Ho Chi Minh City General Tips by Blatherwick

Favorite Thing: Often locals, and cyclo/moto drivers in particular, will invite you over to share some Bia Hoi (Draft Beer). It is usually around $0.20 a picture of beer and it isn't that bad. Be careful though. The Vietnamese can really put them away. They also play this game of saying "cheers" and downing half the glass. It goes simply like this: "Yeoh, 50 percent!" You then down half your beer. This can make you drunk very fast.


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Favorite Thing: There are a number of english speaking clubs in the city where the Vietnamese get together and practice english. My friend brought me to the one at his school and I chatted for awhile. Later, the organizers got me up on stage for 5 minutes so that I could talk to a crowd of 500 people. Tons of fun.


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Favorite Thing: The De Tham and Pham Ngu Lao area are a couple of streets in Saigon that make up the "backpacker ghetto". If you've been to Khaosan Road in Bangkok then this is the Vietnamese equivalent. This place has all the amenities that you need as a traveller. There are cheap places to sleep, cheap internet places, plenty of decent travel agencies, and places to buy toiletries. Small souvenir shops line the other side of the street and sell silk paintings of traditional Vietnam scenes, postcards, newspapers and burned DVDs of the latest movies. It is also a decent place to find Western food if Asian food doesn't suit your palate. Of course this means that it is done Vietnamese style so don't be surprised if the cheese on your burger is cheese spread or if your shake is missing ice cream.


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