Currency risk
by Tenzin
I changed Sing $ to Vietnamese dong at a supposedly good rate of S$1 to 8900 dong in Singapore. To my horror I discovered that I could very well have done the same at the HCMC airport at S$1 to 9500 dong, a whopping difference of 6%! To add insult to injury Hotel New World gave me 9700 dong to a S$1.
Unlike the Thai baht which is freely available in Singapore, the Vietnamese dong is not commonly held by money changers and that could have accounted for the high margins charged.
Do note that the exchange at the hotel is only one way and the conversion from dong to US$ at the airport is a steep commission of 9% or so for amounts less than US$1000.
Do avoid changing money at the roadside with touts and change only what you intend to spend. At the casino US$ is the preferred currency and most credit card transactions charge in US$ too.
Nice buildings in Cholon
by SirRichard
Neither in the Cholon (Chinese) District found I the nice old atmosphere I was waiting for. Only in a few corners (like this) you could find the old charming architecture I though was so characteristic in Saigon...
Half is In
by neurochic
Before I reached Vietnam I was terrified by the reaction I may receive from the people who live there being half Vietnamese and half American. But let me tell you if you are half Asian you have nothing to worry about. I was crazy to be scared. What I came to discover as I traveled throughout Asia (including Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam) that many of the actresses and singers are half Asian just like me. If you are half Asian and shy you will find that sometimes it can be uncomfortable walking down the street because many of the people stare at you because of your looks. I don't know how many times I was asked when I was in Asia if I was half Asian and told how beautiful that is. When I was in Asia, I even called my younger brother who is 6 feet tall but half Asian like me and told him, heck if college doesn't work out, he could always come to Vietnam and be a soap opera star.
Chinese Art
by Unknownsu
The following 3 photos are cloth posters I bought off a walking salesman. The posters just captivated me when i saw them. I had a friend haggle for me and dropped the price almost 50% totaling 5USD for all three. You just can't go wrong with that!
Cu Chi Museum
by keeweechic
At the Museum at Cu Chi, there were some pretty horrific means of defence like the spikes put in the pits and covered. The spike ends were covered in poison. Fairly primitive but effective means against the more sophisticated defences of the Americans. Nearly 3 million Vietnamese were killed, 4 million others injured and over 58,000 American army men died in the war.
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