electronic map
by locbuuloc
Sorry the post above has quite a fewtypos, I just want to repost the message with correction. It should be like this"
Try this site:
http://www.vietbando.com/
This online map can help you find locations, roads, and much more in most cities in Vietnam. The thing is that because it is designed for Vietnamese, there is not English instruction in the site at the present (They plan to have the English version for tourists though but not known when).
I can provide you with some guide and key words to help you read the map.
Ban Do = Map
Quan = District (Quan 3 = District 3)
Red capitalise words mean names of province or city, smaller blue words indicate districts, towns, and suburbs, and if you zoom the map in, you will see names of streets shown right next to the roads ro streets.
On the right hand side of the page is the list cities in Vietnam, so you just need to move the mouse to the city you are after and then click. Basically, everything after that just uses common sense to nevigate yourself (if you are familiar to Google Earth, you will find no problem because the system has similar features).
Vietnam also has GPS available but I do not know if GPS devices from Singapore will work there or not. However, if you got one bring it with you and see if it helps. Look for the site Vietmap.vn or something like that where you can find more information about GPS in Vietnam and how to use it.
Have great time
Cheers
Day Tour - Travel Agent
by Mikebb
We booked a tour to the Mekong Delta through a local Travel Agent. The tour was great, a good English speaking guide, a modern bus and a great destination. Lunch and other refreshments ( fresh fruits and tea) were included. Details of the Travel Agent are:
Fimextour
71 C Dong Khoi Street
District 1 HCMC
(84-8) 8 230611
fimextourist@hcm.vnn.vn
www.fimextour.com
The tour cost was US $18 per adult. I have also included the Cu Chi Tunnels brochure US $13
Tet
by Blatherwick
Tet Nguyen Dan (Feast of the First Morning), more commonly known by its shortened name Tet, is the most important holiday in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year which is based on the Chinese calendar. Tet shares many of the same customs of its Chinese counterpart. It is celebrated from the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tet by cooking special holiday foods and cleaning the house. Vietnamese people usually return to their families during Tet. Some return to worship at the family altar or visit the graves of their ancestors. Others return to where they grew up.
Saigon is particularly fun during the eve of Tet. Thousands of people make their way to the city centre to celebrate the coming of the new year and to watch the fireworks that will go off at midnight. Remember the traditional greeting for Tet which is "Chuc mung nam moi." There are other sayings but keep it simple and have fun.
Preparations for Tet start months before the actual celebrations. People try to pay off their debts in advance so that they can be debt-free on Tet. Parents buy new clothes for their children so that the children can don them when Tet arrives. Because a lot of commercial activity will cease during the celebrations, people try to stock up on supplies as much as possible. In the days leading up to Tet, the streets and markets are full of people. Everyone is busy buying food, clothes, and decorations for their house.
The first day of Tet is reserved for the nuclear family. In Saigon, the streets are pretty much empty as most people stay at home or leave the city to visit their close relatives in the countryside. Children receive li xi (lucky money) from their elders in red packages.
Don't bring much.
by GottaTry
Take as little as possible. Just buy what you need or have your hings laundered. There really wasn't a need for anything "dressy." Don’t worry about getting medicine if you become sick while you’re in Vietnam. I took along Cipro with me in case I ate something that didn’t agree. Not only did I have no problem with the food/water I found I could get what I needed at the local pharmacy far cheaper than what I pay in the U.S.
I managed to come down with a fever/cough/sore throat while I was in Vietnam. I stopped by a pharmacy and had no trouble conveying to the woman behind the counter what my symptoms were despite the language barrier. She offered me a selection of medications for my problem and let me read the English inserts that came with the medications to be sure I was getting the right thing. I bought just the amount I needed and the price was only a few dollars. I took along a gel neck pack to help me stay cool and it was a great help! They work better in dry enviroments where there is more evaporation but it still helped so much! You should be able to find them a at good outdoors/hiking store.
Of Ghosts and Garages in ol' Rex Hotel
by bpacker
I've heard of this grand dame even before I went to HCMC, thanks to my hubby's spooked suppliers.
These poor sods were the early investors in VN and the only decent (but expensive) hotel at that time was this 4-star joint.
I guess sacrificing all their children's college funds for the dinghy corridors and the musty carpets must have driven crazy. They reportedly saw strange things at night after checking in.
I won't elaborate what they were but will go on to say that Rex Hotel has a long history. Do you know it was originally a French garage? It later became a hotel and then the BOQ for American soldiers during the Vietnam War . Its conference room was the scene of the daily press briefings to journalists and by 1976, the announcement by the former North Vietnam of the unification with South Vietnam was announced in the same room.
Well, I didn't see anything extraordinary when I was there. How can ghosts remain when there is a crazy onslaught of merry makers at the roof top?
For more wierd stories and pictures, visit b'packer's hcmc page
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Carrot Freeze
Saigon Port
Green City Center
The post office
