5 Things NOT to do in VIETNAM
So to preface this video I’ve lived in Vietnam for about a year and there’s something really special about this culture that grabs me whether it’s the rich culinary history behind their Street food scene or their explosive sense of entrepreneurship there’s something special about this place but that being said having lived here for a year I’ve picked up on some things that you might want to know!!
Number 1 : Don’t book online now this is surprising for people who travel a lot because as a general rule it’s almost always cheaper to book online and more expensive in person but for whatever reason in Vietnam it’s the opposite of that if you go to book a hostel or a hotel in person the price will always be significantly cheaper than if you booked online and this applies to everything not just lodging run to motorbikes going on tours stuff like that so keep it in mind when you travel there last but not least.
Number 2 : Don’t stop while crossing the street now traffic in Vietnam especially the big cities is absolutely insane and it’s hard to wrap your head around visiting for the first time now you’ll notice that when a lot of people cross the street they don’t falter they set a course and they walk it and that’s because the way that traffic works in Vietnam it’s the motorbikes are the cars responsibility to accommodate you into their flow so you’ll notice that you can cross almost anywhere in the street and the motorbikes will kind of flow around you like a school of fish they’re anticipating you continuing on the line that you’re on and they plan accordingly so don’t stop at random points
Number 3 : don’t be afraid to haggle there are so many street markets in Vietnam that it’s impossible not to find yourself in one at some point during your trip even if an accident and the important thing to remember if you want to buy something here is that every price is negotiable and they tend to strike a hard bargain especially if you go to tourist markets like Ben Thanh market in Saigon you don’t want to pay the tourist price.
Number 4 : This might be the most important one don’t skip street food the street food in Vietnam is the most insane food I’ve ever had both in diversity quality flavor it really has it all there are so many amazing dishes to try of course all of it is safe to eat and one thing I’d say about street food in Vietnam is try to find some of the lesser-known dishes that they sell on the street everyone knows about pho but if you heard of bond sale which is a crispy crepe filled with pork shrimp or bean sprouts cut into little disks that’s the stuff you want to look out
Number 5 : don’t confuse currencies now the Vietnamese currency is called dong which still makes me laugh every time because I have the sense of humor of a twelve year old the denominations are huge I swear I didn’t do that on purpose for example one u.s. dollar is the equivalent of about 23 to 24 thousand dong with the denominations going all the way up to five hundred thousand now because of this the currency can be kind of confusing with so many zeros after it so be sure to double-check what you’re handing a vendor and make sure you’re giving them twenty thousand and not two hundred thousand
Number 2 : Don’t stop while crossing the street now traffic in Vietnam especially the big cities is absolutely insane and it’s hard to wrap your head around visiting for the first time now you’ll notice that when a lot of people cross the street they don’t falter they set a course and they walk it and that’s because the way that traffic works in Vietnam it’s the motorbikes are the cars responsibility to accommodate you into their flow so you’ll notice that you can cross almost anywhere in the street and the motorbikes will kind of flow around you like a school of fish they’re anticipating you continuing on the line that you’re on and they plan accordingly so don’t stop at random points
Number 3 : don’t be afraid to haggle there are so many street markets in Vietnam that it’s impossible not to find yourself in one at some point during your trip even if an accident and the important thing to remember if you want to buy something here is that every price is negotiable and they tend to strike a hard bargain especially if you go to tourist markets like Ben Thanh market in Saigon you don’t want to pay the tourist price.
Number 4 : This might be the most important one don’t skip street food the street food in Vietnam is the most insane food I’ve ever had both in diversity quality flavor it really has it all there are so many amazing dishes to try of course all of it is safe to eat and one thing I’d say about street food in Vietnam is try to find some of the lesser-known dishes that they sell on the street everyone knows about pho but if you heard of bond sale which is a crispy crepe filled with pork shrimp or bean sprouts cut into little disks that’s the stuff you want to look out
Number 5 : don’t confuse currencies now the Vietnamese currency is called dong which still makes me laugh every time because I have the sense of humor of a twelve year old the denominations are huge I swear I didn’t do that on purpose for example one u.s. dollar is the equivalent of about 23 to 24 thousand dong with the denominations going all the way up to five hundred thousand now because of this the currency can be kind of confusing with so many zeros after it so be sure to double-check what you’re handing a vendor and make sure you’re giving them twenty thousand and not two hundred thousand