In this case you should put ho Chi Minh City since that's where you enter Vietnam. You will have to go from the international terminal to the domestic one to catch your flight to Hanoi. I'm here if you have any other questions
I like your pro and con about Vietnam. I think Vietnamese people need to know your feedback to better themselves. But I no longer believe in environmentalists due to their corrupted hypocrite agenda. I no longer recycle stuffs.
Thanks for your comment. I'm an environmentalist at heart not the type that protests and exaggerates, just normal common sense like not littering and caring a bit about our earth
The air is definitely better in da Nang and nha trang. Also da Nang is cleaner. Personally, da Nang is my favourite city in Vietnam so I can highly recommend going there
HTF is your channel not viral in Vietnam? A white guy speaking fluently Vietnamese? Maybe your videos aim for another audience than Vietnamese and your contents lack some cultural and comedian aspects
Actually I had a Vietnamese speaking channel with millions of views before but I closed it down. I don't aim for a Vietnamese audience with this channel
Oh you left Vietnam 😢! I followed you when you still spoke in Vietnamese in your Vlog. I understand what you mean as you mentioned 5 “hate” things in Vietnam ! That would be better in a couple of years! Hope u would come back some days 😢
Thank you for your support! It means a lot. I wouldn't call it hate actually I literally just wanted to share a few things I will really miss about Vietnam and a few minor things that I will not miss. If you only share things you miss it's misleading and fake in my opinion which is not helping anyone. That would be the opposite of authenticity and that's not good for humanity and definitely not for Vietnam's development. I will be back in the future for sure either for business or just travelling
VN vẫn là 1 nước đang phát triển, hi vọng xã hội giàu lên thì ý thức con người sẽ văn minh lên. Cảm ơn August vì vẫn còn dành nhiều tình cảm cho đất nước này ❤
1. Horrible air pollution 2. Horrible noise pollution 3. Poor sanitation 4. Lawless traffics laws 5. Dirty tap water 6. Corrupt government 7. Corrupt policemen 8. People always trying to scam you 9. Horrible infrastructure 10. Hot and humid weather 11. Bad customer service 12. Discrimination (It can be a racist country) 13. People litter everywhere 14. People ride on sidewalks and park on sidewalks (no room to walk) 15. People cutting in line 16. Aggressive sellers always trying to push you to buy things and if you don’t buy they talk bad about you. 17. It’s hard to enjoy a peaceful meal or drink when people are constantly trying to sell you tickets or begging for money. 18. Food poisoning is the norm. 19. Healthcare 20. Rats in their parks (the one across from Bui Vien has so many of them running around I freaked out and left before they come crawling on me)
@@perpetuallyabroad I also wanted to add this as well. It’s their culture that I don’t like where the men in the relationship is supposed to provide everything and the girlfriend saves her money basically “Your money is our money and my money is money” which I think is stupid.
@@S.T.A.L.K.E.R.420 When it comes to culture nothing is stupid. It's just that you accept it or you refuse from the view of your culture. Western culture kicks their children out of the house when they're 18 years old. Can I call that stupid as well?
Long time no see! Cool background in the first shot. I remember visiting VN years ago and god it's loud everywhere lol. We were in a village and the neighbors had a karaoke party which was crazy loud until 2am. Also the thing about lining up I can relate to definitely
I agree with you about something you don't like about Vietnam, but that is Vietnam, so or you love it and stay, or leave any go somewhere else, personally I can survive about all these things yo mentioned about Vietnam, because I am a Mediterranean man, and will get annoyed to live in north Country like Scandinavian
Thanks for sharing your perspective, I have friends from France, Spain and Italy who live in Vietnam and they are more annoyed than me about some of the things I mentioned. Some of them don't have any choice but to stay in Vietnam. It's not like people leave or have to leave a country just because there are some things they don't love. Most foreigners I've met in Vietnam do nothing but complain about Vietnam in private ( including fake "influencers" and content creators ) but publicly they "love" everything about Vietnam. There's clearly a stigma of even remotely critisicing anything related to Vietnam. It all comes down to your size of balls and integrity. No place is perfect there will always be some things you will not like about a place even if you live in Singapore. The difference is if the ego can handle hearing it or you tell them to leave just because they share their experiences and say something that isn't even that negative if you put it in perspective. You have no problem saying Scandinavia is annoying. If you lived in Denmark and shared some things you will not miss, I wouldn't have any problem with that or tell you to leave. I wish you good luck and I appreciate you taking time to write a comment
My parents are Vietnamese and I'm from America even I have a hard time with it. It's possible to live in a place without either hating or loving it, it's not black and white. I would consider living there for a shorter period it doesn't mean I love everything there
I'm a Vietnamese living in Germany and when I say things I "don't like" about this country my German friends never say anything. Vietnamese are very proud which can be good and bad but I see they not take it well when anyone says anything, I think that is a problem when I compare to Germany. Even I am Vietnamese I don't like when some are very loud and also don't wait for their turn
each person enjoys different things, so what you don't like could be enjoyed by someone else. In general Pollution in China is the worst and go to India you can see what kind of noise is really drives people nut. Of course I don’t deny all the “negatives “ you pointed out, to us ( we live in a very sleeping town in rural area in the US ) hospitality, scenery, food and 4000 years culture of Vietnam that make greatly enjoyable.
Mainland China even 10 years ago had all of the 5 things you dislike about Vietnam, but the gov worked really hard at cracking down on it, re-educating their citizens to change behavior. These days if you visit Chinese cities, its quiet (no traffic noise due to EVs), clean, safe, and ppl line up at shops properly lol.
I'm sharing my experience about living in Vietnam and here and there I give context to the things I say by mentioning how things are in Scandinavia and Taiwan.
I was in China for 5 years and spoke quite well (not fluent). Able to get around and take care of myself. Now I'm in Vietnam and I feel like a helpless baby again due to language.
It's a culture, as a Vietnamese I don't like to change it. I'm living in Finland now and it's very quiet here that makes me feel very boring. I miss the noise of my homecountry.
Even I miss some of the "noise". For me it's not the noise level itself it's more the talking volume of people that's the main issue. Specifically that many locals shout or talk very loudly or perhaps play music/watching a show/having a video call on high volume when they are really close to you in an elevator, that for me is hard to get used to
@@perpetuallyabroad Văn hóa người Việt "ăn to nói lớn" thể hiện là người đại trượng phu (người tốt). Khi nói chuyện với người châu Âu, nhiều lúc họ nói lí nhí (nhỏ) làm tôi cũng khó nghe 😅
@@PhanDucAnhI can also miss some of the sounds of vn but as a viet kieu I can relate to what August said about locals being very loud in elevators for example. There's a lack of awareness that is hard to deal with unless you're born and raised there
Thanks for your comment. Taiwan has good sides and less good sides like any other country. One difference is that there you can mention things that are not so good without people telling you to leave or other foreigners attacking you. Overall it's quite good in Taiwan. If you like nature I can highly recommend going there. I doubt I will ever move back to Vietnam to live long-term, but visiting for business and travel yes
this video is bullshitting without statistics. The author probably has no training whatsoever in marketing or market data analytics. Vietnam tourism increased from 2016 - 2019 at the fastest growth rate among ASEAN. Because of Covid, all ASEAN suffered a decline. In 2023, international visitors to Thailand were only 70.7% of 2019, and for Vietnam, 70%. Just few days ago, Vietnam released statistics showing that for the first quarter 2024, international tourists were at the same level as the 1st Q in 2019, IOW, recovering ~ 100%. So, wait and see what the remaining of 2024 is like.
The video is about the low return rate, not what you're talking about. Since you're basically a genius, how about you answer this, Why is it that so few tourists return to Vietnam?
@@perpetuallyabroad answer this: where is the statistical data of your claim: "Why is it that so few tourists return to Vietnam? " There is no such a statistics - all are anecdotes. You didn't even read my long comment with rigorous statistics that debunk your claim. If you are educated, you know that anecdotes don't make empirical evidence. You are doing the same thing as a lawyer asking you "have you stopped beating your wife?" I won't bother with this click-bait anymore, nor look at your channel (it just popped up randomly once). It is OK and good that you criticize all the true and negative aspects of a corrupted Vietnam, but pretending to be an expert in marketing isn't smart and plain academic dishonesty. Good bye. Although I am not a citizen of Vietnam. Perhaps you can do Vietnam a favor for not going there. You can be a hater anywhere else in the world.
@@perpetuallyabroad You block my answer. Can't handle the truth, can you? OK, I make it short. There are NO statistics for your claim " Why is it that so few tourists return to Vietnam?" Read my longer comment. Nevertheless, Good bye to your channel as I will block it.
I mentioned in the video how I gathered the information btw. I have 17 sources listed in the description. Many are from the Vietnamese government. I know how to present sources in an academic setting. RU-vid is not an academic institution. You have mentioned a total of 3 times that you're not a citizen of Vietnam. I guess that you once were a citizen of Vietnam based on your logic and how you present your arguments. It's pretty clear that it is true that few tourists return if you open your eyes, talk to people and read all the sources that are available whether it's articles, comments, videos or from any organisation/government. So what's your point? You believe that actually the vast majority of tourists return? I don't know why you have such a problem with that unless you believe that the majority of tourists do return, which you are entitled to believe but it does not reflect reality. I don't know what you mean by "you block my answer", I didn't block anything.
Such nonsense. All the bad things you cite are likely correct, but that's not what Vietnam's tourism problem is. And it is neither true nor relevant that your "so-called tourists" don't return. Tourists to Vietnam were increasing at a fast rate before COVID-19, and presently, it is recovering at the same pace as worldwide tourism. The real issue is that Vietnam doesn't get enough high-paying tourists to high-standard resorts. Have you ever been to Vinpearl Nha Trang, or GrandWorld Phuquoc, or any of the numerous 5-star, 6-star resorts? If you pay to stay at such a place, you are totally insulated from all the ugliness you cite, because all you will see is high-end 5-star facilities with professional and courteous hotel staff. You will be pampered from the beginning to the end and never see Vietnam crazy traffic nor any scam. This is the type of high-paying tourists Vietnam wants, Do a you tube search of any Vietnam high-end resorts I mention and you will see.
Thanks for sharing your perspective. It is relevant if tourists choose to return to a place. The articles I referred to are written by the Vietnamese government so they don't think it's nonsense. It is true that few people return to Vietnam there's no doubt about that. You see less and less westerners and there's a new influx of Indian travellers for example. In reality the number is probably even lower than what's estimated since many overseas Vietnamese visit Vietnam and they are registered as a "foreign arrival" since many of them enter Vietnam on a foreign passport, just like thousands of foreigners doing border runs by the Cambodian border every week. All are technically categorised as "tourists". I have 5 star hotel reviews on this channel and especially I had many on my old Vietnamese speaking channel that I removed, on top of that as I mentioned in the video but you probably skipped this part, I've worked in the tourism industry working exclusively with clients who stayed at the best resorts in Vietnam. I agree with you that you can get good service at some of these facilities, no doubt about that. I did my best for my clients to have the best experience but I can tell you it's hard to avoid scams, traffic and things like that no matter what. In my opinion ,places like Vinpearl, I wouldn't name them as examples of "5-6 star" resorts. I would not arrange for my clients to stay there for example. The level of service and attention to detail is not on par of how much they charge. I'd stay away from completely locally owned and operated resorts if you want to go high-end. It'd be good with more high-end travellers but one thing you have to understand is that Vietnam's selling point is spelled C-H-E-A-P. This is what the vast majority of tourists associate Vietnam with. The high-end part of Vietnam's tourism industry exists but it's very small. Most people who go back to Vietnam are not the high rollers, it's the backpackers or people with limited budget. If prices goes up more you will see even fewer tourists returning. Since the majority of Vietnam's tourists do not stay in "5-6 star" resorts, they stay in cheap, locally owned hotels, eat street food, taking overnight buses etc. That's where the service level is sometimes bad because of many reasons. It's obvious that this is a problem in the tourism industry in Vietnam hence people's impression will not be the best sometimes and they will not return just like the Vietnamese government says. I also wish there could be more high-end travellers but that part will remain a small minority for a long time for many reasons
Decades ago, I helped a Vietnam-Vietnamese colleague with research on Vietnam tourism. (I am Vietnamese American, not a citizen of Vietnam). I don't doubt your anecdotal analysis, but we never found any credible such statistics as "the rate of returning." No credible organizations collect and archive such data, and all such talks were just bullshit figures based on non-scientific, anecdotal surveys. But that is irrelevant because your anecdotal observations are true and well-known. However, it is a good thing that foreign tourists don't return: 1- it is good market feedback for the Vietnam tourism industry: losing customers & money will teach them a lesson. 2- That said, according to the latest Statista data: Vietnam foreign tourists increased at a breakneck pace from 10 M to 18 M from 2016-2019, an annual rate of 14.7% compared to Thailand: 5.1% and the Philippines: 8% over the same period. Then all were stopped because of Covid, but in 2023, tourism rebounded, and for Vietnam: 70% of pre-Covid, Thailand: 70.7%, and Philippines: 66%. So whatever you say, it matters little to those in Vietnam tourism industry because perhaps the newcomers (suckers) give them income far more than the non-returners. Anecdotes make nice clickbait for the non-analytical, uninitiated minds, but reality is based on hard economic data and rigorous analysis. 3- Compared to Thailand, with 39.8 M international visitors in 2919, Vietnam is not even half, just 45% with 18 M visitors. But does Vietnam want to compete with Thailand for sex tourism? Is that the future that Vietnam wants? I am not a citizen of Vietnam but here is my opinion: It is a good thing that tourism will be irrelevant to the Vietnam economy. Vietnam is at a crossroads with golden opportunities: A. to capture a large share of China manufacturing business, as the Free World is decoupling from China; B. to build up its higher-valued added industries such as semiconductors as Taiwan, Korea, US are eyeing Vietnam operations C. to build up its high-IP/knowledge-intensive industry such as AI and other high-tech. In this roadmap, there is no place for the tourism industry. If I were a Vietnam leader, I would ignore all your highly-valid criticisms, because with finite national resources, there are more important fires to put out. In fact, it is more important for Vietnam to be concerned about the quality of life of the influx of high-skilled foreign workers from US, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and EU coming to Vietnam for their high-tech investments, rather than the moaning, bitching of curious, fleeting tourists. So, it will be a great thing for Vietnam if 30, 40 years from now, few tourists will come to Vietnam because the GNI/capita of Vietnam is in the top 10%, and Vietnam will be too expensive for anyone to come. Thus, if the things you say kill Vietnam tourism industry, such that Vietnam must focus on the economic roadmap described above, it will be the best thing that happens to Vietnam. That said, I compliment you on the criticism of corruption: Vietnam will not get anywhere as long as the vast cancer of communist corruption is gone. Until then, Vietnam people will live in shame and have to put up with scorn and contempt for a pittance of dollars from the ugly tourists from all over the world.
Thanks for your comment and interest in this topic. I did not block anything from you as you wrote in another comment. Your perspective is interesting even though I personally don't agree much. It's okay to disagree and a mature discussion can help to shed light on certain issues. Since you're Vietnamese you naturally understand the mindset and you mentioned "the newcomers (suckers) give them far more income than the non-returners". Obviously if the non-returners would return on top of the newcomers, the locals would earn even more than only relying on newcomers but that's not the mindset. Long-term thinking in business is virtually non-existent in Vietnam hence they are more than content with the "suckers" as you call them. I don't think Vietnam will be in the top 10% ( it has potential though) unless things change and "Vietnam will be too expensive for anyone to come" as you said. It that were to happen I do think that there will be way less tourists than now because the selling point of Vietnam is spelled cheap. People flock to expensive destinations all over the world all the time. Outside of cheap, there's not that much to offer in Vietnam that will attract large scale tourism. The way you express yourself in your last sentence sums up your mindset and perspective, I do wish the best for you regardless
0:53 If you're going to give prices in USD. You can get a chocolate bar for like $4 in the US. But a bowl of pho in the US will cost you about $9. While a bowl of pho will cost you around 30k. So, no, a chocolate bar isn't a good deal. 1:58 99k for that tiny amount of food? You can buy an all-you-can-eat sushi/bbq/and/or seafood buffet for 249-399k. Not a good deal. Plus, shrimp is really cheap (though I like it). I don't think this guy knows what a good deal is. Either he has so much money he doesn't care. Or he is ignorant, and don't know any better. Or he mostly lies, because he makes these videos for those from N. America and Europe, because they think all these prices he's giving are great. 2:51 Apples 69k/kg? Well, the bit you showed in that hypermart avg'd about 100k/kg. That's more expensive than chicken, and more expensive than some pork. Pork belly is around 160k/kg.... What world does this guy live in? 5:31 At WinMart and Co-Op mart you can open up pre-packaged bags and put the amount you want into a different bag. Plus, you can go to any wet/open-air market and buy fruits and vegetables as you see fit. So, I don't know why he's bothering to comment on things comming in bags. But, I guess he expects you to be ignorant.
Thanks for sharing your perspective 0:53 - 1$ for a chocolate bar like that is cheap, imported from south Korea and of pretty good quality as well. Also your comparison with prices of pho isn't relevant to the chocolate bar. The chocolate itself is a good deal regardless of location. 1:58. In my world 99K for this is not expensive for that meal even with Vietnamese standards. Also it's made in a big scale supermarket, not a shack on the street. From an international perspective, it's a really good deal. I see loads of locals buying this , and other pre-made meals at e-mart, and I'm there 2-3 times per week. What's your point anyway? That you can find some cheap meals on the street in vn? We all know that and I speak the language fluently and I can guarantee you I'm less ignorant than you about Vietnam in general. Obviously I don't lie, try to find a vlogger making vids about Vietnam who's more authentic and less fake, you wouldn't find many. I'd know where to go if I want a small and cheap portion somewhere but in reality it's not as cheap as people think in Saigon, especially for the quality and amount you get when comparing to nearby countries. 2:51. Almost always they have deals of Imported apples from South Africa, 69K/kg. That's a good deal if you ask me. You can probably find apples imported from China cheaper than that if you dare to eat it. It's not just all about getting the lowest price. We can disagree but I rather pay 69K /kg for apples from SA than let's say 45K/kg from China. It doesn't mean in my opinion that buying Chinese apples is a better deal. 5:31 yeah it'd be better if you could just put the carrots by yourself in a plastic bag but at least I can do that with many other fruits and vegetables there. Of course a local market would be cheaper especially the vegetables.
@@perpetuallyabroad "1$ for a chocolate bar like that is cheap, imported from south Korea and of pretty good quality as well. Also your comparison with prices of pho isn't relevant to the chocolate bar. The chocolate itself is a good deal regardless of location. " If you're going to use USD, then you should also price things as they are in the US. And if you want to support/simp for S. Korean products, fine, just say so. I use a bowl of pho as a reference, as it's a rather cheap but fulfilling meal in Vietnam. Chocolate is a luxury. But in the US you can get a cholate bar for about $2, but a bowl of pho for about $7, or maybe $10 now. "In my world 99K for this is not expensive for that meal even with Vietnamese standards." In your world, and that of tourists, indeed. "Also it's made in a big scale supermarket, not a shack on the street." So, do you guarantee that 'big scale supermarkets' are guaranteed to have better quality then street vendors? " From an international perspective, it's a really good deal." Yes, because of how much more their currency is worth. The people you see shopping there are pretty well off in Vietnam. "I can guarantee you I'm less ignorant than you about Vietnam in general" Then why didn't you mention Winmart or Co-op mart? Unless you want S. Korean goods, don't they also provide a good one-stop shopping experience? I understand not wanting to go to 5 different places to get everything you want/need. " I'd know where to go if I want a small and cheap portion somewhere but in reality it's not as cheap as people think in Saigon" So you're saying Saigon isn't as cheap as people think, but you didn't say that prices in that hypermart are good. Is that correct? You seem to be trying to throw up a strawman. You're saying one thing unrelated to what's actually being discussed. "especially for the quality and amount you get when comparing to nearby countries. " Speaking of strawmen, other than you, who brought up nearby countries? Why bring this up? "Almost always they have deals of Imported apples from South Africa, 69K/kg. That's a good deal if you ask me. You can probably find apples imported from China cheaper than that if you dare to eat it. It's not just all about getting the lowest price. We can disagree but I rather pay 69K /kg for apples from SA than let's say 45K/kg from China. It doesn't mean in my opinion that buying Chinese apples is a better deal" I simply said, in that portion of the video, based on the apples that were shown, and the prices I saw, the avg. price was about 110k/kg. Yet, you see how you went off on that tangent about SA and China? Very suspecious. "yeah it'd be better if you could just put the carrots by yourself in a plastic bag but at least I can do that with many other fruits and vegetables there. Of course a local market would be cheaper especially the vegetables." I didn't bother to comment it then, but after this part of the video, I started thinking "if he just wants to say he likes hypermarts, or specifically S. Korean hypermarts, he should just say so." If the price for shopping convenience is having to buy 5 carrots instead of the 2 you want, and 7 potatoes instead of the 3 or 4 you want, so be it. So, in short, if you want to say that S. Korean hypermart is great (and I can agree with that) and cheap (which I disagree with), you can. But the point I was making was, your advice isn't the best for everyone.
Great video!! Hotel looks super nice to me since I love newer hotels and it is right in my price budget. Only concern is it super close to where the best swim area is on the beach? I see Haian hotel is a 45 minute walk away and someone claims that is best part of beach for swimming.
Thanks for watching! From what I've seen the main area for swimming is basically right by this hotel. However there might be even better areas further south, not sure. If you go down to the beach by Radisson, but go left a bit there's even less people
If you haven't got an e-visa yet ( which I actually recommend because it's only 36$ and you don't have to deal with cash at the border ), you'll have to give cash to the bus operator who will assist you in getting a visa on arrival. They usually charge 40$ and you can pay in either dong or USD. I wish you a great journey
My first time in Nam on a 3 month visa(and i got ripped off at the airport ,now i don't trust any driver), as an Oz I'm not allowed to ride or drive . That's why I'm leaving to visit Cambodia, Thailand after 2 weeks in Vietnam, at least I can drive/ ride there.
Great video! Seems like a good budget option compared to flying. The scenery along the way looks pretty interesting too. Thanks for sharing your experience!
We did a 6 months South East Asia trip recently and every time we took a taxi for a long distance we told the driver at the start: We are not in a hurry, drive safe and stop every 90 minutes for a drink and smoke break. The first time we didn't and then they think you want him\her to drive fast.
No matter who rules VN, problems will persist b/c Vets worship $$ more that anything and have a scam gene. They scam Communists, Democrats, backpackers, their own neighbors, everybody. That kind of selfishness will always result in them living in their own crap, regardless of who rules.
