Ho Chih Minh is an impressive city

[ev1lchris]

I was pleased with the city and I think in 5 to 10 years it could be as desirable to live in as Bangkok.

What I didn't like was the pushy touters. Plus I had a feeling like almost everyone wanted to take advantage of me for money.

If they added a Skytrain and cut down on the riff raff it would be a nice place to live.

Very beautiful women.

[tfc]

The tube rail which I think is meant to be finished in 2017 should make commuting easy. District 7 is also a very easy place to live, eat and get around by walking and no touts when I was there.

[Nowisee]

I'll be there next week for my first visit. Hoping it turns into an alternative to living in Thailand, although maybe not HCMC.

[Tawan77]

What I didn't like was the pushy touters. Plus I had a feeling like almost everyone wanted to take advantage of me for money.

We were in VN for two weeks in Feb. This was really unpleasant.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I'll be there next week for my first visit. Hoping it turns into an alternative to living in Thailand, although maybe not HCMC.

HCMC is going all out to improve everything, including the beautiful traffic-free squares, tree-lined streets, canal cleanups and dredging, canal boat tours and simultaneous building of at least 2 rail transit routes (a third is nearing approval) in a 6-line system, bypass expressways, the list goes on and on. In 5-10 years I think HCMC will surpass ugly, mall-obsessed Bangkok, which is destroying many of the things that made it attractive to tourists and expats including most of the night markets and street markets.

The big problem is visas. It's a piecemeal system, and you have to deal with back-door, expensive services for anything more than 3 months -- unless you have a job offer then the visa and work permit are handled by the employer. And there's no such thing as a retirement visa there.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Kaoboi Bebobp

[rak sa_ngop]

Are people still shitting behind bus shelters?

[Squeegee]

Are people still shitting behind bus shelters?

Not much use for the world are you, spreading brainless myths like that....

[rak sa_ngop]

Are people still shitting behind bus shelters?

Not much use for the world are you, spreading brainless myths like that....

Not a brainless myth but reality.

There is a huge shortage of public toilets in Saigon (what the locals call Quan 1 or District 1). If you walked around the streets the predominant smell is that of urine. And if you walked behind the bus shelters you would have to dodge piles of faeces.

But maybe this has all been cleaned up now?

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I've spent a lot of vacation time in Saigon, not just D1. Not once did I come across faeces or the smell of urine. Vietnam has been building public toilets at a rapid pace since 2014. Look for the Viet bank signs, which I've seen in Vung Tau and SGN. Phnom Penh, on the other hand, stinks.

Edited April 23, 2016 by Kaoboi Bebobp

[mike2011]

I have to agree with Kaoboi. There were plenty of public toilets in HCMC and they were well maintained and constantly cleaned. From what I saw many had been built decades ago and they were as clean as one in any newly BKK mall, actually cleaner. No smell whatsoever anywhere. This is also the case in other cities. Public cleanliness compared well with BKK.

Traffic was almost civilized. I could cross at a traffic light with nobody running the red line - no moto no nothing.

Public transport was very good and even the moto drivers were reasonable and a far cry from those hanging around tourist areas in BKK or all over Pattaya.

In general, HCMC and Hanoi reminded me of pre-1990 eastern Europe where basic services were good and well-organized. Seems the Vietnamese state administration is functioning well in this regard.

This info is less than 4 months old.

Edited April 25, 2016 by mike2011

[rak sa_ngop]

Sounds like things have definitely improved in that case. I lived in HCMC for several years about 15 years ago, and only visited a few times since.

Maybe it is time for me to re-visit and try out these wonderful public toilets!

[ev1lchris]

I used the public toilet and it was spotless. They even have you take off your shoes before going in.

[Deli]

I used the public toilet and it was spotless. They even have you take off your shoes before going in.

They give you slippers than ?

[yellowboat]

Hope one day they, Cambodia and Burma all become an alternatives to Thailand.

[yellowboat]

Hope one day they, Cambodia and Burma all become an alternatives to Thailand.

[12DrinkMore]

I've spent a lot of vacation time in Saigon, not just D1. Not once did I come across faeces or the smell of urine. Vietnam has been building public toilets at a rapid pace since 2014. Look for the Viet bank signs, which I've seen in Vung Tau and SGN. Phnom Penh, on the other hand, stinks.

I think you will find those are ATM machines.

[ev1lchris]

I used the public toilet and it was spotless. They even have you take off your shoes before going in.

They give you slippers than ?

Yes, they did!

[chicowoodduck]

Like Bangkok??? One of the worst city to live in as far as I know.....too much of everything....cars, people, heat, expensive....Oh my Buddha.....get a life...?

[Crocbait]

Are people still shitting behind bus shelters?

Not much use for the world are you, spreading brainless myths like that....

Not a brainless myth but reality.

There is a huge shortage of public toilets in Saigon (what the locals call Quan 1 or District 1). If you walked around the streets the predominant smell is that of urine. And if you walked behind the bus shelters you would have to dodge piles of faeces.

But maybe this has all been cleaned up now?

There was a report in one of the Vietnamese papers a couple of weeks ago that anyone caught urinating on the streets has to clean it up. New toilets are supposedly being built.

[ggt]

Having worked and lived in Vietnam during the 1960s...was a bit apprehensive as an American returning to the place where the US was involved in so much unnecessary human strife, misery, and destruction...

I was not certain how the Communist Regime would accept a former enemy...

Could not have been more surprised when people's faces would just light-up when they found out I was a returning American...they seem to go out of their way to assure me that all had been forgiven...yet not forgotten...the biggest tourist attraction in HCMC (former Siagon) was the Vietnam War Memorial...I attended of course...and after viewing the captured US Military arsenal...and especially the pictures of people who were born deformed from the criminal use of agent orange to defoliate the Vietnamese forests...I could not put my mind around how they could now be so accepting of Americans...

Definitely visit Cam Ranh Bay and Nha Trang...you will not be disappointed...

Lovely people...smart...hard working,..approachable and lovely ladies...

Vietnam has progressed beyond my wildest dreams...from a war torn country to modern and thriving...

A must visit for anyone tired of the LOS BS....

Edited April 26, 2016 by ggt

[jobsworth]

my memories of a visit about 10 years ago are of narrow tall houses like Amsterdam because of a property tax on the length of frontage.

then there were the terrible touts like the Arabs in morocco. my tout acquired me at the bus station and never let up for 3 days.

a good tout can be a useful friend if you don't know anything. This one wasn't.

he took me to a $10 hotel where the only thing that worked was the internal telephones.

the building being so small was arranged as a shop on the ground floor, storage on the floor above, the family on the next 2 floors and tourists on the 2 floors above that. There was no lift.

The upper floors of ho chi minh smelt of rotten eggs (hydrogen sulphide) from a local factory.

the food was over priced and bad like chow chow, a sort of spam.

what was interesting was the fruit and vegetable market. the professional people like doctors and lawyers who worked for the Americans cannot get a job and so work there. I flirted with an ex American nurse who was happy to practice her English.

the interview form for all jobs requests details of the applicant's war service. of course they were not Viet Cong and so have a problem.

the travel agents all seemed to be white foreigners trying to sell trips to bo lat which was supposed to be so much nicer.

the best attraction was the museum of French and American atrocities including a guillotine and a 3.5 inch rocket launcher.

3 days was enough. later in bangkok i met a Vietnamese worker who confirmed to me that ho chi minh was best avoided. He told me that when friends came to visit him he did not know where to take them.

[gandalf12]

Having worked and lived in Vietnam during the 1960s...was a bit apprehensive as an American returning to the place where the US was involved in so much unnecessary human strife, misery, and destruction...

I was not certain how the Communist Regime would accept a former enemy...

Could not have been more surprised when people's faces would just light-up when they found out I was a returning American...they seem to go out of their way to assure me that all had been forgiven...yet not forgotten...the biggest tourist attraction in HCMC (former Siagon) was the Vietnam War Memorial...I attended of course...and after viewing the captured US Military arsenal...and especially the pictures of people who were born deformed from the criminal use of agent orange to defoliate the Vietnamese forests...I could not put my mind around how they could now be so accepting of Americans...

Definitely visit Cam Ranh Bay and Nha Trang...you will not be disappointed...

Lovely people...smart...hard working,..approachable and lovely ladies...

Vietnam has progressed beyond my wildest dreams...from a war torn country to modern and thriving...

A must visit for anyone tired of the LOS BS....

I had the same thoughts when I went to work over there but I found the people to be friendly and helpful

[sanukjim]

It was rely impressive between 1963 and April 1975.Early Asian culture just expanding into somewhat a modern world being pushed along by the sudden influx of American money, replacing the French strangulation on the City.

Edited April 26, 2016 by sanukjim

[jagfx]

Love Saigon. Clean with decent footpaths. Plenty of bikes on the road but way more organised than BKK, and most actually wear helmets and stop at red lights. It does take a bit of getting use to when crossing the road. We lived in Hua Hin for just over a year and have now just moved to Da Nang. Been here about a month so far and loving it. Food not as good, but everything seems way cheaper. The locals are very friendly, and as are most of the expats. Everyone has been super friendly so far. Things I've noticed so far here in Da Nang, is there is plenty of construction happening here, especially on the beach side. Build it and they will come?? I've never seen so many rats. The place is like one big urinal for a lot of the locals, even though there are public toilets everywhere. I have seen a few scooter accidents already, even though they seem to drive better than Thais. The vehicle horns can drive you nuts and I've rarely seen a Police Officer since we've been here. But the Vietnamese are super healthy with hundreds of them getting out in the early morning and evening for exercising on the beach. It is an unbelievable sight. I get the impression they are generally poorer than Thais, but they are highly motivated, healthy looking and there isn't a major fast food franchise in sight (population here approx 1M). They seem to be a country going forwards, where I got the complete opposite impression from my time in LOS. Having said that, thoroughly enjoyed my time time in LOS and met plenty of great people, but Vietnam is a better option for me at this time. Less than 25 baht for a Tiger on the beach - gotta love that!

[Wasima]

We were in HCM about 3 weeks ago for the first time. The first thing that hit me was the amount of scooters/ motorbikes on the road. I have never seen THAT many in one go... not even in Thailand. IT was astounding when we got to traffic circles where there just seemed to be an endless stream of bikes going around and bikes and vehicles from the sides just joined in without stopping to check if it's safe to do so (like in the west). I took a few videos of the crazy traffic.

We spent a pleasant week doing the tourist things like Cu Chi tunnels, Mekong River, etc, but preferred walking to everywhere else we needed to be. We lived right on the doorstep of Ben Tan (?) Market where the roads turn into a night market at night. We found that shopping was cheaper in HMC than Phuket or Pattaya (we were in Patts the week before so we could easily compare prices). Most of the merchandise were pretty much same same in both cities.

We found the Vietnamese people very friendly, warm and chatty. The thing that irked us most were the vendors who followed us around with fans, lighters, fridge magnets, etc. One lady followed us right around the block trying to sell us stuff lol. I resorted to saying "NEE DANKIE" at the end coz the only words they DON'T seem to understand is "NO THANK YOU" so I thought I'd say it in a different language lol.

I am far from done with Vietnam. Am planning to go back there and stay for at least a month and get to know the rest of the country.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I've spent a lot of vacation time in Saigon, not just D1. Not once did I come across faeces or the smell of urine. Vietnam has been building public toilets at a rapid pace since 2014. Look for the Viet bank signs, which I've seen in Vung Tau and SGN. Phnom Penh, on the other hand, stinks.

I think you will find those are ATM machines.

I didn't elaborate properly. Banks are sometimes sponsors of toilet facilities in parks, with an attached ATM.

[Mudcrab]

If they cut down on the riff raff.......you might not be there....

[Mudcrab]

I'll be there next week for my first visit. Hoping it turns into an alternative to living in Thailand, although maybe not HCMC.

HCMC is going all out to improve everything, including the beautiful traffic-free squares, tree-lined streets, canal cleanups and dredging, canal boat tours and simultaneous building of at least 2 rail transit routes (a third is nearing approval) in a 6-line system, bypass expressways, the list goes on and on. In 5-10 years I think HCMC will surpass ugly, mall-obsessed Bangkok, which is destroying many of the things that made it attractive to tourists and expats including most of the night markets and street markets.

The big problem is visas. It's a piecemeal system, and you have to deal with back-door, expensive services for anything more than 3 months -- unless you have a job offer then the visa and work permit are handled by the employer. And there's no such thing as a retirement visa there.

Seems they are learning by other countries mistakes.

[Jip99]

I think HCMC is slightly overrated.

OK for a couple of mini-breaks but I wouldn't rush back.

[bazza40]

Didn't think much of Saigon, a s**thole. First time I've seen rats sitting outside drains in a major city. District 1 a major turnoff.

Food in Hanoi interesting, technicolour spring rolls. Loved the breakfasts with fresh baguettes. Very cute water puppet show.

My pick of places are Danang and Dalat. Didn't get to see Nha Trang or Hue.