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I am happily surprised to see that there are Spanish/Latin clubs in HCMC, like Carmen, Cafe Latin, La Habana. Does anyone know if they have the dance floors or any dance club with good Latin music, especially salsa/ bachata?
cheers.
I have two left feet when it comes to dancing but I do see ballroom and Latin dancing being taught in many parks. Usually about 6:30 or 7pm. Someone in the groups must know where Latin dancing may be held. Generally, in a group that size you will find a few English speakers. Maybe you can mix with them and enjoy some local company.
A friend told me a couple hours ago that there's a dance club at Parkson's Department store just outside the International Airport. It's a high-end store about 5 stories high. A number of restaurants inside as well. She said she thinks its got Latin and ballroom dancing. You could see it to your immediate left as you leave the airport.
I myself do not have experiences with clubs, but my aunt whose previous career was dance, knows a lot about where and what as far as dancing. She has practiced salsa, that I know for sure. not sure if she has any idea about bachata. anyway, her boyfriend is Pep, a spanish working and living in vietnam for many years. He sometimes takes her to some spanish clubs to meet other spanish folks. If you want to meet with them, you can try to contact her bloodyrose13vn@yahoo.com, or write to that guy Pep via facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?ref=sgm&id=1410080539
Hi
Cafe Latin (which is closed, new place used there name next door) is and aussie pub. Two places here do salsa, Alibi and La Habana, both close to each other
To enter Vietnam, you need to pay for the health cert at the custom (for overland through Moc Bai), cost 1000riel.
However the lady working dont even bother to look at you when she issued the cert. haha
My foundest memory of Saigon, this is not difficult: as allready mentioned the robbery. After some seconds/minutes of just being shocked, we descided to go to the police statin. Surprise, surpise nobody spoke any other language. After a call in the hotel one of ladies came to the police station and plaied the translator. Poor Grainne had to go with one of the poilce man to the place where everything happened, while I staied there, listening to the guy in the jail shouting for more Tequila.
Back to the hotel, the owner was not that impressed about what happened but he explained us that we have to pay 6 $ for the key, which was also in the bag, together with the pass and some 70 $.
The Lonely Planet didn´t gave us the response we where looking for: no embassyof Ireland in Vietnam, next one Malaysia.
The next morning started with several calls to Malaysia and the English embassy.
So the must sees we visited that day were:
The British embassy, the Australian embassy (for Grainnes working visa), a bank for transfering the money for the new passport and a parcel service to send all the stuff to Malaysia.
Hours later and several dollars spent we finally made it at 16h and could at least a little bit enjoy the evening and still with the decission to go next day to Mekong.
BTW this is not the end of the story, Hanoi was the point to pick up the passport.
Vietnamese people have nice delicate aspect. I saw this little girl in a traditional music show during a Mekong Delta organised tour. She and her sister sang traditional vietnamese songs during a morning break for a tea at a local farm.
THE FAMOUS TUNNELS AT CU CHI WERE FIRST BUILT IN THE LATE 1940'S AND USED DURING THE WAR WITH THE FRENCH. BUT IT WAS DURING THE VIETNAM WAR OF THE 1960S THAT THEY REALLY CAME INTO THEIR OWN.
CU CHI IS ABOUT 40KM FROM SAIGON AND THERE WAS ABOUT 250KM OF TUNNELS.
THESE RAN FROM THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE CAPITAL TO THE CAMBODIAN BORDER.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LIVED AND FOUGHT IN THESE TUNNELS..AND IN A LOT OF CASES DIED IN THE TUNNELS. THE VC BUILT SECTIONS FOR ACCOMMODATION..HAVING MEETINGS AND PREPARING FOR BATTLES. ALL THIS WAS DONE IN A LABYRINTH OF TUNNELS BUILT OVER SEVERAL LEVELS. EATING WAS DONE DEEP IN THE TUNNELS AND THE SMOKE FROM FIRES DIVERTED TO THE SURFACE WELL AWAY FROM THE MAIN TUNNEL COMPLEX.
THE TUNNELS TOURISTS CRAWL THROUGH HAVE BEEN ENLARGED BUT ARE STILL VERY CLAUSTROPHOBIC.. AND THESE ARE 5 STAR TUNNELS !!!!
THE AIR SUPPLY FOR THE TUNNELS WAS GOT THROUGH FAKE TERMITE MOUNDS ON THE SURFACE...THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO FOUGHT IN THESE TUNNELS REALLY WERE OF A SPECIAL BREED..A VC SOLDIER COULD CRAWL FROM CU CHI TO SAIGON IN UNDER THREE HOURS !! A DISTANCE OF 40KM.... MAKES YOU THINK.
THE US ARMY TRIED EVERTHING TO DESTROY THE TUNNELS AT CU CHI BUT ONLY EVER MANAGED TO DESTROY A FRACTION OF THEM..TOWARDS THE END OF THE WAR AMERICAN B-52'S CARPET BOMBED THE TUNNELS AND THE AREA AROUND THEM.
THESE BOMBING RAIDS HAD LITTLE IMPACT AND AS WE KNOW AMERICA FINALLY LEFT.
THE DEATH TOLL ON THE VC TUNNEL RATS WAS VERY HIGH.. SOME 10,000 WHERE KILLED AND THE AREA AROUND CU CHI SAW SOME OF THE HEAVIEST BOMBING RAIDS IN THE HISTORY OF WARFARE..
WE BOOKED OUR TRIP TO CU CHI THROUGH SINH CAFE IN SAIGON. THE TRIP COST $6 PER PERSON..ENTRANCE TO THE TUNNELS COST A FURTHER 70,000D.
IF LIKE US AND WANT TO FIRE AN AK-47 THIS WILL COST EXTRA.. $1.30 PER BULLET, AT A MINIMUM OF 10 BULLETS.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO BRING A CHANGE OF T-SHIRT WITH YOU AS YOU CAN GET QUITE DIRTY DOWN THE TUNNELS FROM ALL THE RED CLAY.. PLUS A TORCH FOR THE TUNNELS WOULD BE GREAT.. I DIDNT HAVE ONE AND BANGED MY HEAD QUITE A FEW TIMES..OUCH !!
DONT WORRY IF YOU FIND YOU CANT COPE IN THE TUNNELS, THERE ARE PLACES WHERE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO GET OUT IF IT ALL GETS TOO CLAUSTROPHOBIC AND HOT. ALL IN ALL A VERY GOOD HALF DAY TRIP..WOULD BE A SHAME TO MISS OUT ON WHAT IS A BIG PART OF VIETNAM HISTORY.
You can buy fake lonely planet books around Bui Vien area. Inside is photocopied pages. No pull-out maps. I bought one for Hongkong/Macau (my next destination!) for 90,000 VND. I felt that I was ripped off though.
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