We were in Vietnam and Cambodia several years ago and instead of boiling water, we purchased a “Steripen” from REI which is an ultraviolet wand which you insert into up to one liter of water. The wand emits an ultraviolet high-intensity light for a pre-determined amount of time (about a minute) which kills the bacteria and viruses in the water. We then used the water for drinking or brushing our teeth - much more convenient than having to boil the water to use when brushing teeth or drinking.
Thank you very much for your detailed and necessary tips for ways to do things before and during your trips to save hassles and dead ends! You are simply the very Best, and on point about everything that you describe in a genuine friendly and always easy to understand format. Kudos to the both of you! You two are as dynamic and mutually back and forth give and take a tag team for covering all the bases as Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin; Abbott and Costello; and Laurel and Hardy - not like in their slapstick humorous co-efficiency but in the sense of your seamless integration of the precise facts of knowledge needed! Thank you very much indeed for your dedication to your craft; time; efforts; perseverance; and patience to produce your fine informative videos. ….but I would of liked knowledge of one cultural economic diversity between Vietnam & Thailand - namely tipping, when is it appropriate and expected. An approximation of how much for different circumstances? Does a smile and thank you, perhaps in their specific language carry the instance or when the current norm of tips is expected or warranted? P.S. I am new to your channel (only a couple of days in fact), so I wonder if you have produced the same type of videos previously for traveling to South Korea; Japan; Taiwan; Singapore; and the Philippines? Also a video or videos of the social and cultural taboos of what Not to do or what is frowned upon in these countries (i.e. when in Thailand Don’t denigrate or desecrate photos or images of the King/Prince or you might be thrown in a prison with No hope of ever getting out forever, lol; or that in Vietnam public display of affection like kissing, holding hands, or hugging is looked down upon). These things which might be okay for us Americans may conflict or have some serious repercussions and consequences if perpetrated in other countries, regardless of your ignorance of their ancient societal norms and taboos. I have yet to become a “Borderless Traveller” during my retirement, but I am planning on it due in part to your outstanding videos. Thank you for your time, patience, and efforts in consideration of my comments. Respectfully submitted, - a loyal subscriber for Life!
Do you have any additional questions or helpful tips to add for those traveling to Thailand or Vietnam? Be sure to leave them in the comments below! Check out our Thailand series: ru-vid.com/group/PLNmogcEYSgyK3HjO9jOapv8FeIaJ5ALzp Vietnam series: ru-vid.com/group/PLNmogcEYSgyKYBDfUTFp5ut0wP-o3WRSa
Well Done! Agree with all your comments and suggestions. This is an incredible part of the world. Full of amazing food, culture, scenery and wonderful people!
A very important thing is to confirm which handbrake controls the front or back. It depends on what country they were made in and if they were meant to drive on the left side or the right side.
I am not sure I would agree with the best time to visit. North Vietnam is chilling during the period you recommended and it’s usually cloudy. Especially in some months it can get really really humid (9x-100%) and foggy. I would recommend the summer.
Great video, as usual. I hate buying so much water in plastic bottles. We use a water purifier called Steripen by Katadyn. It's an Ultra UV Water purifier and it's amazing. In just 90 seconds, we have 1L of tap water that we can drink. I learned about it from another travel blogger and it's amazing!!
That is a great tip, Sarah! There is A LOT of plastic used here in SE Asia. We have found that buying the big jugs of water is less expensive and you are at least cutting back on water bottles. We like your way better!! 😉Thank you for watching!! Cheers!!🍻
We have had our Katadyn filter for 34 years and it still works perfectly. It was originally developed for the Swiss Army. In the Republic of Congo, we used our Katadyn to filter filthy puddle water in the jungle as that was our only available water source when we were over landing in a remote area. The water was green and viscous and it came out clear and ready to drink. We drank it without any ill effects. We never travel without it, especially in developing countries. It means you don’t spend a fortune on bottled water and far better for the environment. It is an investment and intital cost layout but worth their weight in gold if you intend travelling for extended periods of time through multiple countries.
Thanks for another great video, Brian and Carrie. I love hearing about your travels and there are always things I learn that I didn't know before. 🙂Just a heads up if you're planning to visit Australia... we have the same rules for carry on baggage on our airlines as they do in Asia. They go by weight (and it includes everything you bring on the plane!) - Qantas has a limit of 10kgs and Jetstar and Virgin have a limit of 7kgs. Qantas often don't check the weight however Jetstar certainly do!
Thank you for the heads up, Julie. We know that we will need to check our bags at some point and feel lucky that we haven't had a problem YET!! Australia is on our list!! Thank you for watching!! Cheers!!🍻
I am a big fan of using an e-SIM if your phone supports it. I've used Airalo multiple times with good results. It is nice to land in a country and be able to immediately get online.
That was awesome detailed information. Starting our South East Asia tour in January 2024. Feel so much more informed. Keep these great packages coming. We are adding Bali to our 3 month tour. Hope you give us all a review of this area. Safe travels
Thank you, Nancy. We may be back in 2024 ourselves. We are really enjoying our time here in Vietnam and looking forward to Southern Thailand and Malaysia in the coming months. Thank you again for your support. Cheers!!🍻
Another great, detailed, informative and comprehensive guide to everything you need to know (or didn't even know you needed to know) for travelling in Thailand and Viet Nam. Brian and Carrie thoroughly cover off the details which many will not know. We can learn from their few missteps (they aren't even mistakes) and benefit from their wisdom. All of this is explained and shown in this easy to understand format. I thank you you doing this and keeping the jealous wanna-be traveller aware of what hoops need to be covered. Thailand is on my bucket list, Viet Nam wasn't. I especially like the explanation of the shots/vaccines that were available, what you chose and why. Not everyone does this. Thanks you two. Keep up the great work!
Thank you, Robert, for all the kind words, comments like this keep us motivated. We are loving both Vietnam and Thailand and look forward to getting down to southern Thailand and the beaches next month!! Thank you again for the support! Cheers!!🍻
just started binging your videos! my suggestion if you want to lessen the hassle is to get an e-sim instead of a physical sim, just make sure your phones can handle it :) just search which ones per country is more reputable/has better coverage
Great content, very informative. I’m flying to Vietnam in September and will be flying through Japan (Tokyo) via LA. You mentioned in your video when talking about baggage that you did not have to leave and go through customs again. Did you carry-on or check your suitcase? Any advice would be much appreciated as I’ve never flown through Tokyo before. Thanks!
Love the videos, my wife and I moved to Germany six years ago from the US and have been traveling ever since. A quick clarification, customs is where you declare imported goods and immigration is where they check you documents, visas, passports, etc. It seems these two areas are commonly confused. Also, in Thailand, you can get sim cards in any 7-11 store using your passport.
In Ecuador, they charge you 2 to 3 times if your doing #2 at a public restroom. The attendant would hand you 2 squares of tissue. I started carrying my own TP and saying that I am doing #1!!!!
hi great info, like to add that when visiting HCM/Saigon during rainny months, the city does experiences flooding in some parts, the flooding can reach knee high in some areas, just be aware.
I have been to Vietnam many times and I have been told that I need the visa before getting on the flight to Vietnam. Also, if I apply a month early for a visa, I have the first application rejected because they don't want to bother. They say your photo isn't good eventhough the photos were previously accepted on other visas. Probably won't go back to Vietnam.
Interesting, that is too bad to hear you had trouble. We had such a smooth process, but also know that sure can vary person to person. Thanks for watching.
My tips for you lol You should put on all your videos the Hotels Airbnb etc and very important the location bc I think for many of the people that’s looking for this type of video is very important the location of hotels and where staying. Thank you!!! 😊
Hi! Thanks for the suggestion - we do put the link to the hotel or Airbnb where we stayed in the video description. This way people can see the exact location. Thanks so much for watching 😊. Cheers!!
We would agree with Da Nang, Chiang Mai, and Bangkok in that order. We like the food in Chaing Mai but the beach in Da Nang is amazing!! Thank you for watching!! Cheers!!🍻
Hi Brian and Carrie Been following your travels over the last 18 months. We lived on Koh Phangan for 2 months and loved it. Wanting to return to Thailand. Does one need to show an onward journey on arrival in Thailand? Would appreciate any current info.
Just saw this vlog and subscribed. I just returned from Singapore and Bangkok. At BKK airport going back to Singapore, I was asked to show that I had ticket leaving Singapore. In all of my Asian travels, I’ve never had to show this. But always a first time. I never read about visa on arrival in Vietnam. Hmmm. . .
Interesting! We are going to have everything ready just in case, we don't want any complications! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment! We appreciate the support. Cheers 🍻
Hello Brian and Carrie 😍 from Queensland Australia great video many helpful recommendations I am travelling to Thailand later this year. So happy I found your channel have just watched every video so enjoyable. Thank you for sharing your journey looking forward to further videos . Safe travels take care Sue 😊
I love your videos and now you're in a part of the world that I lived in for 11 years! Do you need malaria pills if you just drink gin and tonic (with quinine) daily? 😉 Northface has a factory in Vietnam so those coats are legit. You might need to change the zipper, but the quality of the coats is perfect. I've been to Bangkok at least 20 times. I've never needed to show anything at immigration (ticket, hotel, etc.) . I wonder where you found this information. Depending on the country in SE Asia, you can get SIM cards at 7 Eleven. In Vietnam, I would just use VinaSun taxi. They are reliable and use the meter (without asking). Very comfortable. Often in Asia, there are rules written down, but everyone usually does what they want unless someone tries to stop them. This is probably why you saw all of the carry on luggage that wasn't allowed. 100% it is cheaper to eat out for every meal than try to shop and cook yourself. It's amazing. The only probably safety-wise that I ever heard of was mostly guys on motorbikes driving by and snatching purses, but they only seemed to go after purses that were in bike baskets or just hanging off shoulders facing traffic. Awesome video! Can't wait for the next one!
Hi Brian and Carrie, great info and video, not sure if anyone has suggested or not but the cooking school in Hoi Ann is called Miss Vy's. Such a great experience. And for the ultimate beer and Bahn Mi package is at Main Fish restaurant. Such a great feed etc. Keep up the good work 👍😄🍻
I just found your channel and you two are very relatable and very informative. Is there any way you can do a luggage packing video with your must haves when traveling? I am a known overpacker and I know other people are too.
Hi, Jacqueline! We did a packing video last year but if you're just looking for our must-have items then you can go to our website. www.brianandcarrietravels.com/ Thank you for watching our channel! Cheers!!🍻
I'm currently doing a 5-month trip around Southeast Asia as well. Started out in Vietnam for a month, now in Cambodia. I would definitely recommend adding Cambodia to your itinerary if it's not already. I loved Phnom Penh (staying in the BKK1 neighborhood, which is awesome) and of course you have to visit Angkor Wat. Cheers!
Hi, Jim! We are planning on Cambodia in Jan. 2024. We love the region and have decided that we can't see everything that we want to see in one trip. We slow travel to keep our costs as low as possible. Thank you for the tip on Phnom Penh and where you stayed! Very helpful! Thank you for watching and supporting us! Cheers!!🍻
Great content guys. Was great to catch up with you in Chiang Mai. Am sure you will enjoy Vietnam just as much as we do. Can recommend Monkey Mountain (Lady Buddha) and Marble Mountain as day trips from Da Nang. Also, try to get to Hoi An for a few days. Cheers, David & Julie
Hi, David and Julia! It was great meeting you two! We are very much enjoying Vietnam and plan to do all that you mentioned including a couple nights in Hoi An. Hoping that we can get some sunshine soon!!! 🍻
The rabies shots in my experience were the least painful I ever got. You have to act quick, if you got a Potential rabies infection. The difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated is like a 24 hour window to 12 hour window. (Don’t quote me on the hours, but it’s somewhere around that).
Thank you. From our research and guidance from a Dr, even if you have the shot you still need to go for another shot if bitten. Being we weren't traveling into desolate areas we felt safe knowing we were around medical care.
You can learn the Thai words to say “no chilis” and “not spicy.” Street food and quasi street food in the malls are mostly awesome!! Wild how 7-11 is everywhere in Thailand.
Great idea to learn some keywords!! We have loved all the food that we have discovered so far. Even the 7-11 roman is better than what we are used to!! 😆 Thank you for watching!! Cheers!!🍻
Perhaps a comment on the denominations of bank notes. Agree that small vendors prefer cash but some don't like giving change for high denomination notes. I have had a couple of instances where the vendor thought it should be a tip and things got uncomfortable whilst we sorting it out. ATMs tend to only dispense high value notes so this can be an issue. Haven't been to Vietnam for 20 years but found that, like many developing countries on various continents, US $1.00 bills can make things happen or make purchases very easy for you.
Two weeks ago, I left my boarding pass on the plane in Vietnam, they asked for it, I said I had left on the plane, and they just asked for the flight number and that was that.
Hi, Michelle. We witnessed a few people do the same thing and wondered what they had to do to rectify the situation. Good to know it's that easy. Thank you for watching and commenting! Cheers!!🍻
Thank you, Michelle. We try to think out of the box and add something different every few videos. Glad that you enjoy this style of video!! Thank you for supporting us! Cheers!!🍻
Loved your video! ❤Information like this is hard to find so I really appreciate it. We are planning to go to SE Asia in late 2023. Would love to see if you get tailor made clothes in Hoi An. I’d also be interested to know which places and experiences are your top picks - to help us plan where to visit. I also appreciated in your Chiang Mai video where you suggested the best neighborhood to stay in and why.
We will be doing videos on Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia at the end of each stay. We will cover the pros and cons as well as the overall cost of each location. This is something that we have done at all of our past locations as well. We will be sure to check out your Mexico videos!! We will be making our way there in the fall!! Thank you for watching! Cheers!!🍻
I know Korea isn't in Southeast Asia, but you really should think about a trip there. (No visa needed - 90 days). Seoul and Busan are great, but just also a some great beach towns, gorgeous scenery, temples. Koreans generally love Americans, and enough people there speak English there's very little language issue. I taught there for six years, so if you do go, I have more advice I can give you.
We will not be heading to Korea this year but we do plan on returning to this region in 2024 and Korea is on our list. Thank you for the suggestion and for watching our channel!! Cheers!!🍻
16 thing we wish you Thailand and Vietnamese an incredible grateful for country choose main land wide how much are you dear friend choose beautiful talking about come on.
Great vlog!!! These are some really good tips to point out to newbies to Southeast Asia. I'm sure that others wish they had also known some of those tips before having gone off to S.E. Asia. I started going, almost annually and solo, back in the late 1990s and up into February of 2020, spending up to 6-weeks at a time. I had planned to go to Vietnam in Jan 2020, but was in Asia in the middle of the Covid situation and decided not to add on another destination while there. Plus, I didn't want to have to pay for a visa. I had been in Bangkok for three weeks, as usual, and then flew on to Penang, as usual, and after Penang back down to my usual Singapore before flying home two weeks after staying at my hotel in Singapore. I figured that if I got Covid, let it be in either Bangkok or Singapore as they had become my home-away-from-home destinations. Plus, I have a medical card for Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok. Unless things have changed, one can just walk in and request a medical card and then one has a medical number in case there's an emergency like when I had a torn medial meniscus some years later, but just called for a medical appointment and gave my medical number over the phone. I was offered a same-day appointment with an Orthopedic specialist, but decided on the next day. After I was seen by both a nurse and the Orthopedic specialist, I was prescribed medication for the pain since I was almost on my way back home. My total medical bill was under $40. I paid it with my credit card and didn't even file a claim with my travel insurance company. There are other Asian countries that I've been to both in S.E. Asia and other places in Asia. But, I love both S.E. Asia in the winter and Japan in the summer. The heat doesn't bother me at all. The first time I took off, in the late 90s, it was from L.A.- Singapore-Bali-Singapore-Chiangmai-Bangkok-L.A. I just read up on my destinations of interest, booked the flights, took off and not with any electronic devices. I didn't even own a computer then. Plus, I still don't travel with an internationally-connected cell phone. Just hand me a paper map, twirl me around a few times, and point or push me in the right direction and I'll be fine. It must have been my Girl Scout training back in elementary school the mid-60s. Follow the sun and sunset. LOL! As for the skytrain in Bangkok, it was a life saver when it was built. I was first in Bangkok years before either the skytrain or the subway existed and street traffic was in total gridlock. It could take 30 minutes to go one block. One day I walked, across town, from the Oriental Hotel to my hotel, the Siam Intercontinental Hotel, in the Siam district as the traffic wasn't moving. Now on that land is Paragon Mall. There was a lot of tear shed from guests when the Siam Intercontinental Hotel was torn down. I last stayed there a few months before the demolition started. Google it. Gorgeous traditional Thai hotel. That hotel used to have the most land of any hotel in Bangkok and beautiful peacocks used to roam around on the land. And Thai people lived in wooden houses on the other side of the fence as every morning we'd wave out our windows to each other. I'm glad I was in Bangkok when I first started going there and when I would even spot the man walking his elephant down Rajadamri Road, around midnight, past one of my other hotels. LOL! This was before the massive amounts of high-rise structures popped up. Airfare from L.A. to Bangkok for many years was cheaper than flying from L.A. to a lot of places in the U.S. as we have the largest population of Thais living outside of Thailand and we're jokingly referred to as the 78th province of Thailand. Thai Air flights were usually booked solid out of LAX. It's too bad they're not allowed to fly out of LAX anymore. I switched over to Singapore Air years ago. Greetings from Los Angeles
Thank you so much for adding this to the channel! Love the history and hearing about how things have changed. We are loving our time here in SE Asia so much that we are planning on returning next year to explore more of the area including Japan. Thank you again for watching and taking the time to write your experiences! We very much appreciate the support. Cheers!🍻
You're welcome! I came upon your channel totally by accident and will now be watching it. Whenever you get to Japan, I'm sure you'll love it. I was there three summers in a row into summer 2019. I'm sure you'll get to Kyoto and while there, as for hotels, I love both the Hyatt Regency and Four Seasons, on the same street. However, I've also stayed in other hotels in Kyoto as I spend 7-9 nights straight there. Greetings from Los Angeles
As always, great and informative video. Thank you so much for all the work you put into these videos to make sure your audience is getting accurate and informative information. ❤
Thanks for another great video. So much appreciate your detailed cost and budget videos also. My hubby and I spent 3 months last year mostly Phuket area. We did not go on a lot of side trips. So we are heading back to SE Asia in Sept 23' for a year of budget slow travel. We are going to visit Northern Thailand, Koh Samui and other islands, Bali, Lombok, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Borneo, Cambodia, Singapore. We plan to stay at least a month in each place. Looking forward to more videos from both of you!
That sounds like a fantastic itinerary! We loved our time in Thailand. We left Malaysia today and are in Singapore now before heading home for a month then off to Europe. We will be back next Jan. to do another round of SE Asia, most of the places that you mention are on our list. Thank you for watching and safe travels. Cheers!!🍻
Hello from the Shuswap! We are planning our Jan-Feb 2025 with the sole purpose of avoiding winter lol. Have been bingeing your Thailand series and feeling strongly that may be the option but read that you are heading to Argentina Jan 2025 and wondering if you would share a bit of an itinerary (knowing you're likely in the planning stages). Given you do such great research I'd love to get a sense of where you will be going. Finally - knowing your feelings about AirBnB now, what options are you looking at for Accommodation in Argentina? If you've been given any tips for Thailand happy to take those too! Stay well you too - you are our very favourite source of info and inspiration. Relatable people from the PNW :)
We have yet to plan or even research accommodations for Argentina at this point. We booked our stays in Mexico using Bookings.com and didn't have any problems. In Thailand we used Airbnb. Thank you for watching and safe travels!! ❤️
Hey, guys!! We see that you have a food and travel channel!! Thailand will be perfect for you!!! We will check out your videos!! Thank you for watching and safe travels!! Cheers!!🍻
I love your travel vlogs and so glad you are exploring SE Asia now. I also enjoyed your Portugal vlogs since I had the opportunity to spend a couple months in Portugal last year and only explored the tip of the iceberg. If you plan to go to Ubud in Indonesia, feel free to ask for my contact info and I can give you some suggestions and contacts. -Janet (from Portland, OR)
Hi, Janet. We won't be making it to Indonesia this year but may be coming back in 2024. Portugal is still at the top of our list of places to stay long-term. We love the Algarve and plan on going back as soon as we feel that we need a travel break. Thank you for watching!! Cheers!!🍻 We have family in Portland and Eugene!! 😀
The Algarve is a place that I want to explore more (only made it to Lagos for a long weekend since I was still working last year). I find your reviews of the towns in Algarve very useful - thanks for that. Perhaps we will run into you down there someday 👍. Take care.
Regarding Rabies shot. It worth getting it up front. I got bit by a monkey last day in Bali and when I got back to Canada it was a six week treatment with a total of 9 shots.
Ouch!!! Good to know that it is worth doing Nana. Sorry that your trip ended that we! 😒 We will most definitely stay away from the monkeys!!! Thank you for watching and commenting. Cheers!!🍻
Found you guys about 2 weeks ago and loving your vlogs. As most of the food in Thailand is spicey, any ideas how to navigate that if I have a bell pepper/chili pepper allergy?
Hey there Brian and Carrie! I thought I heard you mention in this video that you were in Danang. My partner and I are in Danang Mar 2nd- 8th. If you are here during these dates and have any time, we would love to get together for a coffee or something. We love your content and enjoy watching your videos. We're also heading to Hanoi and Chiang Mai in the next couple of weeks, so we'd love some secret tips. Free or not, we hope you have a fantastic time on your S E Asia adventures!!!
Just beware with travel insurance, a lot of travel insurance will not cover you if you are injured in a moto/motorcycle/motorbike/scooter accident whether you are the driver or pillion passenger. Most travel insurance coverage for this mode of transport is a tick of box and an additional payment that is a lot cheaper than a hospital bill when you find out your insurance doesn't cover you.
Yes, great point. If people are planning on renting a scooter or doing any sort of extreme sport, they may not be covered. Always best to check with you insurance first. Thanks for watching!
I came across your vlogs, especially your Viet Nam vlogs for the first time yesterday. You have covered things quite well in this video. I was interested in your Ha Long Bay video and the luxury of it all (and the cost!). I first visited Viet Nam and Ha Long Bay in 1993, 30 years ago Ha Long Bay was a 5 to 6 hour journey from Hanoi in a rattly old bus, the boat was a fishing boat and the sleeping accommodation was find a spot to stretch out on the deck, the toilet was a plank off the back of the boat with a bed sheet strung up for modesty. The most memorable meal was breakfast on day 2, the boat moored off a tiny beach at the bottom of one of the limestone karsts, a crew member took firewood onto the beach and got a fire going, another crew member searched the beach & rocks for shellfish. The fresh shellfish simmered in a pot of seawater with limes and seaweed, it was all just so delicious & opulent! Return bus and 2 days & 1 night & meals on the fishing boat was less than $10. I don't think I'd be game to eat like that again, I'm sure the pollution & E coli levels are much higher these days in the waters of Ha Long Bay. The last time I went to Ha Long Bay was 17 years ago. By 2006 the travel time from Hanoi had been cut in half and wooden Junks with cabins below deck had taken over the tourist trade, not so memorable but still a great experience = $18 for return bus and 2 days & 1 night & meals on the Junk. My wife & I have a house in the Mekong Delta, off the tourist trail, and up until the Pandemic I was going there every 9 months, it is now over 3 years since I've been able to get there, I miss Viet Nam so much! August/September this year I SHALL RETURN! My wife, quite selfishly, went there without me last year.
That is so interesting, how times have changed things. This was a much more luxury trip than you experienced for sure, but it's also that trade off of just how touristy the area now is. Hope you make it to home on the Mekong soon. Thanks so much for watching our channel 😊
Hi, Gonzalo. Great idea, we did do an "Airbnb" video, but we could go into more detail on our planning process. Thank you for the support and for watching our channel! Cheers!!🍻
We don't usually have a issue when traveling to a new destination from the excitement. The key is, no naps and try to keep going until early evening before going to bed. 😊
Great Tips and do's and dont's for a worry free trip. As for safety in both countries I guess the bad guys know not to Mess with Brian!. Please do include Penang Island in Malaysia. I have been there several times and its a very nice place to visit, and you can have a good time. Its easy to manage with English, and the people are very respectful, helpful and nice. Above all it is the food paradise of the world especially for seafood lovers.
We can't wait to visit Penang! We will be there in April and staying across the island from George Town. Thank you for always supporting us CM!! Cheers!!🍻
My experience is too many people carry around huge backpacks and suitcases .You will in a single day be in many modes of transportation.Dragging around or carrying huge loads is really wearing.I can do 7-8 kilo in SE Asia.I buy what i need and you can find laundry or as Rick Steves does wash it yourself.They sell everything you need and its cheap.
I was in Vietnam May 14, 2023. Visa on arrival is not an option. I applied for my visa to Vietnam. It was supposed to take up to 3 days to process. I was already in route to other part of Southeast Asia so I thought no big deal. If the visa doesn’t arrive on time I will do it on arrival. I was in Siem Reap. I had the flight and hotel booked to Vietnam only to find out they wouldn’t let me board without the visa approval letter in my hand. I lost the money for both flight and hotel. My visa was approved and issued almost 2 weeks later and was only granted for 6 days of stay. I bought another flight to Da Nang. It was well worth the hassle because I really like Vietnam. I did check the website and said e-visa and visa on arrival is an option but not true.
That is interesting, Janey. We had no problems getting our 30-day visa within a couple of days and the visa upon arrival line at the Hanoi airport was long, we were happy that we took the time to get ours online. That was in February so maybe something has changed? It may also have to do with what passport you carry. A US passport gets 30 days. Thank you for watching and for the kind words! Cheers!!🍻
Thailand is awesome for tourists, very simple place navigate. Vietnam is terrible for tourists much more complicated admin and communication. Food wise Tbailand is much better, no bones, connective tissue etc. Tourist attractions in Tbailand ar great, very underwhelming in Vietnam. I lived in Vietnam for 4 years and Thailand for 3 years. Vietnam was a great place to live but it takes ecfort to scratch the surface, understand dating culture, work culture et Thailand is great from the get go imo. Convenience ztores are literally everywhere in VN, circle K, family mart, mini stop, 7eleven and heaps of stores like tiendas in peoples houses. Dentists (Nha Khoa) are everywhere and are very cheap in VN outside of tourist areas and most dentists studied overseas so good standard
Having been to Japan and the Phillipines, I really look forward to exploring more of Asia! My husband has been to Thailand and Cambodia, so we look forward to future trips together. Thanks for sharing.
They just ask for your boarding pass because they want your arrival flight number and may not understand your English, you just need to remember your arrival flight number really
Hi Guys! Very informative video. It answered a lot of questions for many people. When I was in Thailand, I just drank Singha beer. I would only pay $7 for a beer in Thailand. I was just in the English Lake District a couple of weeks ago and paid $6.50 for a pint. Here in Spain, I pay $2.85 for a liter of Amstel in my local bar. I am looking forward to seeing your Vietnamese beer video.
15k for a can of beer at a 7eleven, 20-30k for a street beer, bia hoi 5k-10k glass, craft beer 60-120k vnd. Most places do happy hour 5-7pm all you can drink beer 150-200k for 2 or 3 hours. Be is cheaper than grab taxi, but grab is cheaper than mai linh or vina Sun.
You need your boarding pass at Thai Immigration because they record your IB flight #. Most likely they recorded that info on your Thai entry stamp in your passport as well .
@@BrianandCarrie My wife and I are in Samui, headed for Hua Hin on 3 days. We did Chiang Mai, Phuket, Samui, and finishing in Hua Hin. I recommend skipping Phuket!
Watched again in prep for Thailand... You guys talked about your Away bags, we have the same and we find ours weigh 25 to 30lbs. How much do yours weigh typically? We love our Schwab cards, lifesaver..... Larry and Minnie....❤
Enjoying getting to know you and also appreciate your sharing of information. We are leaving Japan at the end of the summer after 6 years here, 5 in Cairo and 4 in Tbilisi, Georgia. On to....wait for it: Dominican Republic. Soooo, hoping to start sharing our knowledge. And hope to meet you two, somewhere...sometime. And have a beer!
@@BrianandCarrie Maybe instead of writing it off - you might want want to look more into it. The reason Robert Kennedy speaks like he does is damage from a flu vaccine.
Will you be taking a cruise on the Mekong River? My sister and I are planning to visit Vietnam and Cambodia in January 2024. Your videos have been very helpful. Thank you.
We will not be taking that cruise this year. We decided to take the Ha Long Bay cruise and had an amazing time. Thank you for watching and safe travels!! ❤
Another Great Video - Thank You! How would you get to Koh Samui from Europe? Meaning, what country(s) can I safely visit as I head east to Thailand? A few 3/4 hour flights itinerary vs. 1/2 stop 15 hour experience. ??
We came from Seattle so not sure but would Imagin that you could connect from Europe through Dubai. You could stop in Istanbul as well. We would love to visit each of those places. Thank you for watching and safe travels. Cheers!!🍻
Needles?🤢🤮 Dammit! I'll have to remove a few places from my retirement bucket list if they require shots! Hopefully more required vaccines will be available in nasal or oral form before 2025! Great video btw! 🤗🥰
Beer is still relatively cheaper in Thailand and much more in Vietnam and The Philippines .... compare to Malaysia & Singapore ... ( Yes, standard of living here is much higher ) Least it's good to listen from a different perspective.....South East Asia consists of 11 countries.... with different cultures ( some has pretty similar in some way ) ... Considered heading to Malaysia then entering Singapore , before flying off to Indonesia.. ( for instance like Bali, or Yogyajakarta) ..It won't put a dent in your wallet ( maybe in Singapore.. USD 1 = SGD 1.3 ) but you will have a great time, good experiences and lifetime memories... Anyway, keep doing what you do best... Cheers mates!
We will be in Malaysia in late April and fly out of Singapore. We may have to go dry that month 😳 but we are looking forward to all that SE Asia has to offer. We will most likely return in 2024 to explore all that we won't get to this time around. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!! Cheers!!!🍻
Hi Katie. We use credit cards and only pull out enough cash for what we need for our stay in each country. We haven't used any currency exchange places. We recommend using a debit card with a free ATM international withdrawal rate. Thank you for watching! Cheers!!🍻
Thanks for sharing the tips. My question is about using cell-phones - just not limited to Asia but to overseas travel in general. Can we put local sim cards into our US based cell-phones? Did you have any issues with your US cell-phones being locked overseas? Have you purchased a non-US cell-phone that you carry for plugging in the local sim-cards? Trying to get an idea on the cell-phone options during overseas travels. Thanks again - and safe travels!
Hi! We both have an unlocked phone from the states - which is necessary when changing out sim cards. We have had zero issues installing a sim card and having it work without issue. Just be sure you have your phone unlocked before leaving to travel. Thanks for watching ☺
Thank you, Carol! We will be launching our Ha Long Bay cruise video next week. We had such a great time, a bucket list adventure for us. Thank you again for watching our channel! Cheers!!🍻
Your video was timely for me, as I had forgotten that Schwab reimburses foreign transaction fees, and I'm leaving for a trip in a couple of hours. Thanks!!
Love your show! We are starting our full time adventure in April. Thinking about safety, have you heard of travelers bringing C02\ gas leak or smoke detectors ?
Hi, Bob and Cindy. We have heard of travelers like us carrying portable detectors with them. This isn't something that we do but should look into. Thank you for watching!! Cheers!!🍻
We do see the draw for many to retire here but also don't know much about their taxes or what the visa requirement would be to stay permanently. For us, the weather half the year being so hot and humid would be enough to detour us from staying full time. Cheers 🍻
Hi, Anna. We usually do as well. We were unable to check into our flight electronicy and issued paper boarding passes at the airport. Knowing that we needed paper boarding passes may explain why we couldn't check in on line. Thank you for the question. Cheers 🍻
Hi guys, thank you for reading this comment. I'd like to add some more detailed information, about Vietnam, to this clip. 1 - For food in Vietnam, every food shop leave a group of stuff on your table such as red chili, lemon piece, garlic (fresh pieces of vinegar dipped), fish sauce, soya sauce, ... etc, with a basket of green vegetable/herb (FREE all). That means you would be a chef for yourself when adding anything at any amount you like to make the dish best tasty as you want. 2 - Vegetarian food: you can search for it online. Many food shops in big cities have vegetarian food. Or you can find them at locations near the pagodas in Vietnam because they serve the Buddhist people visiting the pagodas. Easier in Central and South regions than in North regions because of the food custom and religious population ratio. 3 - About the burning season, does not appear in the cities, especially beach cities. It appears usually in the countryside in crop time only. 4 - About the suitable time for good weather to visit Vietnam: it depends on the regions you want to visit. From Hai Van pass (central region of Vietnam) northward: 4 seasons, hot weather from Apr. to Jul. and even early Aug. (summer) and cold weather with rainy and cold wind from Oct. to Jan. or early Feb. (even snowy in far-north regions such as Sapa town), the rest time is good-middle temp. and more comfortable. From NhaTrang city southward: 2 seasons - sunny/dry (from Nov. to Apr.) and rainy/humid (May to Oct.) seasons; rainy season - fast rain then dry in cities (HoChiMinh city, NhaTrang, MuiNe,...) and long duration rain in jungle or highland or mountain regions. DaNang city and neighboring regions: inter-mix of those 2 patterns (means that should come to Danang in time late Feb. - early April, or another choice: late Aug. for the most comfortable. if you don't mind about rain, or long sunshine time - anytime you want) 5 - Infection disease: Malaria disappears now in cities on the coast and plain regions of Vietnam while it may remain in remote mountain and jungle regions.
We are wrapping our time up here, heading back into Thailand shortly. Da nang has been such a wonderful town to be for the last month. Enjoy your time here and in Ha NOI. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
