Over-pricing, Ho Chi Minh City

Cyclo's charging too much. A common form of transport on Vietnam is the Cyclo. The generally charge about US$1 for every ride in Saigon no matter how far...as long as you are not going miles away.
The street taxis - normal meter taxis - are extremely cheap and you can lock the doors and windows and will usually get decent AC.
Personally I though the cyclos lost their appeal after the 2nd trip and the taxis are the same price or cheaper for most local rides....

Avoid the minibar in your hotel! A can of coke in our room cost 50,000 Dongs while in the nearby supermarket it is only 4,000 Dongs! The hotel restaurant is no different than the minibar: 12x normal! The area around the Caravelle Hotel where we stayed (District 1) is a tourist trap area. Even the street vendors will overcharge if you are not careful. They will attempt to sell a set of dirty old coins that are not used anymore for USD 10.00 while they are probably worth less than USD 1.00. If you want to buy maps, buy it from a real bookstore.