General Info

[Wendella]

Black Panda,

Are you and Phred Fish the same person? Why is this message addressed to Phred and then signed by Phred? Are you coincidentally both named Phred?

JD

This is the kind of thing that was happening in that other forum that you've heard about, new "members" would appear and be talking with each other, and gradually clues would surface revealing they were the same person. After we figured it out, we realized there were over 20 fake personas the guy was using, and what he was doing was basically trying to create the false impression that a lot of these new members (him really) were coming on seeking advice, and here was the wise old sage of the forum (him) to dish it out. ANyone else who came on giving advice would be slammed by his new member allies (him of course) with personal attacks or else refuting any advice they gave. For example, if you came on and gave good advice, his "clones" would then reply that you were full of doggy-doo and the info you posted was false and you were a trouble maker. It went on like this for a month before we finally got the upper hand and got him pretty much banned from the site.

I'm not saying this guy is like that, but I'd say it's in the nature of people who use multiple user names to do all kinds of other nasty stuff way beyond that.

I agree, it looks very suspicious that these 2 brand new members are both signing off the same way. One thing with lying -- it's a lot harder to remember lies than to remember the truth. On the face of it, the below post appears to be someone using multiple user names and forgetting who he was posting as.

This is a better managed forum than the other. I'll report the post and let Jackson track it to see if it's a "clone". It could even be our friend from the other forum.

Paranoia, maybe. Or else just experience.

[Johndao]

Hey Phred,

I sympathise with you and your misadventures. Try some of the hotels at Ly Tu Trong Street. There are a few girl friendly hotels there but I can't remember the name of it. Around that area, you can find some nice relaxing hair wash shops which will give you a nice relaxed hair wash and facial followed by massage for a reasonable price by a nice looking girl. The shops are on Truong Dinh Street and Le Anh Xuan Street. All very clean.

And after that, if you wish to go a nice and reasonably priced pub for a drink, where the bar girls are nice and friendly to talk to (yes, they all speak english) and will not fleece you and play pool for free, pop over at 44 Pasteur Street. I find it a comfortable place to relax and drink in the company of the pretty lasses there.

Have a nice evening,

Phred

Black Panda,

Are you and Phred Fish the same person? Why is this message addressed to Phred and then signed by Phred? Are you coincidentally both named Phred?

JD

[Columpuss]

Hey Phred,
Around that area, you can find some nice relaxing hair wash shops which will give you a nice relaxed hair wash and facial followed by massage for a reasonable price by a nice looking girl. The shops are on Truong Dinh Street and Le Anh Xuan Street. All very clean.
Phred

I think we have to regularly inform many newbies to Vietnam that these hair wash establishments are legit and there is no funny business in the massage room. A couple of months a go, one guy reported that he got quite embarrassed when trying to be touchy.

[Black Panda]

File this one under "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. " I've been here before, but my survival skills seem to be rusty. Anyway, as you'll see, it's not all bad. But there is a genuine robbery in this report, so just skim through and read that part if you're in a hurry and new in town.

Arrived from Hong Kong in the early evening, and checked into a decent looking hotel at the far reaches of district 1, the name of which I got from the website of a certain notorious Singaporean who may or may not be in jail right now (according to chatter on the board).

I first headed out to Hai Ba Trung area. On the advice of another report, went into #91. Immediately swarmed by a gaggle of pretty girls, the most assertive of which immediately attached herself to me. Always an annoying situation. Anyway, ordered a tiger beer, they started a tab, and went upstairs to play a game of pool with the assertive one. I don't like pool very much. As we're cueing up, she says, "If I lose, I'll take off my clothes. If you lose, you'll give me 100, 000 dong. " It must have been the long flight because I wasn't mentally nimble enough to get out of that one. Needless to say, she won. Oh well. Small money in the big picture. So I go downstairs to pay for my single tiger beer, and the tab was 125, 000 dong. Interesting. I find that places like this are usually honest, and was taken aback enough that again, I didn't deal with it. So I decided to swallow the tab rather than argue I'll vote with my feet and never come back there again. Cost: $225, 000 for 15 minutes of beer and pool/life lesson.

Next part is happier. You know all those annoying moto drivers who call out to you at every corner on Hai Ba Trung? Well, I actually listened to what he had to say. He can take me to a place where there are lots of pretty girls and they will go back to my hotel for an hour for $600, 000 dong (+US $10 if one needs a temporary hotel room). So I got in a cab with him, went to a place not far away, and he takes me to a room with three very pretty girls, probably all 18-19 yo). I didn't have 600, 000 on me, so I gave the papasan 100, 000, and he tells me to give the girl another 600, 000 when we're done. (Okay, an extra 100, 000, but whatever). I took the girl back to my place for an hour and all was as advertised. Very beautiful, not lacking at all in enthusiasm. Much better!

I know that the moto guy got a commission, but he provided a useful service. Good, honest work.

Later on at night, however. I'd had a couple of beers in the backpacker ghetto of Pham Ngu Lao, and was walking towards the New World Hotel when a motorbike with a mamasan and her employee rode up to me. The girl was very pretty, and they were offering $250, 000. Despite the knowledge that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is (I blame the beers for this one), I ended up on the back of her motorbike. I should have known there was a problem when she didn't take me to my hotel, but went to a seedy place in the other direction. My guard was way up at this point, but there's only so much you can do when you're hurtling along on the back of a motorbike. So we go up to the hotel, and (1) she's not so pretty anymore in the light (2) she won't take her clothes off, and (3) seems to be very focused on washing me and giving me a BJ. But the whole thing had lost every bit of its magic, so I decided to get dressed and get out, with the intent of paying her what we agreed on. I didn't have the chance to because she was out of the room before I could blink. I look at my wallet, which never left my pants pocket (that I saw) and realized that she had lifted most of the cash from it. Very smooth. She should quit the sex/crime industry and do magic shows. She was nice enough to leave some small bills cab money, essentially. Total cost of that lesson: $1, 200, 000 dong, more or less. On the way out, I mentioned to the hotel people that she robbed me. Their response: "You don't know that. " Anyway, what am I going to do, call the police?

Okay, so I licked my wounds and found an ATM. Still pretty cheap lessons, less in total than the cost of a parking ticket where I come from.

Next stop, at about 1 am, Apocalypse now. Ratio of guys to girls was unfavorable but at least it was safe. Eventually I eyed the prettiest girl in the place, which is usually not a good idea, particularly when she has an intoxicated large male Vietnamese guy hanging with her. This girl was really, really model quality, so I decided to just flat out put my cards on the table, and offered $100 USA long time. She wouldn't have considered anything less. She still didn't seem excited at all and kept arguing with the Vietnamese guy, who I figured had about a 50 percent chance of shooting me at some point. But eventually, after a lot of drama, we head into a cab and head to my place. She's pouting the whole way. Ugh. When we get to my place and gives her ID card, she mutters something about being worried about being worried about police raids. Given how I found this place, I am too now! So she gets into the room and says, $100, short time, right? She knew we said long time. For whatever reason, she just didn't want to be there. So she left. Cost of that whole thing (excluding labor charge), a couple hundred thousand dong for drinks for her and her friend. At that point I called it a night.

Anyway, this police raid thing has me a little bit wigged out. If any kind member could take pity on me and PM me the name/location of a nice gf hotel that doesn't feel depressing and isn't in the boondox, I'd be completely grateful. Or if anybody needs some company and wants to head out in search of safer adventure, let me know that too. There's safety in numbers, I suppose.

My main goals for tonight: Not to get on any more motorcycles, and not to get entangled with any more drunk Vietnamese dudes who are larger than I am. Those are the "what doesn't kill you" parts of the aphorism.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please Click Here for more information.

Hey Phred,

I sympathise with you and your misadventures. Try some of the hotels at Ly Tu Trong Street. There are a few girl friendly hotels there but I can't remember the name of it. Around that area, you can find some nice relaxing hair wash shops which will give you a nice relaxed hair wash and facial followed by massage for a reasonable price by a nice looking girl. The shops are on Truong Dinh Street and Le Anh Xuan Street. All very clean.

And after that, if you wish to go a nice and reasonably priced pub for a drink, where the bar girls are nice and friendly to talk to (yes, they all speak english) and will not fleece you and play pool for free, pop over at 44 Pasteur Street. I find it a comfortable place to relax and drink in the company of the pretty lasses there.

Have a nice evening,

Phred

[MutantChicken]

File this one under "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. " I've been here before, but my survival skills seem to be rusty. Anyway, as you'll see, it's not all bad. But there is a genuine robbery in this report, so just skim through and read that part if you're in a hurry and new in town.

Arrived from Hong Kong in the early evening, and checked into a decent looking hotel at the far reaches of district 1, the name of which I got from the website of a certain notorious Singaporean who may or may not be in jail right now (according to chatter on the board).

I first headed out to Hai Ba Trung area. On the advice of another report, went into #91. Immediately swarmed by a gaggle of pretty girls, the most assertive of which immediately attached herself to me. Always an annoying situation. Anyway, ordered a tiger beer, they started a tab, and went upstairs to play a game of pool with the assertive one. I don't like pool very much. As we're cueing up, she says, "If I lose, I'll take off my clothes. If you lose, you'll give me 100, 000 dong. " It must have been the long flight because I wasn't mentally nimble enough to get out of that one. Needless to say, she won. Oh well. Small money in the big picture. So I go downstairs to pay for my single tiger beer, and the tab was 125, 000 dong. Interesting. I find that places like this are usually honest, and was taken aback enough that again, I didn't deal with it. So I decided to swallow the tab rather than argue I'll vote with my feet and never come back there again. Cost: $225, 000 for 15 minutes of beer and pool/life lesson.

Next part is happier. You know all those annoying moto drivers who call out to you at every corner on Hai Ba Trung? Well, I actually listened to what he had to say. He can take me to a place where there are lots of pretty girls and they will go back to my hotel for an hour for $600, 000 dong (+US $10 if one needs a temporary hotel room). So I got in a cab with him, went to a place not far away, and he takes me to a room with three very pretty girls, probably all 18-19 yo). I didn't have 600, 000 on me, so I gave the papasan 100, 000, and he tells me to give the girl another 600, 000 when we're done. (Okay, an extra 100, 000, but whatever). I took the girl back to my place for an hour and all was as advertised. Very beautiful, not lacking at all in enthusiasm. Much better!


I know that the moto guy got a commission, but he provided a useful service. Good, honest work.

Later on at night, however. I'd had a couple of beers in the backpacker ghetto of Pham Ngu Lao, and was walking towards the New World Hotel when a motorbike with a mamasan and her employee rode up to me. The girl was very pretty, and they were offering $250, 000. Despite the knowledge that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is (I blame the beers for this one), I ended up on the back of her motorbike. I should have known there was a problem when she didn't take me to my hotel, but went to a seedy place in the other direction. My guard was way up at this point, but there's only so much you can do when you're hurtling along on the back of a motorbike. So we go up to the hotel, and (1) she's not so pretty anymore in the light (2) she won't take her clothes off, and (3) seems to be very focused on washing me and giving me a BJ. But the whole thing had lost every bit of its magic, so I decided to get dressed and get out, with the intent of paying her what we agreed on. I didn't have the chance to because she was out of the room before I could blink. I look at my wallet, which never left my pants pocket (that I saw) and realized that she had lifted most of the cash from it. Very smooth. She should quit the sex/crime industry and do magic shows. She was nice enough to leave some small bills cab money, essentially. Total cost of that lesson: $1, 200, 000 dong, more or less. On the way out, I mentioned to the hotel people that she robbed me. Their response: "You don't know that. " Anyway, what am I going to do, call the police?

Okay, so I licked my wounds and found an ATM. Still pretty cheap lessons, less in total than the cost of a parking ticket where I come from.

Next stop, at about 1 am, Apocalypse now. Ratio of guys to girls was unfavorable but at least it was safe. Eventually I eyed the prettiest girl in the place, which is usually not a good idea, particularly when she has an intoxicated large male Vietnamese guy hanging with her. This girl was really, really model quality, so I decided to just flat out put my cards on the table, and offered $100 USA long time. She wouldn't have considered anything less. She still didn't seem excited at all and kept arguing with the Vietnamese guy, who I figured had about a 50 percent chance of shooting me at some point. But eventually, after a lot of drama, we head into a cab and head to my place. She's pouting the whole way. Ugh. When we get to my place and gives her ID card, she mutters something about being worried about being worried about police raids. Given how I found this place, I am too now! So she gets into the room and says, $100, short time, right? She knew we said long time. For whatever reason, she just didn't want to be there. So she left. Cost of that whole thing (excluding labor charge), a couple hundred thousand dong for drinks for her and her friend. At that point I called it a night.

Anyway, this police raid thing has me a little bit wigged out. If any kind member could take pity on me and PM me the name/location of a nice gf hotel that doesn't feel depressing and isn't in the boondox, I'd be completely grateful. Or if anybody needs some company and wants to head out in search of safer adventure, let me know that too. There's safety in numbers, I suppose.

My main goals for tonight: Not to get on any more motorcycles, and not to get entangled with any more drunk Vietnamese dudes who are larger than I am. Those are the "what doesn't kill you" parts of the aphorism.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please Click Here for more information.

This part you haven't been ripped off you just don't undertand the system, if you don't pay to take out the gal then you are expected to tip the gal for her time and to buy a few lady drinks. If you decidedto take out thebgal then its about 60 USD ST. Read the forum and wendella explains it very well.

Did you get the address of the establishment seem quite good value. Please tell me you did, because if you didn't whats the point for future reference.

Finally is a gal is unhappy right from the start, then why the hell would you persist?

[Phred Phish]

File this one under "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. " I've been here before, but my survival skills seem to be rusty. Anyway, as you'll see, it's not all bad. But there is a genuine robbery in this report, so just skim through and read that part if you're in a hurry and new in town.

Arrived from Hong Kong in the early evening, and checked into a decent looking hotel at the far reaches of district 1, the name of which I got from the website of a certain notorious Singaporean who may or may not be in jail right now (according to chatter on the board).

I first headed out to Hai Ba Trung area. On the advice of another report, went into #91. Immediately swarmed by a gaggle of pretty girls, the most assertive of which immediately attached herself to me. Always an annoying situation. Anyway, ordered a tiger beer, they started a tab, and went upstairs to play a game of pool with the assertive one. I don't like pool very much. As we're cueing up, she says, "If I lose, I'll take off my clothes. If you lose, you'll give me 100, 000 dong. " It must have been the long flight because I wasn't mentally nimble enough to get out of that one. Needless to say, she won. Oh well. Small money in the big picture. So I go downstairs to pay for my single tiger beer, and the tab was 125, 000 dong. Interesting. I find that places like this are usually honest, and was taken aback enough that again, I didn't deal with it. So I decided to swallow the tab rather than argue I'll vote with my feet and never come back there again. Cost: $225, 000 for 15 minutes of beer and pool/life lesson.

Next part is happier. You know all those annoying moto drivers who call out to you at every corner on Hai Ba Trung? Well, I actually listened to what he had to say. He can take me to a place where there are lots of pretty girls and they will go back to my hotel for an hour for $600, 000 dong (+US $10 if one needs a temporary hotel room). So I got in a cab with him, went to a place not far away, and he takes me to a room with three very pretty girls, probably all 18-19 yo). I didn't have 600, 000 on me, so I gave the papasan 100, 000, and he tells me to give the girl another 600, 000 when we're done. (Okay, an extra 100, 000, but whatever). I took the girl back to my place for an hour and all was as advertised. Very beautiful, not lacking at all in enthusiasm. Much better!

I know that the moto guy got a commission, but he provided a useful service. Good, honest work.

Later on at night, however. I'd had a couple of beers in the backpacker ghetto of Pham Ngu Lao, and was walking towards the New World Hotel when a motorbike with a mamasan and her employee rode up to me. The girl was very pretty, and they were offering $250, 000. Despite the knowledge that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is (I blame the beers for this one), I ended up on the back of her motorbike. I should have known there was a problem when she didn't take me to my hotel, but went to a seedy place in the other direction. My guard was way up at this point, but there's only so much you can do when you're hurtling along on the back of a motorbike. So we go up to the hotel, and (1) she's not so pretty anymore in the light (2) she won't take her clothes off, and (3) seems to be very focused on washing me and giving me a BJ. But the whole thing had lost every bit of its magic, so I decided to get dressed and get out, with the intent of paying her what we agreed on. I didn't have the chance to because she was out of the room before I could blink. I look at my wallet, which never left my pants pocket (that I saw) and realized that she had lifted most of the cash from it. Very smooth. She should quit the sex/crime industry and do magic shows. She was nice enough to leave some small bills cab money, essentially. Total cost of that lesson: $1, 200, 000 dong, more or less. On the way out, I mentioned to the hotel people that she robbed me. Their response: "You don't know that. " Anyway, what am I going to do, call the police?

Okay, so I licked my wounds and found an ATM. Still pretty cheap lessons, less in total than the cost of a parking ticket where I come from.

Next stop, at about 1 am, Apocalypse now. Ratio of guys to girls was unfavorable but at least it was safe. Eventually I eyed the prettiest girl in the place, which is usually not a good idea, particularly when she has an intoxicated large male Vietnamese guy hanging with her. This girl was really, really model quality, so I decided to just flat out put my cards on the table, and offered $100 USA long time. She wouldn't have considered anything less. She still didn't seem excited at all and kept arguing with the Vietnamese guy, who I figured had about a 50 percent chance of shooting me at some point. But eventually, after a lot of drama, we head into a cab and head to my place. She's pouting the whole way. Ugh. When we get to my place and gives her ID card, she mutters something about being worried about being worried about police raids. Given how I found this place, I am too now! So she gets into the room and says, $100, short time, right? She knew we said long time. For whatever reason, she just didn't want to be there. So she left. Cost of that whole thing (excluding labor charge), a couple hundred thousand dong for drinks for her and her friend. At that point I called it a night.

Anyway, this police raid thing has me a little bit wigged out. If any kind member could take pity on me and PM me the name/location of a nice gf hotel that doesn't feel depressing and isn't in the boondox, I'd be completely grateful. Or if anybody needs some company and wants to head out in search of safer adventure, let me know that too. There's safety in numbers, I suppose.

My main goals for tonight: Not to get on any more motorcycles, and not to get entangled with any more drunk Vietnamese dudes who are larger than I am. Those are the "what doesn't kill you" parts of the aphorism.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please Click Here for more information.

[Amjeck]

I think it depends on nationality, if you are required a visa (= in that case most likely they want to see a proof you get out of the country)
pretty much normal stuff worldwide. Even democatric countries as USA often ask you if yu have a return ticket.
Albeit some time they late some guy board a plane with a one way ticket (he thought he did not need to return, the bummer!)
and what's your plan, once you are in HCMC: stay there for life? or Exit by land?
Just a curiosity

Exit by land

[BionicMan]

Can you fly one way into HCMC?

I think it depends on nationality, if you are required a visa (= in that case most likely they want to see a proof you get out of the country)
pretty much normal stuff worldwide. Even democatric countries as USA often ask you if yu have a return ticket.
Albeit some time they let some guy board a plane with a one way ticket (he thought he did not need to return, the bummer!)
and what's your plan, once you are in HCMC: stay there for life? or Exit by land?
Just a curiosity

[Amjeck]

Can you fly one way into HCMC?

[Member #2234]

Yeah I found that out 2 days ago when I went and tried the ATM just out of curiosity. I did however manage to withdraw 110,000usd in cash out of my account without any notice. Just had to wait 10 minutes and give them a reason why I need so much usd, but it was no problem at all, the whole amount was withdrawn in usd without any drawbacks.

[Milkweed]

I'm not 100% sure on this but I think the HSBC atm can, I know for 100% sure you can if you walk into the HSBC bank anyway. Also inside the HSBC bank in the city centre there are several atms and I think they are DIFFERENT (some pay in $s ??)

I might be totally wrong on the atm thing but only trying to help.

I don't have a USD account with hsbx only GBP account but I can withdraw GBP no problem when I walk in.

Just to add a note on this. I went to HSBC. They do not dispense $ from their ATMs. They also won't allow the withdrawal of dollars from a USA based HSBC US dollar account. My assumption is that if you have an HSBC US dollar account that you opened in VN, then you can withdrawal US dollars...but that is not my case so I can't say that I've done it.

[Methos]

My plan was to spend a couple of days in HCMC, then head to Nha Trang for about 5 days. I’m still planning to do this. After that I was going to go over land to Phnom Penh, then Siem Reap, then overnight to Sihanoukville and from there to Pattaya. That would give me a day or two in Bangkok at the end. I’m starting to realize this a lot of time on buses and not enough on nice beaches.

I’m thinking about scrapping all this and instead going back to HCMC from Nha Trang and flying to Cebu instead. From there I would fly back to Bangkok a few days before my flight home.

Thanks for the suggestions. I couldn't find a decent deal on a flight to Cebu, but I found one to Phuket so I'm heading there after Vietnam. I know it'll be really touristy, but I would like to see it. I got a cheap flight on Air Asia. I'm not sure how long I'll stay. I booked 5 nights and I'll probably go to Bangkok/Pattaya for the rest of the time.

[Smartbuy]

[QUOTE=Methos]Thanks for the earlier replies to my money questions..

Then head to Nha Trang for about 5 days.

Nha Trang can be cheap. Where bus dropped me, I was shoehorned into the hotel at USD $7 night with aircon. (same place with the travel shop).

I would say NTrang has everything HCMC D1 has, only better.

700ml Cointrea was 280, 000 dong at local grog shop. Proving duty free a ripoff. A blind massage down the sidestreet from the 007 disco was 40, 000 dong hour, tip 40K. But no hint of hanky panky.

I went on the all day Coral tour. The coral, or whats left of it is shit. Murky water, low on fish. Extra fees for grotto tour and to use a beach.

Vinapearl's artifical beach may be a different story on millionaires island may be different.

There is also a all you can drink get pissed boat tour. Not much $10 mark. Now that, and the party atmosphere at the backpackers. Well lots of non vn action was a possibility, if not lots of clubs.

Philippines, diving and muff diving better there.

[Wendella]

First of all thank you for taking the time and the info.

What I said is that someone can go from Cat Ba island to Halong city by hydrofoil. The ride is about an hour and they run 2-3 times a day.

Then there can get a one day tour on the bay, using the smaller crafts as you say, or even stay overnight on one of those boats in the bay.

Since diving is not that good both in Cat Ba and Halong, as you say, then Methos must simply disregard my post.

Thanks

Oh you meant Halong city -- but the main reason to go out to Cat Ba is that it's an island that is IN the bay, out amongst all the small limestone islands, so that would be the best place to get a boat to explore the bay and islands.

[El Greco]

First of all thank you for taking the time and the info.

What I said is that someone can go from Cat Ba island to Halong city by hydrofoil. The ride is about an hour and they run 2-3 times a day.

Then there can get a one day tour on the bay, using the smaller crafts as you say, or even stay overnight on one of those boats in the bay.

Since diving is not that good both in Cat Ba and Halong, as you say, then Methos must simply disregard my post.

Thanks