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Thanks for watching, Mike and for the excellent question! We only had a 30-day visa for Vietnam and we also had Airbnbs booked for Cambodia and Thailand (we'll be in Chiang Mai, which it looks like is familiar to you from your old videos), so we didn't have the luxury of staying longer without adjusting a series of travel. We got used to crossing the busy highway and also found an alternate route that avoided the worst of the traffic. We preferred Hanoi, but I think we'll even give Ho Chi Minh City another chance from a different location. We're also very eager to see Central Vietnam as well, but we made a decision last year that if we move after a few days or a week or even two that we can't always get to know a place as well as when we spend a month there and can establish a routine. At some point in the future our travel with slow down more and we'll spend a few months in a place, but right now our bucket list is too long! -Judy
We think it is a great place for a senior solo woman to retire to. It's a very safe country and also one of the most affordable countries in Southeast Asia. -Judy
I would not recommend it. In retirement, you probably need to have some concern over medical care and emergency services like ambulances, etc. You won't really find that here like you would in the west or Australia. That is not to say that they do no exist, but, I can tell you that the traffic does not make way for an ambulance and if you have an emergency, it would be faster/easier to have a partner rush you to the hospital. If you are young, healthy, and active, it can be great fun. However, in that case, you probably want to look into District 7 (Phu My Hung) or District 2 (Thao Dien) for the lifestyle and travel into D1, etc for fun. You will find that most of the expat population is in D7 and D2.
There is a lot to enjoy about Vietnam. We didn't love Saigon, but we admit that the location we were in had something to do with that. There's so much rich history in Vietnam, when you figure out the foods, they are really delicious, and we met some very kind people there. We loved Hanoi and Hoi An and found some non-touristy experiences that really made Vietnam worth visiting. It's also incredibly affordable. Thanks for watching. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I toured Vietnam all of last month riding a motorbike through Phu Quoc, Ho Chi Minh, Nha Trang, Danang, Hanoi and the Ha Giang Loop. I can't imagine going to Ho Chi Minh without experiencing the exciting challenge driving my girlfriend around on a motorbike surrounded by thousands of motorbikes and other traffic moving around in all directions with no rules. When you have a motorbike, it doesn't matter where your hotel is since driving to the preferred places from your hotel is part of the fun! You can get a great hotel in Hanoi for less than half of that $70 a night. Don't go to Vietnam without experiencing the mystical and mesmerizing fantasy of the Ha Giang Loop. And finally, Vietnam relieves the stress of spending too much on traveling since everything is so reasonably priced if you go there with Western currency.
We have heard too many horror stories of people wrecking while riding motorbikes, including people who are veteran riders. In part that's due to a lot of novices who probably shouldn't be riding, but they're tourists who don't know what they're doing. So we have no regrets of not experiencing any motorbike rides. Because our location was so unenjoyable in Saigon, we really wanted to ensure we had a great experience in Hanoi. So we opted to stay as close as we could to Hoàn Kiếm Lake, which was a friend's suggestion. Old Town is more expensive than some other parts of the city, but we were extremely happy about the location, especially since we were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary there. It also was the week before Christmas, which is an expensive time to visit. Our Airbnb in Saigon was around $22 per night, so we knew we could find something cheaper, but getting the location right was most important to us since we only were there for 8 days. Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your experiences! -Judy PS: We have an entire series from Vietnam you might want to watch, including some time we spent in Hoi An and doing some less touristy things. Here's a link to our playlist: 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
@@FindingGinaMarie That's sooo true about motorbiking. It can destroy a trip really fast. We saw a bloodied Vietnamese guy on the road just seconds after an accident and being helped buy many locals. Reminder that an accident can change your plans really fast. Ah yes, I understand the desire to spend a little more on your stay based on the time of year and location. I did the same thing on a Ha Long Cruise. Thank you for the details! I will check out your other Vietnam videos.
Train, train, train, bus, bus, bus was our way of seeing Vietnam from Saigon to Hanoi and most parts in-between. We never take guided tours. Research, research, research we spent a month in country.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience. As full-time travelers who also are very busy digital nomads, we unfortunately no longer have time to do deep research on a place before we arrive. We ideally want to spend one month in each city we visit without moving around too much so we can settle in and experience more of the day-to-day life of locals versus a few days in a place and then move on. It's a personal preference, but even when we fully researched when traveling for vacations, we always preferred to hear a local share their insights and hidden gem locations and learn about or taste foods that we might not try on our own. We think guides for a day trip or half-day tour offer great value and historical information that we highly recommend. But the beautiful thing about traveling is that we each can experience it in our own way. -Judy
We visted the same area in Hanoi and that beautiful lake. Very near to where you were there is a show you could have seen that dates back hundreds of years. It's a water puppet show didn't understand none of it as it is in Vietnamese but still an awesome show. We were mainly there to take the Ha Long Bay boat trip. Went for the double overnight, highly expensive in first class but worth every penny. Two nights equals two groups of people to visit with. Oddly enough the reason for our trip to Vietnam was my wife is Korean and has always been told she looks Vietnamese (so after thirty years of marriage I found myself looking at Vietnamese women) and she does. Northern Vietnamese indigenous women. The mountains of Delat was our favorite place to visit.
We heard about the water puppet show, and although it sounded interesting, we didn't end up seeing it. The weather wasn't great for Ha Long Bay, but that's another place we want to visit, and we appreciate that meeting people and hanging out is a great way to make connections while traveling. Delat also sounds interesting and with more time, we'd have loved to visit. But it seemed pretty isolated and time consuming for a day trip. We'll need to have a little more time so we can get to know it. Thanks for sharing your experiences. It helps us to know what other people enjoy and to add them to our list of places to visit as well. -Judy
You're welcome 😊 if you do ever go to Delat plan at least a week or more. Delat is where coffee is grown and cut flower fields abound along with many greenhouses.
Thanks so much for the suggestion. Have you seen our other episode from Vietnam? As a result of such kind people like you, we are going back to Central Vietnam in a month in order to immerse ourselves a bit more in Vietnamese culture. Here's a link to our other episode from there. -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Not only Hanoi or HCM city but next time you should go to South ofHCM city likeCanTho, Phu Quoc or Cetral VNlike DaNang, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Hue city. Good luck
Hi Hung, we actually plan to visit parts of Central Vietnam in a month or so due to all the positive feedback we've gotten. You might want to check out our most recent episode from Vietnam. Thanks for the great suggestions! -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Yes, absolutely, Quang. We also wanted to visit Hue, but we ran out of time. As full-time travelers, we can easily return and would love to in order to see Paradise Cave. My understanding is that it is one of the best caves in Vietnam (or anywhere). Here's our full series of videos from Vietnam if you're interested. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
We are most comfortable checking reviews on Airbnb Experiences and Viator/Trip Advisor. We've had negative experiences through Get Your Guide, but positive experiences through With Locals. We're fairly skeptical about people who promote themselves on Facebook groups. We prefer small group tours whenever possible. As far as Vietnam, we highly recommend seeyouinvietnam.com. The owner, Nguyen, is an amazing tour guide. Thanks so much for watching! Here are links to the rest of our series from Vietnam. Our guides are all listed in the descriptions, but feel free to reach out if you have any questions at all! -Judy 🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Here you go! These folks are straight up super impressive. We know they'll give you a great experience. Let them know you heard of them through our channel. We don't make any money from referring them, but we want them to be successful. -Judy Three Coolest Neighborhoods in Saigon Tour: www.airbnb.com/experiences/866440 Or book directly here: seeyouinvietnam.com/tour-item/the-coolest-neighborhoods-in-saigon/ Here's our other video as well from Vietnam. Also, we're headed to Central Vietnam next week, so we'll have more content from Vietnam soon! -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
It seems that you have not been to Nha trang city where it has got a beautiful beach in the middle of the city, life is quite simple and easy for people who don't want a noisy and busy city or so on
Thank you so much for the suggestion. We'll add it to our list of places to visit. We actually don't mind noisy, busy cities, but we found it a little harder to eat in Ho Chi Minh City, and our Airbnb housed hundreds of motorcycles. Entering and leaving the confined garage every day was a lot of fuel for us to smell, and that wasn't ideal. but we're looking forward to exploring more of Vietnam in the next month. Did you see our second video from there, which is linked below? -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Ouch… it seems you spent much time in the less interesting parts of the city in the main. As a New Yorker who has been living here 30 years… for first timers spending about a week to ten days I recommend a hotel along or near Nguyễn Huệ Street (District 1. )If one has about 3 or 4 weeks then a hotel or apartment in Thao Dien district which is home some to some of the coolest places in the city. Definitely go to the Mekong for a one day trip or overnight to Can Tho for a two day trip. Also… take a separate one day trip to Tay Ninh and take the cable car ride up Black Lady Mountain (Nui Ba Den). Also… come in the dry season for much more comfortable weather. Dec-March
@loveaodai100 We had many experiences, so they weren't all confined to one small area, but yes, where we stayed wasn't ideal for us. The weather was hot in mid November through mid December and we barely got rain. The weather was worse in Da Nang, so we ended up skipping it. Thanks for these additional suggestions! -Judy
Going on a 1000 pound a month budget is that possible.. I'm not worried about accommodation I'm travelling on my own.. so I don't need fancy just safe with a shower and WiFi
Hi John, that's a really light budget, but you may be able to squeeze by and make it work. You'd be looking at hostels for less than £10 per day, which may be able to happen, but you won't have much choice or flexibility. Even if you're eating only two meals per day and one is something cheap like noodles/pho, you'd be very restricted to £10-£12/per day or less, which would give you £250-£300 to move around between cities if you don't plan to stay in one place the entire time. The British pound isn't very strong right now, unfortunately, so you'll just have to be very strategic about where you eat and drink. Some eSims can be fairly affordable in Vietnam. We hope you have an amazing time. Here's our full video series if you're interested. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
@@FindingGinaMarie been looking on other people's pages and they gave me some very good information one is actually out there right now, and I got lots from him.. I think om going da nang on a 1000 pounds I can't rent for around 300 350 all in electric water.. what did notice they use the $ an right now it 1.5 to our pound so I should be OK I very much appreciate you getting back to me
Crossing streets in Vietnam. Wait for a break in traffic, or not, but make eye contact with approaching vehicles. Saigon has something Hanoi doesn't, pho Saigon. Pho Hanoi, or Bac Nam, is usually garbage imo. Inside Vietnam, I've not found pho Saigon anywhere but in Saigon. But, to each their own.
Hi Brennen, I think we'd have felt differently about Saigon had we spent more time in other areas than where our Airbnb was. It also was a big adjustment from Japan, but had we already been in SE Asia before arriving in Vietnam, I think we would have had a much different experience. We did really enjoy Hanoi and loved Hoi An, especially once we left the more touristy parts of it. We definitely want to return and explore more! In total, we were there for seven weeks, and I do have fond memories of the food. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
It's an Airbnb. Perhaps our words ran together. Here's a link to our other episode from Vietnam. We have two more videos from Hoi An An coming out this Saturday and next, where we spent the last three weeks. -Judy 🎥 Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
@@danieldankx5001 Actually, the word herb was borrowed from French, where the h is silent; it was silent in British and American English up to the 19th century, when RP-a specific British English accent-and some other British dialects began pronouncing the h (though the silent h pronunciation persists in some British dialects). The "h" is silent in the words honor, honest, hour, and heir. Here's probably more than you ever wanted to know: th-cam.com/video/wDR5j30spfI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=NcJszqBsQupg-2w7 --Judy
Hi Mark, I don't know if there are parts of town that have them, but we wished for them, too! There was only one place we saw them, but it was to go over water. I don't know how the government prioritizes spending money, but this would be beneficial and would in the near term create jobs! But they are expensive. Thanks for watching. Have you seen our other video from Vietnam? We're also visiting Central Vietnam in a few weeks in order to see what more we can learn about the country since we felt we got off to a very slow start there. -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Traveling in China, I often said that road signs, signals, and crosswalks were SUGGESTIONS! Heck, lanes were SUGGESTIONS! Two marked lanes and three cars across with mere inches between cars! 😂 You have to have balls of steel to drive in Asia!
Yes, I have no idea how people even ride motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City! Interesting that the same issue is everywhere in that part of the world! Thanks for watching, Rebecca! -Judy
We heard great things about Saigon, so it depends on who you ask. We have a second video from Vietnam, and based on all the feedback, we plan to go back and see Hoi An and the surrounding area. If you have suggestions, we’d love to hear them. Thanks for watching! -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
For someone who loves whole fried fish, I’m gonna admit your comments or maybe how you talked about your dislike for a fish with its head still on and eyes looking at you was a little offensive.
I'm not sure why that would offend you! We aren't saying you can't eat those things, only that I would prefer not to. Kevin has texture issues with foods like flan or pudding. Everyone has preferences. I don't mind seeing those foods, but I am uncomfortable eating them. I also respect that every culture has its own cultural foods and I am in no way trying to be insensitive to that. I'm willing to try unfamiliar foods, but those are two that I have trouble eating. Thanks for watching and we hope you understand, even if you don't agree! -Judy
I think maybe you need to relisten to your video. Saying you don’t want eyes staring at you is unnecessary as my other comment said some people love the whole head eyes and all. I think the way you phrase it in this comment is more appropriate than how you say it in your video or in your other comment that implies people aren’t taking the time to take the head off. It’s litterally how many Asians cook and prefer their fish. It’s not because we are lazy to remove them. I hope you understand. Thanks I’m just trying to make you aware of something maybe you didn’t think was offensive but may be to some so you can know for next time.
Perhaps I should have chosen my words more carefully, but there's also an idea of assuming best intentions versus the worst. We couldn't put out any content at all if we worried about offending people. We always try to do our best. And vendors aren't taking the time to remove the heads. That's not saying they are lazy-we didn't imply that, and I don't think that we needed to give every explanation for why a restaurant makes the choices they do. -Judy
I’ll leave it at this. I personally would want to know when I’ve unintentionally offended someone so I can be more careful next time. That was my intent to let you have an awareness that it did offend someone. And I wouldn’t question that person and say “why would that offend you?” Because people don’t want to be offended but if they are they are and in most cases when one person doesn’t know why because they are not offended they should respect that for whatever reasons the other person is offended and personally instead of questioning and saying that should not be offensive I would just say sorry to have offended you as it was not my intention.
But isn't part of understanding knowing why we were offending? We can't expect to do better if we don't know what we did wrong. We admit that perhaps we could have expressed ourselves better in this instance, but we sincerely didn't know why someone would be offended by my personal food choices. We aren't willing to give blanket apologies to everyone who makes a comment on our videos because there are a lot of horrible people that we deal with on a daily basis with some pretty messed up views. We won't apologize for certain of our opinions, especially ones that may offend people who are racist, prejudiced, etc., and because of some of the places we visit, we encounter a lot of those people. -Judy
It's a shame that was your takeaway from this video, Todd. We've been to over 20 countries and have traveled full time for the last two years. Saigon was the first city that didn't resonate with us. We also admit that a lot of that had to do with us choosing the wrong location for our base and experiencing a bit of a culture shock after just spending 40+ days in Japan, which is quite a bit different from the location we were in in Saigon. We have an entire series from Vietnam that might change your mind about us. In fact, although we had problems in Saigon, we enjoyed Hanoi and decided to go back to Vietnam to check out Hoi An to see if Saigon was a fluke. We were there for three weeks and did some terrific things, including visiting My Son Sanctuary, taking a historic tour of Hoi An and a Vietnamese cooking class, and spent a day with locals to understand them better. I think spending seven weeks in Vietnam shows that we are people who really want to see the best in a place, even if that wasn't our initial experience. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Sorry, Terence, there were A LOT of local foods that we enjoyed in Vietnam. It's not necessary to have those things in order to have a good culinary experience. Perhaps you'd get a more rounded picture of our time in Vietnam from our second video and, based on all the amazing feedback we got from our viewers, we plan to go back to see Central Vietnam and give it more of a chance based on some recommendations. We hope you don't think you know us based on one video from a location that didn't set us up for success. -Judy Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
For visitors to Vietnam, understanding the amount of traffic they will face and how to navigate roads is a concern. There are people who have never experienced it and it can be scary and unnerving. We just want people to be aware before they arrive. Yes there are a lot of other things that will be very different and we try to address those as well. These points are not to diminish anything about what the Vietnamese experience every day. Also, third world has evolved as a term, and Vietnam is not on this most recent list:. -Judy worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/third-world-countries
The tracks I picked for this video are more aligned with classical music than pop. TH-cam will block or demonetize videos containing any music that triggers a copyright claim, so most creators pick from catalogs that are specifically licensed for TH-cam. When possible, I do try to match the region of the world. When that's not possible, I try to find tracks that will elevate the content without overpowering it or getting in the way of our talks. - Kevin
Hi Molly, If you're saying that we are too fussy to enjoy a trip, we admit that Saigon did not fit us as well as we hoped. We mentioned that it was in large part due to picking the wrong location. We have another episode from Vietnam that's already aired and we have two more videos coming from Hoi An, which was a great experience for us and we'll be bringing those to you soon. There are some locations that don't work out. After 16 months of full-time travel, we don't think we're too fussy to enjoy a trip.-Judy 🎥 Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Maybe, maybe not. If you're traveling and met with food poisoning or a gut biome that can't process the local food, it becomes a problem. Sure we're talking about tourists, but we think being located in a place where you can be somewhat comfortable with the food is an important point to note. We want to give visitors the best experience and know what to expect. -Judy
We did what we could! Thanks for watching! Here's our full video series from Vietnam if you're interested. One other video includes Saigon ;) -Judy 🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Finding Gina Marie, I absolutely enjoyed your video(s). I've watched 2. This is my 21st year living in Vietnam, and you folks have my sympathy/respect for diving right in. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's sure a lot of fun. Remember, the only place weirder than HCMC is Portland. Great job! 😊
Haha, you are right about Portland! We are glad to have spent more time in Vietnam because we really enjoyed it once we got the hang of things. It didn't help that we arrived in Saigon immediately after 40+ days in Japan. They are very different, and once we got more acclimated, we had a great time. Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
We disagree. They are filling a gap in the market that hotels don't, especially for people who travel for extended periods of time. In places where there are issues with housing prices for locals, some governments have put constraints on Airbnb, and we abide by them. -Judy
You certainly don't have to visit everyplace we do, but we think it's important to understand people from everywhere in the world and how they live. Your mileage may vary. -Judy
Hi @robertjacobs4062 Not sure if your comment is meant for the original commenter or for us, but it's interesting for us to experience people and cultures different from our own. We know that the American version of history can be manipulated and sanitized and facts left out to put the US in the best light. It's helpful to understand how the US is perceived, and also how other people live and observe the differences (good and bad). -Judy
It's not North Korea. In fact, having spent time in BKK, KL and Hanoi/Da Nang, I sure couldn't tell which country was "communist" and which wasn't. Maybe worry less about labels?
Tip for crossing street in Vietnam: Many tourist foreigners scared of traffic in VN . Don’t worry about it! The rule to win this fear is keep routin slowly walking when you across the streams of motobike! -motobykers knows how to avoid you themself in chaos-order! remmember do not run and stop suddently , accident immidiatly ! Don’t be affraid off and do it if you want to be safety in the crazy- rule traffic in Vietnam. TIP for save your money when enjoy Vietnamese cuisine : Find the shop sever 1 food that many people comes . Street- food instead of smart restaurants !
We agree with this advice for pedestrians. We learned when crossing pretty dangerous streets in Cairo that you need to walk assertively and predictably. It may still be unnerving, but it's much less harrowing than when traffic doesn't know what you're doing. We are all for street food when we feel reasonably certain that the hygiene is good. It's not always the case, especially in some areas where we stayed in Saigon. We got hit a few times with some questionable food, and it sure puts a damper on travel. But you are right that it's much more affordable and not as authentic of an experience. Here are the rest of our episodes from Vietnam. We ended up coming back for another three weeks after the encouragement from viewers like you. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
There are many and the most beautiful hotel in front and a block from beach and breakfast included for under $20.00 a night, APUS and GALINA hotel for example, why stay in Air BnB? You guys had been misinformed. Check out all hotels before stay at noisy Air BnB.
What's the name and link to the place you are suggesting? We stay for a month and because we work, we ideally like to have a couch, a refrigerator, and room to spread out with a desk or chair so we can work from our accommodations. We also need strong wi-fi for TH-cam purposes. We've never had a noisy Airbnb and typically they are cheaper with better amenities (washing machine, small kitchen, etc.) than almost every hotel option. The location in Saigon didn't work for us, but we aren't typically beach people. We want to be near cultural points of interest as well, but we don't want to be in or near high-priced hotels because that's not the vibe we want, either. -Judy
We had a hard time in Saigon, but Hanoi was lovely and Hoi An was surprising in all its beauty. We are glad we spent a meaningful amount of time in Vietnam and didn’t base all of our experiences from the location we stayed in at HCMC. -Judy 🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
You're over paid for everything also you are the first on the TH-camr complain and worried about the foods when millions vacationers and TH-camr are bragging how delicious the foods are. I'm so offended when you mislead about "red flagged " on the Vietnam culture foods! They are cheap and the most delicious foods compared to all other countries.
We did for food, but certainly not everything, John. We weren't comfortable with some of the more local restaurants as far as hygiene and ended up eating in more expensive places a good amount of the time. We had some stomach issues that made us unwilling to eat from some of the street food places and the very local restaraunts. Had we taken our 3 Coolest Neighborhoods tour sooner ,we would have known about some safer food, and that definitely would have helped. We didn't overpay for our Airbnb in Saigon. We paid $22.51 per night, which we consider pretty reasonable. -Judy Here are our other videos from Vietnam, including our first episode from Hoi An, which aired this past Saturday. 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Hi Robert, we had nothing stolen in Vietnam, despite being there an entire month. We actually plan to visit Central Vietnam in about a month, but first we are headed to Chiang Mai. So many people adore Vietnam, and since we really enjoyed Hanoi, we want to give Hoi An and the surrounding area a try. We weren't scammed and overall had a decent experience. Ho Chi Minh City wasn't our favorite, but not for any of the reasons you are mentioning. We would have preferred staying in another part of town than where we were located, and we mention that in our video. We try not to compare countries against each other because each has its own culture and history. But we are looking forward to seeing what Thailand has to offer. -Judy
: 🔗3 Coolest Neighborhoods in Saigon Tour: seeyouinvietnam.com/tour-item/the-coolest-neighborhoods-in-saigon/👇👇👇
We have used See You In Vietnam tours in Saigon and Hoi An and have had excellent experiences on every occasion. If you're in either Saigon or Hoi An, we encourage you to use them. We make no money from recommending them, but they are passionate, knowledgeable guides who have put together truly outstanding tours. They'd love your support, and we'd love this small, local business to succeed! ♥-Judy & Kevin
I’ve been to HCMC many times and crossing the street always feels like we’re playing froggers. Two tips to cross the street: 1. Find a local and follow them. When they cross, you cross, 2. Proceed at a steady pace. The cars and bikes will work around you, but don’t do any sudden movements that are hard for them to predict. Hope you’ll have a better time next time you visit HCMC! The food there is amazing.
Thanks so much for watching! And yes, you are right about how to cross the street. We were indoctrinated last year by the much more dangerous Cairo highways and that's exactly how we did it! Our experience in Vietnam was better in Hanoi and fabulous in Hoi An. At viewers' suggestions, we went back to Vietnam for three weeks so we could explore without the rains. It's a beautiful area and we did some great non-touristy activities there that we recommend! Check them out if you are so inclined. Thanks for taking the time to offer these suggestions and this comment. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
As a Saigonese, I appreciated you guys had taken time visited the city and shared many useful information for us. Actually, you two have a very deep understanding of the city more than many foreign expats as well as local residents. Thanks a lot.
Thank you so much for watching and for this incredibly kind comment! We have another video from Vietnam you might enjoy AND we are excited to say that we want to spend a little more time in Vietnam to get to know it better. We'll be in Central Vietnam for three weeks. If you have any tips or suggestions about that part of the country, we'd love to hear them! -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Absolutely come back for another visit. I went in March 2023 and will be coming back again this coming March after Japan. This will be my 4th trip to Viet Nam in the past 10 years and felt like I have not seen a fraction of what it has to offer. You will need at least a month to really hit just some (not all) of the most popular sites. Keep in mind that different regions can have different weather patterns, food and traditions. Even their pronunciation and slang change so much it sounds like different languages. Of all the cities, Ho Chi Minh city (aka Saigon) would be my least favorite. If you must, then stay outside of district 1. Most businesses inside district 1 have moved out in the last few years due to high rent and congestion. My top 3 places not to miss in Viet Nam would be Hoi An, Ninh Binh (Tam Coc), and Fansipan (in that order). Hope you have a chance to come back for another visit soon.
I mention it in another post to you, but we're going to find our way back to Vietnam, Hoi A specifically. We spent three weeks in HCMC and a week in Hanoi, so at this point we have some familiarity with Vietnam (we have a new episode coming out on Saturday). But being in the wrong location in HCMC didn't do us any favors, but we did enjoy our time in Hanoi. We'll be in Hoi A for three weeks. We'll be working at least half the time we're there, but it will give us some exposure to an additional part of the country that people have been excited about. We're open to your suggestions about places to see while we're in Hoi An, especially if you have any non-touristy ideas for us! -Judy
You two are an amazing couple. Thanks for this useful information. I have been to Saigon twice but still find this worth keeping in mind.
Thank you so much for watching, Varun, and for your very kind comment. We have a second video from Vietnam you might also enjoy, and thanks to a lot of helpful and encouraging comments, we rearranged our plans to go back to Vietnam in a month and spend some time in Hoi An, Hue, and Da Nang. We're excited to be sharing episodes from there as well. So if you have recommendations to share, we'd love to hear them! -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
😊 wonderful video! Thank you both for showing this. Love how you show about mistakes too or what you would change next time. Many TH-cam videos don't show this😊Thank you both again!
Hi Carolann, We try not to sugarcoat our experiences, but we try to have a positive experience if we can. Ho Chi Minh City was hard for us, but we really enjoyed our week in Hanoi. We're heading back to Vietnam (central this time) to see if that resonates with us. Here's our previous video from Vietnam; we'll be back there in a few weeks and we'll be sharing a little more from there. -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
I went to Hanoi, Vietnam in 1994 and fell in love with the country and people. I finally was able to visit again in 2017 with my husband. Our favorite stop was to Hoi An and i can't wait to visit again.
Hi Andrea, have you seen our videos from Hoi An? We had a hard time with Saigon, but we enjoyed Hanoi enough to listen to our viewers when they said we need to try again with Hoi An, and we are so glad we did. It made us want to see more of Vietnam as a result! -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I’m saving this video for future reference! Thanks. Very interesting and common themes for full time travel. Selecting an Airbnb is a gamble for the first visit everywhere. It looked like the weather was a little more comfortable than some times of the year.
Not sure what happened to my response, but here's another shot at it. We've lucked out for everyplace we've visited, so this was an anomaly. But it does always make us hesitate to book a place longer than a month in case we arrive and hate it. We can put up with anything for a month (mostly!). And yes, we had good weather. It was hot but dry in HCMC, which was nice (it wasn't scalding). It wasn't ideal for Da Nang, but hopefully Central Vietnam will be better for us next month when we visit. And although Hanoi was a little chilly, overall it wasn't bad. It's been interesting to see how mostly kind people have been, which has encouraged us to spend a little more time discovering more of the country. Thanks of course, for watching! -Judy
just a side note, airbnb is illegal in Saigon. Stay at a hotel .
Thanks for featuring our '3 Coolest Neighborhoods' tour in the video! We're glad that you had a good time exploring those areas. Yeah, Saigon is not as easy to walk around compared to Ha Noi, which makes it a bit tough to take it slow and enjoy the city at your own pace, the city definitely needs a better public transport system. The Mekong Delta and Cu Chi tunnels are awesome to check out, and Central Vietnam has a lot of cool diversity. Let us know when you're planning your next trip, and we'd love to give you some tips to make the most of your time here. Have a great time in Cambodia!
Thank you so much for watching and for giving us such an awesome tour. We do want to come back and experience more of District 3! -Judy
I think it would be a bit unfair not to mention district 2, it's called the expat district due to the huge number of expats living here. But if anyone craves for some international cuisines, this is the place to go. The southside of District 1 is quite hectic though, we don't personally enjoy it very much.
@@seeyouinvietnam Thanks for the suggestion. We looked into District 2 when drafting up this episode, but we excluded it because it's farther away from the main sites of the city, lack of nightlife and fun things to do. We did find decent burgers at Marcel Gourmet Burger and a few decent pizza places, but sheesh, ideally people come to eat Vietnamese food! Thanks for your suggestion, and we totally trust your judgment on it; we're basing our opinion on District 2 on what we've read versus our personal experience. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie The city still lacks nightlife and fun things to do at night. And District 2 is being designed to be a more organized nightlife area in the future. The traffic is also pretty good in the district, making it quite walkable.
Do you usually book an entire month at one Airbnb home when you travel to a new city? Moving luggage between different places can be a bit hectic and too much hassle, so staying in one place could make it easier. However, it's hard to get a feel for the surroundings of your Airbnb before making the booking. The surroundings can make a big difference in the overall experience, not just the quality of the Airbnb itself when you are staying for a long period.
@@seeyouinvietnam Good to know about District 2. Since it wasn't on your list of "3 Coolest Neighborhoods" and based on our (limited internet research), we didn't realize that it would be a good place to suggest to our viewers. Thanks for clarifying and it's great news to hear.
Yes, we try to travel slowly and give ourselves a full month in one country from one home base. We might take a few day trips or a three-day trip somewhere (but that fell apart when Da Nang was flooded). Although the majority of people who pass through Vietnam take a few days in a place and then move on, that's not how we prefer to travel. Leaving HCMC a week early wasn't part of our plan. We had paid for an entire month, but it just wasn't resonating with us. We were coming up on our 40th wedding anniversary and couldn't think of a special place where we wanted to experience it in HCMC. So we had decided to shift to Hanoi to close out our time in Vietnam. Had we gone on your tour sooner, we would have stayed the full month and utilized our learnings of places to eat and experience, but we'd already booked a hotel in Hanoi by then. Especially as full-time travelers, we need some down time and moving nonstop is not something we recommend. And we agree with you about needing to give yourself time to experience a place and that it's more than the quality of the Airbnb.
We're going to travel to Hoi An and give that a try for three weeks. It's shorter than we'd prefer, but it wasn't part of our original plan. Based on everything we've heard from our viewers, it deserves some time as part of our travels, so we rearranged our travels to experience it. -Judy
We have second video coming out later today about some of our other learnings and experiences in Vietnam. We hope you enjoy it. -Judy
It is large country and there are so many different regions. i personally find central and northern areas to be my favorites. Da Nang, Hue, Dalat, Tam Cuc, ect ect. Go back, you'll love it. I also agree with you regarding tours. But frankly the scooter tours are great, and safer than you think.
Hi Dave, thanks so much for watching. Vietnam is about the same land mass as Japan, and there was no way we would be able to see enough of either of them and still get a deep sense of the culture. Vietnam also is more diverse because of all of the colonization and political differences that it's experienced. We definitely want to return to see more sides of the country than our narrow experience, but we'll choose a time when the weather is more optimal for Central Vietnam. I think maybe Kevin could have been convinced, but between the fumes and the headaches he'd been dealing with, it was a bigger lift than what he was willing to do. One of the interesting things we experience as full-time travelers is that sometimes we just need to decompress after we've had a lot of busy travel and Vietnam was just so much different than Japan that the transition was rougher than we anticipated. I think if we'd stayed in a smaller city after Japan, it would have given us what we needed. We've heard great things about Dalat and Da Nang and Hue, and most of those are close enough that you can still have a home base and then venture out for a few days for some side trips. Great comment and suggestions for us! Tam Cuc has not been on our radar. -Judy
Happy New Year! Congratulations on 10,000 subscribers you are killing it!! I love watching your adventures, Safe Travels!
Thank you so much, Julia! We saw your latest episode from Argentina, and we're bummed to be missing it this year. We had plans to visit Argentina in 2024, but we had to push it to 2025. We didn't originally have Mendoza on our list, but we may need to add it! For folks interested in learning more about food in Mendoza, here's a link to your latest episode! -Judy th-cam.com/video/3pslm9OQJbs/w-d-xo.htmlsi=URyxbrH4OerRMeHt
@@FindingGinaMarie Thanks for sharing! Argentina will still be there in 2025 🙂 We are heading back to Buenos Aires this year so I'll have more ideas for when you visit in 2025. Enjoy and Safe Travels!
@@JuliaGonzalesTravels Thanks! I've been playing with our schedule to see if I can squeeze something in South America into 2024! -Judy
I’m currently in Ho Chi Minh and have been here a month. The north is something that really needs to be visited. Ninh Binh area and Hanoi have been the top of my list as places that I fell in love with. The drive from Sapa back to Hanoi was beautiful. Ha Long Bay was a waste of time and money in my opinion and I have no idea why people like DaNang, it’s not for me but Hoi An is wonderful. I love this country but next time I return I will explore more of the north and spend more time in Ninh Binh region.
Ninh Binh I hired a mountain bike the first day and accidentally did something magical and loved it so much I hired the bike and stayed an extra 4 days and heading off in different directions from Tam Coc to a different village each day. From the main part of the village where all the tourists would visit or ride though, there would be hidden tracks that would take you out to the rural farming parts of that village. I would spend all day out there deep in rural areas exploring the rice fields, little fish farms, village and rural life. In those 5 days I saw zero tourists, no cars as there are no roads, no shops, no restaurants, just tiny single bike tracks but the experiences and interactions I had with the locals and the kids in an absolute stunning landscape was something I will treasure. All the smiling and waving, being invited for tea or to go fishing and just being genuinely happy to see me passing through and stop me to talk to me with either very broken English or use google translate . It felt like many tourists do not seek or head out into those areas. Wildflowers, waterflowers, temples, caves, swimming ponds, the sounds of birds and animal life, insane amount of butterflies in so many different species, dragonflies, farming animals, buffalo, etc, I felt like I really experienced the true Vietnam and its people away from the tourists and I cannot wait to go back.
Hi Natalie, Thanks for sharing your Ninh bin experiences with us. What do you think of Ho Chi Minh City? Our location didn't serve us, but we wonder if we would have had a significantly better experience in another part of the city. We also enjoyed Hanoi and wish we had been able to spend more time there. Thanks to our viewers, we were encouraged to visit Hoi An, which we also loved. And although we haven't taken a Ha Long Bay cruise, we've heard good things about Bai Tu Long Bay and would consider trying that the next time we are in Vietnam. But your biking experience sounds like the ultimate one. When we were in Hoi An we attempted some less touristy travel, but still far from what you experienced. What an amazing time it sounds like that was! -Judy
Super Video! I'm travelling to Saigon next week
How great for you! You might want to watch our other episode from Vietnam as well. We also plan to be visiting Hoi An and other places in Central Vietnam in another month or so, so we'll be bringing that episode soon. If you've ever been there and have tips to share, we'd love to hear them! -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for your words. I'm delighted with the quality of your videos. Great documentaries. I have travelled to Vietnam over 40 times. I know the whole country well. Hoi An is the lantern city.... very kitschy with lots of tourists. I really like this small town. It's a real old town. I always travel to Saigon. I always look forward to the food. Vietnamese food is the best food ever! Greetings from Switzerland...
Thanks so much for watching! Is there a favorite food or restaurant you recommend? We have a second video from Vietnam you might enjoy that I've linked below. Also, if you have any recommendations for things to do in Hoi An, Da Nang, and Hue, we'd love to hear them. We're heading back to Vietnam in about a month! -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for sharing these excellent videos! I wholeheartedly agree with the valuable information you provide from each district. Your dedication in creating and sharing these videos is truly appreciated. It's a tremendous help for those planning to visit Saigon, Vietnam. We are following you now 🙂
We appreciate your kind words very much! This is a travel day for us, but we’ll check out your channel as well. Thank you for following along! We have a first timer’s guide to Vietnam if you want to check it out. -Judy
Vietnam Things to Know before you go: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Really hits home with what you said about how food helps you adjust to a place. This was a problem for us as well in Ho Chi Minh. We were in Nha Trang the month before and actually enjoyed the food which is why we really enjoyed the city. We were excited for HCM, but it was just a massive disappointment from every angle, most importantly, the food, and that really ruined our stay there.
Hi Lior and Mirit, We opted against going on food tours in HCMC because most of them were done on the backs of a moped/motorcycle, and we weren't game for that after seeing traffic looking very much the "Wild West." Also, the food tastings were scattered all throughout the city, so it would have been challenging to find daily eats without hopping in a Grab. But we had an amazing time in Hoi An, and that's a really beautiful city, albeit a touristy one. We made our way to some of the less touristy places, which helped a lot. We wish you didn't have that experience, but we're glad to hear we're not alone! -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
10:40 is no way a “local breakfast”, lol.
I’m not sure how much time you spent or planned to spend in HCMC but you mentioned a month’s rental so I assumed you were going to make it a homebase and make excursions from there which is another mistake. HCMC is a huge, frantic, noisy, typical Southeast Asian capital and may be good for a visit but not to stay in and relax. Since the country is so lonnng, you might have a better experience turning it into a road-trip and venture out into the countryside from the cities. This may mean having to eat food in restaurants without AC and English translations on their menu.
Thanks for watching! When we were walking along the streets of town, we often saw people eating rice or noodles or soup or of course Bahn Mi. So while not the most authentic, the food at our hotel in Hanoi actually was a nice mix between Eastern/Western breakfast. Rice and curry or vegetables were other meals that our hotel offered and always fresh fruit.
At our hearts we are slow travelers. We have struggled with moving too quickly and we made a decision last year that we'd try to move around spending less than a month in a place so we can deep dive into the culture and the people and establish some routines without moving around so swiftly. And because we travel full time, we're able to come back easily and see places we skipped the first time around. We weren't sure how well this philosophy would work in Asia. We moved a fair bit in Japan (too much and too busy), so we really needed to slow down in Vietnam. It's worked out well in Cambodia so far, but I agree that there's still so much of Vietnam we missed. And for what it's worth, we ate at many, many restaurants without AC and have no problem even asking for suggestions about food and eating what's put in front of us! Google and Apple translate work very well for us! -Judy
Here's a link to the video where we discuss our thoughts on fast versus slow travel: th-cam.com/video/LrLGJ-X6I4A/w-d-xo.html
Love your video
Flying into saigon in next few days
Looking forward to it.
Will definitely check out the spots you mentioned.
We hope you have an amazing time! We have a full video series from our time in Vietnam and we'd love to hear about your experience when you return! -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I visited Hanoi just before the Covid lockdown, staying in the Old Quarter, took a 4-day trip to Sapa, it was the highlight, could have stayed longer. Going back to Vietnam in March for 10 days in Ho Chi Minh City.
Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your experience. The Old Quarter of Hanoi is great and we could have stayed there longer as well. In fact, we have a an additional video from Vietnam and plan to go to Central Vietnam next month at the urging of our viewers. We're eager to share what we think of it! Have a great trip and let us know what you think of HCMC. -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the update and all the inside info that i needed.
I am just early planning to visit Vietnam late this yr. Thanks to you guys I won't be making same mistake that u guys made.
We are so happy to help! We have a video coming out this Saturday and we also decided to rejigger our plans to spend time in Central Vietnam in a month or so from now so we can get a richer experience of the country. -Judy
@FindingGinaMarie can't wait..
I be looking forward to that video.
Thanks 😊
@@solo022667 If you have any specific questions you'd like us to answer, let us know and if we can cover them in the video after we visit Central Vietnam, we will! -Judy
Great video! Super helpful. I almost stayed in district one but now am so happy to be staying in district 3. Thank you!
We hope you have a terrific time! Parts of District 1 are great, but we don't recommend being on the south portion of it. Here is our full Vietnam series if you're interested in it. We'd love to know how you like District 3 when you return. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I am only staying for a few days so being close to the sights will be key and I feel like you saved me a headache. I’ve watched a few of your videos today and found them super helpful. I will definitely let you know what I think. I’m traveling all over Southeast Asia for 6 months. So the tips are so helpful for me! So thanks again for your videos!
@@Travellexx We are so glad to hear that our videos are helpful. We appreciate that you would take the time to tell us this! We never expected to be on this side of the world for closing in on seven months, but it's been a very rewarding and satisfying experience. Not sure if any of the Asian countries we visited are on your list (Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea), but these all have been impressive as well. We definitely plan to return to Asia and Southeast Asia again soon. The people are some of the kindest in the world. Safe travels! -Judy
No. I will be in Vietnam. Philippines, Thailand, Bali and Singapore. And I’ve heard about the kindness of the people there. I’m very excited for my trip. Keep making those videos! 😊
@@Travellexx How awesome. Indonesia is high on our bucket list. Our daughter has been to Bali a few times and absolutely loves it! We tried to make Philippines work this year (we ended up detouring back to Vietnam to spend time in Hoi An instead), but since we slow travel, moving around among the various islands is more expensive for us. If you come across a place that you think could work for an extended amount of time, we'd love to know about it. We had looked at Cebu City and Manila, but we weren't sure how we'd feel about a month in them. -Judy
Well, this will be interesting. We are staying in almost the exact same location where you stayed in HCMC 😂. We will only be there there for a few days after we leave Chiang Mai so we'll try to make the best of it before we return to Thailand for our epic journey south to Malaysia and Indonesia. We have the same issue with travel planning that you described. We just don't have the time to deep dive on every location, and sometimes you just need time to rest and recover. We are currently doing that in Chiang Mai which has a totally different vibe - much more relaxed.
We discovered that hotels in Vietnam may be a better value as they all seem to offer complimentary breakfast which has been really quite good. We are actually planning to return to Vietnam later this year and will probably use hotels rather than Airbnb simply because they have been more convenient.
Thanks for sharing all these tips. They are definitely helping us and validating much of what we have learned during our time in Vietnam. Taking a tour is definitely a great way to learn a new city, however, we will be skipping the motor bikes. We are both too risk averse.
Best of luck. Maybe we'll see you on the road.
Steph&Chris@388_Days
Hi Steph & Chris, We wish you the best of luck, and hopefully you can learn from our experiences! Our next video will explain more about food, places to eat, and some other suggestions that will hopefully make it a little easier, but if you're only there a few days, it may not be any issue for you.
We are heading to Chiang Mai in a week, so our paths have criss-crossed! Right now, we don't have Malaysia or Indonesia on our itinerary, but we have rejiggered our plans so many times that our heads are spinning! Part of our down time in Ho Chi Minh City was that the gas fumes were getting to Kevin and he was struggling with major headaches/migraines and wasn't really up to a lot of exploring in the beginning as much as we would have preferred. Our hotel in Hanoi was great, but it was much more expensive than our Airbnb in HCMC. I was very close to booking a motorbike food tour, but in the end it wasn't worth it since we had finally found some good local food beyond the small handful of places we already had been visiting. It's always nice to hear that other full-time travelers share similar experiences. We may have different workloads or energy levels, but there are some things we all share, and that's the beauty of building these communities of ours and hearing what other people are doing and learning and experiencing, too. Safe travels! -Judy
Very informative video. Thank you for sharing. Appreciate it very much.
Thank you so much for watching. We have a second video from Vietnam/Hanoi and then several videos from our time in Hoi An, including doing some much less touristy things. I'll include a link to our full series below if you're interested. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Thank you for your detailed suggestions. Love your channel. New subscriber!❤
Thank you so much for watching and for subscribing! We have a second video from Vietnam that I'll link below. Our viewers and had so many kind things to say about Vietnam that we are going back there next month to visit Central Vietnam (Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hue). We look forward to sharing more of our experiences. -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
@@FindingGinaMarie That would be amazing to visit Central Vietnam. My families are from Huế. Hoping one day I would be able to ho back and visit again. Again, thank you for all the tips. You both did an amazing job!
@@bepbe11 We are really looking forward to it! Thanks so much for watching and for your kind words. If there are places in Hue we should see or do or places or foods to eat, please let us know! -Judy
I have been to HCM city several times. I love District 3 for the relative quiet and the nice French colonial buildings, but I always walk from there to my favorite wards in District 1, Da Kao and Tan Dinh. Tan Dinh has a lot of good places to eat, both cheap and fancy. I also love Hanoi, and I would rather stay in Tay Ho, which is just a short ride from the old town.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and your favorite parts of HCMC and Hanoi. We wish we had been in a slightly different location in HCMC because we think it would have made a world of difference for us. When you are staying in Tay Ho, is it walkable and convenient to things or do you have to commute to the old town quite often? We don't rent motorbikes, so getting back and forth is a hassle. But if there's plenty to do in Tay Ho and you have an authentic experience there, we might try it next time we visit. Also, we have a full series from Vietnam, including an additional three weeks in Hoi A based on our viewers recommendations. Here's our full series if you're interested in watching! -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
@@FindingGinaMarie It's a long walk to the old and French quarters. Around 40-50 minutes, but Tay Ho is less noisy than the city center. There are many things to see like temples, cafes, and restaurants. The Intercontinental Hotel reflected on the big lake was quite a nice view. I learned to take the bus when my legs were complaining. The Vbus app helped a lot. Truc Bach area is nearer the center. It also gives a good view of the big lake. The nice thing about Truc Bach and Tay Ho (West Lake) is that they are near the big lake, which is a nice view during a clear sunset. It's not as culturally colorful as the center, but there are many places for eating. A long street named Duong Yen Phu has a variety of that. Thanks for the link to your series. I would enjoy that.
This is great and helpful information. I know where we stayed wasn't the cheapest area, but it was our 40th anniversary and we wanted to be comfortable. Your suggestion sounds great and will give us more of a local feel than a touristy one the next time we visit. Thank you so much for taking the time to give us more information! -Judy
I stayed at a homestay (Hello Saigon) in District 3, just off of Cao Tháng. That’s a very busy food street but once you go off that it’s a quiet(ish) neighborhood. It was a perfect home base from which I took various trips to other areas.
Thanks so much for the recommendation, @sazji! We love hearing about areas that work better than what we encountered! -Judy
My brother left on January 24th and plans to live there for a couple of years. I hope he has a memorable experience. Personally, I couldn't handle the road noise, pollution, and the third-world living/lifestyle.
There are good parts to Vietnam as well. It was less chaotic in Hanoi and we were enjoying it before we left and also it's why we are going back next month to see what it's like in Hoi An, Hue, and Da Nang. We hope your brother has a great experience, too. We met a lot of people who absolutely love it, so there's more than meets the eye. In our second video from Vietnam, we share some of our other experiences. It's linked below if you want to watch.-Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Vietnam offers many different lifestyle. You could live on a budget and deal with all of the nuisance or you could live like a boss. It really depends on how deep you pocket is
@@4klense You are absolutely right. And each part of it is very different. Our video from Hoi An shows a much different situation than Saigon. 🎥 th-cam.com/video/w0nDoWQz_iQ/w-d-xo.html
Love the tips and the honesty. Btw, I got the travel scale based on your suggestion. It says to keep it level, but that is impossible in a suitcase. What have been your experiences traveling with it? District 3 it will be for me! Interesting about the cooler weather too. thx u
Thank yo so much for watching, BW! About the scale, the idea of keeping it level is only meant for when you are using it to weigh yourself. From their website, "Placing your scale on a flat surface as opposed to uneven flooring helps prevent any inconsistencies during the calibration process and subsequent measurements."
And yes, one reason we chose Ho Chi Minh City was that it would be warmer and we were visiting in November/December and we didn't want to freeze. It was so much hotter than Hanoi. But fortunately it was dry. We had rain a few days, but it wasn't nearly what our viewers were encountering in Da Nang, etc. -Judy
HOWDY from the winter storm of Wisconsin! Wish I was with y’all!
I hope despite the miserable weather you are warm, dry, and safe and electric and heat are in full force! And yes, it's very hot here! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie we are snug as a bug in a rug! All good. Cars, driveway, and walkways are all cleared. Roads are mostly clear as well. Wisconsin is typically always ready for this type of weather.
That's great news. Thanks for the update! Sturdy people those Wisconsinians with a ton of grit! -Judy
Thank you for the advice
Hi Charley, Thank you so much for watching. We hope you will watch the rest of our series from Vietnam. We didn't love our specific location in HCMC, but we had a great time in Hanoi and also we went back to Vietnam for three weeks in Hoi An at the suggestion of our viewers. We were so glad to have spent more time in Vietnam! -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Yeah Vietnam is indeed an interesting place. Especially after Japan.. your heads must have been absolutely spinning. How was the air quality in Hanoi when you were there? Some of the days I was in the region I thought the apocalypse had happened and was half expecting people to drop dead in the street. The air quality was unlike anything I had ever seen.
Hi Karis, you are absolutely right about the dichotomy between Japan and Vietnam throw us for a loop. That was quite a challenge. The air quality was actually a little better in Hanoi than Ho Chi Minh City surprisingly. At the encouragement of some of our viewers, we've decided to rejigger our plans and circle back to Vietnam to spend a few weeks in Hoi An. We have to work around some other travel, so you can look forward to hearing about our experiences there in another month or so. We've got an episode coming out in a few hours from Vietnam to round out the month we already spent there. Thanks for watching and for your hilarious comment. You have a great sense of humor, which is sometimes how you need to approach travel! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Absolutely. Approaching travel with a sprinkle of humour is the only way, and I try to extrapolate that out to life in general. What a ridiculous predicament we all find ourselves in and yet, here we all are. I think it is amazing what you are both doing. It really is. Not many people understand the true challenges and blessings that this type of lifestyle brings. Congrats on your one year nomadversary and congrats on the 10K! I have a feeling that somewhere may well pique your interest in a special way this year. Just a hunch! Best of luck with the next leg of your journey! 🤗
Karis, there definitely will be many places that pique our interest. Spoiler alert: we have absolutely loved Cambodia and can't wait to share Siem Reap with our viewers. And you are right; although we are retired, we are working really hard, but we wake up excited to travel and live this way and share it all with our amazing community. Thank you so much for your kind words! -Judy
I think you should go back. We loved it. We spent 12 days, split to 3N in HCMC, then 2N in Hanoi (we flew up there) did a1N Halong Bay cruise (defo worth it!!). Then overnight train to Da Nang (DO NOT RECOMMEND!!) with 1N in Hue and 4N in Hoi An. It was a fabulous trip and i think we can tick it off, but I'd happily return to see further north and then over to Cambodia.... I do a lot of research before any travels, so we knew what we wanted to see and do before arriving - saves lots of time. Although i usually agree about doing a tour, we didn't for any of our trip and discovered some gems.
Thanks so much for watching! We have another episode coming out next week from Vietnam. We made a deliberate decision as part of slow traveling to not explore every part of the countries we are in-we travel full time so we can always come back and explore more of the places we love. But we think some of the other parts of Vietnam would have been enjoyable to experience, and we're so glad we carved out a week in Hanoi. We're currently in Cambodia, and we are absolutely loving it here. Before we traveled full time and could plan a trip for six months before arriving, we could have written a book about the places we'd be visiting. Traveling every month while working on a TH-cam channel and trying to make the budget work and the locations and weather all sync is nearly a full-time job as well! But we are so grateful to be living like this! Did you find the gems just by exploring? We love when that can happen as well. In fact we found a lovely little coffee shop in Hanoi (and Ho Chi Minh City) by doing that! We wish that we knew locals personally who could suggest their hidden gems to us so we could have less touristy experiences, but we're also grateful that those tours give us a good foundation for what we can do on our own afterwards. Safe travels! -Judy
Great video guys! If you come back to VN, try Da Lat and Hoi An.
Hi @Solapunk, We did visit Hoi An! After our experiences in Saigon and Hanoi, we knew we wanted to give Vietnam more of a chance (we really liked Hanoi but we didn't love the parts of Saigon that we stayed in), so we came back to Vietnam and spent three weeks in Hoi An. We had a terrific time. You can watch our full series from Vietnam through the link below. And we do also want to visit Da Lat, hopefully at the end of 2025. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Great tips!
Thank you so much for watching! -Judy
We visited Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, HoiAnn, and DaNang and would return, especially would like to check out the south. Love the coffee culture. Thanks for the good tips about the tour and best neighborhood in HCMC. A favorite memory is sitting on a 2nd story balcony at a coffee shop and watching the traffic below. I remember when crossing the streets we would cross with others (safety in numbers) and were warned to keep moving forward - don't step backward as the oncoming traffic will see you go around you. I would like to plan a SE Asia trip for a year from now. Happy New Year to you both!
Hi Merrill, we do plan to return. It's easier that Vietnam is not in Schengen so we don't have to follow the rules of staying out for a certain amount of time AND it's a good weather destination when Europe is too cold. We would have liked to have visited when the weather was more amenable to seeing Hue, Halong Bay, and Hoi An, etc. One of the challenges of the way we travel is that moving around too much isn't ideal, so at least for Southeast Asia we made the conscious decision to stay in one home base for each country versus exploring the entire country.
We didn't love the huge highway crossing because there's also a drinking culture in Vietnam and there's always a concern that people driving may not be in the best mindset for good decision making. Your suggestions are spot on about just moving forward with purpose, which is what works best, as well as holding out your arm and trying to make eye contact when possible. The coffee culture is great and we wish we could have explored even more of it-but Vietnam's beans are Robusto and very strong! I love your coffee shop memory. Those are some of our favorite times! Thanks for sharing it as well as your tips and suggestions. We hope you can get back to that part of the world in 2025. We are in Cambodia right now and absolutely loving it! -Judy
Hoi An is probably a place you would love. I believe Brian and Carrie visited and did a nice video on this city and a sweet 3day cruise in the area.
They visited at a later time of year than we did (where the weather was more suited to that area), or else we might have explored there. There were a lot of places that we would have liked to visit, but the weather wasn't cooperative, unfortunately. Thanks so much for watching. -Judy
But they were there before the rainy season, perhaps September I believe
You may be right. It seems like the weather was dry and hot for them. I think they waited to be in Thailand until after burn season (so April if I recall correctly). -Judy
Thank you for your time and posting. I'm going to VN in October for one to three months to see if I want to retire there. Thanks again.
Hi David, Have you seen our full series from Vietnam? It’s linked below. Have a great trip, and we hope you find a place that is a great fit. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Great video….thanks for telling the truth.
Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to leave this comment! We have one more episode coming from Vietnam to close out our series. -Judy
Fabulous video! Hope I can get to interview you both one day for my channel! If you are ever back to Malaysia and Singapore let me know
Hi CK, We'd love it. We plan to be back in Asia at the end of 2025! We've never been to either country, so we'd love to cover both of them! Here's our full series from Vietnam if you're interested. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
@@FindingGinaMarie lots of videos of Malaysia 🇲🇾 in my channel , happy travelling
We definitely want to visit! -Judy
Im going in January, you should make a video of what to pack when going to Saigon.
Something to help solo travelers like myself.
Thank you so much for watching! We hope you have a great time. Please take our suggestion regarding what part of Saigon to be in for your accommodations. Also, we have a full series from our time in Vietnam (7 weeks). We visited Hanoi and Hoi An, which we highly recommend. We pack for three seasons, but we have a packing video that may be helpful for you. Disregard some of our extras since all we own is what we have in our packs, so we have a bit more than the average traveler. Let us know if you have questions. -Judy
In January, Daily high temperatures are around 89°F, rarely falling below 84°F or exceeding 93°F. Daily low temperatures are around 72°F, rarely falling below 67°F or exceeding 76°F.
You can look at the clothes we packed and see what would fit into those temperatures. Basically, I rotated three dresses I wore almost exclusively-two sleeveless and one with sleeves. They are wool and don't smell even after sweating. I wore black bike shorts underneath the dresses for modesty and to prevent chafing. You can see from all the episodes in our video that I didn't wear much else during that entire time!
- Odor resistant. Wool reduces the opportunity for odors to generate because it's more efficient than other fibers at absorbing sweat and evaporating it into the air. ...
- Temperature regulating. ...
- Quick drying. ...
- Breathable. ...
- Wrinkle resistant. ...
- UV Protection.
🎥 What we're Packing in 2024: th-cam.com/video/yD-45hCjQl0/w-d-xo.html
⚙️ GEAR LIST: findingGinaMarie.com/gear
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Saigon seems amazing but man those were some close calls!
Hi Estrella, It definitely took a bit for us to get used to Saigon, but we're glad we got to experience it! -Judy
I spent a year in Vietnam back in that war. I was in Nha Trang. I have been back 6 times and have experienced most of what your video details. I think you rushed your time there and made decisions based on the rainy weather in the central part. I think you should stay longer and be patient. I commonly have stayed a month or longer and think I learned during my year in the country that patience is a good idea. Yes, as you say at the end of your video, planning ahead is the idea. I've known VN people that come visit and they stay a month or two or longer. Not just a week or two. Just because it was raining doesn't mean you can't experience that area too.
Hi Maurice, Thanks for watching and for sharing your perspective. We had a month in Vietnam initially (it was going to be a full month deep diving in Saigon, but we are glad we shifted to Hanoi for our final eight days. We actually ended up going back and spent three weeks in Hoi An. Although it certainly is a bit touristy, we explored some of the fringes and history and had a wonderful time there. During our month, our detour to Da Nang was only going to be for two or three days, which is why it wasn't worth our time when the weather was so bad. If you recall, it was an especially rainy time for that area (more than even usual). We didn't love the part of Saigon we were in, but we have another videos that showcases more of Saigon but also Hanoi. Here's a link to them if you're interested, which includes visiting My Son Sanctuary, taking a cooking class, a history tour of Hoi An, and spending time with some locals.
We feel so much more comfortable after the time we spent in Vietnam that we will definitely explore more of the country that we missed.-Judy
🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I’m flying in HCMC next week. Probably will get a guide as you suggested. Been there like 24 years ago but heard it’s a lot different now.
We'd love to hear about your experience after you return. We have a second video from Saigon/Hanoi and then a few from Hoi An, which we enjoyed very much. We are glad we gave ourselves more time in Vietnam to immerse ourselves more. There is more we'd like to see there, so we'll be back. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Chào mừng các bạn đã tới Việt Nam!Các bạn là niểm vinh hạnh cùa đẩt nước chúng tôi! Chúc các bạn hành trình nhiều niềm vui và hạnh phúc....
Hi Cung, thank you so much for your kind words! We are glad to be exploring more of Vietnam in another month or so. Thank you so much for watching! -Judy
Việt Nam là một quốc gia có nhiều vùng miền cùng với phong cảnh thiên nhiên đẹp , nhiều thức ăn ngon hợp khẩu vị rất xứng đáng tham quan hưởng thu với chi phí bình dân . Người dân cũng thân thiện với sinh hoạt sống sôi nổi có trực tự an ninh
Thank you so much for watching. We have another video coming out from Vietnam this Saturday. Based on all the comments we've gotten so far, we plan to visit Hoi An in mid February for three weeks. We'd love to hear your suggestions about places to visit or things to do, especially if they're off the beaten path or less touristy! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie February is close to Tet which is the biggest holiday for Vietnamese. It's the Lunar New Year and usually falls between January and February. Many places may be closed and food/hotels will be more expensive. It's great to visit and see how the people celebrate but I don't recommend as a first visit to Viet Nam. I find that March is best since the weather is still cooler across most of the country and prices are normalized.
@@trauden7684 Thanks for the reminder. We'll be in Hoi An a few weeks after Tết, and fortunately we got accommodations at a very reasonable price. We've got other plans to work around, so unfortunately, we don't have a wide-open schedule to choose our timing. We're only able to visit when we are because we're still in Southeast Asia and heading back there is fairly easy. Otherwise, we'd have to wait until 2025, but since we're in the area, we figured we'd try it out. 🤷♀ -Judy
Allow me to put some light on finding fish and prawns with their head on: to find n select fresh fish n prawns the head must be intact. To select fish we would look at the gills, the redder the better . For pawns the head must be intact and firm.
Hi MJ, for as much as I want to eat fresh fish, I do NOT enjoy eating intact fish or shrimp! I prefer when a fishmonger or restaurant takes the time to avoid putting heads on my plate! Thanks for watching! Have you seen our second video from Vietnam yet? We're also planning to visit Hoi An and surrounding areas in another month, so we'd love to hear suggestions if you have any. -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
I already made a comment but then I read this. I don’t think people are not taking the time to remove the head, there are people who love whole fish even the fish head and some even the eyes actually.
@@allthingsreview777 I didn't mean that the way it came across. My point is that I don't like eating or seeing those parts on my plate, so I get around it by trying to avoid ordering seafood where that will happen. I've been unsuccessful on a few occasions during our time in Southeast Asia. You go ahead and enjoy all the seafood you want; I just adjust my food choices to accommodate what my stomach can handle. I do realize that some people enjoy eating a whole fish or sucking the heads of shrimp, etc. I don't. 🤷♀ -Judy
We stayed in District 1 about a block from Ben Tanh Market and did a motor bike food tour. The paradox of traffic in HCMC is that, it is chaotic but mostly moves very slowly. In my estimation, it is fairly safe (my wife does not agree). I would recommend Sophie's Art Tour which operates in HCMC and Hanoi.
Thanks for the recommendation, Eric! I could have been convinced to try a motorbike tour, but Kevin was adamantly against it. And some of those food tours are so expensive considering how cheap food is in Vietnam. And I think your location was much superior to ours.
We have a second video from Vietnam and we're also headed to Central Vietnam (Hoi An, Hue, and Da Nang) to experience more of that country to see if more of it resonates. We really enjoyed Hanoi, so we're going to explore more. If you have recommendations for these other cities, we'd love to hear them! -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
@@FindingGinaMarie I just found your channel/site yesterday and watched several videos and read some posts. Really relevant and interesting. Food tours can be expensive, but we enjoy them. The one in HCMC was over the top, we have never eaten so much in our lives. Really liked the medical tourism one, I have been interested in that for a while.
@@EricGraham64086 Thank you so much for watching. We are really glad to have you along with us! We've taken a few food tours over the years and they've been good, but we have to balance them against other types of tours. I might have been interested in a food tour of District 1 since that's where we spent the majority of our time. We just weren't keen on the motorbike aspect. We have a video from Serbia where Kevin had hernia surgery if that also is helpful for you. If you have other questions that we can possible answer, we would love to know them! -Judy
Surgery in Serbia: th-cam.com/video/A2ps2BawyGw/w-d-xo.html
This is a great video with really helpful information as I plan my trip for February 2025. One suggestion, the audio seemed unbalanced between the female and male in the video. The male was difficult to hear without turning up the volume to its max, but then the female was too loud. Maybe a microphone or post production editing? Thanks for the great content.
Thanks for watching. We have a full series from Vietnam you might want to check out. We'll need to listen to it again because we do some serious post-production editing on our videos already. Kevin does have a much quieter voice than mine, and in loud places it can be challenging. Thanks for letting us know. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Sounds nice 😊
Thanks for watching! You might enjoy our second video from Vietnam that gives you a little more of what to see and do. It's linked below. -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
HCMC is a vibrant city for sure. I'd say booking a guide is a must. All the mistakes or bad experiences you guys had could easily have been avoided.
Hi Richard, It was a bit jarring to have arrived in Saigon after 40+ days in Japan, and we needed a little bit of time to catch our breath. We don't typically book a guide per se, but we do typically go on tours. Our experience would have been totally different if our 3 Coolest Neighborhoods tour had been at the beginning of our time there versus the end. It wasn't our favorite place, but we did enjoy Hanoi, and we recently came back from three weeks in Hoi An, where we took several local tours to get out of the touristy areas and learn more about the people and culture. We never regret when we make time for those things! Thanks so much for watching. Here's the rest of our series from Vietnam, except for our final episode from Hoi A that will be released this Saturday showcasing some off-the beaten path experiences we had. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I experienced the exact same things as you guys did. Most of our decisions are affected by the internet especially when it comes to visitting a new country for the first time. I decided to stay longer in SaiGon but in the end wished I could have spent more time in Hanoi. Later found out that most of the Internet"s opinions come from Saigon people exaggerating their city and lowballing Northern cities. There were much more things to do in Hanoi and most things were cheaper but the internet said otherwise. Funny enough, I were getting scammed by a shoes-cleaner on the street of SaiGon, thay guy constantly said how Northern's part of Vietnam is a piece of s and gave thumbs down. Then he ended up charging me 200k VND which I think was quite expensive.
But hey, like you said nothing was too bad. I would definitely come back and learn from our mistakes.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, John. We are learning that we have to do more advance research so we have a better experience. We did really like Hanoi! In part our decision was also tied to weather. We knew it would be warmer in November in Saigon, and we definitely weren't prepared for it to be cold still in Hanoi, but it made sense. We are going back to Central Vietnam in a few weeks to see if our experience there will be better. I think our location was a problem, and if we had learned a bit more in advance about where to eat, it would have made things so much easier, too. Hanoi seemed easier and friendlier, but that could have been location or just bad luck during the weeks we were there. I don't want to judge an entire population of 9 million people based on the small handful we met. And some were quite lovely; we just didn't build relationships. Our Airbnb host was a bit distant. However, our 3 Coolest Neighborhoods tour guide has reached out and has been very helpful and kind in helping us to have a good experience in Hoi An. We're excited to give it another shot.
In the meantime,we have a second episode from Vietnam you might enjoy, so I'll link it below. -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
@@FindingGinaMarie Thank you, I love all of your videos.
If you guys are on T*k**k. Try to see this.girl.travels video about how she will never come back to Vietnam and you will better understand my point. Everybody have their own experiences but what really catches me is the comment section. Just like when I was researching for my trip, most of the comments degrading the North are Vietnamese and they called Northerners with disgusting slur.
If I listened to the toxic comments, i could have skipped Hanoi which would be a big mistake.
We'll check out her video, John. The comments I've seen have been on Facebook or Reddit mostly. We are crossing our fingers for Central Vietnam. We'll be there in a few days. We've done a bit more research, feel pretty comfortable with the location of our Airbnb, and have more of a handle on things this time around. Plus, we are going to try and meet up with our guide from Saigon, who has a home in Hoi An. Connecting with people while we travel makes such a difference. We've found that happy travels include meeting new friendly people. Especially as full-time travelers, we long to feel a sense of connection. Thank you so much for traveling along with us! -Judy
i went to vietnam myself in may, dipped my toe in easily as i didnt want anything to go wrong, i stayed in saigon, hanoi then da nang then back to saigon for my flight back to the uk via dubai, the good points of vietnam outweighed the bad, il start with the bad, got ripped off by a tuc tuc driver, and several taxi,s didnt lose a lot of money but made me mistrustful of vietnamese people which im sure most were just freindly, didnt see as much as i could of, but i did go myself and didnt want to venture to far from my hotels, incase i got lost or it maybe be too hot, like it was in saigon, also photos i took wernt up to my usual standard, but i got what i could, my 2 flights either way plus the wait in dubai made the journey very tiring, with no sleep for over 2 days each way, next time i break my journey at dubai, the good points, although i didnt see or do as much as i could have, i did relax more in hanoi and da nang and it was also cooler than saigon, also seen the cu chi tunnels. mekong delta and was museum, hope to back one day where i would go with somebody, would also try to see more of the cities i was in, and venture out more after dark, hopefully see the cities of hue and hoi an, and the trip to halong bay, other places i would like to see in vietnam are pleiku, nha trang, haiphong and phu cuoc, not sure about the spelling there, wasnt a fan of street food and vietnamese food seems to be mostly veg with no choice if you want veg or not, im not a vegy so the food wasnt my thing, was a great experience though and opened my eyes to more of what the country can offer, if i go back then i will aim for march, its cooler even in saigon and its dry, so avoiding the monsoon season, my tip for anyone contemplating going to vietnam is do your research, avoid going after june, make sure passport and visa ok, avoid taxis, use grab and be careful of the sun and traffic, and always have a contingency plan incase theres a change of plan you didnt count on,
It seems like you had a wonderful trip! I'm sorry about your experience with the tuk tuk driver, but bravo for getting around on your own and getting outside of your comfort zone. There are more parts of Vietnam we also would like to explore. We have a second video from Saigon/Hanoi and also a few from Hoi A that I think you would enjoy. You raise a great point about Grab; it's what we used each time and it really made traveling less stressful on the occasions we needed to use one. We visited in mid November and it was stifling hot in Saigon but when we visited Hanoi at the end of December, it was only slightly beginning to warm up. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us here! -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Great video 👍
Thank you so much! We ended spending almost two months in Vietnam. Below is a link to our other video from Saigon and Hanoi as well as several episodes from Hoi An, including some really special non-touristy things we did there. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I will absolutely let you know about my trip to the Philippines. I wish I could stay a month in each place as well. I like really getting to know an area. I will definitely be going to Cebu and a few other islands. How lucky are we to see all these places. I won’t be in the Philippines until December. But I won’t forget!
Thank you so much, Alexa! We looked at Cebu City IT Park, but we weren't sure if that would even do justice to the Philippines. Have a terrific time! -Judy
May I ask if you need to tip the tour guide after the day walking trip is over? And if so, what would be the appropriate amount to pay? Thank you
Great question. Yes, we tip tour guides in cash at the end of the tour regardless of the country we're in. Vietnam is one of many countries where tourism hasn't fully returned and tour guides have to get extra jobs to cover the gap in supporting their families, so if you can tip, I would do it. We typically will tip 10-20% of what the total tour costs. Not everyone can afford a 20% tip and not every tour guide is worth 20%, so use your best judgment. They will be grateful regardless because some people don't believe in tipping at all. We also tip the driver a certain amount as well (a smaller portion of what we tip the guide). -Judy
Thankyou for your great tips and lovely, relaxed mannerisms. xo. I'm staying with my partner in APR-MAY in Quan (District) 1 [Ben Thanh] on north boundary of Saigon Central Park (D. Le Lai), near Ben Thanh Market. We will probably spend most evenings in District 1 Pham Ngu Lao D. Bui Vien Walking Street, on south side of the park. I am like you, and always usually book a HOHO near beginning of trips to new cities, but after a lot of hassle with a HOHO in Bangkok (took 2 Thailand trips to get it right!) this trip I have simply booked a 1-hr night sights bus tour for Day 2. I'm flying on a budget carrier - Viet Jet - but I got the 2nd cheapest package as it included check-in baggage and paid later for meals and seat allocation - but still cheap. Hopefully this will be my cheapest o/s holiday to date, at age 53! The best aspect is it is a single nonstop flight BNE-SGN, and only 8 hrs. Do you recommend the Cu Chi Tunnels and War Remnants Museum. I didn't realise that HCMC & Hanoi had such totally different climates! (not that I'm doing Hanoi). Any concern that VN is a communist country? Thanks again, beautiful couple. Where in the US are you from? xoxoxo
Thank you for this interesting comment and for watching our video! We missed the Cu Chi Tunnels because we were afraid they might be too touristy and not respectful of the war. HOWEVER, it was a mistake. Our favorite guide that did the 3 Coolest Neighborhoods Tour also does a tunnel tour and by the time we knew that and interesting it would have been, we didn't have time for it. We don't make a dime from recommending them, but consider using this tour company. We've gone on their Hoi A tours and they are some of the best guides we've ever had. Small company, but absolutely the most passionate and humble people you will ever meet: seeyouinvietnam.com/tours/
We weren't sure how to feel about Vietnam being a communist country, but what we were told over and over again by locals is that they aren't interested in the politics of their country (after years of being attacked or occupied). All they want is to be able to afford to feed, clothe, and care for their families and are happy with whatever regime allows them to do that with the least amount of hassle.
There was nothing we saw or encountered that was a huge reminder that we were in a communist country, with the exception of some small amount of propaganda in the War Remnants Museum. We highly recommend it and actually appreciated seeing history from the other side. It's a brutal reminder that as Americans, there is propaganda, hidden reasons for doing things and lies by our government to keep or instill support about things. It's called the American War there, not the Vietnam War. It was a bit hot there, but there are huge fans to help you cool off. We think it's absolutely worth visiting. In fact, we talk about it briefly in our second episode from Vietnam, which is linked below).
Congratulations on getting a good deal from VietJet. We flew them a few times and they are sticklers, so good for you to bypass some of that! We hope you have a great time in Vietnam and would love to know what you think about it when you return! And 53 is a great age for Vietnam! -Judy
🎥 Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
@@FindingGinaMarie thankyou so much for your decent reply, Judy. I'll definitely let you both know how the trip went. xoxo
Not sure if you have time to visit Hoi An during your trip, but you might want to watch our video from there that we just finished posting. It is one of the most beautiful cities in Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/w0nDoWQz_iQ/w-d-xo.html
Loved my Hanoi visit last year. Thank you for sharing your experience in Ho Chi Minh, will remember this when considering another travel to Vietnam.
Thank you so much for watching! We have a second video from Vietnam that we also think you will really enjoy that gives you an overview of our time there and things we think you should know. Also, thanks to popular demand, we're going back to Vietnam next month to experience Central Vietnam and learn more about the people and culture there, so stay tuned for more! -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for tips
Thanks so much for watching, Tati! We have another episode coming out on Saturday from Vietnam AND based on feedback here, we rearranged our 2024 travel to visit Central Vietnam as well. -Judy
What is the name of the large street that divides district 1 in HCMC?
Thanks so much for watching! The very busy street is actually a highway called HAM NGHI. North of that road is the Nguyen Hue Walking Street and the high-end hotels. We have a second video about HCMC and Hanoi and several episodes from Hoi An in our Vietnam series if you're interested. I've linked it below. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Why not stay longer? Just curious. Thanks for sharing. I would like to visit. Not sure I could cross the street.
Thanks for watching, Mike and for the excellent question! We only had a 30-day visa for Vietnam and we also had Airbnbs booked for Cambodia and Thailand (we'll be in Chiang Mai, which it looks like is familiar to you from your old videos), so we didn't have the luxury of staying longer without adjusting a series of travel. We got used to crossing the busy highway and also found an alternate route that avoided the worst of the traffic. We preferred Hanoi, but I think we'll even give Ho Chi Minh City another chance from a different location. We're also very eager to see Central Vietnam as well, but we made a decision last year that if we move after a few days or a week or even two that we can't always get to know a place as well as when we spend a month there and can establish a routine. At some point in the future our travel with slow down more and we'll spend a few months in a place, but right now our bucket list is too long! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarieenjoy your travels.
@@Mikesadventures-m2q Thank you so much! Please do the same! ;) -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie will do. When my lease is up in May I plan on traveling for a few months anyway.
We'd love to hear where you're going and what you think of the places you visit. We enjoy learning from our fellow travelers and viewers! -Judy
What is the name of the “very busy street” in HCMC? I just want to understand what part is considered HCMC north and what part is considered south.
The very busy street is actually a highway called HAM NGHI. North of that road is the Nguyen Hue Walking Street and the high-end hotels.
Hi, is Vietnam ok place for senior solo woman to retired there?
We think it is a great place for a senior solo woman to retire to. It's a very safe country and also one of the most affordable countries in Southeast Asia. -Judy
I would not recommend it. In retirement, you probably need to have some concern over medical care and emergency services like ambulances, etc. You won't really find that here like you would in the west or Australia. That is not to say that they do no exist, but, I can tell you that the traffic does not make way for an ambulance and if you have an emergency, it would be faster/easier to have a partner rush you to the hospital. If you are young, healthy, and active, it can be great fun. However, in that case, you probably want to look into District 7 (Phu My Hung) or District 2 (Thao Dien) for the lifestyle and travel into D1, etc for fun. You will find that most of the expat population is in D7 and D2.
Also it was beautiful days in Saigon city
We were thankful for only a little rain, but it was very hot, especially mid day! Thanks for watching! -Judy
i like your videos they are not from the younger generation thank heavens one question why go to vietnam? whats the selling point?
There is a lot to enjoy about Vietnam. We didn't love Saigon, but we admit that the location we were in had something to do with that. There's so much rich history in Vietnam, when you figure out the foods, they are really delicious, and we met some very kind people there. We loved Hanoi and Hoi An and found some non-touristy experiences that really made Vietnam worth visiting. It's also incredibly affordable. Thanks for watching. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
I toured Vietnam all of last month riding a motorbike through Phu Quoc, Ho Chi Minh, Nha Trang, Danang, Hanoi and the Ha Giang Loop.
I can't imagine going to Ho Chi Minh without experiencing the exciting challenge driving my girlfriend around on a motorbike surrounded by thousands of motorbikes and other traffic moving around in all directions with no rules.
When you have a motorbike, it doesn't matter where your hotel is since driving to the preferred places from your hotel is part of the fun!
You can get a great hotel in Hanoi for less than half of that $70 a night.
Don't go to Vietnam without experiencing the mystical and mesmerizing fantasy of the Ha Giang Loop.
And finally, Vietnam relieves the stress of spending too much on traveling since everything is so reasonably priced if you go there with Western currency.
We have heard too many horror stories of people wrecking while riding motorbikes, including people who are veteran riders. In part that's due to a lot of novices who probably shouldn't be riding, but they're tourists who don't know what they're doing. So we have no regrets of not experiencing any motorbike rides.
Because our location was so unenjoyable in Saigon, we really wanted to ensure we had a great experience in Hanoi. So we opted to stay as close as we could to Hoàn Kiếm Lake, which was a friend's suggestion. Old Town is more expensive than some other parts of the city, but we were extremely happy about the location, especially since we were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary there. It also was the week before Christmas, which is an expensive time to visit. Our Airbnb in Saigon was around $22 per night, so we knew we could find something cheaper, but getting the location right was most important to us since we only were there for 8 days. Thank you so much for watching and for sharing your experiences! -Judy
PS: We have an entire series from Vietnam you might want to watch, including some time we spent in Hoi An and doing some less touristy things. Here's a link to our playlist: 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
@@FindingGinaMarie That's sooo true about motorbiking. It can destroy a trip really fast. We saw a bloodied Vietnamese guy on the road just seconds after an accident and being helped buy many locals. Reminder that an accident can change your plans really fast.
Ah yes, I understand the desire to spend a little more on your stay based on the time of year and location. I did the same thing on a Ha Long Cruise.
Thank you for the details! I will check out your other Vietnam videos.
@@all4fitz Thank you so much! -Judy
Train, train, train, bus, bus, bus was our way of seeing Vietnam from Saigon to Hanoi and most parts in-between. We never take guided tours. Research, research, research we spent a month in country.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience. As full-time travelers who also are very busy digital nomads, we unfortunately no longer have time to do deep research on a place before we arrive. We ideally want to spend one month in each city we visit without moving around too much so we can settle in and experience more of the day-to-day life of locals versus a few days in a place and then move on. It's a personal preference, but even when we fully researched when traveling for vacations, we always preferred to hear a local share their insights and hidden gem locations and learn about or taste foods that we might not try on our own. We think guides for a day trip or half-day tour offer great value and historical information that we highly recommend. But the beautiful thing about traveling is that we each can experience it in our own way. -Judy
We visted the same area in Hanoi and that beautiful lake. Very near to where you were there is a show you could have seen that dates back hundreds of years. It's a water puppet show didn't understand none of it as it is in Vietnamese but still an awesome show. We were mainly there to take the Ha Long Bay boat trip. Went for the double overnight, highly expensive in first class but worth every penny. Two nights equals two groups of people to visit with. Oddly enough the reason for our trip to Vietnam was my wife is Korean and has always been told she looks Vietnamese (so after thirty years of marriage I found myself looking at Vietnamese women) and she does. Northern Vietnamese indigenous women. The mountains of Delat was our favorite place to visit.
We heard about the water puppet show, and although it sounded interesting, we didn't end up seeing it. The weather wasn't great for Ha Long Bay, but that's another place we want to visit, and we appreciate that meeting people and hanging out is a great way to make connections while traveling. Delat also sounds interesting and with more time, we'd have loved to visit. But it seemed pretty isolated and time consuming for a day trip. We'll need to have a little more time so we can get to know it. Thanks for sharing your experiences. It helps us to know what other people enjoy and to add them to our list of places to visit as well. -Judy
You're welcome 😊 if you do ever go to Delat plan at least a week or more. Delat is where coffee is grown and cut flower fields abound along with many greenhouses.
@@thecountrybunkins8896 Thanks for the tip! -Judy
all the informations you give are accurate. i just want to add District Phú Nhuận , Gò Vấp to the list .
Thanks so much for the suggestion. Have you seen our other episode from Vietnam? As a result of such kind people like you, we are going back to Central Vietnam in a month in order to immerse ourselves a bit more in Vietnamese culture. Here's a link to our other episode from there. -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Not only Hanoi or HCM city but next time you should go to South ofHCM city likeCanTho, Phu Quoc or Cetral VNlike DaNang, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Hue city. Good luck
Hi Hung, we actually plan to visit parts of Central Vietnam in a month or so due to all the positive feedback we've gotten. You might want to check out our most recent episode from Vietnam. Thanks for the great suggestions! -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Have you considered going to Paradise Cave in Vietnam?
Yes, absolutely, Quang. We also wanted to visit Hue, but we ran out of time. As full-time travelers, we can easily return and would love to in order to see Paradise Cave. My understanding is that it is one of the best caves in Vietnam (or anywhere). Here's our full series of videos from Vietnam if you're interested. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
How how do you find the legitimate tour guide? Are there companies?
We are most comfortable checking reviews on Airbnb Experiences and Viator/Trip Advisor. We've had negative experiences through Get Your Guide, but positive experiences through With Locals. We're fairly skeptical about people who promote themselves on Facebook groups. We prefer small group tours whenever possible. As far as Vietnam, we highly recommend seeyouinvietnam.com. The owner, Nguyen, is an amazing tour guide. Thanks so much for watching! Here are links to the rest of our series from Vietnam. Our guides are all listed in the descriptions, but feel free to reach out if you have any questions at all! -Judy
🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
who was you guide and how can I find him? I'm going in August.
Here you go! These folks are straight up super impressive. We know they'll give you a great experience. Let them know you heard of them through our channel. We don't make any money from referring them, but we want them to be successful. -Judy
Three Coolest Neighborhoods in Saigon Tour: www.airbnb.com/experiences/866440
Or book directly here: seeyouinvietnam.com/tour-item/the-coolest-neighborhoods-in-saigon/
Here's our other video as well from Vietnam. Also, we're headed to Central Vietnam next week, so we'll have more content from Vietnam soon! -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
It seems that you have not been to Nha trang city where it has got a beautiful beach in the middle of the city, life is quite simple and easy for people who don't want a noisy and busy city or so on
Thank you so much for the suggestion. We'll add it to our list of places to visit. We actually don't mind noisy, busy cities, but we found it a little harder to eat in Ho Chi Minh City, and our Airbnb housed hundreds of motorcycles. Entering and leaving the confined garage every day was a lot of fuel for us to smell, and that wasn't ideal. but we're looking forward to exploring more of Vietnam in the next month. Did you see our second video from there, which is linked below? -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Ouch… it seems you spent much time in the less interesting parts of the city in the main. As a New Yorker who has been living here 30 years… for first timers spending about a week to ten days I recommend a hotel along or near Nguyễn Huệ Street (District 1. )If one has about 3 or 4 weeks then a hotel or apartment in Thao Dien district which is home some to some of the coolest places in the city. Definitely go to the Mekong for a one day trip or overnight to Can Tho for a two day trip. Also… take a separate one day trip to Tay Ninh and take the cable car ride up Black Lady Mountain (Nui Ba Den). Also… come in the dry season for much more comfortable weather. Dec-March
@loveaodai100 We had many experiences, so they weren't all confined to one small area, but yes, where we stayed wasn't ideal for us. The weather was hot in mid November through mid December and we barely got rain. The weather was worse in Da Nang, so we ended up skipping it. Thanks for these additional suggestions! -Judy
Going on a 1000 pound a month budget is that possible.. I'm not worried about accommodation I'm travelling on my own.. so I don't need fancy just safe with a shower and WiFi
Hi John, that's a really light budget, but you may be able to squeeze by and make it work. You'd be looking at hostels for less than £10 per day, which may be able to happen, but you won't have much choice or flexibility. Even if you're eating only two meals per day and one is something cheap like noodles/pho, you'd be very restricted to £10-£12/per day or less, which would give you £250-£300 to move around between cities if you don't plan to stay in one place the entire time. The British pound isn't very strong right now, unfortunately, so you'll just have to be very strategic about where you eat and drink. Some eSims can be fairly affordable in Vietnam. We hope you have an amazing time. Here's our full video series if you're interested. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
@@FindingGinaMarie been looking on other people's pages and they gave me some very good information one is actually out there right now, and I got lots from him.. I think om going da nang on a 1000 pounds I can't rent for around 300 350 all in electric water.. what did notice they use the $ an right now it 1.5 to our pound so I should be OK I very much appreciate you getting back to me
We wish you all the best and hope you have a terrific experience, John! -Judy
Crossing streets in Vietnam. Wait for a break in traffic, or not, but make eye contact with approaching vehicles.
Saigon has something Hanoi doesn't, pho Saigon. Pho Hanoi, or Bac Nam, is usually garbage imo. Inside Vietnam, I've not found pho Saigon anywhere but in Saigon. But, to each their own.
Hi Brennen, I think we'd have felt differently about Saigon had we spent more time in other areas than where our Airbnb was. It also was a big adjustment from Japan, but had we already been in SE Asia before arriving in Vietnam, I think we would have had a much different experience. We did really enjoy Hanoi and loved Hoi An, especially once we left the more touristy parts of it. We definitely want to return and explore more! In total, we were there for seven weeks, and I do have fond memories of the food. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
What's an erb?
It's an Airbnb. Perhaps our words ran together. Here's a link to our other episode from Vietnam. We have two more videos from Hoi An An coming out this Saturday and next, where we spent the last three weeks. -Judy
🎥 Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
I think you were trying to say herb
@@danieldankx5001 If it came out like "erb," that's actually how it's pronounced in the US. The H is silent here. 🤷♀ -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie oh ok the rest of the world pronounce it as herb
@@danieldankx5001 Actually, the word herb was borrowed from French, where the h is silent; it was silent in British and American English up to the 19th century, when RP-a specific British English accent-and some other British dialects began pronouncing the h (though the silent h pronunciation persists in some British dialects).
The "h" is silent in the words honor, honest, hour, and heir. Here's probably more than you ever wanted to know: th-cam.com/video/wDR5j30spfI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=NcJszqBsQupg-2w7 --Judy
Even Kathmandu has pedestrian overpasses. You would think Vietnam would make over/under passes
Hi Mark, I don't know if there are parts of town that have them, but we wished for them, too! There was only one place we saw them, but it was to go over water. I don't know how the government prioritizes spending money, but this would be beneficial and would in the near term create jobs! But they are expensive. Thanks for watching. Have you seen our other video from Vietnam? We're also visiting Central Vietnam in a few weeks in order to see what more we can learn about the country since we felt we got off to a very slow start there. -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
I like your video. Unfortunately, most videos on Vietnam is about older western men dating much much younger hungry girls
Thanks for watching, and you're right, that is NOT us! -Judy
Traveling in China, I often said that road signs, signals, and crosswalks were SUGGESTIONS! Heck, lanes were SUGGESTIONS! Two marked lanes and three cars across with mere inches between cars! 😂 You have to have balls of steel to drive in Asia!
Yes, I have no idea how people even ride motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City! Interesting that the same issue is everywhere in that part of the world! Thanks for watching, Rebecca! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie have a blast!
3 weeks in Saigon and 1 in Hanoi is the wrong way around.
We heard great things about Saigon, so it depends on who you ask. We have a second video from Vietnam, and based on all the feedback, we plan to go back and see Hoi An and the surrounding area. If you have suggestions, we’d love to hear them. Thanks for watching! -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
District 4, for rob
Our guide was very clear that that was back in the time when the mafia ran that district, which is not the case anymore! -Judy
For someone who loves whole fried fish, I’m gonna admit your comments or maybe how you talked about your dislike for a fish with its head still on and eyes looking at you was a little offensive.
I'm not sure why that would offend you! We aren't saying you can't eat those things, only that I would prefer not to. Kevin has texture issues with foods like flan or pudding. Everyone has preferences. I don't mind seeing those foods, but I am uncomfortable eating them. I also respect that every culture has its own cultural foods and I am in no way trying to be insensitive to that. I'm willing to try unfamiliar foods, but those are two that I have trouble eating. Thanks for watching and we hope you understand, even if you don't agree! -Judy
I think maybe you need to relisten to your video. Saying you don’t want eyes staring at you is unnecessary as my other comment said some people love the whole head eyes and all. I think the way you phrase it in this comment is more appropriate than how you say it in your video or in your other comment that implies people aren’t taking the time to take the head off. It’s litterally how many Asians cook and prefer their fish. It’s not because we are lazy to remove them. I hope you understand. Thanks
I’m just trying to make you aware of something maybe you didn’t think was offensive but may be to some so you can know for next time.
Perhaps I should have chosen my words more carefully, but there's also an idea of assuming best intentions versus the worst. We couldn't put out any content at all if we worried about offending people. We always try to do our best. And vendors aren't taking the time to remove the heads. That's not saying they are lazy-we didn't imply that, and I don't think that we needed to give every explanation for why a restaurant makes the choices they do. -Judy
I’ll leave it at this. I personally would want to know when I’ve unintentionally offended someone so I can be more careful next time. That was my intent to let you have an awareness that it did offend someone. And I wouldn’t question that person and say “why would that offend you?” Because people don’t want to be offended but if they are they are and in most cases when one person doesn’t know why because they are not offended they should respect that for whatever reasons the other person is offended and personally instead of questioning and saying that should not be offensive I would just say sorry to have offended you as it was not my intention.
But isn't part of understanding knowing why we were offending? We can't expect to do better if we don't know what we did wrong. We admit that perhaps we could have expressed ourselves better in this instance, but we sincerely didn't know why someone would be offended by my personal food choices. We aren't willing to give blanket apologies to everyone who makes a comment on our videos because there are a lot of horrible people that we deal with on a daily basis with some pretty messed up views. We won't apologize for certain of our opinions, especially ones that may offend people who are racist, prejudiced, etc., and because of some of the places we visit, we encounter a lot of those people. -Judy
U didn’t c ghost? 😂
Tragic history.
You guys seem very picky picky
It's a shame that was your takeaway from this video, Todd. We've been to over 20 countries and have traveled full time for the last two years. Saigon was the first city that didn't resonate with us. We also admit that a lot of that had to do with us choosing the wrong location for our base and experiencing a bit of a culture shock after just spending 40+ days in Japan, which is quite a bit different from the location we were in in Saigon. We have an entire series from Vietnam that might change your mind about us. In fact, although we had problems in Saigon, we enjoyed Hanoi and decided to go back to Vietnam to check out Hoi An to see if Saigon was a fluke. We were there for three weeks and did some terrific things, including visiting My Son Sanctuary, taking a historic tour of Hoi An and a Vietnamese cooking class, and spent a day with locals to understand them better. I think spending seven weeks in Vietnam shows that we are people who really want to see the best in a place, even if that wasn't our initial experience. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Visit a third world country in SE Asis with prerequisites like "No fish with heads, or shrimping looking at you" pretty much says it all...
Sorry, Terence, there were A LOT of local foods that we enjoyed in Vietnam. It's not necessary to have those things in order to have a good culinary experience. Perhaps you'd get a more rounded picture of our time in Vietnam from our second video and, based on all the amazing feedback we got from our viewers, we plan to go back to see Central Vietnam and give it more of a chance based on some recommendations. We hope you don't think you know us based on one video from a location that didn't set us up for success. -Judy
Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
Sorry, can't stop myself: First world people concerned about third world 'traffic' 😀
For visitors to Vietnam, understanding the amount of traffic they will face and how to navigate roads is a concern. There are people who have never experienced it and it can be scary and unnerving. We just want people to be aware before they arrive. Yes there are a lot of other things that will be very different and we try to address those as well. These points are not to diminish anything about what the Vietnamese experience every day.
Also, third world has evolved as a term, and Vietnam is not on this most recent list:. -Judy
worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/third-world-countries
Well let's not debate over terminology and lists
@@eblue25 Then maybe we don't refer to Vietnam as a third-world country.
why do so many of these SE Asian videos have low-brow trashy western pop-music tracks intruding themselves?????
The tracks I picked for this video are more aligned with classical music than pop. TH-cam will block or demonetize videos containing any music that triggers a copyright claim, so most creators pick from catalogs that are specifically licensed for TH-cam. When possible, I do try to match the region of the world. When that's not possible, I try to find tracks that will elevate the content without overpowering it or getting in the way of our talks. - Kevin
Too fussy to enjoy a trip.
Hi Molly, If you're saying that we are too fussy to enjoy a trip, we admit that Saigon did not fit us as well as we hoped. We mentioned that it was in large part due to picking the wrong location. We have another episode from Vietnam that's already aired and we have two more videos coming from Hoi An, which was a great experience for us and we'll be bringing those to you soon. There are some locations that don't work out. After 16 months of full-time travel, we don't think we're too fussy to enjoy a trip.-Judy
🎥 Things to Know Guide-Vietnam: th-cam.com/video/12HWTIwSE6s/w-d-xo.html
First world problems
Maybe, maybe not. If you're traveling and met with food poisoning or a gut biome that can't process the local food, it becomes a problem. Sure we're talking about tourists, but we think being located in a place where you can be somewhat comfortable with the food is an important point to note. We want to give visitors the best experience and know what to expect. -Judy
Keep Saigon weird
We did what we could! Thanks for watching! Here's our full video series from Vietnam if you're interested. One other video includes Saigon ;) -Judy
🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Finding Gina Marie, I absolutely enjoyed your video(s). I've watched 2. This is my 21st year living in Vietnam, and you folks have my sympathy/respect for diving right in. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's sure a lot of fun. Remember, the only place weirder than HCMC is Portland. Great job! 😊
Haha, you are right about Portland! We are glad to have spent more time in Vietnam because we really enjoyed it once we got the hang of things. It didn't help that we arrived in Saigon immediately after 40+ days in Japan. They are very different, and once we got more acclimated, we had a great time. Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
Air bnb is a disgusting company
We disagree. They are filling a gap in the market that hotels don't, especially for people who travel for extended periods of time. In places where there are issues with housing prices for locals, some governments have put constraints on Airbnb, and we abide by them. -Judy
Communist country .... NO, THANK YOU.
You certainly don't have to visit everyplace we do, but we think it's important to understand people from everywhere in the world and how they live. Your mileage may vary. -Judy
What’s the point if traveling if you don’t experience the REAL opinion of people who live differently than youL @@FindingGinaMarie
Hi @robertjacobs4062 Not sure if your comment is meant for the original commenter or for us, but it's interesting for us to experience people and cultures different from our own. We know that the American version of history can be manipulated and sanitized and facts left out to put the US in the best light. It's helpful to understand how the US is perceived, and also how other people live and observe the differences (good and bad). -Judy
It's not North Korea. In fact, having spent time in BKK, KL and Hanoi/Da Nang, I sure couldn't tell which country was "communist" and which wasn't. Maybe worry less about labels?
Tip for crossing street in Vietnam:
Many tourist foreigners scared of traffic in VN . Don’t worry about it! The rule to win this fear is keep routin slowly walking when you across the streams of motobike! -motobykers knows how to avoid you themself in chaos-order! remmember do not run and stop suddently , accident immidiatly ! Don’t be affraid off and do it if you want to be safety in the crazy- rule traffic in Vietnam.
TIP for save your money when enjoy Vietnamese cuisine : Find the shop sever 1 food that many people comes . Street- food instead of smart restaurants !
We agree with this advice for pedestrians. We learned when crossing pretty dangerous streets in Cairo that you need to walk assertively and predictably. It may still be unnerving, but it's much less harrowing than when traffic doesn't know what you're doing.
We are all for street food when we feel reasonably certain that the hygiene is good. It's not always the case, especially in some areas where we stayed in Saigon. We got hit a few times with some questionable food, and it sure puts a damper on travel. But you are right that it's much more affordable and not as authentic of an experience. Here are the rest of our episodes from Vietnam. We ended up coming back for another three weeks after the encouragement from viewers like you. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
There are many and the most beautiful hotel in front and a block from beach and breakfast included for under $20.00 a night, APUS and GALINA hotel for example, why stay in Air BnB? You guys had been misinformed. Check out all hotels before stay at noisy Air BnB.
What's the name and link to the place you are suggesting? We stay for a month and because we work, we ideally like to have a couch, a refrigerator, and room to spread out with a desk or chair so we can work from our accommodations. We also need strong wi-fi for TH-cam purposes. We've never had a noisy Airbnb and typically they are cheaper with better amenities (washing machine, small kitchen, etc.) than almost every hotel option. The location in Saigon didn't work for us, but we aren't typically beach people. We want to be near cultural points of interest as well, but we don't want to be in or near high-priced hotels because that's not the vibe we want, either. -Judy
Not impressed with it.
We had a hard time in Saigon, but Hanoi was lovely and Hoi An was surprising in all its beauty. We are glad we spent a meaningful amount of time in Vietnam and didn’t base all of our experiences from the location we stayed in at HCMC. -Judy
🎥 Vietnam travel series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
You're over paid for everything also you are the first on the TH-camr complain and worried about the foods when millions vacationers and TH-camr are bragging how delicious the foods are. I'm so offended when you mislead about "red flagged " on the Vietnam culture foods! They are cheap and the most delicious foods compared to all other countries.
We did for food, but certainly not everything, John. We weren't comfortable with some of the more local restaurants as far as hygiene and ended up eating in more expensive places a good amount of the time. We had some stomach issues that made us unwilling to eat from some of the street food places and the very local restaraunts. Had we taken our 3 Coolest Neighborhoods tour sooner ,we would have known about some safer food, and that definitely would have helped. We didn't overpay for our Airbnb in Saigon. We paid $22.51 per night, which we consider pretty reasonable. -Judy
Here are our other videos from Vietnam, including our first episode from Hoi An, which aired this past Saturday. 🎥 Vietnam video series: th-cam.com/play/PLNT98lWfwdF0w1OZR1ZwgqGRPRMKXZaNB.html
Did you get anything stolen in Vietnam? Victim of any SCAMS in this “wonderful” country? Next time try Thailand!
Hi Robert, we had nothing stolen in Vietnam, despite being there an entire month. We actually plan to visit Central Vietnam in about a month, but first we are headed to Chiang Mai. So many people adore Vietnam, and since we really enjoyed Hanoi, we want to give Hoi An and the surrounding area a try. We weren't scammed and overall had a decent experience. Ho Chi Minh City wasn't our favorite, but not for any of the reasons you are mentioning. We would have preferred staying in another part of town than where we were located, and we mention that in our video. We try not to compare countries against each other because each has its own culture and history. But we are looking forward to seeing what Thailand has to offer. -Judy