pachuco
El ****
I don't think anyone is saying that Vietnam is more dangerous than any other place. This is just what we have experienced going to one particular place. If you were traveling to Tacoma, Washington I would give advice based on my experience there. I will second what Marty ^ said "Just be careful, the same as you would any place and you'll be fine."
bwcolor
Veteran
Brother in law was riding a motorbike in Hanoi.. (old school) when shot in the head by a .22 from another bike and robbed. Now, he was a jewel dealer and obviously bought from the wrong folks. So, my Asia travels are with old cloths and unrecognizable bags. Also, I don´t flash money, nor cameras and I never leave either in my room.
I should say that there are also places where I live that I would never go, even fully armed and I once left a brand new Mamiya 7 kit.. yet to shoot a single roll, under the table at a Bangkok McDonalds and I simply left without it. A young kid that worked there ran a block to give it back to me. Good people everywhere...and bad.
I should say that there are also places where I live that I would never go, even fully armed and I once left a brand new Mamiya 7 kit.. yet to shoot a single roll, under the table at a Bangkok McDonalds and I simply left without it. A young kid that worked there ran a block to give it back to me. Good people everywhere...and bad.
Pablito
coco frío
You need to be careful everywhere but like others, I found the threat of theft in VN far lower than in many places I travel in Europe.
dogbunny
Registered Boozer
I traveled alone in Vietnam for about a month with no real problems. Occasionally, a shopkeeper would try to give me incorrect change, like they would tell me I gave them less than I really did, but that was about it. I would just stand there with my hand out and demand the correct change. Eventually, they would give it to me just to get rid of the foreigner. I learned quickly to watch my transactions.
Even when people came up to me on the street to sell something I always found them pleasant to deal with. More than once I had people realize that they weren't going to get money from me, but still sit and chat for a few minutes in broken English about whatever before they moved on.
I loved Hanoi. One Sunday morning at about dawn I wandered into the city center only to find hundreds of locals taking part in group, public exercises. Some people were doing Tai Chi, some were lifting weights, some were doing aerobics to music, some were playing badminton etc. It was quite surreal. Also, the old French architecture is pretty cool. Really, one of my favorite trips of all time.
Enjoy yourself.
Even when people came up to me on the street to sell something I always found them pleasant to deal with. More than once I had people realize that they weren't going to get money from me, but still sit and chat for a few minutes in broken English about whatever before they moved on.
I loved Hanoi. One Sunday morning at about dawn I wandered into the city center only to find hundreds of locals taking part in group, public exercises. Some people were doing Tai Chi, some were lifting weights, some were doing aerobics to music, some were playing badminton etc. It was quite surreal. Also, the old French architecture is pretty cool. Really, one of my favorite trips of all time.
Enjoy yourself.
Olsen
Well-known
My wife and I have had several similar experiences at several places in South East Asia. People came running after us with things we had left behind at restaurants. I left our video camera behind in a taxi in Singapore. The next passanger and the driver looked us up at our hotel.
We were warned about motorcycle snatchers in Malayia and Thailand, but never heard about any first hand who had been a victim of this.
My sister had her bag stolen from her at a canteen at the Suntek City Center in Singapore. The perpetrators were a European looking couple...
I am sure that most of us are used to be aware of that street crime and theft can be a hazard from where we live. SE Asia is certainly no worse place.
hkrz
Long Life Itch
Thank you all for the great advice!!!
I'm glad that it all seems to be as I thought. Common sense, awerness of suroundings and I should be ok.
I always promise to myself never ever read those guides again. They have a tendency to blow certain aspects out of proportion. Pages dedicated to crime, but no mention that on certain occasions you will starve to death as everything will be closed. Happend to me once
I was " warned about" theft in Santiago de Chile, left the camera in a restaurant and then was chased by a guy, who gave me my camera back...
Go figure
Best wishes,
I'm glad that it all seems to be as I thought. Common sense, awerness of suroundings and I should be ok.
I always promise to myself never ever read those guides again. They have a tendency to blow certain aspects out of proportion. Pages dedicated to crime, but no mention that on certain occasions you will starve to death as everything will be closed. Happend to me once
I was " warned about" theft in Santiago de Chile, left the camera in a restaurant and then was chased by a guy, who gave me my camera back...
Go figure
Best wishes,
nikon_sam
Shooter of Film...
I might be getting the chance to travel to and work in Vietnam most likely in the first part of next year...
Just last week I got a phone call from a dealer who asked if I could install a printing press for him there...I met him today and we looked at the press he wants to buy...
The first trip would be for a month to install it in their machine shop (to check it out and make sure all is well before the potential customer arrives) and a second trip to install in the new owners shop...
The whole deal sounds interesting...I just need more information to feel more comfortable with the idea of actually going there...so far what I've heard has been positive...
Just last week I got a phone call from a dealer who asked if I could install a printing press for him there...I met him today and we looked at the press he wants to buy...
The first trip would be for a month to install it in their machine shop (to check it out and make sure all is well before the potential customer arrives) and a second trip to install in the new owners shop...
The whole deal sounds interesting...I just need more information to feel more comfortable with the idea of actually going there...so far what I've heard has been positive...
Mister E
Well-known
I'd jump at the chance. Vietnam is an amazing place. I took my 62 year old, USMC Vietnam-vet father back twice in the last 3 years. He enjoyed it too.
PMCC
Late adopter.
An attempt was made on me in Saigon by a scooter bag snatcher, but I held on to the bag and he rode away empty handed.
A woman stuck her hand into my camera bag in the Paris Metro, but all she got was the case for my point & shoot. The camera was in my pocket.
I left a Leica at a sausage stand in West Berlin. The most expensive hot dog of my young life. The Leica was mailed back to me, intact, in Connecticut three months later by the West Berlin police.
My wife's purse was snatched in the Gare du Nord in Paris. She ran after the young thief, caught him, and let loose on him with a torrent of choice phrases in unparliamentary French (as in, "pardon my French"). The miscreant coughed up the purse, totally shame-faced at being publicly cussed-out by a proper middle-aged English lady.
Last edited:
oftheherd
Veteran
...
I know that I shouldn't say that here, but the food is the reason I'm going
Best regards,
Hiu Tieu (a pork noodle soup) for breakfast is common in the south. Pho is the central (and I am told the north as well) counterpart. Pho is beef and has a thicker noodle. What is served in the US as Pho is closer to the Hiu Tieu noodle of the south.
You can often find people baking bread along side roads. It is usually very tasty. Some roadside vendors used to make interesting spam sandwiches when I was there. Coconut juice is very tasty. Their coconut is not the hard shell variety common in the USA. I used to drink it with ice often, but only you know if you want to chance that. I would be careful.
Thit bo bay mon is beef cooked seven different ways. Any of them will be tasty. One, where thinly sliced beef is dipped in boiling vinegar, placed on lettuce with rice and some vegetable is tasty.
I never saw it in the north, but south of Saigon, some places used to serve cooked blood. It tastes like liver. Ca lop is a fish soup. The fish I think was a kind of carp. It was very bony. You take your time to eat as you will be picking and spitting a lot of bones. But it tastes good and is something of a special food.
Don't be too afraid of nuoc mam (fish sauch) if you haven't yet tried it. There are varieties from no real smell to cheaper, that are quite smelly. In my experience, the more smelly, the better tasting. You just have to convince yourself that it is OK to put something with that odor into your mouth; then you should be fine. The more you eat it, the easier it gets to use it, and the more enjoyable it gets. Sometimes it will be a side dish to dip food into, sometimes it will be cooked with your food. If you try it, you will probably come to like it.
Don't be too afraid of local eateries. My experience in Vietnam and Korea was that local eateries and roadside vendors had some of the best food available. YMMV.
There are a lot of good fruits in Vietnam. In the south, there is one called Trai Vu something (roughly translates Virgins Milk). Anti-typically, it has a white pulp and juice. It is VERY sweet. Other fruits abound and are often made in to drinks.
Regardless of what I or anyone else says, you are on your own about what will be healthy and what will put you in bed for days. Hopefully some who have been there more recently than I (left in 1972) can comment on eating and drinking in Vietnam.
Still, I never got sick from eating on the economy, but got ptomaine in the PX, and mess hall, and spent much time contemplating my sins in the outhouse from mess hall food. YMMV.
EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to mention the Vietnamese coffee. Personally, I love it. If you aren't familiar with it, you should try it at least once. It should be made in a cup or glass, then they should give you sugar and sweetened condensed milk. VERY tasty to me when there (except I must use aritificial sweetener now, and no milk or cream).
If you want to drink it iced, make as above first, then pour it over ice (remembering what I said about water). Again, I personally never got sick on the economy, but know some who did. I think some people just get sick easier.
Don't be surprised by regional differences. Hiu Tieu in the south and Pho in the north for example. Or, when I was in Can Tho, there was no cold beer. It was served with a glass of ice. When I got back to Saigon, the beer tasted funny for a few days.
Last edited:
biakalt
Long Tran
if you're into seafood, then saigon is where to consume it - rather than the north. cos its so much cheaper, and better quality. but generally, the north's cuisine is proper authentic vietnamese food, the south has been mixed with different tastes from different cultures - chinese, cambodian, etc.
Mister E
Well-known
There's a simple rule about ice in SE Asia. If it's nice and clear like a piece of crystal it's probably safe to use, but if it is foggy at all then avoid it unless you want hepatitis or dysentery.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
I visit Vietnam twice a year and walk around with a variety of rangefinder cameras all the time. Never a problem. You'll be sure to attract the attention of older Vietnamese and professional photographers who hang around the tourist spots -and often still shoot film, who will recognize the rangefinder cameras and want to have a closer look at your stuff. Just don't leave your valuables in your room...if you don't want to haul gear around, leaving at the front desk is a much safer option: hotels don't want any hassle with the cops. BTW I always buy film in Saigon: Kodakcolor 200 ISO from a small store 'Duy & Tien'...they are at 111 Trần Hưng Đạo street, district 1. around 100m from the corner of Trần Hưng Đạo and Nguyễn Thái Học St. Approx. USD 1.20 a roll.
Den
Member
I just realized that I posted my query yesterday in the wrong forum. Anyway, I hope the thread starter wouldn't mind. Here's what I posted in the off topic forum: "
I'll be travelling to this particular city (Ho Chi Minh/Saigon) next week for the first time and i will be bringing with me negatives, slides and b&w films. Any of you tried a professional lab there? Is there a reputable lab in HCMC? And any special place where I can get the feel of a busy/crowded street spot? Thank you!"
Den
biakalt
Long Tran
the film shop that hans mentioned is Fuji Pro lab. they do c41, bw and transparency processing. they told me that they still do bw by hand. i had bw processed by them before, it was ok. i think they developed bw with tmax developer.
however, i had pretty bad experience with transparency. i think they used old chemicals for that.
I would trust them to do bw and C41, but not transparency.
cheers
Olsen
Well-known
You are not the only one having bad experiences with Paris. I had my portable PC stolen from me at Concorde Lafayette Hotel, while in the hotel's custody. Michael Reichman of luminous-landscapes ( http://www.luminous-landscape.com/about/michael1.shtml ) had money stolen from his hotel room in Paris. He never got an explanation to how the thief got into the room with these computerized magnet card door locks.
dogbunny
Registered Boozer
Anyone interested in visiting this place, give Hanoi some consideration. No offense to someone else's experiences, but if your experience of Vietnam is just the South of this country you've missed a lot. Kick it all the way to Sapa. The train ride there and back is worth the ticket price.
Ferry to Kat Ba Island
my guide, Za
going into the villages
Don't take the pictures so seriously, they were taken with a walmart advantix camera. Just trying to illustrate a good time.
Ferry to Kat Ba Island
my guide, Za
going into the villages
Don't take the pictures so seriously, they were taken with a walmart advantix camera. Just trying to illustrate a good time.
Rayt
Nonplayer Character
I was with my friend in Paris and he read on the net about money getting stolen out of the hotels so he insisted in keeping the entire 2000 Euros on him. The next day he got all of it ripped off on the Metro.
hans voralberg
Veteran
The situation improved! I and a friend barged into the processing room and demand to have slides thing fixed lol. It's not "very bad" anymore, just 1/3 stop underdeveloped.
@ Den: go anywhere after 4:30 and you can see crowded street. But it is raining like crazy here in the evening so be careful! On a more specific note: district 1 and district 5 are the interesting places. DO NOT go to Binh Thanh as it is flooded every single day.
@ Oftheherd: the fruit you mentioned is Vu Sua.
Last edited:
Den
Member
The situation improved! I and a friend barged into the processing room and demand to have slides thing fixed lol. It's not "very bad" anymore, just 1/3 stop underdeveloped.
@ Den: go anywhere after 4:30 and you can see crowded street. But it is raining like crazy here in the evening so be careful! On a more specific note: district 1 and district 5 are the interesting places. DO NOT go to Binh Thanh as it is flooded every single day.
@ Oftheherd: the fruit you mentioned is Vu Sua.
Big thanks Hans and biakalt! Bummer, Binh Thanh is in my itinerary.