I must apologize for being behind on my blog... Sometimes I don't have wifi connection and I need it to update my blogs so I'm sorry...
Originally I was going to do this trip on my own.... I wanted to go to Vietnam and Cambodia so when I mentioned my plans to Sherena, she asked if she could join. Then her friend Chris said he was coming too... I'm glad for the company and the experience...
We're in Vietnam for 4 days and Cambodia for 4 days so I packed accordingly... I will find out later that I packed too much and was very disappointed with myself
Tom Bihn
1 pants
1 PJ set
2 tank tops
1 button up
1 t shirt
4 undies
1 bra
Travel towel
Travel pillow
Bag of cords
Toiletries
iPad
Nook
Canvas slip ons
Sandals
I wore the pants, a tank top, the button up shirt, bra and undies, and slip ons
We flew AirAsia again, the flight was about an hour and a half and costed $105 roundtrip per person... A bargain!
Here's Chris playing with his food on the plane
Before coming to Vietnam, US passport carriers must obtain a visa for entry. If you go through the Vietnam embassy it takes about a week and costs over $100 for a multiple entry visa (we will be going to Cambodia and back so they need a multiple entry visa). Sherena and Chris went through Vietnamvisapro.com, they charge $13 service fee to request the visa on your behalf and the visa costs $65 payable on arrival at the visa counter where the visa will be given to you there (it's a full page visa too!)
We were all really excited to be in Vietnam until we got here...so much people everywhere... So much traffic everywhere... So many motorcycles everywhere....
Chris was in a hurry to get out of this crowd so he offered to pay for a taxi from the airport... I knew there was a cheaper route but he insisted... It was $15 for the cab! The bus would've costed 5,000VD ($0.25) per person... And it takes just as long since the traffic is the same... Oh well, lessoned learned
The street our hostel was off of
The alley our hostel was in
Our hostel... The staff here were so nice and the place was pretty nice too, compared to other places, so we've heard and experienced... $10 per person, per night.. We had the room to ourselves and a private bathroom, wifi, and breakfast!
After checking in, we asked what every tourist asks... Where's the nearest most delicious Pho?
Being in the street, we all agreed on one thing, it's soo much hotter here than in Thailand!
Around the corner from our hostel was Hu Thieu Nam Vang
My first Vietnamese coffee in Vietnam!
Pho Dac Biet... The special please... Had raw beef, brisket, and meatballs
The broth was a bit bland but nothing a bit of fish sauce couldn't fix... This meal was bit pricey and we didn't know since it was our first day here... But considering, the Pho was 65,000VD ($3.08) and the coffee was 18,000VD ($0.85), that's a great bargain in the states but it's considered pricey here... The restaurant is clean though.. And quick
While enjoying lunch, there were many vendors selling everything that I didn't need or want and would not leave us alone... One after the other with the same items would come by and insist we purchase something
We found out the hard way that many vendors don't like having their picture taken... We would point the camera and they would turn away or scream at us in Vietnamese... We couldn't figure out why so we asked first or just took it and ran
We explored the neighborhood a bit and went back to the hostel for a nap cause we woke up really early for our flight and it was incredibly hot!
After our nap we explored the streets again and this time it was crazier but not as hot
We felt peckish so we decided on this streetside BBQ joint
This is my casting call photo for Saigon beer
Cheers! We're in Vietnam!
The choices to choose from...
We ordered a few items at a time and they all came on the same plate except these guys... Chicken feet! These aren't as meaty as the ones you get in dim sum but still nice and crispy!
There are many vendors that sold this type of BBQ but this place had seating and were relatively nice... They all leave their meat out so you either deal with it and enjoy or starve or have some Cipro for back up
We didn't want to eat very much cause we planned on going to the night market and figured we would find food there... It's not a far walk from out hostel area and the nights in Vietnam are perfect temperature... But we feared for our lives... The motocylces and cars are ruthless... No one else in the world was more important than them and you better get out of their way! Luckily they drive on the same side as the states so it was easy to look left to right...
We were still were at a loss of words for the amount of motorcyles taking off at intersections... Look at this crazyness! It was a constant shit show and we kept waiting for an accident that never happened!
We saw a couple of vender selling these colorful rice so we picked a few and shared it... All flavors for 60,000VD ($2.85).... It was ok... Just fine enough to kill the curiosity but not to order it again
The market had tons of things.... Nuts, coffee, clothing, purses, souvenirs.... The most astounding thing we discovered was the bargaining technique.... If you ask how much something is just to get an idea of the price, you're expected to buy it... So don't ask unless you plan on negotiating with the vendor cause they can get crazy if you're just asking... A girl grabbed me by my arm and pulled me back in to ask how much I wanted the item for, when I said I was just looking, she pulled me back and kept trying it negotiate!
And their asking prices are ridiculous at times.... They'll ask for 300,000VD and when you walk away they ask how much you want it for, I say 100,000VD and they say they can not... Walk away and they'll say 200,000VD and you shake your head and keep walking... They'll shout 185,000VD, tell them again 100,000VD and they'll budge or you keep walking... Seriously! They just went down 200,000VD from their asking price! You just saved about $10 on that item! Basically you bargain the price that you think the item is worth... Usually about 1/3 to 1/4 of the price that they say... I've never lost a bargaining match with someone there... If they didn't give it me then it wasn't worth my time or money... Remember, go low and go hard and only ask if you really want it!
After our obstacle course at the night market we decided to head back to our hostel area... The scene we saw was so incredible we had to join in and experience the night life in Saigon
Sidewalk bars!! Restaurants or bars set up chairs along the sidewalk and let people people watch while you enjoy a cold beverage!
Our excitement was quickly extinguished by our first bar... We sat down and ordered 2 beers and a water, the guy told us "No water, keep moving." We thought he was joking... We ordered 2 beers though... He didn't care, he didn't want to serve water and didn't want someone sitting there and not drinking so fuck him, we went across the street!
This time we ordered 3 beers and a water, Sherena and I would share the last beer... When they brought it to us they asked for payment so we paid. They proceeded to try to confuse us in to paying more! We each paid for our drinks but they kept going around again like they still needed money for one more drink! Finally after being frustrated by not speaking Vietnamese and them not speaking English I did my best at grunting that I paid, she paid, he paid, we're done paying!
I finished my beer and they tapped me on the shoulder to order another, I declined and they complained about us in Vietnamese... I don't have to know the language to understand the body language... I got up to get something to eat at a cart 10 feet from my seat, as soon as I got up the lady who wanted me to order another beer sat in my seat so I couldn't come back to sit! As soon as Sherena took the last gulp from her beer they grabbed the bottle out of her hand and gave the "Now get out of here" vibe... I came back just in time to witness Chris pulling Sherena away before she went off on them! All of us were fuming and returned to the hostel to look up how to cuss people out in Vietnamese!! Sherena did laps on the hostel stairs to calm down but she came back still furious and now sweaty!
So far Vietnam was not what we thought it would be
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