Vietnam

>>1219044
Can't offer much advice but I'll be going there in May for the first time. Plan on renting a motorbike to go up the country. I've been told the whole country is paradise

>>1219044
Very safe, especially in rural areas so long as you don't go out of your way to make trouble or accidentally kill a chicken or something. So far as hikes go, north of Hanoi is by far the best scenery wise and pretty empty of western tourists who all fall for the Hanoi to Saigon meme. The falls in your OP are a great example, though they're a bit overrun by Chinese tourists these days since it's promoted heavily there now from what I've heard. The only thing I'd say is that if you want genuinely good walks you're going to have to drive, aside from Sapa the north doesn't have the same tourist infrastructure so the busses are pretty impossible to work out, slow and generally annoying.

Conversely, all the best diving is in the south really. Though to be honest diving in Vietnam in general is a bit shit so I wouldn't really recommend it if you have to choose, if your heart is really set on it just go to Thailand for a week of your 4 instead. I lived there for years and travelled basically all over so feel free to ask any specifics.

>>1219044
>What areas would I recommend
Hoi An

>Avoid
Everywhere else

>>1219532
Actually Sapa and the area around it is nice too, just don't give the hill tribe people any money.

>>1219553
Sapa is pretty but completely overrun with tourists. The town itself is pretty awful. The further away down the valley you get the better but still, if you can't drive to get that far it's not so great.

>>1219044
>An entire month in Vietnam.
You'll want to kill yourself.

>>1219044
you can get everything you want out of Vietnam in a week or 2 (that is if you're not some kind of pervert)
It's just your typical 3rd world country with nice beaches and restaurants
there's really nothing special about the cities or people really

no reason to be there for a month

alex?

>>1219532

Hoi An is a tourist trap

Let me guess, you got a suit made and lit some lanterns or some other dumb shit

>>1220693
You went to the wrong parts if you believe this to be true.

>>1219044
I spent a month in Vietnam last year for babbys first solo backpacking trip round SEA. Did the standard HCMC to Hanoi on a bike meme. I liked the country in general, really cool people from what I seen, favourite places were Hue and Hanoi. Anything you want to know in particular?

>>1220920
Not OP, but I'm going there in a week.
It'll be my first time backpacking and not being in a western country. Got a few questions
>Will the culture shock be huge?
>What's the best way to deal with it?
>What to absolutely take with me?
>Any tips other tips generally?
T.Hanks in advance

What sort of activities can I find in Hanoi that I wouldn't think of? I don't know a whole lot about Vietnam culture, and I have a 2 day gap after Halong Bay.

>>1221097
get a cheap suit

>>1221030
Not him but still

>Will the culture shock be huge?
>What's the best way to deal with it?

Not if you've been outside your country before, it's pretty crazy having so many asian people around if you've never been to an Asian country but that's about as far as it goes. It's pretty westernised now.

>What to absolutely take with me?

Suntan lotion if you're white, they don't sell any which works at all there. Long sleeves are a good idea too to keep the sun off, tempting as it can be to wear short stuff. There's a reason the locals all do it.

>Any tips other tips generally?

Get a sim card with data and install google translate, it'll save you a lot of hassle if you're ever out of the touristy areas. Vietnamese is so impossible to pronounce that even if you practice some phrases there's a good chance nobody will be able to understand you anyway.

>>1220682
Why?

Swing by aces poker club in hanoi ill be the only white guy in a room full of chinese businessmen

I thought they changed it so that foreign passport holders couldn't play there anymore? If thats not the case I'm gonna head down there this week

>>1221030
I'm the first guy you replied to, pretty much what >>1221030 said. Its fairly westernised now but definitely still has it's own charm, enjoy the communist regime and the propaganda posters it's definitely something different for most people. The Vietnamese are my favourite people I've met in SEA, their culture shares similarities with the west, (they shake hands etc.) They're genuinely friendly and in the rural areas curious to see a foreigner. Also bring DEET, the mosquito's aren't nearly as bad as Cambodia but I had difficulty finding good repellant there.
Hanoi is my favourite city, if only because drinking in the old quarter at night is this massive sensory overload.
Take it easy and enjoy yourself, the locals seem to.

>>1221275
Lots of people hate it because they never get off the tourist track and dirt poor Vietnamese people trying to rip you off gets old very quickly. If you're the sort of person who doesn't get bothered by that or plan to go to places that are off the line almost all tourists take you'll be fine.

File: vietnam.jpg (271KB, 1200x800px) Image search: [Google]

271KB, 1200x800px

I may have an ESL job in the works in Vietnam
in one of the provincial cities (not Hanoi or Saigon)

paying $1300 a month after tax plus free housing and work permit

is this a decent offer? most of the other offers I've gotten have been fairly low (under 1500) idk if I should take this or keep waiting
would I fair better if I just went out to Vietnam without a job and looked there instead of just online?

its a 1 year contract as well, I'll need to see more info but idk if its worth working for a year for that pay when I can possibly get something better if I wait.

>>1222260
its in Bac Giang btw
the city and area surrounding looks nice, beautiful part of the country and close enough to both Ha Long and Hanoi

>>1221261
>>1221470
thanks a lot, that's actually pretty helpful!
I think I'll just have to jump into the cold water and shouldn't worry too much.

>>1222260
That is a pretty good wage for SEA actually.

IMO Vietnam is awful in the tourist centers. The vietnamese culture is one of the most scam-heavy cultures in the world, they're constantly ripping eachother off too.

On the other hand, I had an incredible time riding around the country through the areas that never saw tourists. People were extremely friendly and we were literally treated like celebrities. Never seen that sort of treatment in other countries.

So I'd suggest learning to ride a motorcycle - get a license in your home country - and riding around Vietnam in order to get to know it. Just don't be the douche that comes with little/no experience and tries to do a cross-country trip, you'll get hurt.

>>1223082
I agree with this. While I didn't personally get done it is very tiring having to constantly be on guard against getting scammed or overcharged. As mentioned previously it is hard to get off the tourist trail using public transportation, hence one of the reasons why motorbikes are so popular. The comment about getting hurt is no joke either, hostels are full of people with motorbike injuries they sustained due to riding an unreliable bike at speeds/conditions beyond their abilities. If you don't have the experience, stick to short term moped rentals.

>>1220593
well duh, who goes to a mountain town and doesn't go exploring?

>>1220869
nope, I got massages, a sunburn and had the cheapest and best food I had the whole trip. suits looked pretty shitty so I didn't waste my money

>>1221097
>what activities can I find in Hanoi that I wouldn't think of
Booking a ticket to Japan, Taiwan or Mongolia and never coming back is generally a good idea if you get a break in your schedule. Failing that, Museum of Ethnology is worth a visit.

>>1222260
I would take that in a heart beat, Vietnam is the best place to save up, can't wait to get back there.

http://www.ourbigfattraveladventure.com/2015/01/04/whats-cost-living-vietnam/

>>1223098
>If you don't have the experience, stick to short term moped rentals.

I wouldn't even do this. Riding around the Vietnamese cities where you'd be able to rent a moped is no joke. They're all expert riders and expect you to have the reaction time of one too. Hazards absolutely everywhere, people driving in the wrong lane and forcing you to run off the road, etc.

I say get the license in the US, get experience somewhere like rural thailand, and then go to Vietnam and start small there.

>went there last summer
>spent about a month there
>most of it with one girl
>fast forward to two weeks ago
>get a call from the Department of State
>apparently she went through my wallet and has not only but home address
>no idea how the fucking Department of State managed to find my home phone number
>she's preggers
>said its mine
This bitch is a fucking street whore, how fucked am I? Should I just ignore this?

>>1220920
I'm not OP
is it easy to pilot the bike?
I have no experience at all

>>1224324
Wear a condom next time fucking dumbass

>>1224429
I did like the first few times but she said she was clean and on the pill...

>>1223098
>While I didn't personally get done it is very tiring having to constantly be on guard against getting scammed or overcharged.

To be honest the people who seem to hate Vietnam the most are the ones who can't let the smallest bits of overcharging go. For me I know I was getting tourist prices for the most part, and I knew that if I argued I could probably get the prices down but if it's just 5000 VND extra for a bottle of water then who gives a shit really, it's just going to stress me out and it's basically nothing. I argued on a few occasions when people were obviously being outrageous but for my own enjoyment I just didn't bother for the most part since I could afford it.

>>1224324
https://youtu.be/ElzyT7sWfWU?t=2m24s

>>1224324
what the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk
do you have any legal obligation to pay child support?

>>1224614
oh and lmao at the watchmen reference

Hey, Just finished my Hcm-Hanoi motorbike trip.
At the beggining I was really scared to drive, because it is really crazy, but after 20 days of driving I was actually Having fun driving during the rush hour in Hanoi. Most ppl here will try to a rip you of a bit (mechanics are the worsts) but otherwise it is safe and ppl are nice. Especially outside of the tourist places.

>>1224324
Do the fucking maths and work out if it is at all possible it s your kid. Ask for how long she's been pregnant, it's not hard to work out.

But then you are clearly a retard to get into this situation

>>1224457
hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahaahhahahahahahaha holy shit you're a moron hahahahahahaha

Enjoy your new child OP. Don't worry too much, the baby momma can only bleed you for 18 years anyway.

Also get checked for STDs