Ladislav in Vietnam now

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ladislav
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Ladislav in Vietnam now

Post by ladislav »

Because we got three days off at work in Phnom Penh, I decided to fly to Saigon just to see the place. A 45 mt flight. Buses are cheaper but at my age I need comfort.

Cost $243 round trip and the hotel is $ 25 a night. Taxis are some $10 from the airport to the center.
In a nutshell HCM city ( Saigon) is very modern. It looks and feels like Tokyo, actually. Very sturdy looking infrastructure, skyscrapers, nice sidewalks, Japan-like apartment buildings everywhere but with a certain French twist still. Wide avenues everywhere, trees, etc. Really nice.

The food is really good and most meals are $ 2- 8. Drinks are under $ 1.

The people look intelligent, even if no English, the try to communicate with signs, gestures, etc. They remind me of NE Asians, like the Koreans or Japanese. They are really not SE Asians. They also have very pale skin, same as Koreans and sharp and active minds. In Cambodia, they are kind of dreamy and relaxed. Here, they are alert, quick and smart; aware of things happening around the world. Well, these are the people who have defeated China and the USA. So, they must be sharp to do that.

Everyone is very busy all day all night.

Now as far as the ladies go: My impression is you need to find out where the places are. I have been to their most famous nightclub: Apocalypse Now and was disappointed. There were more guys than ladies and the youngest lady looked about 30.

I guess Tinder is the way nowadays. Also hotel bellboys were showing me pictures of masseuses. $45 an hour.

Bangkok, Pattaya, AC and even Manila beat this place hands down as far as entertainment goes. But as far as the rest of things, it' s quite good.

I have posted photos on the FB HA page.
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hypermak
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Re: I am in Vietnam.

Post by hypermak »

I spent 2 weeks in HMC two years ago. I agree, some streets are leafy and elegant and the French colonial buildings, the few left like the Opera and the main post office, are well preserved. Vietnamese are industrious people: they were ravaged by no fewer than four major wars, including an internal one between two political factions, and managed to rise to relative prosperity.

A polar opposite story to what happened in the Philippines, where I live now. They were relatively prosperous in the 60s and 70s, then during and after Marcos everything plunged down and so far they are still struggling with the basic tenets of civilised living.

As far as I noticed, VN girls are quite traditional and not as interested in foreigners as the Filipino counterparts. One girl I met told me most families would heavily oppose a relationship or marriage with a man more than 10 years older. This, on the surface at least. With the new-found wealth, I heard it's very common for middle and upper class men to maintain multiple young mistresses, usually college students. A dose of face-saving...a healthy marriage at the front and sexual shenanigans behind the curtains.

I too was surprised that, for how smart Vietnamese seem, they don't seem to speak English much. I met at least 2 young foreigners, a man and a woman, who were in HMC to teach English and they said they could easily work 14 hours a day if they wanted to and make more than $2,500 a month, which is a very good figure.
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flowerthief00
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Re: Ladislav in Vietnam now

Post by flowerthief00 »

ladislav wrote:
November 10th, 2019, 11:37 pm
Now as far as the ladies go: My impression is you need to find out where the places are. I have been to their most famous nightclub: Apocalypse Now and was disappointed. There were more guys than ladies and the youngest lady looked about 30.

I guess Tinder is the way nowadays. Also hotel bellboys were showing me pictures of masseuses. $45 an hour.

Bangkok, Pattaya, AC and even Manila beat this place hands down as far as entertainment goes. But as far as the rest of things, it' s quite good.

I have posted photos on the FB HA page.
Well I don't think a nightclub is really worth entering if your main objective is to meet women, but I basically enjoyed the ones I tried. A smiling local gave me a free beer in a nightclub in Hanoi without a word of conversation. That kind of thing happens a lot in Vietnam; they are the most generous people ever. There were whole families in there including kids of elementary-school age. Kids of elementary school age in a nightclub. Only in Vietnam?

As to Bangkok etc beating HCM etc as far as entertainment, yeah probably, although Vietnam offers splendrous things to do if you like the outdoors.

As far as sight-seeing, I think Thailand has better man-made sightseeing (shrines, temples, ruins, etc) while Vietnam has better natural sight-seeing (rivers, caves, waterfalls, etc).

What is AC?
ladislav
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Re: Ladislav in Vietnam now

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AC is Angeles City
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tamdrin12
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Re: Ladislav in Vietnam now

Post by tamdrin12 »

Hey Ladislav,

Good to see an update from you. You gave me your book on online teaching a few years ago and I have been doing that to make a living for most of the last 3 years. I'm between jobs and looking for work now. Living in Chiang Mai. I would like to visit Vietnam someday. Still haven't been there, haven't been to Cambodia either. Cambodia doesn't excite me much, from what I know of it though. I still like Thailand even after 5 years here. Visa is getting harder though and I was questioned on my last border bounce.


Take care and safe travels!
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Winston
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Re: Ladislav in Vietnam now

Post by Winston »

My friend told me there's a town near Saigon called Da Nang that's an undiscovered paradise with friendly people, good vibe, and beautiful beaches. He said it's his favorite town in SE Asia. If you guys get a chance you should check it out.
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flowerthief00
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Re: Ladislav in Vietnam now

Post by flowerthief00 »

Winston wrote:
February 9th, 2020, 11:33 pm
My friend told me there's a town near Saigon called Da Nang that's an undiscovered paradise with friendly people, good vibe, and beautiful beaches. He said it's his favorite town in SE Asia. If you guys get a chance you should check it out.
It is not that close to Saigon, but it is a great place.
Although I have to say it is easier to make friends in Saigon where there is so much more going on.
gsjackson
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Re: Ladislav in Vietnam now

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Winston wrote:
February 9th, 2020, 11:33 pm
My friend told me there's a town near Saigon called Da Nang that's an undiscovered paradise with friendly people, good vibe, and beautiful beaches. He said it's his favorite town in SE Asia. If you guys get a chance you should check it out.
"A town near Saigon called Da Nang," that's "undiscovered." Goodness, it's bizarre to read those words. Hearing or reading the name Da Nang sent chills down the spines of every young American male in the '60s and early '70s. The U.S. Air Force base there was the main point of entry into war and hell on earth.

You'd do anything to avoid going to Da Nang, even including joining the Marine Reserves, as I did (the reserves and guard units weren't called up during the Vietnam War, and there were so many people, including George W Bush and Bill Clinton, beating feet into them that only the Marines didn't have a waiting list by the time I felt the draft breathing down my neck).
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Winston
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Re: Ladislav in Vietnam now

Post by Winston »

But isn't Da Nang a nice place now gsjackson? People say it is.
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gsjackson
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Re: Ladislav in Vietnam now

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Winston wrote:
February 10th, 2020, 7:55 pm
But isn't Da Nang a nice place now gsjackson? People say it is.
Could be for all I know. I'm just noting the generation gap. Da Nang looms large as a hellhole in the addled old consciousness of early baby boomers.

It's interesting that the U.S. lost that war, but capitalism seems to have won over Vietnam. Who back then ever would have thought it would become a welcoming place catering to American tourists? Those who have some familiarity with the country and a more nuanced viewpoint, please feel free to reject or expand on that contention as needed.
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flowerthief00
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Re: Ladislav in Vietnam now

Post by flowerthief00 »

gsjackson wrote:
February 10th, 2020, 8:39 pm
It's interesting that the U.S. lost that war, but capitalism seems to have won over Vietnam. Who back then ever would have thought it would become a welcoming place catering to American tourists? Those who have some familiarity with the country and a more nuanced viewpoint, please feel free to reject or expand on that contention as needed.
You're on point, I think. And not just American tourists but Korean and Chinese (although the latter are barred from entry into the country at present). International tourism is on the rise in a big way. I saw a sign in front of a store the other day that had writing in four languages.

Increasingly I'll be able to better answer questions anyone has about Vietnam but I'm still pretty new there.
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