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People Ho Chi Minh City
54 Reviews If you are eating at a semi-outdoor /streetside place and you are set upon by beggar children, its best not to give them anything. If you do, it can start a frenzy and cause trouble for the...
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Politics Ho Chi Minh City
4 Reviews Though Vietnam seems like any thriving capitalist city in asia, it is still a communist country by heart. You'll see propaganda pictures and policemen everywhere, even in places like Apocalypse Now (...
See All 123 Local Customs in Ho Chi Minh City
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The dead encestors are very important to the vietnamese and they often burn fake money they buy at the market and paper clips of various things such as scooters, houses, and other things they would like the dead people to have.They burn these things at specific alters at the temples and you can recognise these alters cause they are full of ashes and have clear signs of fire.
In Vietnam you have quite a few people who live permanently on the sea in floating houses.These people were originally driven out on the sea cause they had no land and were very poor, but these days the floating villages are quite organised and even have floating schools and floating karaoke bars.Because they are so unique some of them also attracts quite a few tourists and that brings a nice extra income to the otherwise poor villages.They are really charming and i highly recommed that you try and visit at least one floating village when you are in Vietnam.
Fish farming is very common in Vietnam and many people make a living from it.The fish farms is also one of the main reasons why you see such an aboundance of seafood in the vietnamese cuisine.The fish farms are located both along the coastline and along the rivers in Vietnam and if you take a roadtrip through Vietnam then you are sure to see many of them.
If you travel along the coast of Vietnam or in the Mekong Delta, then you will see lot´s of little basket boats.They are very common and is used by the fishermen to transport themselves and their net´s to the fishing boats that are often anchored in the bays and along rivers and in places that suffers from seasonal flooding you see them a lot too as they use them for transport.At first glance they do not look like anything you can sail in as it is really just an oversized basket, but they are suprisingly good at sea and they sure give Vietnam another colorful aspect.In some tourist areas you can also get a ride in one of them for a couple of dollars, but it´s not a tourist boat as such.It´s first of all a boat that is used by the locals for local transport.
From the 7th till the 15th century, southern Vietnam was called Champa and was a hindu kingdom with very different traditions from the Vietnam of today.The cham people were gradually driven out of the country and fled to Borneo, Malaysia and Indonesia when the Viets from the north invaded, but a few Cham people remained and you still have a Cham minority in Vietnam today of around 100 000 people.They mostly live in the region around Nha Trang where they have the Pho Nagar temple as one of their holy places and that is worth visiting if you want to see a bit of Cham people and experinece their culture.The Cham people are generally darker than Vietnmese and have more square faces and if you go to the Pho Nagar temple then you are likely to see some of them pray there and they do often have a few Cham dancers who are aloowed to make a little money by performing their traditional dances...
Water puppet theater is one thing that is unique for Vietnam.It started out in the rice field where the farmers entertaining themselves with this kinda theater while the fields were flooded.In these modern days this kinda theater has lost appeal to many of the local young people, but because it´s so culturally unique, people flood from around the globe to see it and water puppet theater is alive and well these days in Vietnam and can be seen in Hanoi where you have a couple of theaters with daily shows.I think it´s really interesting to see and i would recommend that you go to a show when you are in Vietnam.
Hi, I did the Nam Khan crossing few years ago. I had a vietnamese visa allready, but just wanted to give some good advice:1) dont be there at around 11.00, because the guys with the stamps are taking a nap from 11-14 and the border post is in the mountains without any shade.. so its a long wait.2) when you enter Vietnam you have to fill out a form in which you have to explain if you are suffering form any form of illness. There are around 40 questions with everything from coldsweat to hiv, just say no to it all... otherwise you will have to go through 14 days of quarantine.3) if you can, then try to get a bus that goes all the way from Phonesavan to Vinh. The bus to Nongkhet only goes to the border and once you are on the vietnamese side there are no busses. only a few drunk guys with motorcykles ( hopefully that has changed ;-) who will take you to Mxen. its a fun and adrenalinfilled...
When you want to attract a local's attention with your hand, as we do here in the USA, do not beckon that person with the hand (or palm) facing you, as is the norm for us. Instead, use the same gesture except with palm (hands and fingers) facing in a downward position. Do not yell out to them as well. Very impolite. In greeting, it is typical to use the bow as the out stretched hand for a shake is usually not used. A slight nod of the head is sufficient, unless the gesture to shake your hand is offered first by the locals. The Western way of greeting is slowly making its' way in the city, so you will begin to discover this more and more during your travels.
Banh chungis a square cake, wrapped in dong leaves and tied with lacings of bamboo. This cake is made of sticky rice and stuffed with bean paste, and small pieces of pork. Its square shape is said to symbolize gratitude to the earth for bountiful harvest.
The Vietnamese have an unusual attachment to Business Cards and they will look for any opportunity to present you with theirs. So much so in my three week trip to Vietnam I had managed to accumulate over 100 business cards!The Vietnamese usually present the business card with BOTH hands as a sign or respect. In fact, I found most of the time I was handed something it was formerly presented with two hands.
Park Hyatt Saigon Ho Chi Minh City
5 Reviews and 436 Opinions All rooms offer pool of City views with full luxury amenities. As true sense 5- Star hotel, it is...
Hanoi Elegance 2 Hanoi
5 Reviews and 712 Opinions I booked our family sized room for 2 adults and our teenage daughter direct with the hotel from...
Victoria Hoi An Resort Hoi An
4 Reviews and 444 Opinions It's worth the money to stay and enjoy the beach like in Victoria Hoi An. Price from 150$++ public...
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Q: could someone please help? where can i buy ao dai (preferably well made and silk) for my grand-daughters, they are only 2-3...
A: Loads of places in both cities to buy Ao Dai either already made or to measure. For the small extra cost, have them made to measure and take the mesurements before going...
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