Ho Chi Minh City vs Kuala Lumpur vs something else

[Requiem]

Hi folks,

 

I will have 2 weeks to stay somewhere outside Thailand in the end of January.

 

I'd like to stay at an AirBnB somewhere not too expensive, so Singapore and Hong Kong is out of the question.

 

My main choice is between KL and HCM. Been to KL for 3 days already, never been to HCM yet. Been to Danang, so it's out of the question. Hanoi is too cold in January.

Been to Taipei as well.

Which place you think is better for 2 weeks in terms of food, price, entertainment/nightlife, logistics, things to see/do? I'll be working during day time and off in the evening. Or maybe you have another place to recommend?

Appreciate all the tips,

 

Req

 

 

[prism]

HCMC for sure. It's inexpensive and it's got a great vibe. 2 weeks is a bit long though, maybe go to Hoi An too.  

Edited August 7, 2018 by prism

[smotherb]

1 hour ago, prism said:

HCMC for sure. It's inexpensive and it's got a great vibe. 2 weeks is a bit long though, maybe go to Hoi An too.  

Ho town is a big city, I doubt you'd get bored in two weeks, but if you do, you could always take the ferry to Vung Tau.

[DonaldBattles]

Take a close look at Hanoi I think the night life there is better and cheaper. LOTS OF IT!

[hobobo]

1 hour ago, smotherb said:

Ho town is a big city, I doubt you'd get bored in two weeks, but if you do, you could always take the ferry to Vung Tau.

Definitely get bored in Vung Tau!

[CLW]

I suggest you HCMC. You will get bored to death staying 2 weeks in KL.

[TPI]

HCMP no question!

[Jip99]

3 minutes ago, TPI said:

HCMP no question!

 

 

+1

[Jip99]

1 hour ago, hobobo said:

Definitely get bored in Vung Tau!

 

 

I didn't.

[smotherb]

2 hours ago, hobobo said:

Definitely get bored in Vung Tau!

Well, I guess it depends on what you want. The OP wanted some nightlife, but it also has a beach and a nice hilltop statue of Christ the King or alternatively a statue of a seated Buddha complete with temple too.

[hobobo]

36 minutes ago, smotherb said:

Well, I guess it depends on what you want. The OP wanted some nightlife, but it also has a beach and a nice hilltop statue of Christ the King or alternatively a statue of a seated Buddha complete with temple too.

Nightlife in Vung Tau? I had better in Khon Kaen!

[LongTimeLurker]

Thought of Penang?

 

Or Bali?

 

HCMC is good for 2 weeks if you just want to chill out.

[smotherb]

1 hour ago, hobobo said:

Nightlife in Vung Tau? I had better in Khon Kaen!

Well, good for you. I much prefer Vung Tau. So, now what, dueling pistols at dawn?

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, hobobo said:

Nightlife in Vung Tau? I had better in Khon Kaen!

Plenty of hooker bars in both places, but most of the girls in the Vang Tau bars speak English.

No beach at KK.

 

Edited August 7, 2018 by BritManToo

[smotherb]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Plenty of hooker bars in both places, but most of the girls in the Vang Tau bars speak English.

No beach at KK.

 

Yeah, isn't it amazing? I find many Vietnamese who speak English well and in places where tourists rarely go. I met a young street vendor in La Gi--up the coast from Vung Tau toward Nha Trang--who used proper English tenses and verbs when she spoke. It's difficult to find a Thai university professor who can do that. When I was there in the 60's and 70's, the depth of the English language spoken was similar to here; only those who dealt regularly with English speakers spoke any English at all. I speak Vietnamese rather well after four years there during the war. I was quite surprised how it just seemed to roll off my tongue when I first went back about ten years ago. And yes, I do like Vung Tau. I had a villa there in the 60's and have been back there twice in the last two years.  

[seasia]

I enjoyed both HCMC  & Vung  Tau.

 

Nice destinations IMO

[hobobo]

38 minutes ago, smotherb said:

Well, good for you. I much prefer Vung Tau. So, now what, dueling pistols at dawn?

Nah, I like to lie in.

[tutsiwarrior]

some good restaurants on the sea front in Vung Tau in 2006...one french dude had a wood fired pizza oven and respectable pasta...

 

back in HCMC at the then premier italian restaurant in HCMC with a companion that I had acquired in Vung Tau: 'the cannelloni is better in Vung Tau...' she had excellent english and later my marriage was ruined...

 

 

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Probably the best plan. Spend a few days in HCMC, then Vung Tau and back to HCMC. Great bars and restaurants and fantastic craft beers everywhere in HCMC -- something like 15 brew pubs in the last 4-5 years. Good restos on every street in D1.

Take the boat to VT (in front of Majestic Hotel) for 250,000 VND depending on day and spend 2-3 nights. Or take a VIP minibus straight to your VT hotel. HCMC hotel can arrange. 160,000 VND

 

Edited August 16, 2018 by Kaoboi Bebobp

[tutsiwarrior]

51 minutes ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

Probably the best plan. Spend a few days in HCMC, then Vung Tau and back to HCMC. Great bars and restaurants and fantastic craft beers everywhere in HCMC -- something like 15 brew pubs in the last 4-5 years. Good restos on every street in D1.

Take the boat to VT (in front of Majestic Hotel) for 250,000 VND depending on day and spend 2-3 nights. Or take a VIP minibus straight to your VT hotel. HCMC hotel can arrange. 160,000 VND

 

I lived on Mac Dinh Chi St off of Le Duan in HCMC D1 back in 2006 and there were a couple of brew pubs there back then...good food; sausages, sauerkraut and mash...also Japanese and Korean on the same block and a row of pho places that did a brisk trade in the am...ladies with hand carts selling banh mi sandwiches out front...buy  a couple to take to work, etc...

 

further on a block or so across Le Duan there was a lovely outdoor place (sheltered from the rain) that did live sea fish and prawns by the kilo (in big tanks for inspection) prepared anyway you like...very nice and everything ridiculously cheap, feed 4 adults incl beers for about USD30...

 

 

[BritManToo]

Air Asia flights to Hanoi 1,090bht in November/December.

[expat1010]

Thought of Penang?
 
Or Bali?
 
HCMC is good for 2 weeks if you just want to chill out.

Never ever go to Penang during Chinese New Years

More than half the restaurants and businesses are closed and the every place that is open is packed with Chinese and other Asian tourists. Unless of course you like that.


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[tutsiwarrior]

18 hours ago, expat1010 said:

Never ever go to Penang during Chinese New Years

More than half the restaurants and businesses are closed and the every place that is open is packed with Chinese and other Asian tourists. Unless of course you like that.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

in Hanoi during the TET holiday in February they roll up the sidewalks as everyone goes home for the holiday and it can be unpleasantly cold that time of year...I was workin' down in Ha Tinh province and didn't have any warm clothing and went to Hanoi to find all the shops shut, checked into the Melia hotel (4 star, wonderful accommodation and breakfast around the corner from the 'Hanoi Hilton' gaol) to thaw out in bed for 2 days...shops shut and  no clothes to buy so I settled for some bathrobes bought from the hotel...

 

the tourist places in the Old Town were still active, however...a very nice breakfast at the Melia;  lovely bread, they musta had an in - house bakery...

 

(later, back at the accommodation in Ha Tinh: 'here, have a bathrobe but remove yer clothes first so that we can share our body heat and conserve the resource...come along now'  and the young vietnamese housekeepers are amused 'you are an indecent but delightful old fellow, Mr tutsi...')

 

 

Edited August 20, 2018 by tutsiwarrior

[DonaldBattles]

Think that Hanoi is the future of night entertainment in big city Vietnam. However, a lot of smaller cities already have great night time entertainment. From the internet, it looks like the sex trade may have broken out all over the country. Beautiful girls everywhere. Nov. and Dec. Air Asia has B1000 flights from Bangkok. Economically, Vietnam is on the move with a GDP of 7.38. Good business opportunities. Still below other Asian countries.

[LongTimeLurker]

On 8/20/2018 at 4:40 PM, tutsiwarrior said:

in Hanoi during the TET holiday in February they roll up the sidewalks as everyone goes home for the holiday

Even some of the restaurants close for the whole month while everyone goes home!