Hi, me and my partner are currently in Vietnam and are debating whether to go Cat Ba Island or not. We are not bothered about Ha Long as have heard it’s way too touristy and just loud music, etc. a lot of posts on here about Cat Ba are about a year old but say there is lots of building work etc, and it’s slowly going the same way as Ha Long. How is it currently? Shall we see it now before it loses its charm or has it already happened? Any suggestions for what to do there would be appreciated too :)

Spotted this at Ga Nha Trang. The VIP waiting room (Phong doi tau VIP) is on the platform side, and the price sign is in both Vietnamese and English:

- Regular passengers: 20,000 VND per visit, includes 1 bottle of water

- Tour companies and groups with a contract: 10,000 VND per person

- VIP and Gold/Silver loyalty card holders: free

The entrance and the price sign are in photos 2 and 3.

Do other big stations like Ga Sai Gon or Ga Da Nang have the same thing?

Tens of thousands of spectators flocked to My Dinh Stadium, not only energizing the BIGBANG stage but also attracting a large influx of money into tourism, accommodation, and services, with Hanoi's total revenue over two days potentially reaching 800 billion VND (~30 million USD).

Is it worth going for one day there? Or naw

Actually based crimefighting coming out of the police. Video report is particularly hilarious -- they brought hundreds of officers out in tour busses to nab these guys.

Another report from VTV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze-wvgQrWeU

Hello!

I want to check my booking with VietJetAir from Sapporo to BKK via https://th.vietjetair.com/searchreservation.

But if I enter the details of my booking I get the message "Sorry, we are only able to support Thai currency booking at the moment."

What does that even mean and how can I access my booking?

Interesting observation: If I replace the last letter of my reservation number with something else the site responds with "There is no flight information match, please re-check input value"

That means with the correct number they found my booking, but showing this issue

Any ideas?

Thanks

Why do European tourists think they are better than other tourists when they go to Asian countries.

I noticed that these people are often the worst kinds of people, they are mostly rejected in their own country so they want to feel good by going to Asian countries and then feel superior than everyone around them.

I’m currently on a two person Ha Giang private tour for 4 days 3 nights. Our tour guide is wonderful, speaks English and is very engaging. He is also my easy rider and albeit driving a bit fast, I feel he is very experienced and safe. The other easy rider is not bad, but also just does the bare minimum.

I am planning on tipping my tour guide 1 million VND and the other easy rider 500,000 VND. Is this too little or too much for a 4 day tour?

Hi everyone!
I’m a UK-based yoga teacher, and my husband and I recently got married! We’re heading to Vietnam for a month over Christmas for our honeymoon, and I’d love to incorporate some yoga into our travels.
I know yoga isn’t a traditional Vietnamese practice, but as it’s something I love so much, and this trip is an opportunity for us to treat ourselves, I wondered whether anyone has been on a yoga retreat in Vietnam that they’d particularly recommend?
I’m not looking for any specific style of yoga. For me, it’s much more about the quality of the teaching, the atmosphere and setting, and how thoughtfully and skilfully the space is held and facilitated.
Ideally, we’d love to spend a few days on a retreat together, although I’d also be interested in recommendations for excellent yoga teachers, studios or workshops.
We’re planning to travel all over Vietnam, so we’re open to anywhere, whether that’s in the mountains, by the beach or in a city.
I’d be really grateful for any personal recommendations, particularly places you’ve experienced yourself and loved.
Thank you so much! 😊

Hey everyone! I’m travelling solo from Dubai to Vietnam from December 1–9. I’ve booked my flights into Hanoi and back from Ho Chi Minh City, but haven’t planned much beyond that yet.

Am looking to meet people with adventurous, open minds who are down to explore, try random things, experience the nightlife, have deep conversations, and make some spontaneous memories along the way.

If you’re travelling around the same time, whether solo or with friends, hit me up! Always down to connect with like-minded people and see where the trip takes us. 🍻

Vietnam Airlines mentions on their website regarding SkyPriority benefits: "Priority security and immigration lines: Please be aware that the service may not be available at all airports."

However, it is unclear to me whether this also applies to Economy passengers arriving at TSN.

Thanks!

I am in Hanoi on an evisa and just got married to my Vietnamese fiance. We received our marriage certificate and now I want to switch my evisa to a TRC. I'm not sure how to get this done. My evisa expires on 12 November and I need to get this done before that.

Can anyone point me in the right direction.
Normally i import large volumes of vintage and antique furnitures, ceramics, sculptures textiles etc from the country side in China, now i will visit Vietnam and wounder if that might be possible there as well ? any inputs ?

A couple of festival questions 🇻🇳

We will be in Vietnam in February- during the perfume pagoda festival. I'd like to see the pilgrimage, but we would prefer not to wait an hour to get on a boat and then jostle around with hordes of people inside the cave. Which days would be the ideal balance for that, do you think? I know to avoid the weekends, but would it make significant difference to go on a monday vs. a Tuesday, for example?

For Tet. although I would have to change the itinerary and miss the lim festival 😔, I'm thinking the calm atmosphere in Hanoi might be best for my crowd-averse husband, and it could be cool to wander around the somewhat deserted old town, but I'm afraid everything will be closed. Will we be able to eat?

Alternatively, if it's really awesome, he said he can deal with the crowds – should we do it in Ho Chi Minh instead? Ho chi minh would make the rest of the schedule work a lot better too.

For the Lim festival -Should we go for both days and stay over, or just one day? Is this a "dont miss"? I figure UNESCO usually knows what they're talking about, and I'm enchanted by the idea of them singing back-and-forth from Dragon boats 🥰

Thanks for your guidance! 🙏

Is it normal that the bride’s parents only gifted gold jewellery only to the bride and nothing to the groom? Or is it normal to gift it to both?

I have traveled Vietnam from South to North in cycle and hence, passed through country side. What I found that everything in Vietnam is surprisingly economical.

1. Hotel stay is often $10 per night and mostly within $20 except in big cities such as Hanoi/HCM.

Even in provincial capital, it is super cheap.

1. Food is also impossibly priced. A fried rice often costs less than a dollar.

2. Coffee in an excellent place (comparable to Star Bucks) is about 2-3 dollars.

My question is how the business is surviving with this price? It will fold in any other place on earth.

Are the businesses in tourism industry making money?

Edits / Clarifications

1. I am an Indian and understand the cost of labour in such countries as mine. With the similar labour cost as that of Vietnam, similar hotels in India will cost at least $40 and coffee will be $3-$5

2. I understand that there are many luxury/expensive hotels in Vietnam and you can spend tons of money there or in other activities. I am not claiming that every place in Vietnam is inexpensive.

   1. My interest is to know the unit economics of these establishments, which can offer coffee for a dollar. In typical hospitality industry, man power cost is about 1/3rd of the total cost. Significant cost is real estate, consumables and wastage.

If the logic is that real estate is cheap compared to similar countries such as India, then it will make sense. I would like someone who has worked in Vietnam tourism industry or has understanding / knowledge how they are able to keep the prices so low and still able to make profits.

a lovely true life story with a good ending. may they live happily ever after.

i'm going to vietnam (hcmc/saigon) for a few days soon. i'm trying to show my parents around and introduce them to local delicacies!! these are the places i have on my list so far:

pizza 4ps (tried the one in danang and i loved it!!)
katinat/po coffee/hanoi little coffee (for drinks and we are coffee lovers)
bep me in
banh mi chao di nu
com tam de tham
pho phuong (for pho)
banh canh cua 14 (for crab noodles)
yakitori toriki** (heard this is a good spot for izakaya, might only check it out if we have time)
thuy 94 cu
xoi chien tran van dang (for fried rice cakes with pork)
kem bo nang zoe
banh mi hong hoa/banh mi chim chay (for banh mi)
quan oc van (for seafood)

these are the places i bookmarked on my list and will try to incorporate in my trip. let me know which of these places i can skip, what else i should try/visit, or if you have better suggestions for any of the food i want to try! open to suggestions, thank you

Can anyone help me pick an outfit for Ninh Binh, specifically Bich Dong Pagoda and Thung Ui?

Need advice!!

Considering doing the Hang En 2 day trek. I’m an active traveller & enjoy these experiences. But I’m worried about weather & if it’s going to be a very specific experience

On the other hand Ninh Binh seems to have variety. It feels a little slower for me but at least I can change it up. Can someone give me some insight? Have I got my facts wrong?

Scenario 1
1 night Hanoi
3 nights Ha Giang, sleeper to Phong Nha
3 nights Phong Nha/Hang En
Dong Hoi to Phu Quoc
2 nights Phu Quoc
1 night HCMC
HCMC to home

Scenario 2
1 night Hanoi
3 nights Ha Giang, bus to Ninh Binh
2 nights Ninh Binh
3 nights Phu Quoc
1 night HCMC
HCMC to home

Is there any books about Vietnamese cuisines history ? I can read both Vietnamese and English