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cheapie's Posts
86 reviews or comments posted; 4 questions asked; 49 answers given.
Reviews / Comments (86) see all
This place is sooo close to being good. The kitchen just needs to develop some taste buds.
I've walked past this place many times,'cause it is a block away from Saigon Centre, but I was never motivated to go until reading the reviews below.
Went here for dinner and had a selection from the drinks and dinner menu - came out to about 320k for one person.
Here's the rundown:
Ordered a margarita (85k) and it was pretty decent - made with real, fresh fruit, which is a nice surprise.
Restaurant provided a chips + 3 salsa teaser. Chips we the sort of thick, heavy ones one finds in a lot of mexican joints Stateside that make their own; not ideal, but I've had lots and lots of similar chips, so I can't complain.
Salsa however was pretty bad in its execution. The three choices were pico de gallo, a spicier red/brown one, and a very mild red one. The pico was made with very nice, fresh ingredients, but it was missing something - salt, lime, heat? I couldn't really put my finger on it. The brown salsa wasn't very spicy and tasted stale. It's very weird to have something other than crackers, or chips or bread taste stale, but this thing was stale. The mild red one seemed to be just light tomato paste, not salsa.
Altogether, not a very bright start to the meal.
Ordered fish taco (appetizer, 50k), and the shrimp salad (75k); the fish taco really redeemed things. They were great - again, fresh ingredients, lots of nicely cooked white fish, bright, tasty mango salsa toppings. The lime on the side certainly helped.
The salad was a bit of a downer. Shrimp was cooked well and all the pieces were there, but the salad was woefully underdressed. The only sauce was on the shrimp. A light lime vinaigrette on the greens would move this dish from a 6 to a 9.
I then had their mexican styled beer - draft beer on ice, combined with tabasco sauce and lime and served in a salted rim glass (35k). Sounded odd on the menu and tasted like it sounded.
Finally, I ended the meal with a small portion of pork short ribs (70k). Again it was well cooked and the pork was of good quality, but it seemed like the kitchen slapped on the spicy dry rub *after* it was cooked. So you end up eating moistened dry rub. After one bite I was scraping it off.
Service was ok here - but I wasn't offered another drink when the ribs met an empty beer on the table.
Two stars means "no, I probably won't return" - but this place is so close to getting a 4 star "yes, I'll return" rating from me. It's just the final little touches from the kitchen.
I hope this finds its way to management and they eat their way thru the menu to make improvements. Otherwise, just stick to the fish tacos.
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The service here is quite great because it is fully staffed, yet 90% of the people inside are going there to take pictures and not mailing items off.
You do have to be aggro on the lines, as people will just jump in front of you rather willingly - after some time in Vietnam, you'll quickly learn that people do not form lines here.
Sending things can be a bit confusing, as there are different counters for domestic slow, domestic quick, domestic package, intl slow, quick, etc. etc. Best bet is, instead of reading the signage, just jump to an open counter, tell the person(s) what you want to send and how cheaply you want to send it, and they'll direct you to the right counter number.
And yes, the stamps are not self-adhesive. You gotta lick them! Kids these days.. pretty soon, no one will understand how George Costanza's fiance died. :)
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The brunch buffet here is, as 4inhanoi noted, really really solid.
If you're a hotel buffet hound, going to the Metropole for weekdays and the Sheraton on Sundays is the best bet for a well rounded belly.
One tip about the Sheraton buffet if you're a tippler - find the iced down vodka bottle(s) next to the DIY oyster shooter station and commander it for your Sunday morning screwdrivers. No need to order the wine buffet along with your meal this way.
Just be kind and don't Bogart the bottle when I'm there.
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Com Tam means broken rice, so I'm guessing this is some California inspired joint - much like the Pho Cali and other Americanesque named restaurants.
This restaurant is a local chain of sorts, with three locations in District 1 (other two at 32 Nguyen Trai and 222 Hai Ba Trung), though I've only eaten at this Le Thanh Ton location.
Overall, the food is good and the service is excellent.
Food mainly consists of either broken rice or bun (rice noodles, not in soup) as a base, with your choice of up to seven protein toppings at various price points. I've stuck to the basics, such as thit nuong (grilled pork - very good), cha tom (minced shrimp pate/sausage - ok), and bi (pork skin.. I've had better).
Servings are in the 20-35k per dish range, and the serving size is typical for Vietnam, meaning I get seconds. Beer is 18k for a "333."
While the food may not deserve the four stars, the reasonable price and the comfortable, air-con'ed environment does add a lot to it. Bun Thit Nuong just down the street in Ben Thanh can definitely be tastier, but you're trading off a lot.
One final note - window proclamations aside, the wifi at the Le Thanh Ton location does not work.
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The owner of this Hanoi institution should be institutionalized.
To be fair, I have no idea if this place is even an institution, for I'm a mere toddler in my Hanoi-ness; I just use it's verdant neon signage as one of the few easily describable visual landmarks in the concrete maze that is Hanoi's Old Quarter. Compare this to the wizened expats, who navigate these alleys by the nose - a left by the flower market, a right by the bun ga lady who favors extra bamboo, and the like. But I digress..
I've passed the Jazz Club for months but finally ambled in when I couldn't locate a friend at the antiseptic Green Bananna restaurant-cum-bar. Minh's was just a half a block away, a ready destination for a brew and more if my friend didn't answer the SMS.
It was either a Thursday or Friday night, around 9pm, and the place was as empty as the Ninth Ward after Lake Pontchartrain swept thru it. As I sidled up to the bar, I quickly concluded that the customers in the place, all keeping one another company at a single table, likely read their Lonely Planet thru bifocal lenses. They heartily clapped for the game live band that outnumbered its audience, but such enthusiam failed to cut across the empty space and permeate the staff.
A woefully bored beer pitcher in the customary Tiger blue handed me a menu - I asked for a beer and she responded by staying put, and asking what kind of beer I would like. This is a bad sign. Similarly, she just repeated the (long) menu when I asked what was decent to eat that night.
The beer came and I drank it. The food came and I ate it. No one offered to refill my mug midway thru my meal. It took three tries to get some napkins. I took these pictures of the staff - all of whom were within spitting distance - drowsily texting a more exciting world. No one noticed when I snapped these pictures. If you've played with a camera phone in low lighting, you know that these shots took multiple attempts. And no one broke their thumb exercise to notice. Or complain. Or to get my annoying butt another beer.
This place has a great location (or maybe just a great neon sign), a large seating area, a decent live band, but man, the diffident staff just kills it.
A lot of folks conflate Jazz with the Blues. Here they conflate Jazz with Depression.
And with this review we bid adieu to the wonderful community that is NewHanoian. While we'll drop in and out of Hanoi in the future, we're movin' on up to the Southside, so no more contributions from us. We like to thank the folks behind this great online community and hope to leech knowledge from this site for our future adventures.
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Questions (4)
I need to learn the Vietnamese language via something more structured than a language buddy exchange i.e. tutor, classes, etc. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks!
Where can one catch the De La Hoya - Mayweather fight in Hanoi this weekend? Or will I have to wait for the youtube pirates?
Paying a cover is fine also.
Ever wondered what you should do when you see bear, pangolin, or other protected animals on the menu? Email (hotline@fpt.vn)
Education for Nature Vietnam
Wildlife Crimes Monitoring Unit
No.2/C5 Tap the Dai hoc Ngoai Thuong, pho Chua Lang, Ha Noi.
Tel: 04-775 5790
Fax: 04-775 3685
Website: www.envietnam.org
Thanks to "loominpapa's" tip/review on "Ocean Harbor", I was able to inform the hotline about the illegal trade of endangered animals.
Do you know where I can find a self service laundromat in HCMC? One with a dryer?
I'm trying to get some Hanoi mildew out of my clothes. Yuck, I know.
Answers (49)
Posted Monday April 9th, 2007.
You'll probably have better luck scrounging garage sales in the States, looking for something the wife mistakenly placed a tag on.
The majority (all?) of the things you'll find are new-ish ones, priced as if they're valuable antiques. As a kid, I played with my Dad's zippos from that time and place in history. They are seemingly much flimsier in construction than the modern zippo lighters - while still solidly built, the metal is of a thinner gauge.
In response to the question: Hi, I have been sent on a mission by a friend back home to buy him a REAL cigarette lighter as used by the american GI's during the war. Can an...
Posted Monday April 9th, 2007.
It depends on what kind of job you are interested in. You have to be more specific in what you want - after all, wouldn't it be silly for someone to go on a food message board and post "Help, I'm hungry, teach me how to cook?"
What is it that you want to eat, as it were?
In response to the question: bonjour to all from paris! any advice on finding a job in hanoi, am 100% bilingual english/french, french university degree? was in hanoi for a shor...
Posted Saturday April 14th, 2007.
Visit Oanh at Travel Viet Nam Four Seasons at No. 03 Hang Trong (near the cathedral and Puku)
Hoan Kiem. Her number is 04/9287889 and email is . She's been coordinating my domestic travel and tours and has given me great rates and options. Her English is very good and she's also very reliable.
In response to the question: Hi, I wld like to take a short trip to Danang, Hue and Hoi An with a friend. Are there any recommendations on reliable and reasonably priced travel ag...
Posted Saturday April 14th, 2007.
Oops, the email didn't show up it's: travel.fourseasons@fpt.vn
In response to the question: Hi, I wld like to take a short trip to Danang, Hue and Hoi An with a friend. Are there any recommendations on reliable and reasonably priced travel ag...
Posted Monday April 16th, 2007.
So, you're the needle in the haystack!
The Tran Anh computer shop (Cong Ty May Tinh Tran Anh) sells MS Office Basic 2003 for 186 USD, and the Small Business suite at 246. So basically US prices; these are legit, licensed programs obviously. My local sources say that they are one of the cheaper reputable computer places in town.
4 locations: 76 Nguyen Du; 134 Thai Ha; 185 Giang V; 95 Ly Nam De.
We've bought printers and monitors and network equipment from them so far.
In response to the question: Can anyone recommend a computer program shop. I need to find a Microsoft Office Word program to replace a Thai version that was installed on my laptop...
Posted Sunday May 6th, 2007.
For those interested, I discovered it on the tube (Super Sport, channel 17 on my dial) this sunday morning. they're probably gonna replay it so find the channel.
In response to the question: Where can one catch the De La Hoya - Mayweather fight in Hanoi this weekend? Or will I have to wait for the youtube pirates? Paying a cover is fi...
Posted Friday May 11th, 2007.
what's the ante? I'm interested.
In response to the question: If there are any poker fans here in Hanoi perhaps we could organise a poker night? Also if anyone knows where to buy a chip set please let me know!...
Posted Monday May 28th, 2007.
I've seen ads for mussels at both the Big C and Metro. Haven't seen them in person though.
In response to the question: Anybody knows where you can buy Pita-bread in Hanoi? Preferred are the pocket-type ones... and to stay on the subject: Mussels. Anybody seen them at a...
Posted Tuesday May 29th, 2007.
You've got the full complement.
I had similar concerns and sought out Hep A and B vaccines (the bigges for most of Asia).
Unless you're living in a slum, TB is not really an issue.
Other things that foreigners come down with include Dengue Fever (no shots available), Japanese Encephalitis (very rare, no shots) and malaria (no shots, persistent medicine as a shield is not advisable). Basically, these things happen - from mosquito bites - and you can't really stop them.
In response to the question: I'm moving to Hanoi in September. I've been checking out vaccination advice but have a pile of conflicting professional info. I'm current for thy...
Posted Saturday June 9th, 2007.
Is the TP-Link set to restrict access by MAC address? It is possible that was one of the security measures and the AppleTV cannot access it, even though it "sees it," because of it.
In response to the question: I have computer and internet problems. Since January this year, my internet access has slowed to the point where I can not use it. I have had the VNN ...
Posted Saturday June 9th, 2007.
How is OpenOffice when you share work product with MSOffice users? I work on an Intel Mac and Mac Word 2004 spits the bit a little too often for my tastes.
As for a legal version of Mac Office, you can try the FPT store on 1 Yen Phu - they are authorized Mac dealers. If you swing down to Saigon, there is a newly opened Apple Store - according to news accounts, Apple will open a few more in Vietnam within this year, including in Hanoi.
In response to the question: Anyone know where I can buy the Microsoft Office Suite for Macintosh. I have Powerbook G4 and really need this software....
Posted Saturday June 9th, 2007.
I highly recommend TodiMax, a white goods supermarket (ok, more like a large store) at 5 Dien Bien Phu.
We bought a dryer there. There are also competitors up and down the street to price check; we price checked against other places in town and at Metro and TodiMax was basically the same or cheaper, but with better selection.
In response to the question: Standalone air conditioner? Anyone know where I an purchase one of these, either new or second hand?...
Posted Saturday June 9th, 2007.
Thanks mrdaveman for the correction on the Japanese E. vaccine. Our stateside doctor told us we couldn't do anything except to use DEET.. hmm, maybe the HMO wasn't making it profitable for her to recommend the shots to us.
In response to the question: I'm moving to Hanoi in September. I've been checking out vaccination advice but have a pile of conflicting professional info. I'm current for thy...
Posted Friday June 22nd, 2007.
There's also Big C shopping center (in the SW of the city out in Cau Giay) and another place that I pass near Lenin Park that advertises Gucci, etc.
And a new Vincom like shopping tower will open up on June 30, 2007 according to their newspaper ad - Ruby Plaza on 44 Le Ngoc Han. They advertise as selling name brand stuff one would buy on Valentine's - jewelry, perfume, leather bags, etc.. Funny still under construction website here: rubyplaza.com.vn
In response to the question: Is there any department store in Hanoi with many shop, good choice of fashion and brand name clothes?...
Posted Tuesday July 3rd, 2007.
Not the end all "how-to" guide, but an ok jumping off point if you're an American:
http://vatovn.blogspot.com/2006/09/vn-work-visa.html
You can get things translated locally. Make sure to bring the originals of documents (such as your diploma). Also, if you can, get your school (college, post-grad, etc.) transcripts stamped by the registrar of the school.
In response to the question: Dear All Looking to move to Vietnam in August 2007. For the work permit I need to have degrees etc translated into Vietnamese. I cannot do this loc...
Posted Tuesday July 10th, 2007.
They sell it in cans, singly and by the case, at Big C. Cans are about 10.5k VND and multiply it out for the case. For reference, it is a little under 2x the cost of Bia Hanoi in cans at the same market.
In response to the question: Hi, Can anyone tell me of a shop that sells Dai Viet Bia Den (black beer). Preferably bottles but I think it's available in cans as well. It's pr...
Posted Thursday August 2nd, 2007.
PM me a contact email/# and I'll forward it to a Filipino friend in town who is in the know.
In response to the question: Anyone who is a member or aware of a Filipino community in Hanoi? Could you name their contacts or ways to contact them?...
Posted Tuesday August 14th, 2007.
Moca Cafe in the Old Quarter (near Nha Tho - the Cathedral - .. actually, on Nha Tho street) serves American pancakes in the mornings. We really like their other food but have never made it there early enough to grab breakfast or brunch.
In response to the question: Where can I get the best American style pancakes in Hanoi?...
Posted Saturday August 18th, 2007.
You don't honestly expect someone to help you subvert intellectual property protections, right? I mean, c'mon, there is no way anyone will tell you that X-Games is one of the shops in Hanoi selling Wii games (along with already modded consoles) and therefore may have a lead on mod chips.
And definitely no one will say that X Games is located on Ba Trieu a block north of the Vincom, on the left hand side as you head north either.
Maybe if you beat it out of them, they'll submit that the address is 120 Ba Trieu or thereabouts, but don't take that as gospel, as they're groggy and unreliable from the interrogation.
So in short, good luck trying get that info from the good people of this fine city.
In response to the question: Could anyone could tell me where to get an Irish Nintendo Wii chipped to play Vietnamese and Thai pirated games on?...
Posted Saturday August 25th, 2007.
Look in the english newspaper, Vietnam News. There are a few advertisements. One of the adverts is by Viet Cab:
http://vietcab.com/webxp/
In response to the question: Hi, does anyone know how much it would cost to lease a car on a monthly basis - with and without a driver? If you have the name and contact details of...
Posted Monday August 27th, 2007.
Not that I've participated, but the Melia Hotel's Latino Bar advertises that they have Salsa nightly. If I recall correctly, the Sheraton, up on West Lake, also advertises Salsa nights at their Nutz bar. Call them and ask about nights, cover, etc.
In response to the question: Hi, does anyone know of any place in Hanoi where people dance Argentine tango? I've seen this link for Hanoi tango club - does anyone know anything a...
Posted Tuesday August 28th, 2007.
One of the locals that run all things salsa in town is Ly - her email is ly@salsapower.com and she should be very receptive to emails from strangers, as she promotes such communication. I'm sure she'll be able to lead you in the right direction as to the shoes.
In response to the question: Hi, does anyone know of any place in Hanoi where people dance Argentine tango? I've seen this link for Hanoi tango club - does anyone know anything a...
Posted Monday September 3rd, 2007.
No recommendations as I didn't like the tailor I went to in Hanoi.
However, to answer the other parts of your question. The cost depends on the quality of fabric you choose, on top of the tailor fee (i.e. you can choose to purchase fabric at another place, but who has the time) - I've paid $250USD or so, but I was choosing the lightest fabric they had, which was, how fittingly for the shop, also the most expensive.
And yes, you can get wool suits. All the suits I've seen in the tailor shops I've been to were either wool or linen. No silk suits, as I recall, so no worries about that.
In response to the question: I'm inerested in buying a couple tailored suits. Does anyone know some good tailors where I can get a good quality suit? There are so many tailors ...
Posted Saturday September 8th, 2007.
Even if it is on TV, places would have difficulty in showing most games 'cause it would be between midnight and 8am on Sunday night/Monday morning.
I would assume the only games on cable in Hanoi one may possibly get would be the ESPN games - Monday night and those late season games.
Instead, if you run a Windows or Linux box, try Sopcast. It is a freeware streaming player - folks in the States set up live streams of every NFL game every week. The streams are on
http://streamednfl.blogspot.com/
In response to the question: Does anyone know any places that will show NFL games now that the season starts up? If you were to have an extended choice of channels at your hous...
Posted Sunday September 16th, 2007.
Watching TV this weekend I saw replays of last week's NFL games. Sorta sucks to watch when you already know the outcome(s).
They showed the Jets-Pats game, and the SD-Chicago game.
Shown on True Sports 4, which is a channel 84 on our cable feed. Shown at 7am on sat and sun.
In response to the question: Does anyone know any places that will show NFL games now that the season starts up? If you were to have an extended choice of channels at your hous...
Posted Tuesday September 18th, 2007.
Well, there's the Catholic church on Nha Tho street, and a local told me the big grey church on Phan Dinh Phung (intersection with Hoang Dieu) is Baptist. Dunno if either has English service.
In response to the question: Where does everyone go to church? It seems that all of the church information I have is wrong, and I have been showing up at random places every Sunda...
Posted Tuesday September 25th, 2007.
$60 for a 3 month B3 multiple entry visa. Done through work and there are two stamps - $10 fee paid for the residency allowance and $50 fee paid for the visa itself - so I know the staff didn't short me. Not that they would, but still..
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 Tuesday October 2nd, 2007.
To add to the above, yes you can buy space heaters - in the winter you see a lot of locals use them in the shops and things.
Yes, you can also buy a dehumidifier. You probably can buy a humidifier too, but I don't know if you want one or if it's a typo above.
The dehumidifier selection in town is limited. Best bet and a good value would be for you to shop at the Hapro duty free mart on Giang Vo/Lang Ha going away from the city. I don't have the address handy, but it's a block long government owned market. Giang Vo is a big wide street that becomes Lang Ha, another big wide street.
There are dehumidifiers for $150-250, depending on the size. Note that you can buy stuff duty-free within 5 days of coming into Vietnam from overseas - so do your shopping early to save those tax payments.
As for the mold/mildew thing - it's basically a by product of the building method here. Everything is pretty much bricks and concrete, with no efforts at having a seal / vapor barrier.
So if you live on the lower levels of buildings, the moisture just comes through the walls. Everything being equal, you would want a higher floor.
The construction method also gives you that old world draft in the house. There is basically no insulation in any of the houses here, whether in an old villa or in the newish foreign built high rises.
In response to the question: Dear Hanoians, I've been offered a job with an NGO in Hanoi (from Canada), so I've been reading up. My question is: how bad are the winters in H...
Posted Wednesday October 3rd, 2007.
I don't think the new houses are any better - both 20-story apartment towers and $3500/m villas. If it's indoors and you're nice and comfortable, that means the AC is cranked up.
Oh, about the duty thing. Each incoming person has a total duty-free voucher amount. I don't remember what it is, but it's reasonably high - like $500USD or so. If you finished buying everything you need and have unused amounts, either the few locals milling about the store or the store clerks would be glad to make use of the credit.
Just offer it to them to make an instant friend (you buy stuff for them, they pay for the stuff with cash then and there). Everyone wants to get one over on the man, the world over.
p.s. the Hapro Mart is on Giang Vo, one block east of the Giang Vo convention center (which is the intersection of Giang Vo and La Thanh streets).
In response to the question: Dear Hanoians, I've been offered a job with an NGO in Hanoi (from Canada), so I've been reading up. My question is: how bad are the winters in H...
Posted Tuesday October 9th, 2007.
As others said, it all depends on you.
For pots and knives and the like, if you are familiar with All-Clad and Henckels, then bring your stuff. If not, then don't bother.
You can easily get pots and pans and stuff, but for high quality ones, it is difficult to get. I haven't seen anything around town - and even if you can find it, it's difficult to justify buying another set of $300+ knives or what not.
I just decided not to cook and bought cheap knives here. Other than cursing for cutting my finger on the knife blade that's honed all the way to the heel, I haven't really missed anything. Ok, maybe I wished I brought a quality paring knife.
The other thing you may want to bring, as mentioned, is a counter top oven. If you splurge and get something big enough to roast a chicken, you'll make a flock of friends.
In response to the question: My husband I are moving to Hanoi in December. My company covers shipping, and we're trying to decide what/how much to bring. Are there certain househ...
Posted Tuesday October 9th, 2007.
There are Kettle chips at that western grocery store down the street from the restaurant Vine (Yen Phu) - 3 storefronts south of Vine towards the Sofitel Plaza.
In response to the question: Can anyone tell me where I can get a nice bag of Salt & Vinegar crisps? The Kettle ones are half decent but the shops seem to restock every 2 or more ...
Posted Wednesday October 10th, 2007.
I would say that in 90% of places where you sit down on a non-plastic stool and eat, there will be free wifi. Any place that serves ca phe sua for over 10k VND has wifi.
Walk around you will see the signs everywhere.
Highland's at Pacific Place is not open yet. Will open in about 2 months I think.
In response to the question: Are there free wi-fi cafe's or other wi-fi public spaces where one can enjoy free internet access from their laptop/pda? Thanks...
Posted Monday November 5th, 2007.
Here's a guide on how to use UniKey after you download it:
http://vatovn.blogspot.com/2006/11/unikey-help.html
In response to the question: Does anyone know how to type Vietnamese characters in Word? The Microsoft website is no help and I've googled for it and all I can find is reference ...
Posted Monday November 5th, 2007.
It is on 1A Yet Kieu.
It's the FPT shop and should have a bunch of PC signage outside, mostly Toshiba. The Apple showroom is shared with the Toshiba wares.
In response to the question: Anyone know about a new Apple store in Hanoi I can check out for a new laptop?...
Posted Monday November 12th, 2007.
Getting there from Big C, either we pay straight off the meter (plus the 10k VND toll to the airport) or negotiate a flat rate.
The meter of course depends on the car (Matiz sized - 160k, or the Toyota Vios, slightly under 200k). Locals tell me that you can negotiate the flat rate at around 150k, but most of the time it's too much of a bother so I just pay the meter.
Returning, just hop onto the flat rate taxis coming back. I forget the names, but besides the blue Noi Bai taxis, the new Yellow ones (using nice, new and comfortable GM/Daewoo Gentra sedans) are 150k into town.
In response to the question: I have a friend arriving on a flight at 10:30 pm in a few months. I'm going to meet him at the airport. What are the best transport options to/from...
Posted Monday November 12th, 2007.
Don't know how much they should cost, but you can find a bunch of vendors at the Old Quarter night market (starts around 7pm, on Fridays and the weekends, perhaps other days of the week also, but I only go weekends).
In response to the question: Where to buy mobile covers? Would be nice if anyone knows where they have a lot of different covers. And what should I pay for a new cover for my old ...
Posted Monday December 10th, 2007.
I agree with Kristen on the drugstore stuff (for the other suggestion.. well, I'm no Marv Albert).
It is really difficult to find lotion, and the winter here, even though it's damp, gives me dry skin for some reason.
Also, five months means you should think about sunblock. If you like a particular brand, then bring it. It is very easy to find the gloopy stuff, but if you like the dry or sport type, then bring your own.
Same story for your preferred over the counter pharmaceuticals, such as vitamins or whatnot.
In response to the question: Hi all, I'll be heading to Hanoi in a few weeks and I'll be living / working there for at least five months. I'm starting to think about what to...
Posted Monday December 10th, 2007.
Any more info on customs and such when you bring computers back?
I'm halfway planning on bringing about 3 laptops back. If I strap them all together, I wonder if the xray people will assume that it is one computer.
In response to the question: Convinced that computers here are not fit for a gorilla to take a dump on, I have devised an ambitious plan. I am going to america soon to visit, so w...
Posted Monday December 10th, 2007.
Since no one posted prices, I thought I should.
Hanoi to east coast of US. A few weeks before Tet and return afterwards.
$1200+300 = $1500. Purchased from the United Airlines office in Hanoi at 25 Ly Thuong Kiet (2nd Floor).
So how much cheaper are the local agents?
In response to the question: Can anyone recommend a good travel agency for booking tickets to and from the US? Might try to go home for the holidays and internet searches not turn...
Posted Wednesday December 12th, 2007.
billy: haha, I didn't think about that. I'm a bit too used to non-TSA inspectors after being here for a while.
In response to the question: Convinced that computers here are not fit for a gorilla to take a dump on, I have devised an ambitious plan. I am going to america soon to visit, so w...
Posted Wednesday December 12th, 2007.
Single sided, two color logo. Costs us 65k/box of 100 cards.
They'll print your design and logos, but most shops will redo the whole thing in AutoCAD. The shops love their AutoCAD for some reason.
Triple check all proofs before printing, because good enough is usually the M.O. for these vendors.
In response to the question: I need some business cards and was wondering whether anyone has experience with one of the business card shops? Any recommendations for a good sho...
Posted Sunday February 3rd, 2008.
I know you've already shipped it, but next time consider just packing an extra piece of luggage for the plane ride out. For United Airlines, going to the US, it's $70 for an additional piece - not a bad price to pay considering that it'll be less of a hassle.
In response to the question: Ugh, I didn't mean to...but the gifts keep coming and the price of tailoring has left me with TOO MUCH STUFF! Now that I am about to leave, I need t...
Posted Sunday February 3rd, 2008.
A quickie reminder about torrenting.. if you're using a internet connection that you pay for, make sure you're comfortable with the per kb charges, or go for the unlimited data plan. We were surprised by our Viettel charges one month.
In response to the question: Does anyone know how to download/watch Lost in Vietnam? Season 4 is to be on air from Jan 31, and I don't wanna wait one year for the DVD to come out...
Posted Thursday March 13th, 2008.
Yeah, it sucks, but the cheese doesn't magically appear on the shelves from Aussieland.
Local inflation affects imports too - cost of transportation, cost of labor (from the docks to the stores, at a minimum), cost of the store (rent, electricity, etc.). This of course doesn't even touch upon the appreciation of the VND against the USD (now what, 15,800 or so?).
Inflation hits pretty much everything because it hits the inputs to most all products and services.
Now, a 100% price increase.. there's other factors at play.
In response to the question: Can anyone explain why the cost of Bega Cheese (Aus) has increased in all local stores, and a 2 kg block of Anchor (NZ)has DOUBLED since before TET!...
Posted Tuesday March 18th, 2008.
There is definitely one (or at least a prominent sign for one) south of Hoan Kiem and north of the Vincom.
I do not know the address or anything, just that I walked across one while stumbling about. Yeah, I know I've laid out a wide swath for you to search, but take this as confirmation that something is out there.
I want to say it's around the lake that is Halle Club is across from, so perhaps start there and widen the circle.
It's a big sign and looks to be local and/or government affiliated, so perhaps it is in conjunction with a local rec center.
Good luck with the search.
In response to the question: I have found Yoga places in Westlake and Tay Ho, and these are ok for now. But I will be living closer to Hoan Kiem and working a lot relatively quick...
Posted Tuesday March 25th, 2008.
As you may know, there are transformers and converters to get to 110v.
It has been explained to me that electricity flows like a sine wave - a transformer transforms the wave to the correct (lower) amplitude while the converter lops off the tops of the waves to limit the amplitude.
Therefore, basic electronics, such as a heating element, are ok with the more rudimentary converter method of stepping down the voltage while more complex electronics, say a wifi router, requires the more refined transformer method.
Of course, I'm not an electrician so I could have mistakenly swapped the terminology, and don't turn the above into a crib sheet for a physics exam.
What you will need will depend on how complex your expresso machine is. A FrancisFrancis is less complex in many regards than a electronic Krups.
Anyhow, the converter is cheaper than the transformer.. and either is pretty darn expensive in a place like Big C - they were like $30+ so I didn't buy.
I ended up getting one through the video game stores - they sell them there because most of the game systems are Japanese imports running on 100v. The video game guy got it for me for 100k VND or so.
There are video game shops in and around Finnegan's Pub, and along Ha Ba Trung as you head towards the Vincom shopping center.
In response to the question: Last week I blew up my espresso machine...it was really the one thing i was most in need of from my overseas shipment. I thought it was 220v but alas,...
Posted Tuesday March 25th, 2008.
To answer my own question, apparently there are none in this city.
For those without maid service, you can get your laundry done by the kilogram in and around the backpacker area of Pham Ngu Lao. There are other laundry shops dotted about the city also.
They all hang dry, but, thankfully, with the heat of Saigon your clothes will dry before the mildew attacks it like Hanoi.
In response to the question: Do you know where I can find a self service laundromat in HCMC? One with a dryer? I'm trying to get some Hanoi mildew out of my clothes. Yuck, ...
Posted Friday June 20th, 2008.
You are talking about black market rates, as the official rates have only been depreciated 2% in the month of June so far.
Locals mainly transact things day to day in VND, so black market rates do not affect them (unless they like to speculate and do crude forex trading.. which a lot of people do!).
As expats, day to day, you shouldn't really need USD either, so the fluctuating VND only matters when you have to convert. Companies that deal with USD denominated invoices do run into issues.
The bigger concern is inflation, as that affects prices you see every day. It's been a headline issue over the first 5 months of the year but should get clamped down in the second half of this year.
Finally, the government is stepping up enforcement of the black market money changers, to bring those rates more in line with the official rate (roughly 16,600) - legally, the money changers are allowed to buy USD and convert you into VND, but they are not allowed to sell USD to individuals, only to the banks (which would buy their USD at 16,600 the official trading band). If the government really clamps down on this, then the black market rate will have to come down close to the official rate.
In response to the question: 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 prote...
Posted Monday June 23rd, 2008.
I dunno where you are relocating from, but 250sqm is huge by Saigon standards. That's like a 5 br condo, which hardly exist here.
250 for a house or a villa is different though.
For a flat in D1, expect to pay roughly $15 USD per sqm for a baseline rate, higher for more amenities.
If you are looking for 250sqm, then it sounds like your budget would fit the An Phu area in D2 and the nicer/bigger villas out in Phu My Hung in D7 (also called Saigon South).
PMH is about 30-45min away by taxi, An Phu is about 20 minutes away. Away from D1 and the Sheraton/Opera House area.
If you are not adverse to paying $3k USD and up per month, then there are villas in D3 and the like. Between 5 to 15 minutes from the Opera House, depending on where in D3 it is. As you may know, D3 is adjacent to D1.
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...
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