Top Vietnam hotels
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...
See All 123 Local Customs in Ho Chi Minh City
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
Sponsored Links
You will usually see Hmong girls and women in Sapa town selling their wares. The girls often speak excellent english because of their frequent contact with tourists. However the men tend to stay and work in the fields and are much more shy. We encountered these boys on our hike thru the mountains. They didn't speak any english and seemed as curious about us as we were about them.
Be happy and smile a lot, remeber you are a guest in this country and no matter how hot it is etc it sure better than being at work.Losing face is a big deal in Asia so don't get into big arguments, stay polite and friendly and smile a lot. The Vietnamese are really friendly and they like happy eay going people who don't look like they are pissed off all the time. Its surprising how many tourists look like that over there, makes you wonder why they ever came. The big thing is to agree on the price of everything before you go on that cyclo tour or even drink that coke youve just been given.If you don't sort out the price first you are stuffed and theres no point in arguing about it after the fact...just pay it, smile and don't make the same mistake next time Big thing is to have fun.bit like life really..
Some common public holidays in Vietnam are:-1 January - Solar New Year's Day Vietnamese Traditional Lunar New Year's Festival or Tet Holidays. It is a 4-day holiday (the last day of the Lunar year and the first three days of the next). Tet is usually at the end of January or the beginning of February of the Solar Calendar. 30 April - Anniversary of Saigon's Liberation Day 1 May - International Labor Day 2 September - National Day of VietnamShops, restaurants and public services close and prices tend to go up in the few shops that remain open during public holidays.
Tamarind is a reddish brown, long curved seed pod, holding 2-6 large seeds encased in moist, sticky, dark brown flesh that varies from being very sweet to very sour. The flesh is what is used for its sour flavour in Vietnamese cooking. Inluding soups, salads, stir-fries and sauces. Although imported, fresh tamarind pods can often be found in the markets.There are a few types of Tamarind available, but most common is sweet tamarind (makahm wahn), which may not have even the slightest hint of sourness. It is a delicacy that is snacked on like fruit.
Local inner-city bus systems are not good in Vietnam. Luckily there are other convenient (and cheap) ways of getting around. Metered taxis are fairly cheap. The first 2km cost 12000 VND and every subsequent 200m costs 1 thousand VND. Cyclos are easy, cheap and enjoyable transportation, and are a good way to explore a city. The driver pedals behind you while you sit comfortably in the front and watch the movie of street life passing by. The average price for a ride is around US20c per km and is cheaper by time rather than distance.
85% of the Vietnamese population is made up of the plains-dwelling Kinh people. The minority population is made up of 53 ethnic groupings. The best-known are the Tay, H'mong, Dao, White and Black Thai and the Hoa. Each has its own unique customs and dialect making them fascinating to visit. The population is 80 million. More than 60% are under 25. Life expectancy at birth is 68 years.
Vietnam is made up of mainly 4 religious groups - Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhismand Christianity%c. Over the centuries, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and popular Chinese beliefs have fused with and ancient Vietnamese animism to form what is known collectively as the Triple Religion%c. Confucianism%c, more a system of social and political morality than a religion, took on many religious aspects. Taoism%c, which began as an esoteric philosophy for scholars, mixed with the popular Buddhism%c of the peasants, and many Taoist%c elements became an intrinsic part of popular religion. If asked their religion most Vietnamese are likely to say they are Buddhist%c, but when it comes to family or civic duties they follow Confucianism%c while turning to Taoist%c concepts in understanding the nature of the cosmos.Confusing or the best of everything???
The official language is Vietnamese, a mix of mostly Mon-Khmer elements with some Tai and Chinese. The language is tonal and monosyllabic. Most minorities continue to retain their languages.Today's main foreign language, especially among the young, is English. In the north, French and Russian are still quite widely spoken. The script of modern Vietnamese is based on Latin with accents, and was formed and created by the Jesuit priest Fr. Alexander De Rhodes in the 19th century.
I'm still not quite sure if this is a Cultural tip... or a Warning and Danger tip but it involves beer and should therefore at least be classified into the Very Important category. Vietnamese folks just love their cold beer but decent refrigeration is not always available so enter... (EKKKK!)... ice. Now if you ask me, there's no better way to completely ruin a beer than to pour it into a glass full of ice. Unfortunately, this is the only way your going to be able to cool your brew, to anything less than luke warm, in many parts of the countryside. That was the Warning or Danger portion of the tip. Now comes the Cultural portion... Many Vietnamese "actually like" watered down beer and even when they have refrigeration, they serve it up with ice. It never failed... I put my beer down and next thing I know someone's ploped a big chunk into my glass with some tongs. Not my favourite, but...
In Vietnam there are regional varieties of polemo; each fruit is named after the locality where it is grown - i.e. Doan Hung polemo, Phuc Trach polemo, Bien Hoa polemo, and Thuan Hai polemo......These big, thick-skinned oranges have the bitter-sweet flavour of grapefruit, but their drier texture means you can separate them into sections, without juice getting everywhere. Vietnamese boiled the thick rind in syrup, then let it crystalise, and eat it as a sweet.
Park Hyatt Saigon Ho Chi Minh City
5 Reviews and 438 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...
Reviews and photos of Vietnam attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Vietnam sightseeing.
More Cities in Vietnam
More Regions in Vietnam
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...
Read 5 Replies
Sponsored Links
