Ho Chi Minh City General Tips by xuessium

Favorite Thing: The dry season starts from late October and persist till late March. You get blue skies and plenty of sun. This is the best time to visit HCMC. (Do note the weather pattern is different for HCMC and Hanoi, which is further up north)


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Favorite Thing: The Vietnamese currency is the Dong. It is not available outside of Vietnam, so you have to bring in other major currencies (such as the US dollar or the Euro) and exchange for the Vietnamese Dong.

It is roughly about 15500 Dongs to 1 US Dollar. (rate as of Dec 2003)


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Favorite Thing: The rates could be better and you need not risk yourself being conned. (There are a number of banks in the backpackers' area) Sacom Bank is available for those staying around Pham Ngu Lao.


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Favorite Thing: Vietnamese as a people are possibly the best candidate for being non-camera shy. I had a great time photographing people in HCMC...even in the city. Just make sure you smile (and not in the leering way), point to your camera and most, if not all, folks will be happily obliging to let you take a photo of them. Please say your thanks and bow a little. Sincerity goes a long way. I think that's not asking much!


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Favorite Thing: ARCHIVED! THIS TIP IS NO LONGER VALID!! AIRPORT TAX IS NOW INCLUDED INTO THE TICKET.

The airport tax is collected at the airport itself upon your departure from HCMC. There will be a counter right after you had cleared security and had gotten your passport stamped for departure to collect the US$12 airport tax.


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Favorite Thing: Inspired by the flag of the People's Republic of China, the National flag is derived from the flag of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Red is a socialist colour and the golden star represents communism. The five points of the star stand for the farmers, workers, intellectuals, youth and soldiers.


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