Ho Chi Minh City - General Info

[QUOTE=Johndao]Try the Hot Tocs on Ngo Quyen north of Nguyen Chi Thanh St in D5. Nearer your home. Right-hand side of NQ going north.

JD[/QUOTE]I tried this one yesterday. I found only one very close to the intersection but there was only one I wanted to try. Closed doors, says Hot Toc on the door. This was my first Hot Toc experience so I wasn't sure if I should ask for a massage rightaway or if I was going to be offered one. I was immediately grabbed for a hair cut, there were two haircut guys and several cleavage showing chicks in their 30s (I know enough to realize they couldn't have been in 20s), so I had a second haircut in a week. At the end I was offered a massage, now I understand that I should ask for massage myself as I walk in.

It was a 50-50 BJ/HJ for 200K.

Is there a better alternative close to district 1? Actually distance should not be a problem. But one with chicks younger than 30s who are service oriented would be nice.

[QUOTE=Johndao]Sorry Shark, when I replied I confused you with another poster who had been asking info about the same area of town and is in fact here, but could not see the girls in the area described. I thought I was replying to that same poster who was now saying he could now not see any hotels, but I was mixed up and it was you.[/QUOTE]


No problem pal,
mistaken ID happens all the time. No damage done. At least I now know ST places are nearby so I could be more comfortable knowing I'm not taken for a bad ride if she said place is just down the street.

Shark

[QUOTE=Joe Nailer]Gal will take you to a ST hotel they are familiar with. Gals and hotels may be operating together. They know a few places around that area. So you dont need to worry about that.

?[/QUOTE]


Thanks Joe,
I was distracted and nearly forgot to thank you for the info.

Shark

[QUOTE=Babar]Me :)

I come to Saigon next week.[/QUOTE]Coming to HCM next week for few days, around July 2th, someone wanna meet up for a beer?

Hi guys,

I really appreciate your contributions about these BJ places, and I agree the CIM-NO CIM dispute is not irrelevant.

But. Let's say we understood the directions, as a newbie going there (with no local language) what should we do? Expect? Pay? What is going to happen, in your opinion?

Maybe it is a little out of topic.

But if you suggest a tourist to go around and wonder the city outskirts, having a scooter or something is necessary.

Where is it possible to rent it for only a few day, out of the touristy enclave, at reasonable prices?

Every info is welcome.

Thank you guy, go on with your great posts and pics (Ho Chi Minh City has become one of the most interesting thread in all of SEA)

[QUOTE=Mikle]Maybe it is a little out of topic.

But if you suggest a tourist to go around and wonder the city outskirts, having a scooter or something is necessary.

Where is it possible to rent it for only a few day, out of the touristy enclave, at reasonable prices?

Every info is welcome.

Thank you guy, go on with your great posts and pics (Ho Chi Minh City has become one of the most interesting thread in all of SEA)[/QUOTE]I wouldn't recommend getting a hire scooter, You need a VN lic unless its under 50cc and VN dosn't recognise international drivers lic/permits (although other countries recognise VN drivers lic)

Once you see the traffic and the way you need to ride you may have 2nd thoughts. Saying that if you do go ahead and get a scooter make sure you have a map that clearly has the roads you will be sticking to on it. I still get lost trying to find a short cut/ alternative way to my destinations and I've been here for 2yrs. My last misadventure was a supposed 20min trip to the local shop to buy Coco Pops that turned into a 3hr ride.

[QUOTE=Mik Hcmc]I wouldn't recommend getting a hire scooter, You need a VN lic unless its under 50cc and VN dosn't recognise international drivers lic/permits (although other countries recognise VN drivers lic)

Once you see the traffic and the way you need to ride you may have 2nd thoughts. Saying that if you do go ahead and get a scooter make sure you have a map that clearly has the roads you will be sticking to on it. I still get lost trying to find a short cut/ alternative way to my destinations and I've been here for 2yrs. My last misadventure was a supposed 20min trip to the local shop to buy Coco Pops that turned into a 3hr ride.[/QUOTE]I agree that the city can be very confusing, especially, if you are new or do not speak fluent Vietnamese. Its hard to have visual references such as turn right at the Pho restaurant because they have one on every street, not literally. Also the numbering system of address can be messed up here, with one side of the street going up and the other going down and at different rates. It took me a good year of living here to get comfortable with all the streets.

If you decide to get a bike, remember, that you do need a VN license, if you don't have and a cop pulls you over, it will cost between 200-500k VND bribe to keep your bike, otherwise they will keep it in storage at your expense and the bike usually makes you pay the whole deposit of the bike. You will also want, as Mik suggested, a map that can be bought at any bookstore of HCMC. A MUST. Stick to main roads and the map, don't try and find "shortcuts" unless you have time to kill.

If you do want a bike let me know, I have some for rent, both daily and monthly.

[QUOTE=Milkweed] Drove over to PTK in Go Vap. [/QUOTE]
Hi.... Which street is this? On my map, I'm not finding a PTK in Go Vap.

[QUOTE=Alwayshard45]If you do want a bike let me know, I have some for rent, both daily and monthly.[/QUOTE]Thank you for your advices and precautions.

Actually I was in hcmc last year (posted my experiences then) and I rented I bike from the tourist enclave. No driving licence, no problem with the traffic, no problems with the cops (thanks god).

I just would like to figure out some prices or places, as I don't remember at all from last year.

Thanks again

[QUOTE=Mikle]Thank you for your advices and precautions.

Actually I was in hcmc last year (posted my experiences then) and I rented I bike from the tourist enclave. No driving licence, no problem with the traffic, no problems with the cops (thanks god).

I just would like to figure out some prices or places, as I don't remember at all from last year.

Thanks again[/QUOTE]
Just walk around Pham Ngu Lao & Bui Vien st in District 1, you will see lots of "Bike for Rent" signs. It depends on the bike that you want to rent. It ranges from 80k-500k.

I'm a seasoned rider for years and would never in my wildest imagination ever consider taking on HCMC traffic, especially during rush hour. I've been bumped, pushed, rubbed against had my knees banged, hands clipped all as a passenger on the back of a moto. Unless you have blood coming out of your eyes and need to get to the hospital avoid driving a moto in HCMC. Out in the provinces it's a different story, I've gassed up and driven in DaNang and Nha Trang and would even feel comfortable in Hue but never HCMC. Goodluck and may the "Force" be with you.

[QUOTE=Wendella]Hi.... Which street is this? On my map, I'm not finding a PTK in Go Vap.[/QUOTE]Sorry, wrong abbr.

I should have said PVT.

[QUOTE=Nail The World]Are there bars elsewhere away from the lower HBT rip off bars? [/QUOTE]

I'm not aware of bars like the ones on HBT elsewhere in town -- don't think any exist. Those cater to foreigners. Locals and Asians go more for karaokes, discos, nightclubs as their venues, not bars like these. In those places, it takes more work. In the discos there are freelancers, usually pretty obvious, tho there's also plenty of (mostly) non-working girls. So you definitely won't get the kind of snuggling up you would in some of the HBT bars. There is at least one bar up in Phu Nhuan on Ho Van Hue street called Bumbi where girls will get pretty snuggly -- tho rarely to the degree you'd get in HBT -- and surely not the higher levels of naughtiness that can be reached in those places. Paradise (name may have changed recently) across the street from Bumbi is more of a typical nightclub with PR's at your table. There's lots like that. If you want quick available take-out, that's not on offer at these places. You might be able to arrange to meet them after work, usually have to go eat with them first, and then maybe home afterward. Or maybe not. You can see how going this route means staying up til 4am or so, which is way later than I ever want to be up.

I wouldn't call the HBT bars ripoffs. You pay for the convenience -- in most there's a lot of girls altogether in once spot, you get to pick the one you want, and usually can get to do a few things then and there right in the bar, and much more if you go upstairs with her. The quality of the girls (I mean looks, youth) is on the whole better than in other venues, and if you go visit 2 or 3 bars, you're bound to find one who you find quite hot. The girls are always dressed in very sexy outfits, and you're free to move your hands where ever you want. One more thing: all these bars are within walking distance of each other, so you can go check one after another easily in one evening. You can go in, have one drink, and leave if you dont see something to your liking. With karaokes, for example, you'd go in, have to get a room and then they bring out a case of beers or a bottle -- and while they might have 50 girls on the premises, they'll only bring in a small selection for you to pick from. Once you're in, you're stuck there. If you don't see something to your liking, too bad. You could ask the mamasan to see more girls... and I have to say that last time I did that, I was told that this group of 4 were all the girls working. On my way out, I saw plenty more out in the hallways on their way to one room or another, so it wasn't true -- the mamasan just didn't want to show me more. This is the kind of stuff you deal with at karaokes.

Anyway, does anyone else know of snuggly types of bars other than the HBT ones? There are a few HBT type ones that are not on HBT. There's 3 on Le Thanh Ton and 3 more on Thai Van Lung. That's all the ones I know of.

[QUOTE=Milkweed]Sorry, wrong abbr.
I should have said PVT.[/QUOTE]

There are lots more of these types of places on the street behind the airport -- Duong Tan Son. More of them there than on Pham Van Tri. Quality? Don't get your hopes high. I drove past and spotted them recently, wasn't tempted at all to try. I entered on the Tan Binh side, via a street called Pham Van Bach....and you have to go over some of the roughest unpaved deeply potholed muddy road in Ho Chi Minh City to reach these spots, and through a busy market area no less. I was there daytime, it might be that more spots open nighttime -- I did see quite a few cafes that were closed, and thought maybe they're night time only. Or maybe they're just out of business. Due to this and the market, I'd recommend driving into this area early evening when the cafes will be the only things open, and it won't be crowded with motorbike and pedestrian traffic. If anyone does go check it out, I'd be curious to hear about it.