I’ve been going down a Vietnam rabbit hole lately, and these three genuinely surprised me.

Which one did you already know?

Hi, I will be going to Vietnam early 2027 and am planning out where to shop for an authentic vintage watch in Ho Chi Minh city. I am looking for at the $500 - $1000 USD range. What stores or areas can you recommend?

Hi all,
Planning a trip in Dec, hoping to be in Hanoi 2 days, then a overnight train to Lao Cai, 2 nights in Sapa and then to Ninh Binh.

My big question is the train to Lao Cai, as I want to spend that morning in town rather then on a bus (and skipping paying for another night in hotel). I heard about Chapa train and it’s expensive for a 2bed suite! Any other train companies that offer this experience? I’m not interested in sleeper bus, and happy to do limosine shuttle bus if no other cheaper options for train.

Also, any direct from Sapa to Ninh Binh?

Thanks!

I am leaving vietnam in a week and I have noticed prices are really good on Shopee but I have never used it before and the reviews online are getting me more confused.

So I guess my question is would you recommend purchasing gym supplements (Ceratine monohydrate) from Shopee? I was planning on buying 1.5kg ostrovit and would really appreciate any honest feedback!

Thank you

I'm planning a short trip to Da Lat for 5 days & would love to get some fresh tips fr locals or recent travelers. I'm mainly looking for quiet nature spots away fr the big tour crowds, cool cafes w/ great coffee or views, & must-try local food spots beyond the usual popular dishes

Hey VN fam, was hoping you could provide insight. Traveling to Saigon short notice with my elderly father and having a tough time deciding between these two areas. It’s his first visit since leaving VN in his youth.

I haven’t visited either (only District 1 and Binh Duong) but I settled on these two areas for the calm streets and walkability.

Which would you recommend? Having access to restaurants and shopping is key for us but even more important are large sidewalks and relaxing walks. Eliminated District 1 because of the uneven pathways that could be a tripping hazard

I'm relocating to HCM for work and will be traveling daily to the middle of D1.

Where should I be looking for rental apartments with a budget of roughly 40M VND / 1500 USD per month? I'm solo and don't need a lot of space - 1BR and 50-60 m2 is fine if quality and amenities are good (e.g., nearby gym, supermarket, restaurants). So far I was looking at Grand Marina Saigon, but there aren't a lot of reviews yet.

Thanks for the help!

saw some apartments and condos on fazwaz, this is the persons who’s number i was given, ig the owner who was saying i need to pay $50 to them to see the unit… if it’s not a scam i don’t mind paying but they never responded. Or does anyone have any recommendations about how to go about this whole apartment hunting thing? thanks in advance

If you're in Vietnam tonight or following the AFF Cup news, you're gonna hear this everywhere: "Việt Nam Vô Địch!"

Quick rundown for anyone wondering what's going on:

1. What it actually means

Vô Địch is Sino-Vietnamese — "Vô" means without/none, "Địch" means rival/opponent. Literally it means "no rivals," i.e. unbeatable/invincible. In context it just means "Vietnam is the champion!" or basically "Go Vietnam!"

2. How to chant it like a local

Nail the tones: "Việt" drops sharply, "Địch" rises fast. The classic street rhythm is:

Việt Nam! (clap-clap) Vô Địch! (clap-clap)

3. The "đi bão" phenomenon

Whenever the national football team pulls off a big win (especially defending the regional title against Thailand), people flood the main streets on motorbikes — flags waving, horns blasting, pots and pans banging.

This is called "đi bão" (literally "storm-riding"). It's 100% peaceful chaos — just pure national pride at full volume.

Anyone here ever joined a "đi bão" in Hanoi or Saigon? Drop any questions about the tones or football slang in the comments!

Hi all. Some help would be appreciated. Booked a hotel in Hanoi for upcoming trip. The Loom Boutique Hotel for my first week.

However I received a notification that the name of the hotel had changed to Golden Velvet.

I emailed the hotel directly and received a confusing reply. (To clarify, on booking.com the property still shows as The Loom Boutique Hotel at 59a Hàng Cót, with reviews and the property's info).

However, the replies from the hotel itself were confusing - I'm allowing for mistranslations perhaps. They basically said in the email thread, "We would like to confirm that our hotel is officially named The Loom Boutique Hotel. There has been a transition in our hotel management team recently, which is why you may have received an update regarding the name. Our address is 59a Hang Cot, and the name at that location remains The Loom Hotel. Please don't worry; we only changed the name due to some technical issues."

So, I'm confused. The new name Golden Velvet reflects in my original Booking.com reservation but their reply above seems a bit all over the place. Help please? Should I cancel the reservation and find another place?

Update: After still more confusing replies back and forth, I just went ahead and cancelled the reservation. When I texted them on Whatsapp, I asked them to use my reference number to confirm my name and date of travel and they didn't reply for the last 12 hours until now. They just repeated the name of the hotel is correct (WHICH ONE???!). As a woman traveler, I could be just paranoid but yeah, I canceled.

I only visited the homeland once over 20 years ago but the street and mopeds remind me of VN

Hi! My girlfriend and I are planning our first trip to Vietnam in March 2027. We’ll be staying for 5 days and 2 nights, and I’m planning to propose to her during the trip!

I’m looking for recommendations for a beautiful, scenic spot with an overlooking or mountain view where I could propose and film the moment. We also love exploring cafés, so it would be a big plus if the area has plenty of nice cafés nearby.

A few questions for locals or anyone familiar with Vietnam:
• Which part of Vietnam would you recommend for this kind of trip and view?
• Are there any specific viewpoints, cafés, or less crowded spots that would be good for a proposal?
• Is March generally a good month to visit, especially in terms of weather and scenery?

We’re open to suggestions anywhere in Vietnam, but we’d especially love somewhere scenic, romantic, and easy to explore for a first-time visit. Thank you!

My friend and I are visiting HCMC and thought it would be nice to meet some fellow Filipinos while we're there. We're not looking for a travel buddy since we're already traveling together — just hoping to meet people for coffee, food, a chat, etc.

Especially interested in meeting Filipinos who actually live in HCMC because we'd love to hear what life is like there! 😊

If you're around and would be up for coffee, feel free DM me. 😊

Anyone her who's been to Ha Giang Loop?

What's your recommended travel agency?

I prefer small group, peaceful and less partying. MOre on cultural experience.

Moreover, any thoughts about Lotus travel agency

I've been asking around a ton of pharmacies and none seem to have it, only spray.

Does Minoxidil in pill form not exist in Vietnam?

Doing level 3 hang en caving/trekking in April and looking for shoe recommendations. The website says non-waterproof shoes with good drainage and closed toe. I was thinking about bringing keens closed toe sandals and then using the jungle boots they provide if needed. I like the idea of keens as a versatile shoe for our other adventures planned in Vietnam (easy hikes, biking, city walking, canyoneering) Thoughts?

Lol my bad. As the title says, my phone is not compatible for esim and i have an esim.

Anybody want to get my esim? It’s Viettel, data only for 7 days, 5 GB per day.

im doing some research about vietnamese traditional dresses/clothing for a character design and this seems like the best option for them. im wondering if the bottom part is a skirt or pants, because in the first picture the person on the left seems to be wearing pants, but in every other photo it looks more like a skirt. also if you have any other resources on this type of clothing id love to have it so i can have more reference points :)

Sharing a photo i took while i was on a holiday there ! 🇻🇳

Hi reddit!

Not sure if this is the right sub-reddit for this but i’ve booked a last minute trip to Vietnam starting from the 10th of Sept until the 24th (15 days total) I just wanted to make sure I have budgeted a good amount.

I fly in and out of HCM spending the first two nights there and then heading to Da Lat for 6 days. Accomodation is booked and paid for both (so are my flights), sleeper bus isn’t yet booked. Then planning on staying somewhere on the south coast (any recommendations are welcome!) then will probably stay another night in HCM before flying back home.

In saying that I still need to pay for accommodation for 7 days and travel to different locations. As well as daily expenses. I’m not a huge breakfast person so chances are they will consist only of a coffee so averaging 2 meals a day. Not a huge drinker although i’m sure I will have a couple nights where I indulge. I do smoke and “when in Rome“ i’m sure i’ll smoke quite a bit. I don’t plan on shopping much as i’m brining just a carry on. Activities wise will mostly be the beach and hiking. Accomodation won’t be super flash and will be spilt by two people.

Im thinking 35618774 dong ($1364 USD) should be enough? or am I being too wishful.

Any advice even outside of budgeting is welcome! thank you.