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suvving's Posts
7 reviews or comments posted; 4 questions asked; 13 answers given.
Reviews / Comments (7) see all
DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL! YOU MAY HAVE YOUR BELONGINGS STOLEN HERE
This low-cost hotel seemed like a good deal at $10/night, until I realized that the staff had been stealing belongings from my bags when I was out of the room.
This hotel is located on the busy Bui Vien street of Pham Ngu Lao, and has affordable rooms. On the positive side, my room was only $10/night and included air conditioning, wireless internet, refrigerator, hot water, motorbike parking, and seemingly friendly staff. On the negative side, my room had no windows, the springs in the mattress poked me in the back, there were some kind of bedbugs that would bite my ankles during the night (I ended up just sleeping in socks), my room was only cleaned every third day, the refrigerator didn't work (only the freezer part worked), and the staff stole my belongings while I was out of the room!
Overall, it seemed like a good deal at $10/night, but when I realized that over $300 worth of my belongings had been stolen from my room (they had even tore a hole in my locked bag to get to my stuff), I immediately talked to the hotel manager about it. He said that it couldn't have happened and even after I showed him my torn bag, he maintained that his staff did not do that.
I'm sure their low cost will attract many naive travelers who are simply looking for a cheap place to crash for the night, but I would strongly recommend that people stay away from this hotel.
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I agree with jojosan, this is a great place for a legit massage.
I arrived later in the evening so I didn't have a chance to enjoy the jacuzzi or sauna, but I'm sure they would've been nice.
I kept my belongings with me the whole time (in the little fanny pack they provide), and I thought the layout of the massage rooms was good. They had little standup dividers in one big room so that you have just enough privacy. As a guy, I had my massage in the male room, and I suppose there's a female room somewhere else. My masseuse knew what she was doing and I'd go back in the future.
Also, two things: THE ADDRESS ABOVE IS INCORRECT! (I think the correct address is 31/1 Nguyen Binh Khiem St, Dist 1). The prices have also gone up a little bit, but they're still reasonable for what you get (60'=VND 120,000, 90'=165,000)
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Great place for a haircut, highlights, makeup or nails.
The building is huge (5-6 floors) and everything looks very professional and clean. You give them your name at the front counter, and after draping a smock over you, they escort you up to another floor to have your services done.
I had my hair cut on the fifth floor, where there were internet stations to use while you wait for your perm or highlights to set. I was escorted to a haircutting station where the stylist asked what I wanted done. Another girl washed my hair, and the haircut itself was very thorough. After about 40 minutes of cutting, I was finished and my hair looked just as I wanted it to. Another washing, blowdrying, and a little hair wax and I was done.
Went downstairs to pay, and to my surprise, my bill was 50,000 dong! That's about $3. Apparently, I'd happened to visit during "happy time" and got the discounted rate. It was a great haircut at any price, and at such a low price I recommend this place to all of my friends.
service__________price__________happy time price
-----------------------------------------
shampoo________40,000_______25,000
shampoo+cut____64,000_______40,000
cut+highlight____224,000______140,000
cut+color________320,000______200,000
(happy time is from 8am-11am & 5pm - 8pm)
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Large indoor market that sells luggage, clothing, souvenirs, fresh flowers, produce, meat, and prepared foods.
This is a great place to visit if you're a tourist staying in the Pham Ngu Lao area and want to pick up some clothes or knick knacks to take home with you. Just remember to bargain for the price you want to pay.
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Saigon's Central Post Office is both an architectural tourist attraction (a historical site of French architecture) and a place to mail your postcards, letters, etc.
On the tourism side, it was built during the early 20th century ad features Gothic architectural style, and is located next to another attraction: the Notre-Dame Basilica. (thanks, wikipedia)
On the functional side, it's all laid out in front of you when you walk in, but there was still some confusion about how to mail a couple of letters to the US (mostly due to my non-Vietnamese tongue). After figuring out the postage fees, I was given the stamps to affix to my envelopes. They do not use self-adhesive stamps here, so you must paint glue onto the back of your stamps at the counter with a little paintbrush, and then stick them onto your letters. That was by far the most memorable part of my visit to the post office, since it was the first time I'd touched a paintbrush in years.
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Questions (4)
I'd like to find a clean gym with the basics (free weights, weight machines, treadmills), where I can workout 2-3 times a week during after-work hours. Basketball courts, swimming pools and tennis courts would be nice but are not necessary for me.
I currently live in the US, where my monthly gym membership is about $25/month. I've heard that memberships are more expensive in Vietnam, but I'm not sure I can bear paying anything like $100/month for basic gym facilities.
I've been monitoring the news from the U.S. and it seems like the Vietnamese Dong is in the process of being devalued (by up to 25%) in order to protect the country from an economic crash. Are people in Vietnam feeling any difference in the way they're able to earn/spend money?
I'll be arriving in Vietnam in a couple of months, and the exchange rate could be anything from 16000 dong to 18500 dong to one US dollar.
I want to buy a motorbike when I get there, and it seems like the exchange rates will work in my favor so I'll pay less.
Do television stations in Saigon broadcast HDTV channels? If so, can you receive HD channels over the air (with an antenna) or do you have to have cable/satellite?
I'm looking to buy a new Honda Wave Alpha.
The Honda website says that the "recommended retail price (including VAT)" is 12,900,000. I visited a couple shops today that quoted me 14,500,000 and 14,820,000 for the honda wave alpha.
What's the deal? I've heard that I should be able to get a good deal on a motorbike since sales are way down for the year and the dealers are desperate to make some sales.
Do you have to bargain pretty hard when buying a bike in Saigon? Are there certain districts where the price would be lower? Are there certain times of the year when the I'd be able to get a better price?
Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!
-Derek
Answers (13)
Posted Wednesday June 4th, 2008.
A couple friends and I rented 3 automatic bikes for $7/day on the main drag in de tham. I'm not sure if that's high or low.
In response to the question: Where do people typically rent their motorbikes from in Saigon?...
Posted Wednesday June 4th, 2008.
(I forgot to mention - that's $7/day each)
In response to the question: Where do people typically rent their motorbikes from in Saigon?...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
I live in the US and have had good luck using websites like "bookingbuddy.com" to compare airfares. I also like "kayak.com" because you can see a chart of when the prices go up and down.
Qynn is right about how the time of the year has a lot to do with the prices. Also, if she can fly from mon-thurs, the tickets tend to be cheaper than on the weekends. I booked my one way ticket to Saigon from California a couple of weeks ago for $625 and now the cheapest I can find is $750. I think the prices have gone up due to rising fuel prices and it being closer to August. Booking 3-4 months in advance has helped me get some good deals. Good luck!
In response to the question: I'll be moving to Hanoi for 5 months and (surprise!) would like to have my girlfriend come out and visit during that time. Only problem: airfare from ...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
this reminds me of the "hello kitty toy" ( http://www.kittyhell.com/2007/05/08/hello-kitty-vibrator/ ) and other disguised toys. I read an article a while ago about how companies were designing all sorts of "toys" that are acceptable by local laws, yet satisfy their adult owners.
In response to the question: Okay...so I believe the ladies of Hanoi will not disagree with me that the ratio of men to women in this city does not work in their favour, and what ...
Posted Saturday June 7th, 2008.
Everyone here seems to be so knowledgeable about this stuff! I'm a US citizen and I'm planning on flying over to Vietnam in August to prepare to teach English. I'd love some help figuring out the best way to get my Visa.
A multiple-month visa sounds great, but can I get one and is that what I need? I don't yet know where/when I'll be teaching English, but I know that I won't be done with my English-teaching-training course until about 35 days after I arrive in Vietnam. After the course, I'd like to take a week or so to travel around cambodia/laos, and then come back into Vietnam to teach.
Does anyone have any recommendations or referrals to agencies that could help me get the best deal on my visa situation for what I have planned?
In response to the question: Hi, Anyone out there been out and about shopping for visa extension quotes recently? Got one saturday from tropical tours for a six month multiple ...
Posted Friday June 13th, 2008.
thanks a lot for the info, tonicboy. that sounds like what I was hoping for
In response to the question: I'd like to find a clean gym with the basics (free weights, weight machines, treadmills), where I can workout 2-3 times a week during after-work hours...
Posted Monday June 16th, 2008.
I agree with Jimbo - people assume students are vendors and are trying to sell something.
Even in my hometown of Los Angeles, I was a an outdoor shopping mall and was approached by a foreign student. She wanted to practice English with me, but I immediately assumed she was trying to sell me something, so I just brushed her off. I didn't figure out she was a student who wanted to practice her english until I was two blocks away.
To prevent that from happening in Hanoi, you might want to make a small sign for the student to carry that clearly states "I'm a student, could you please practice English with me for 2 minutes?" or something like that.
In response to the question: I've had a few students ask me the same general thing: Where can they go to meet and chat with foreigners? Some have offered a "language exchange" t...
Posted Tuesday June 17th, 2008.
It seems like it would be a time to make some money, except that you might end up with a lot of dong and no way to convert them to dollars, right?
I've been tripping out about this difference between the official 16,500 and black market 18500 rates too - I'm just worried things will be crazy by the time I move to Vietnam in late August.
In response to the question: (See my "Short" history lesson if you don't know about the current currency situation in VN - it's after my question) My question: In September,...
Posted Monday June 23rd, 2008.
I really like pippasweetie's comment about the project that used the cats' usefulness to help demonstrate their worth to people. That sounds like a great idea and one that sets up a mutually beneficial relationship between cats and humans.
I live in Los Angeles, CA (USA) and have plenty of friends who are die-hard animal lovers. They really support pet adoptions from animal shelters, since that doesn't really support breeding more cats for profit. I'm not sure if there are animal shelters in Vietnam, but that might be a good, guilt-free way to adopt a pet that would otherwise be killed.
It's great that you're giving this so much thought and that you're thinking about both the short and long term consequences of your choices.
How about keeping your ears open in the expat community for people who are moving away from Vietnam and are unable to take their cat with them? That might not meet your immediate needs of having a cat right now or of solving the bigger problem of cats being neglected on the streets of Vietnam, but that's an option you could feel socially responsible about. At the end of your time in Vietnam, you could then look for someone who's looking for a cat and could take it.
In response to the question: I'd really like to discuss this topic with someone who has an informed opinion (vet; pet owner; thoughtful and ethical person; etc) I've seen a lot...
Posted Tuesday June 24th, 2008.
What is this application for? A master course in what? What was on the application before this question?
It's hard to help without understanding what it's for.
In response to the question: I am preparing the application form for Master Course in which I got the difficulty of the question "Specify the ideas that you would want to prop...
Posted Wednesday July 2nd, 2008.
tonicboy, are you paying $600 for one bedroom in a 2BR house? Or is it $600 for the whole 2BR house?
Since property values are dropping in Vietnam, rent prices should be dropping too, right?
In response to the question: Am about to move to HCMC. What are good living ares for singles? Ideally, the place should not be far from city center and within reach of some re...
Posted Thursday July 3rd, 2008.
Any tips for getting a lease in dong? It seems like that's a good idea for a renter since the dong is expected to fall at least another 10% in the next year.
In response to the question: Am about to move to HCMC. What are good living ares for singles? Ideally, the place should not be far from city center and within reach of some re...
Posted Sunday September 28th, 2008.
check out the salon/spa section of this website. I just posted a place called "art hair" that you may like.
In response to the question: Ok, so the old roots need doing but i have no idea where to go for some good highlights and a cut.Any ideas greatly appreciated...
I'm an American (born and raised in Los Angeles, CA), who is planning on moving to Vietnam in August '08 to teach English. I visited a couple of friends there in February '08 and I fell in love with the friendly people, affordable living, and I'm looking forward to getting my own motorbike!
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I'm trying to pick up as much Vietnamese vocabulary as possible before flying over there, but my best resource is a Pimsleur CD that I listen to while driving to/from work. I enjoy learning from a CD, but I'm sure people outside my car think I'm a crazy person talking to myself.
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Derek
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New Hanoian Member SinceThursday March 27th, 2008
