Ho Chi Minh City - General Info

[Banana Boi]

If exchanging cash, I find the gold / jewellery shop near Ben thanh market offer the most competitive rates,

Likely the best place if you're staying near Bui Vien. Ask your hotel where to go. My Little Japan hotel sent me to another place but it was so packed I hopped in another taxi to go to Benh Thanh. Rule of thumb if there aren't 10 or 20+ people lining up at the place to exchange money that's not a good place.

[TheDirtyBeast]

Thanks for the new link. Been doing some research around the web to see the gaito and kyu sites. Just had a couple more questions before my arrival, the regular necessities. What ATMs are the safest to use and which ones work with international cards? Want to avoid skimmers. Also, my understanding is to use Bolt or Grab there for a taxi to get around, but wondering on if I can trust one of the cabs at the airport to get to my housing accomodations. What's a good cell phone provider that I can use at the airport? Lastly, should I exchange my money at the airport or wait till I get to a place where the exchange rate is much better? I. e. Less fees for exchange. Sorry for all the questions, didn't really see these covered on any recent posts.

True. Same for me.

If exchanging cash, I find the gold / jewellery shop near Ben thanh market offer the most competitive rates, close to If not better than xe. But they close fairly early.

Don't use HSBC ATM, they charge like a wounded bull in a China shop on a withdrawal.

[RayanMan]

This is exactly right. Only use Vinasun or Mailinh from the airport.

VP Bank ATMs don't charge a fee, all others do.

True. Same for me.

[Globalnomad5]

This is exactly right. Only use Vinasun or Mailinh from the airport.

VP Bank ATMs don't charge a fee, all others do.

Disagree with the previous poster, I found most taxi drivers at the airport will scam you. Not go on meter, drive to a different location first and then say you told them wrong.

I try to only use vinasun or mailinh, there are many taxis painted similar to these. Just double check. Drivers will be smart wesring company uniform.

Away from the airport grab bike are great or grab cars.

For ATM's agribank and Citibank were best for me. Just take out the largest sum. You can. I think all ATM's charge a fee.

[Jingo10]

which ones work with international cards? Want to avoid skimmers.
but wondering on if I can trust one of the cabs at the airport to get to my housing accomodations.

Disagree with the previous poster, I found most taxi drivers at the airport will scam you. Not go on meter, drive to a different location first and then say you told them wrong.

I try to only use vinasun or mailinh, there are many taxis painted similar to these. Just double check. Drivers will be smart wesring company uniform.

Away from the airport grab bike are great or grab cars.

For ATM's agribank and Citibank were best for me. Just take out the largest sum. You can. I think all ATM's charge a fee.

[Geneva Guy]

Thanks for the new link. Been doing some research around the web to see the gaito and kyu sites. Just had a couple more questions before my arrival, the regular necessities. What ATMs are the safest to use and which ones work with international cards? Want to avoid skimmers. Also, my understanding is to use Bolt or Grab there for a taxi to get around, but wondering on if I can trust one of the cabs at the airport to get to my housing accomodations. What's a good cell phone provider that I can use at the airport? Lastly, should I exchange my money at the airport or wait till I get to a place where the exchange rate is much better? I. e. Less fees for exchange. Sorry for all the questions, didn't really see these covered on any recent posts.

I spend a lot of time in VN.

-The taxis at HCMC airport are fine, they use meters. Or you can use grab and pay cash.

-Viettel or vinaphone are the mobile provider I use. If you expect to use text messaging, you will need to buy more credits (many people use whatsapp, zalo, wechat and don't use text). You can tell them you want more text messages and you will pay a bit more. You can get a sim in the airport or just outside (where generally it's crazy and crowded). Be sure you have an unlocked phone.

-The exchange rate generally is pretty much the same sometimes a hotel does not have a lot of cash in smaller bills to change your money (in my experience). I usually change my money in singapore since I fly from there, but airport is ok too. SOmetimes banks will do the exchange if you find one open, I have done that.

I love VN pussy yum yum have fun.

GG.

[GuyReynolds]

Thanks for the new link. Been doing some research around the web to see the gaito and kyu sites. Just had a couple more questions before my arrival, the regular necessities. What ATMs are the safest to use and which ones work with international cards? Want to avoid skimmers. Also, my understanding is to use Bolt or Grab there for a taxi to get around, but wondering on if I can trust one of the cabs at the airport to get to my housing accomodations. What's a good cell phone provider that I can use at the airport? Lastly, should I exchange my money at the airport or wait till I get to a place where the exchange rate is much better? I. e. Less fees for exchange. Sorry for all the questions, didn't really see these covered on any recent posts.

There are pretty makeup and beautiful and beautiful long-legged girls, just come here and watch https://gaigoixx.com/ gai goi sai gon.

[RayLotr2]

Good to know. Also nice that there'll be little festivals and carnivals, was thinking it'd be a ghost town. Do all the girls and parlors use condoms or most don't? Is CIP the norm? I tend to carry my own with me as I've learned that the ones on this side of the planet are not 'western' size. Not that I'm huge, but the ones out here are always tight.

There are pretty makeup and beautiful and beautiful long-legged girls, just come here and watch https://gaigoixx.com/ gai goi sai gon.

[GuyReynolds]

You should be fine my friend. Last I was there in 2020 for tet, their were plenty of ladies available on bui vien and via the near me section of WhatsApp, line and zalo. Hell, even some of the ladies working at the carnivals for tet seemed friendly.

Good to know. Also nice that there'll be little festivals and carnivals, was thinking it'd be a ghost town. Do all the girls and parlors use condoms or most don't? Is CIP the norm? I tend to carry my own with me as I've learned that the ones on this side of the planet are not 'western' size. Not that I'm huge, but the ones out here are always tight.

[SethMacfarlane]

Thanks for the info guys, as I'll be there during the lunar new year. Looks like I'll just be another youngish tourist with a dry dick in HCMC LOL do the MR, park FL, wechat FL, gaito, kyu.net, and tinder girls also shut down during this time too? If nothing else, I'll just have to go all on an online platform to feed my cravings.

You should be fine my friend. Last I was there in 2020 for tet, their were plenty of ladies available on bui vien and via the near me section of WhatsApp, line and zalo. Hell, even some of the ladies working at the carnivals for tet seemed friendly.

[Jingo10]

Thanks for the info guys, as I'll be there during the lunar new year. Looks like I'll just be another youngish tourist with a dry dick in HCMC LOL do the MR, park FL, wechat FL, gaito, kyu.net, and tinder girls also shut down during this time too? If nothing else, I'll just have to go all on an online platform to feed my cravings.

You can always get a quick flight to 'd a nang' if Saigon turns out to be a dud. I think the smaller towns won't be affected as much.

[GuyReynolds]

Thanks for the info guys, as I'll be there during the lunar new year. Looks like I'll just be another youngish tourist with a dry dick in HCMC LOL do the MR, park FL, wechat FL, gaito, kyu.net, and tinder girls also shut down during this time too? If nothing else, I'll just have to go all on an online platform to feed my cravings.

[Hardlock1]

My understanding is a lot of workers return to their hometown and the city is very quiet. I've no experience of this just what I've been told. I don't know what will be open but I was also told not to be in HCMC for the CNY. I am in VN now.

From my experience of the last 21 years of having been there for Tet (Lunar New Year) nothing much will be open for at least 5 days from the 21st. After that, your Hot Tocs, Massage places open up, and also some of the bars. Banks will be closed for about 10 days, as well as grocery stores and lots of other businesses. Good luck, wish I could be there with you!

[RamL444]

Very Nice info, I am planning visit in near future.

Pasting my experience in Vietnam here from SMF:

I took a month long trip to Vietnam. I'm a digital nomad, so came here on a tourist visa on 14th October. And went back on 12th November. I was working all the time except 21st - 30th October during which I had taken holidays.

Had been reading across the forums and got a lot of help from here. I thank you guys for that. So here's my contribution:

Objective: I came to Vietnam to chill and fuck.

Below are the details about me:

Ethnicity: Indian.

Age: 27.

Height: 5'5.

Weight: 65 KG.

I'm athletic and have 4 pack abs. I'm adding these because according to me this matters if you want to date women.

Basic info:

Racism: None. I've worked in Seattle and Austin. So am no stranger to Racism. And have very little fucks to give for that. Vietnamese people are lovely, friendly and have no pre conceived notion regarding Indians. I loved that. I'm respectful towards everybody so I appreciated when that was reciprocated back.

General Vibe: It's been awesome. From hostels, to airbnb to hotels I've experienced all and loved all. From smoking up with dutch dudes in Mui Ve to drinking with Kazak's till morning, to partying Bui Vien till afternoon from previous night, to getting in an accident on grab bike while coming back from a love motel after meeting a gaito woman, I had the time of my life especially with all the banging.

Saigon (14th - 23rd):

Saigon is an amazing city for finding women. It's no match for Thailand's core places but it has it's own charm.

Place I lived: I took an Airbnb right in the street of little Japan. Great decision. Host basically left me to myself and I could do whatever I wanted.

Massage republic:

Called up one women from Massage Republic to my bnb. She was chubby. And not a looker. She was a normal north Vietnamese woman. Told me she is studying interior designing in a university. Is 23 years old. And does this as side hussle.

Once I got her turned on with foreplay and DATY she basically went from a shy girl to one who just wanted to fuck. It was amazing. We had agreed for 2 hours, 2 shots. But she came at 5 pm and we had passionate sessions till 11. Had 3 shots. And went to dinner after. She said she wanted to stay the night but couldn't as she lived with her mother's friend.

Damage: 1. 2 mln.

Called up another named Alissa. 4 m for two hours / 2 shots. She was more professional. She also was extremely passionate. Went intense for couple of hours. It was good experience. She was much more beautiful than previous one but I would still prefer the chubby one. Just cause of her attitude.

Gaito:

Had experience with 5 different Gaito women. General consensus on this forum is call women from 400 k to 800 k since their service is basically the same as the expensive ones. I don't agree with that in Saigon. In my experience the more expensive a women in Saigon, better her attitude, figure, face and fuck. But in general I loved Gaito. It was reliable, women were beautiful, some more even than hot Vietnamese women you see walking on the street, everybody gave kissing and BJ, were extremely hygienic and knew how to give a good time. I ended up calling only one women multiple times. It was cosplayer. She is expensive but worth every penny.

Highest Rate: 2. 5 mln for ST.

Lowest Rate: 600 k for ST.

Street Scooters:

If you are a foreigner walking around the streets of Saigon, random scooter drivers will ask you if you want boom boom. And I did try that out of curiosity. The scooter guy quoted 1. 5 mln with hotel room included. I negotiated it down to 1. 2 mln. Honestly, women wasn't that bad. Maybe like 600 k Gaito woman equivalent. Add about 150 k for a really nice hotel room and I did get ripped off but not really that badly. But stick to Gaito and skip these riders.

Massages:

I only tried Linh cherry. I tried it twice. And it was really nice both times. I read some post here that they did not receive an FS at Linh cherry. I'm not sure why that is. Since both times I was directly told at the reception itself that massage + FS is 2. 4 mln for an hour.

Tinder:

Total matches: above 100.

Total dates: 3.

Hookup: None.

Mui Ve (no action).

Nha Trang:

I met the best Gaito women here. I only tried Gaito in Nha Trang and since I was only there for a couple of days, only tried two women. Out of which second one was my best fuck of the whole trip till that time. She was normal (not extremely pretty but def an eye candy), had a see section scar but damn her moans, her attitude, her DFK and her passion drove me crazy. After the deed I asked her if she could stay for a couple of hours more. She agreed for the same price as she had agreed to come. (500 k + 500 k). I ended up spending 1 mln on the girl for 2-3 hours. It was cheap and goddamn amazing.

The nang:

I read a report from Logan that the nang was alive and kicking. In terms of action, I didn't find much. I met two women from Gaito and they aren't much to write about. Took a massage. And it was no match for Linh Cherry. Maybe I went to the wrong spots. Dating is easy in the Nang. I went on three dates on three consecutive days. One of which resulted in make out but no hook up. IMO, dating in Vietnam is fun but if you want to hook up with a local you need to stay put at a place for a minimum of two weeks to achieve that. And if you can speak local language, you can have some insane experiences.

Hoi An (no action): But I loved the colors and lanterns here. Definitely a place worth visiting.

Hanoi:

My original plan was to go visit Doi son, ha long bay and sapa with hanoi as base but I got so much action in hanoi and due to some work uncertainties (ethereum merge fucked up my Hanoi stay a bit LOL) I spent entire time staying in hanoi. I stayed at an Airbnb near the lake as suggested by Logan and it was an excellent location with great Wifi. Women loved coming to my place and the place was managed by a sweet grandma who basically let me do whatever I wanted.

Gaito:

Tried three women from Gaito. Was okay'ish. I still feel that Saigon is the best place for Gaito. Other places just don't have enough quality and quantity. FYI, I called up two women from Gaito to my place. Their rates were 600 k and 800 k and they took 2 mln to come to my place which IMO is a much better deal. Wish I had tried this in Saigon but that thought never occurred to me there. I had become much better at talking to Gaito women in Hanoi so was able to convince them of this. Basically from what I observed, their outcall rates are double their incall rates. But their service is better and they are much more relaxed. Plus, they start negotiating in hours rather than shots. So, for example, a Gaito women, more specifically this one: https://www.gaito.io/gai-goi/chi-tie...am-xinh-non-to, would charge 600 k for a shot but would take 2 mln to come to my place for an hour. And 3 mln for two hours. The advantage of outcall definitely is more GFE.

Massage Republic:

Tried Zelena from MR. Oh my God. She was extremely shy, but I had so much fun. She had style, made my dick hard when she wore glasses and it was so easy to make her cum. She isn't extremely young. But is classy. She was extremely tight and I'm not the biggest dude. Met with her thrice. It's always a challenge to your feelings at bay when you meet an escort with whom you really vibe. This one was hard to do.

Damage: 7. 2 mln for 4 hours.

She told me she only does this once every blue moon when she wants to buy something expensive. So she keeps pulling up and down her ad on MR. Right now she has pulled down her ad.

Tinder:

Normal women: Dated 2. But still no hook up. I suck at this man.

Freelancers: I actually didn't find many freelancers in hcmc. But in Hanoi I was able to find two (I actually found a lot but called up only two):

First one: Took 4 M for full night. Looks were nothing to boast about. But she was experienced. Gave full GFE and was fluent enough in english that I had fun even apart from fucking. I enjoyed it.

Second one: Took 5 M for 6 hours. Was okay'ish in looks but really playful and wanted to spend time outside of just fucking. Wanted to go to coffee and dinner dates as well.

The only problem I found with Tinder women was it was really hard to shake them off. They're clingy. Probably because through tinder they get much more than they're worth.

Cityoflove.

I had never tried cityoflove or eurogirlsescort. Since I always prefer massagerepublic and should've kept it that way.

So I decided to give these a shot. I didn't contact any women who were not of Vietnamese ethnicity since there's no point.

I didn't get much replies from eurogirls women but on cityoflove I got reply of Jane: Jane, Hanoi Escort (Independent), Viet Nam.

Worst experience in Vietnam.

So I called her up. Deal was of 5 mln for two shots. She never mentioned there was time restriction even after explicitly asking multiple times. First shot went well. She was nice. But after one she started packing up saying time is up. This women ended up costing me 5 mln and she wasn't even worth 1 mln. This pissed me off to no end. I just let her go. This was the first time I got really angry at a Vietnamese women or angry in Vietnam in general. At least a good night's sleep fixed that.

My advice: no point in trying cityoflove. Problem is that there's no review section. If you want to go to a more expensive side might as well try massagerepublic.

Fortuna:

Awesome fucking place. This is why forums exist. I went here based on criminlaz's suggestion. Wasn't really optimistic since to me it seemed expensive and would only be worth if the women were really hot. This place questioned my decision of not trying ktvs. Such an awesome place. I loved it. Not only are the women extremely hot but also the experience makes you feel like a king. It's sure shot place to have overloaded fun. If it is an unforgettable night you're after you can also try taking two women after taking to mamasan. I went on a slow day I guess. So why were pleading for their case and mamasan pushing for threesome. I'm moron. I should've tried this place earlier.

This completes my review. I know there aren't many contact infos but this review was meant to be meta, giving people who want to explore this gem of a country a guide on what are the options I tried and my opinion on them. Vietnam isn't Thailand. But there's no point in having two Thailand's. Vietnam is its own heaven. It's own unique charm. And goddamn amazing women. And for people willing to explore, it gives amazing rewards.

[Jingo10]

I'll be there during the weekend of lunar new year and beyond. Can anyone tell me if everything shuts down or will they have a minimal staff? Will the bars, clubs, hot tocs, freelancers still be in abundance?

My understanding is a lot of workers return to their hometown and the city is very quiet. I've no experience of this just what I've been told. I don't know what will be open but I was also told not to be in HCMC for the CNY. I am in VN now.