*Under Construction*
Planning a trip to Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam? Here are some things that I have found useful.
What to Bring
You will over pack. You will not believe me when I say that Vietnam has just about everything and you don’t need to bring a month’s worth of supplies for your trip. That being said, the following would be useful:
- Sunscreen higher than SPF 30. A smaller, portable bottle is better than a large one because you’re more likely to reapply it.
- Bug screen/spray. At least 30% deet. You’ll use this less than you think you will.
- Sunglasses. The styles here are weird.
- A hat, if you wear hats. Hats are simultaneously expensive (relatively speaking) and ugly here.
- One of those doo-dads that automatically converts electricity. Mine has been so useful.
- Stain Stick or something like it.
- Some powder with talcum and/or corn starch. This is useful for both moisture control/heat rash prevention and a stain remover.
- Hardcore deodorant. Highest antiperspirant you can find. Deodorants here are weird/small/not effective.
- Tums, Pepto, and ibuprofen.
- Any lotion you want to bring. A lot of lotions here have a skin whitener in them.
- You will have a wicked hard time finding tampons here. Unless you want to wear a pad in 96F heat, bring tampons or invest in a menstrual cup.
- Clothes, especially if you are larger than an American size 8.
Regarding clothes…
- Linen pants are awesome. Jeans are hot, sweaty, and chafe. However, you will see more people here wearing jeans than linen. They also wear long sleeves and coats. You are not them.
- Travel guide books tend to be all about the Women Must Dress Modestly, but they don’t emphasize the difference between rural and urban Vietnam.
- rural Vietnam: dress modestly. Shirts that cover your shoulders, skirts that do not go above your knee, or pants. No low cut or mid drift exposing shirts.
- urban Vietnam: tank tops are okay, though avoid spaghetti strap tops. Shorts or skirts that cut mid thigh are acceptable too, but don’t go beyond mid thigh or people will think you’re a whore.
Transportation
- The bus system is really easy to get along with if you’re willing to be adventurous and it’s probably the cheapest form of transportation available at only 3,000VND (about 19cents) flat rate.
- Taxis. Make sure that you get a metered taxi. If they argue against using the meter, find a different taxi. They’re everywhere, it’s not hard to find another one and as soon as you start to walk away they’ll relent. At the airport there are these obnoxious blue cabbies. They will try to get you to go to another hotel where they get commission. They will try to have you go off the meter. They will try to cheat you out of your change. If you have to ride in their taxi, stand firm and don’t take any of their shit. A better plan is to see if your hotel will send a taxi to pick you up. Then you don’t have to deal with all that. I’ve never heard of a cab ride that cost more than 200,000 VND (~$12) and that’s from the city center out to the middle of the suburbs.
- Honda om. The motorbikes are everywhere and are generally a good way to get around if you’re not too scared of the traffic. If you are just going a district or two away, you should never pay more than 20,000 VND. If it’s within the same district, 10,000 VND. Make sure you agree on a price beforehand.
- Cylcos. Are silly. And for tourists. I really don’t recommend them, but if you’re going to, just make sure you agree on a price beforehand.
Buying Things
- If the prices are in USD, you know they’re overpriced/expensive. If they list a price, you know they’re gouging you. Otherwise, haggle. Everything. Aim for 50% below the price they quoted. Insist on paying in dong.
- Fruit and vegetables. In Vietnam, they can spray fruits and vegetables with pesticides up to 24 hours before they go to the market. Wash throughly. You should probably avoid anything that involves eating the skin. Haggle for the food, too.
- Non-western style restaurants are so cheap. If you’re not sitting in plastic chairs eating out of a plastic bowl with barbie on it, you’re probably paying more than you could for the same kind of food. Grab your meal at a street kitchen/stall for 12,000 VND or less (either way, less than $1). Agree on a price before you eat it.
