Originally Posted by Hurricane88 (Post 12092005)

usual advice to travelers who travel to 3rd world country...

1. leave all your expensive jewelleries and watches at home
2. bring only cheap phones
3. dun bring all your credit cards and loads of cash while walking on the road
4. pay using small stack or cash and not take out wallet to make payment in public...split all your cash into several pockets
5. negotiate or bargain when you buy anything in hcm
6. never leave any camera or mobile phone on the cafe table
7. try not to walk in public carrying a sling back with expensive camera, phone or money
8. dun hop on to any car or motorbike if you are not familiar with the person
9. dun go too far away from your hotel if you aren't familiar
10 any more you can suggest...

the above are my own opinion...:)

Originally Posted by SEAJ (Post 12092475)

Thanks!
Some more random suggestions which are of course also just IMHO:

- Don’t talk/respond to random strangers on the street. oops...
- Don’t trust being taken to places by newly made friends – too many over-charging bill scams.
- Try to monger with a group or at least a side-kick.
- Do not follow a girl to HER place to do the deed oops... – traps await you.
- Watch your drinks i.e. avoid being drugged, both when you’re outside at bars etc. AS WELL AS when you’re in your room.
- Lock away/hide all valuables when with a gal in your room.
- Try NOT to get too drunk especially when in new places.
- Regularly check your bill “In the bin” or better still, pay for each drink served at bars/AGG etc.
- Avoid acting as a Big Swinging Dick (whether you really are one or not!) – BSD’s gets regularly targeted AND fleeced!
- Don’t do drugs, illegal gambling etc when in new places – too many times a sting/scam/a black-mail set-up.
- At KTV’s ask the DJ to notify you when certain amount reached AND/OR to pull up the bill at regular intervals. Also best to assign ONE person authorized to SIGN off for each and every order at a KTV.
- Since there ARE many agents posing as just a KTV/clubs/bars drinking buddy, be leery of others on internet sites being too friendly/ accommodating. Very rarely is there such a thing as a free lunch!
- Remember you are paying for sex – don’t fool yourself/get fooled into thinking it’s anything more. oops...
- Keep your hotel name card with you to get you home in new towns. And oh, your room number too!

I’ll edit/add to this post if I can think of other suggestions – but I certainly appreciate you starting this discussion and hope others will also contribute.

Thanks
SEAJ

Ps. Would you mind very much if I C + P your post on my thread?

Originally Posted by ol'coyote (Post 12093827)

oops...again me broke a couple of the above rules...

Originally Posted by singlun (Post 12093332)

Add on...

Make sure the gal you get IS a gal... ladyboys looked very much like gals there...

Originally Posted by SEAJ (Post 12092475)

Ps. Would you mind very much if I C + P your post on my thread?

Originally Posted by SEAJ (Post 12092475)

Thanks!
Some more random suggestions which are of course also just IMHO

Originally Posted by hoian (Post 12093126)

When taking the cab, stick to Mailinh or Vinasun.

Originally Posted by Hurricane88 (Post 12097605)

I had added this to the website under new page "Advice - pls read"...still very messy...some are repeated or same meaning...but will improve as time goes by...:)

also added ..^^

Originally Posted by SEAJ (Post 12098759)

Sorry, but I cannot find this new page. Can you please link me to it?

///Edit///Please ignore previous/// Get what you mean now -///
http://vietnamservices.weebly.com/ad...ease-read.html

Thanks
SEAJ

Originally Posted by Hurricane88 (Post 12100975)

hope newbies can read and prepare for your trip...the website is not much use for season chiongster to HCM who already knew where to go and find...:)

even with this website provided many newbies still prefer to post questions in HCM thread or pm me to ask questions and answers are easily found in the website...so very very tired to reply all these repeated questions...which I usually ignore...:)

Originally Posted by pting (Post 12101151)

I think season cheongster will try to find info on cheonging from different source whenever they go even if it is first time to the country. But the info you provide is a very good starting point on research for first time HCM cheongster.

Originally Posted by Hurricane88 (Post 12101188)

anyone or you are free to share any info...even if it is illegal or for local only (I meant those sexual services provided for local Viets)...then we shall see how long the place may last after that...or if place will be over-priced after sharing becos newbies dun mind tipping more...:p

Originally Posted by pting (Post 12101252)

This i agreed, most tourist lounge or bar are over-priced after many foreigner visit them and i end up try pick street FL or thru OKT for cheaper bargain. i was once quoted US$300 for LT in those tourist lounge which i refused to pick up. Those bar closed down maybe good because girls are force to become cheaper FL. But for vietnamese speaking senior like u dont need reply on these tourist area.

Cheers

Originally Posted by langpalang (Post 12072548)

I type English, she type viet. Some loss in translation.

I refer my self as old man ( as in ah pek ). She answer very strange leh. Than I show to another viet girl with good command of Chinese. She say old man translated means ex bf. is it correct ?

When messaging here there, difficult to ask for help here leh. Haha

Bro, can list some common Vietnam words and meaning here ( common use words ). The only word I know is lam tinh :o

Lucky thing, to get bonk, use sign and body language ok leow :D

Originally Posted by s@ms@m (Post 12102994)

Bro JackBL for simple Vietnamese sentences… some are useful… I started Frm there 3yrs ago……

Originally Posted by Hurricane88 (Post 12100975)

haha...good...knew you will find it sooner or later...:)

my website listed in my signature s totally free of charge...I dun charge anyone and no collection of fees from hotels, restaurants, etc...reason why I am reluctant to list many of them...all these are public info...all these are just sample guidelines...:)

hope newbies can read and prepare for your trip...the website is not much use for season chiongster to HCM who already knew where to go and find...:)

even with this website provided many newbies still prefer to post questions in HCM thread or pm me to ask questions and answers are easily found in the website...so very very tired to reply all these repeated questions...which I usually ignore...:)

Originally Posted by sexrookie (Post 12105316)

Bro H88,
I like the tipping guildlines and the advise on what taxi to take in the airport.
I print out and put in my pocket when I was there for my first trip in HCM last month, October
Regards

Originally Posted by SEAJ (Post 12106097)

I have often wondered if most don't even read anything before asking questions/expecting free hand-outs.

SEAJ

Originally Posted by hknight2013 (Post 12106154)

bro seaj,

i station in bangkok, whenever clueless first time visitors comes to the forum and ask for advice, i always offer them, i don't think spending a few minutes typing and giving some good advice to others is a "free hand out". i think it is a nice gesture. what can a few minutes of typing cause a person to loose in his life?

in any case, thank you for your contribution. i have read over 200 pages in another vietnam thread here before posting for your info. also i will delete my post and retract my questions, thanks for being friendly.

Originally Posted by SEAJ (Post 12106177)

Thank you for being measured and polite in your response - I appreciate this LOTS. Perhaps my last post was a bit unthinking, as I was especially exasperated seeing as the latest postings had precisely been about the need for us to first do our own reading/research before just blithely asking questions. My apologies.

By the way, I see that you've only put up 22 posts - perhaps you'll understand hurricane88's and my state of mind after posting so much information, only to note that all seems to NOT even be read - the exasperation!

SEAJ

Originally Posted by hknight2013 (Post 12106211)

bro seaj,

only putting up 22 posts doesnt mean no contribution as i prefer to answer and help though pm.

cheers

Originally Posted by SEAJ (Post 12106232)

NOT to denigrate your way of doing things - but I always prefer to reply publicly for others to also benefit from the information; quite a few times, I've even c+p the pm exchange onto a thread (of course with the identities omitted).

By the way, the "other" Vietnam thread I opine/is clearly marked as a TCSS thread and really does not have much usable info therein vs this one packed with very useful info - but also with continual entreaties by h88 to first read his website.

SEAJ

Originally Posted by hknight2013 (Post 12106236)

bro seaj,

I even went through this http://vietnamservices.weebly.com which is very informative and helpful.

however, there are still other queries i have,

just an example, the hotel a & em hotel has several different branches and locations, deciding which one is the best suited for one's needs is a little difficult when one has totally no idea how the place look like, where is near where, where is far from where and also totally clueless about the language there.

all those pages and the website that was done up by generous and kind-hearted did not answer a query like the example i mentioned. therefore i decided to post hoping for senior brothers' help.

obviously now i think it was a wrong decision on my part.

i have lived in bangkok for my past 16 years of my life, i am not a young punk that dont understand netiquettes and morals. i have also met many different kinds of brothers of different personalities in the course of my helping strangers coming to bangkok.

bro seaj, if i have offended u, i apo;ogize, cheers.