Skip to main content

The Do and Don't of Saigon: Do (Part 2)

  1. Know that there are two ways to refer to the city: Ho Chi Minh and Saigon (a former name). Here’s a tough one: Hòn ngọc viễn đông (A gem of the far east).
  2. Call the waiters/waitresses using “anh ơi”/”chị ơi” to get their attention.
  3. Ask for the price of anything before you order.
  4. Ask your landlord to make a registration at the local authority to avoid being fined for illegal stay. If you want your visa to be extended later, it’s something you should get done.
  5. Bring some cash. Lots of places here don’t have access to credit/debit cards charging machines.
  6. Have a cheap, basic and delicious breakfast including 15,000 VNĐ banh mi & 15,000 VNĐ Ca Phe Sua Da (coffee with condensed milk). These are sold almost anywhere.
  7. Get a driver license unless you already have one (you could convert it into a Vietnamese one). The test is in Vietnamese, haha.
  8. Check with the hotel to see if foreigners can stay in the same room as a local person (there are laws for this).
  9. Make sure to check the taxi driver resets the meter before you start your journey.
  10. Take off your shoes before entering any houses. Vietnamese don’t understand why foreigners wear shoes inside your house.
  11. Expect to use a water faucet to wash off instead of toilet paper. Good luck if you are a paper person.
  12. Be careful when playing with dogs or cats. Not all of them get vaccinated.
  13. Expect to see cockroaches in your house over the rainy season.
  14. Take the “worm pills” once every 6 months to remove worms from your stomach. Believe me, you should.
  15. Expect to enjoy the meal at 8pm if the time written on the wedding invitation says 6.
  16. Bargain, because people might raise the price not only to you, but to local people also (100.000 down would be okay).
  17. Get a motorbike if you want to get around faster. The traffic is crazy.
  18. Join in group activities. Vietnamese people are friendly towards you, so get some friends and ask them to go somewhere fun!
  19. Receive things with both hands when the giver is an older person than you.
  20. Expect people to ask for your food (share-able food like french fries, nuggets…). You could say no, but it might be seen as rude. 

Interested in Vietnam’s tradition? Check out this article: Tet through Time! Saigon Then and Now

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Le Van Tam Park – Former Cemetery of Saigon’s Rich

What was once a cemetery for French soldiers and the elite, since 1983 has been recognized as Le Van Tam Park; the center of Ho Chi Minh City as we know it today. The city of Ho Chi Minh City had many cemeteries with hundreds of thousands of graves. Most of them were built at the end of the nineteenth century under French rule, when the scale of Saigon - Gia Dinh was very small. After that, the population quickly became so crowded that the authorities had to move the cemetery in order to "take land for construction of welfare facilities, [and to] keep environment clean". Among the cemeteries, one of the most famous, and perhaps the oldest is Mac Dinh Chi - now Le Van Tam Park. This area is bounded by 4 streets, being Dien Bien Phu - Hai Ba Trung - Vo Thi Sau and Phan Liem in the center of District 1. According to author Tim Doling (Ireland) - who has many studies, researching the history of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City, Le Van Tam Park was originally a European ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Water Bus in Saigon: The one and only

In light of the opening of the Number 1 water bus (Bach Dang –Linh Dong) serving passenger on a daily basis, a grand ceremony was held on the morning of November 25 th , 2017. Hundreds of residents expressed interests by having themselves present on the day and experience the trip. According to Mr. Cuong, the Head of the Department of Transportation, the new water bus service will sure make the daily life of commuters to work a lot easier. Not only this, but is said to help with the development of tourism in Saigon and decreasing instances and severity of traffic jams. In future, there will be more water bus and taxi services, creating a more diverse transportation system in Saigon. Along with the development of this water transportation service, the HCM City Department of Transportation is building a plan to connect bus routes to allow people to travel between the terminals of the river bus stations. In the near future, the Department of Transportation has adjusted some...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ho Chi Minh City looks for consent for firecrackers shows to stamp New Year 2018

Ho Chi Minh City looks for consent for firecrackers shows to stamp New Year 2018 A high-rank show and a few low-rank performances are proposed to be held at the upcoming celebratory events. Experts in Ho Chi Minh City are looking for consent from the local government to arrange a firecracker display to celebrate the up and coming New Year and Lunar New Year. The metropolitan People's Committee has submitted a document to the prime minister to secure his endorsement for firework presentations for these exciting events, to be subsidized by each local administrative area. As per the proposal, a dynamic fireworks display will take place in District 2 close to the Thu Thiem Tunnel on New Year's Eve. Three smaller scale exhibitions will be given at the Dam Sen Park in District 11, Cu Chi Tunnels in the wider region, and Rung Sac Square in Can Gio District. A similar arrangement has been proposed for the Lunar New Year's Eve, which will fall on the ...
Post a Comment
Read more