Vietnam 10-update

Guidebook Update: Vietnam 10
Unverified Traveller Submitted Updates 24-Nov-2011

Vietnam 10 / August 2009 / ISBN: 9781741791594

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Page Traveller Corrections and Updates

35
Apr 10, Harry Newton,
Ho Chi Minh did marry, in 1927. See Duiker's biography or the Wikipedia article on
Ho Chi Minh.

70
Sep 09, ERIN SHARAF,
The phonetic pronunciation of "I am a vegetarian" is incorrect. It should be "Doy
un Jai" not "Doy un Jay".

86
Oct 10
Hanoi; SOS International Clinic; Has moved to another location, at West Lake.

90
Oct 09
Hanoi taxi scam: I fell into a taxi scam trap as well. When I arrived at the Long
Bien train station in the early evening, I wanted to take a taxi to the hotel. I
discarded several offers and searched for one of the four taxi companies
recommended by LP as "reliable". I found a Taxi CP. However the meter was
seriously rigged. I payed 220.000 D for a short trip that should have cost no more
than a third of this. So much for the "reliable" Taxi CP.

90
Oct 09
Dangers & annoyances section for Hanoi: you talk a lot about taxi and hotel
scams. However theft/pickpockets are hardly mentioned. I had my photo camera
stolen by a group of three young guys at the Ngoc Son Temple entrance. One of
them pretended to try to sell me something (postcards CDs - like so many other
street vendors in Hanoi) while the other two must have taken advantage of my
being distracted to snatch my camera which was attached in a pocket to my belt.
As is the case with these guys I didn't notice until later when I reached for my
camera and it was gone. To make matters worse the lady at the ticket booth and
the guy taking the tickets at the door who must have seen it acted like they hadn't
seen anything and didn't even speak English (when before the lady did) - so they
must be some sort of accomplices to the gang. I am writing this to warn other
travellers of it as I am sure this was not the last time the use this trick. To be
honest because LP warns mostly of taxi/hotel scams I have not been very alert to
pickpockets in Hanoi.

Please note: Updates are unverified by Lonely Planet. For full listing of PDFs:
www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1621253
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90
Jun 09
I would like to warn other travellers of a serious scam operating daily in Han oi
Vietnam.2 days ago I lost all my money as well my camera. If you are approached
by a local they will ask you where you are from it doesnt matter what you say they
will then say that they have a sister going ther next month and that she is very
nervous and would you like to meet with her and tell her all about the place where
she is going. The will take you home to meet the sister make an elaborate lunch
and have small taslk for a while. The sister is well prepared with maps etc and
after lunch you will be given some vietnamese tea obviously spiked with i dont
know what but it knocks you out after one short sip (as it doesnt taste too hot)
when you come to you will realize that you still have your bum bag on but the
contents will be gone. Going to the police serves no purpose at all as they will just
laugh. ( i spent 7 hours in 3 different police stations). The police will not speak a
word of english or any other language for that matter so do not treat it as a serious
problem. They know it is going on on a daily basis but are doing nothing to stop it. I

90
Oct 09, LEONHARD ORGLER,
The Taximeter Scam: Today I arrived in Hanoi by train. A young man offered me a
taxi ride to my hotel, and he immediately offered “Taxi Meter”. So I agreed. He put
my big bag on the front seat and I sat down in the back. My big bag was leaning
against the taximeter so I could not see it. But I could see it’s reflexion in the
window. And it went up very very fast. We started at 9 000 Dong as usual but
within two minutes we were up to more than 100 000 Dong. The driver must have
had a secret button somewhere to speed up the taximeter. Because when I put
away my big bag and started to argue the taximeter went at the same speed as I
was used to it from other Vietnamese cities. At my destination the taximeter
showed 140.000 Dong, but I was only willing to pay 30.000 Dong. And the driver
shut off his taximeter and started to bargain! And yes I reported it to the Vietnam
National Administration of Tourism.

91
Jan 10
On pp 91-92 you list Especen Hotel (Hanoi) in the map legend as "see 141." 141
is Offroad Vietnam and is located in the C2 section of the map grid. You accurately
describe the Especen Hotel (one of your "picks") on p. 104 as being close to the
Cathedral which is in the B4 section. So the map designation for this hotel is
wrong (and really threw me off).

92
Aug 09
Restaurant Bobby Chinn has changed address, is now at: 77 Xuan Dieu Street,
Tay Ho District, Hanoi. The telephone number and website remains the same

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92
Sep 09
The map of the Old Quarter of Hanoi has Hotel Especen situated in the incorrect
place. Your key has it cited in C2 (number 141) in the old quarter where as in
actual fact it is B2/B3. As a recommended hotel many people may repeat the wild
goose chase! I discovered this while pointing a taxi driver in entirely the wrong
direction having got off the night train at 4AM and circling the city for quite some
time!!

92
Jan 11, Wendy Barker,
Number 71 on map is incorrectly placed. it should be nearer the lake, across the
road and towards 110.
number 129 no longer exists. It is now a large modern shopping mall complex
number 77 has changed hands. it is no longer called Cyclo and the small lane it is
shown to be on doesn't exist.

92
Oct 10, Yvonne Bierings,
Hanoi Garden restaurant; is on the map on page 92 in the wrong street.

93
Nov 09
Bobby Chin Restaurant in Hanoi is closed. The location is a building site with no
indication that the business has moved elsewhere.

96
Oct 10, Magnus Olsson & Catharina Treber,
Entrance fee in Ngoc Son Temple changed from 3.000 to 10.000 d. Not much for
us but ...

96
Aug 10, Ronny Vorbeck,
Ngoc son temple: price is 10000 d

104
Jun 10
Hanoi: Bamboo Hotel: The location of the hotel on the 'Old Quarter' map (page 98)
is wrong. The hotel is located at block C2, about 2 shops south of 'Tandoor'
restaurant ('Tandoor' restaurant is number 99 on that map). Additional phone
number: 04 3926 1383

104
Dec 10, Megan Dredge,
Hanoi: Bamboo Hotel; Street address is correct, but the location reference on the
map is wrong.

105
Nov 10, Claudia Aebi,
Khanh Sinh Hotel has been renamed to Royal Orchid Hotel
(http://hanoiroyalorchidhotel.com). Tourist trap: The website
(http://www.khanhsinhhotel.com/) leads you to a hotel, that doesn't exist anymore
and has "lonely planet" as a reference on their website.

105
Jan 10
Hanoi: Artist Hotel: Some of our customers can't contact us. Our new email
address is artist_hotel@yahoo.com

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105
Oct 11
Hanoi: Khanh Sinh Hotel; The hotel is now called: Orchid Hotel. Email doesn't
work (as specified).

108
Sep 10, jeffrey eng,
Hanoi: I tried to go to the Quan Malay restaurant, which you listed as 65P Hai Ba
Trung. I could not find the restaurant. I asked a business with a similar address
(65B or something), and she said the restaurant has since closed. I did not try
calling.

108
Nov 10, Rubén García-Benito,
Hanoi; Club 51 Ly Thai To; Now called "Ly Club", has moved to a new place two
minutes walking from the old location. Address: 4 Le Phung Hieu sreet, Hoan Kien
District;

109
Hanoi; Havana Club; No longer there!

109
Hanoi; KOTO is not on map 92 as it says in the book. It is only shown on map 88
and 89 #51, B4.

109
Aug 11, Valerie & Mario Schnee,
Hanoi: Koto: You are stating that the spot can be found on the map on page 92 but
it is actually on the map on page 88/89

110
Jun 10, Helen Scott,
Hanoi: Luna d'autunno has moved. From 1 May 2010 they are located at 78 Tho
Nhuom, Hanoi.

110
Oct 11
In Hanoi caught taxi to Maison Vanille to find it is now a clothing shop. Definitely
had right address so please update next edition. You owe me $0.60 for taxi!

112
Nov 10, Alex Long,
Hanoi; The address has changed. Puku is no longer located at 60 P Hang Trong--
it is now located at 16 Dong Duy Tan

112
Jan 11, Andrew Tzembelicos,
Fivimart grocery store in Hanoi is not on the street listed on p. 112, but one street
over, at 27A Ly Thai To Street. (This would probably best be confimed.)

112
Nov 09
I would like to inform you that Culi Cafe has been closed down and Wide Eyed
Tours office has been moved from 40 Luong Ngoc Quyen St, Hoan Kiem district,
Hanoi, to 48/75 Yen Phu St, Tay Ho district, Hanoi.

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115
Feb 11, Kirsti Hirvonen,
Jazz Club By Quyen Van Minh has moved to a new address and changed name:
Binh Minh Jazz Club,
65 Quan Su St , 3rd floor (next to Quan Su Pagoda)

118
Jan 11, Ralpha,
GETTING THERE & AWAY: Vietnam Airlines has a new Tel # : 3832 0320.

119
Nov 10, Dermot Byrne,
Recommend that people travelling to Lao Cai buy their tickets at the railway station
in Hanoi if they know the day they want to travel. Agents on Cat Ba island charge
50 to 150% commission to give you a voucher for a ticket which you then have to
collect at a travel agent in Hanoi. This invariably costs you more money to get a
taxi to collect it.

120
Jan 10
Hanoi: the recommended taxis from airport (Airport Taxi) need to be checked! We
took the one your guide recommended (Airport Taxi) and the driver brought us to
the wrong hotel and the scam was on..."hotel full why not use this one".

120
Jul 09, JOHN GOTHARD,
Regarding Vietnam my wife and I spent over a year in Hanoi. Warn visitors NOT
to trust taxi meters - especially the small taxis. Agree a price for a destination first.
Tip. Whenever possible we went to a large reputable hotel when we needed a
car and took one of the taxis waiting outside - these are usually associated with a
taxi firm.

121
Jan 10, FRANTS STAUGAARD,
The Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum presents visitors with very important and thought
provoking material. It should be on the top priority list for all travellers visiting
Hanoi. But you have got the opening hours wrong: this museum is open Mon-Sat
07.30-11.00 and 13.30-16.30, closed Sundays (costing us US$30 for one trip in
vain). Never mind, we went back and highly appreciated the collections on the
following day.

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142
Jan 11
At least in December (out of season), the tourist boat to Cat Ba, does not reach
Cat Ba town, but rather drops you off at the remote Cang Gia Luan pier in the
north of the Island (40 km from cat ba town). On its way you see very little of
Halong bay.

At Cang Gia Luan, there is absolute nothing, and also no public transportation to
any other place. So there are only a few cab or xe-om drivers, who try to blackmail
you to pay 50 or 20 USD to get you to the town.
The same afternoon we arrived there, many other tourists were dropped at the
same pier from a tour they had booked in Hanoi, and faced similar problems.
The situation was very aggresive, and travellers should absolutely avoid to be
dropped at this pier.

142
Jan 11, Reinier Bakels,
Some sources quote three classes of Halon Bay tours: budget ($30), regular ($70)
and luxury ($140)(all numbers just as an indication of course). It seems that the
first two categories are virtually the same. I was given the option to spend two
nights on a boat rather than just one (+one in a hotel) on a three day tour. This is a
nonsense-offering, definitely to be recommended, but it allowed me to compare
two boats: the first was reasonable, the second of much lower quality. It seems to
me that there is just one pool of non-luxury boats, and they schedule whatever
boat is available.
Perhaps flashpackers should consider the luxury category. Until someone finds
out that there is effectively just one class, with more expensive tours offered to
people willing to spend more *believing* that they get more - but actually get the
same.

143
Nov 10, Cheryl Wood,
Please warn travellers about the numerous interconnected scams involving travel
to Cat Ba Island from Halong City. In fact, it’s so well organised, please advise
anyone trying to get to Cat Ba to travel from Haiphong only.
Ticket touts approach all independent arrivals and usually add a dollar or so to the
price. Even if you get the ticket from the office, there is no Government Boat, you
are put on (or sold to?) a tour boat. The boat has several delaying sightseeing
stops and drops you at the remote North of the Island, about 20kms from town.
This is not the 5 hour leisurely trip through Halong dropping you off at Ben Beo or
Cat Ba Town as it states in the book.
A friendly guy tells you the 15,000VND public bus is “not your bus, your bus to cat
Ba town in 15 mins” as you watch it go you realise that he is a moto driver, that
was the last bus, it’s getting dark and you are stranded. He offers a trip to town
for 700,000VND.
Your only hope is a ride on the official tour bus come to collect those on the

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145
Please note that in Halong Bay most tourist boats to Cat Ba Island do not go to Cat
Ba Town as promised by the boat operators in Bai Chay harbour. They take you to
Gia Luan Harbour on the north of Cat Ba Island ! Once you arrive there, they try to
charge you 100,000+ dong to take a bus the 45km to Cat Ba town. The local price
for this bus is only 10,000 dong !! People who try to do a better deal with a
motorbike driver or mini-van driver invariably have the price increased to 200,000
once the "bus official" gets involved. We eventually only got the price reduced to
50,000 dong by standing in front of the bus so it couldn't depart. Anyone who
arrives earlier in the day should walk down the road to the police station which is
just out of view and they may be able to get the local bus for the real price.

171
Dec 09, COLIN PAYNE,
The border crossing near Dien Bien Phu The Laos and Vietnamese have both
moved their immigration/customs buildings back 3 km from the border. This
means that any of your readers who expect to arrive at one and walk through to
the other face a 6km walk. I did spot one motorcycle taxi operating from the
Vietnamese side. The move was so recent that my tour guide (who had handed
several groups over to his Vietnamese counterpart in the previous few months)
was unsure whether he was allowed to drive our jeep past the centre point where
the frontier buildings used to be. Also I didn't see any moneychangers on either
side of the border. though there was someone in the market in the last town on the
Lau side (forget the name) who changed left over kip for dong.

174
Dec 09, COLIN PAYNE,
The roads between Dien Bien Phu and Sapa are almost totally under construction.
It made for a very unpleasant ride that I cannot recommend. In places the road
was closed for several hours so that construction work could proceed. An awful
journey. (also to a lesser extent on the Lao side)

174
Jul 11, Sheema Dolan,
Muong Lay: Lan Anh Hotel; The roads to this hotel are impassable, even by
motorbike. We risked our lives trying to cross a building site for 30 mins to get to it
and could not find the hotel despite some signs pointing us in it's general direction.
The phone number also does not work. After fighting through the building site back
again to the main road we stayed in a decent, easily accessible hotel for £15 called
Hoang Long which is 2 months old.

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177
Nov 10, Alex Long,
Under sights and activities in Sapa, the book mentions that the easiest trek in town
is to the Sapa radio tower, and admission is 15,000d. Now the area has been
turned into a park, called the Ham Ron Resort. Admission is 60,000d, hours are
7h30 to 11h in the morning and 13h30 t0 17h in the afternoon. The park includes
great lookouts, one at the radio tower that overlooks the valley, one in a cloud
garden that overlooks Sapa, and one that looks out onto Fanispan. Also in the
park are beautiful orchid gardens, a European garden, a restaurant, a stage for
performances, and nice forests. All the walking trail are either paved or cobbled,
and while the climbs to the top are steep, a guide is unnecessary and maps are
available upon entrance. The park is located a block behind the church, number is
020.2216.802, http://www.harutour.com.vn:8080/

184
Passengers on the train to Lao Cai should keep their tickets. My Danish friend was
scammed for 200,000 dong becuase he couldn't find his ticket when he arrive at
05.00am in Lao Cai Station despite the fact that his ticket would have been
checked 3 times on the train on the way from Hanoi.

184
Apr 10, Igor Polakovic,
The buses from Lao Cai to Bac Ha costs 40.000d and they leave from the bus
station marked on the map as "Long Distance Bus Station". We paid that amount
both ways (not 50.000 as mentioned on the page #184) and we double checked it
directly in the bus station.

185
Apr 10, Igor Polakovic,
Border crossing:
- metered taxi from the train station to the borders is 15-20,000d, xe om is 10,000d
- there is no pedestrians crossing fee (so no 3,000d)
- sleeper bus costs 137RMB - departures 8.00, 8.10 and 8,20 PM - arrival in
Kunming Eastern bus station at 6AM. Get ready for a smelly experience, the bus is
quite stinky and people smoke there non-stop :)
- the Chinese staff on the borders is extremely friendly.
- There are quite few ATMs in the Hekou centre.

187
Nov 10, Adrian Ho,
Sao Mai Hotel; Initially turned off by the price range indicated in the guide, we
ended up checking into the hotel for a $10 room (hot water) facing the sun and the
lobby area, fair stay. There were similar $15 rooms in the inner courtyard. This
price was around Oct 28, 29.

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197
Jul 09, MARK BAKKERS,
The latest version of the LP guidebook for Vietnam has an excellent textbox in it
regarding the Endangered Primate Rescue Center in Cuc Phong National Park. At
this moment I work as a volunteer at the Turtle Conservation Center which is right
across from the EPRC. It happens that we have just opened our gates for (free)
guided tours. I believe it is important that attention is given to this excellent center
which might be the only place in Vietnam that can save the country's 25 species of
turtles from extinction. We care for approximately 1100 animals of 19 species
native to Vietnam including the endemic and critically endangered Mauremys
annamensis. There are excellent information signs at all enclosures and many
interesting things to see not least the hatchery where we care for our 100+ baby
turtles.I hope that in the next edition of the LP you mention this center the turtles
can certainly use the attention! For more information see:
http://www.asianturtlenetwork.org/project%20profiles/vietnam/cuc_phuong.htm

198
Sep 09
Phat Diem.....THE Cathedral only opens Saturday Arvo & Sunday according to
the local kids that live near the place and take refuge in it from a six day school
week, when the rain gives them an excuse to not be at school. These are year 11
kids, all Buddhists and I got there for the 5pm service every day. That seemingly
does not happen. There doesn't appear to be a 5am & 5pm service.

215
Jun 09, DANIELA BISCHOF BOESCH,
We arrived in Vietnam crossing the Laos/Vietnam border in Dansavanh/Lao Bao.
From there we took a minibus to Dong Ha and in Dong Ha we went to the train
station and asked for a ticket for the night train to Hanoi. We received the
information that there was a train at 4 pm and one at 5 pm. We decided to take
the first one (4pm) and bought a ticket for a VIP cabin 2 people per cabin for
430000 Dong per person (as we did not have enough money in Dong we had to
pay the rest in Dollars and they asked us to pay 30 US $ per ticket a horrible
change). We only received a handwritten ticket which was already strange.
However a train arrived around 4 pm but we were told by three different person,
two behind the counter and one surveying guard that it was the wrong train even
though a independent Vietnamese person told us that it was the right one. So we
still tried to catch the train but they (the people responsible for the train) would not
let us go in. So we had to wait until another train arrived an hour later (the one at
5pm). We boarded this one and had a place in the back of the train the cabin at the

217
Feb 10, CHERI CROSS,
Hue: We have just arrived home from Vietnam and have been requested by Mr
Cu, the owner of the Mandarin Cafe, to ask you to please update his new email
address in the next edition of the Vietnam book. His new address is: Email:
Mandarin@ong.vnn.vn. Web: www.micumandarin.com

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230
Dec 09, HARALD LUCKERBAUER,
In the "tomb of minh mang" there is a large scam ongoing. The tour-guides collect
the correct entrance fee of 55.000 VND from the tourists on the boat, but then
hand out old tickets. This means that the entrance fee never reaches it's
destination for the "World Cultural Heritage, Hue Monuments Conservation
Center" but is divided among the guide and ticket & ticket control personel on the
entrance. Today, 1st of December, we had a group of about 20 people completely
handled in that way. If you sum it up and assume it happens only once a day it is
20.000 US$ a year or enough to pay 30 Vietnamese full-time employees which
could be used for conservation functions as intended. The proof: We got two
tickets with the numbers 216127 & 217354 which actually should have been
consecutive. Additionally I checked the actual ticket-number at the ticket-counter
which was higher than 223000. So they collected old tickets and sold them to the
tourists. Please use this information as it indeed would help the conservation
centers purpose.

236
Oct 10, Konrad Mohrmann,
Danang: Dana Tours is closed on Satday also Cafe Truc Lam Vien, Nep Cafe and
Christies Cool Spot vanished.

238
Sep 09, PHILIPPE LESAGE,
Danang Waterpark has been closed since the beginning 2009

239
Sep 09, PHILIPPE LESAGE,
Danang: We noticed that the Bread of Life restaurant has closed

248
Sep 09
The link to Hoi An World Heritage site which reads as:
http://www.hoianworldheritage.org/...is INCORRECT as it misses the country
extension (meaning .vn) The correct link to English pages is as follows:
http://www.hoianworldheritage.org.vn/eg_index.htm

248
Nov 09
Hoi An: On the way to Cua Dai Beach from Hoi An town there is a scam being run
where there is an official looking guard booth with a sign instructing that no
bicycles/motorcycles are allowed to proceed further towards the beach area, and
that people must turn left and park in a paid lot. After watching for a while and
noticing that the locals kept riding through, we figured it out. It's a public road and
they are nothing but touts, just keep riding through.

248
Jan 11
OLD TOWN TICKET' You got it completely wrong.
Yes the ticket has a clasification of the sites, but you can visit with 1 ticket any 5
sites of the 18 options.
For example you can see 3 old houses + 2 assembly halls, and skip the museums
or other categories.
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248
Jan 10, Sue Wise,
Hoi An - Japanese Bridge: they require a ticket to cross the bridge Friday night to
Sunday afternoon.

256
Sep 09, ERIN SHARAF,
The Mango Rooms restaurant in Hoi An's prices are much more expensive than
stated in your book. I believe the cheapest entree was 150 000 Dong.

258
Apr 11, Nguyễn Thị Mẫn & Phil Mellifont,
We are the proprietors of Lotus Jewellery Hoi An. We have changed address and
phone number. Please find details of our new address below:
Lotus Jewellery (beside the Museum of Trade Ceramics)
82 Tran Phu St
Hoi An, Vietnam
P: +84 (0) 510 3917 889
www.lotusjewellery-hoian.com

283
Jan 10
Nha Trang scams: Unfortunatelly the Thai type scams have hit Vietnam too. One
of our friends met a man and a woman in a cafe. They took him to their house.
They gave him tea which he believes was drugged as the rest of the day was as if
he was in a dream. The card scam occured. It involved a Japanese business man
and people from Saigon who were trying to get money off the Japanese man. The
woman escorted him to the money machine. After cleaning out $3,000 from his
credit card they took him back to the hotel. They told him they were going to fly him
out to the Phillipines and he had to leave that night.. ( What that part is about we
are unsure). Our receptionist helped us by not letting any calls through to this man,
and we sneaked him to another hotel and got him out of town. He was scared stiff
and because of the drugs not thinking rationally. I have tried to contact the
embassies with my story but had no reply of acknowledgement. Please warn as
Vietnam people are generally concerned about this sort of stuff and there are not a
lot of bad apples!

284
Sep 09
Nha Trang: As stated in the guide visitors to the Long Son pagoda have to be
weary of people posing as students working for the monks, trying to sell things or
receive donations. In our case when we declined, a particular student even
became verbally abusive. However the monks were very friendly and the site is
well worth the visit.

284
Jan 10, Yves Tychon,
Tthe opening times for the long son pagoda (1.30 - 8 pm) are extremely optimistic
as they closed behind us at about 5:30 pm!

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294
Jan 10, MONICA O'BRIEN,
The microphone that Ho Chi Minh used in his Independence speech (1945) is not
in the museum in Nha Trang - we went there 2 days ago and were disappointed.
We discovered yesterday that the microphone is in the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Ho
Chi Minh City, on the second floor. My daughter (Emily 8 years) was thrilled to
discover it yesterday and we are all satisified at having seen it. We thought other
travellers may also like to view such an historical item.

295
Jan 10
may want to add a warning to travelers to Nha Trang not to take any valuables on
dive boats as I was ripped off to the tune of $200. I know it was foolish to have that
money with me, but I was in a bind. It occurred during a dive while most of the staff
was also in the water. The boat was tied up in a group of many other boats from
other dive groups, so it could have been anyone from any of the boats.

299
Aug 11
Nha Trang: Two years ago, I traveled to Nha Trang and went to CAFÉ DES AMIS -
Add: 2D Biet Thu St. I found there the food is delicious and the service is quite
okay as well. However, in august this year, when I went back to Nha Trang, the
local told me that this restaurant had moved to a new address: 132A Nguyen
Thien Thuat St.

302
Dec 09
I wanted to go to Hon Mieu island near Nah Trang in Vietnam to stay in one of the
bungalows - in your book it says that the local ferry is 5000 Dong and the
bungalows are 90.000 Dong each.At the place where the ferry leaves the "tourist
information" told me I am not allowed to go on the local ferry (because it is
forbidden by the police) and have to take a tourist boat for 200.000 Dong instead.
They also said that I have to return on the same day and that it is forbidden to stay
overnight.I was very angry cause nobody seemed to be able to explain me why I
have to pay 40 times more than the locals. Maybe you can update that information
in your book.

302
Note that the airport shuttle bus only runs a few times a day, shortly after the
arrival of an airplane, so beware not to miss it!

303
Jan 10
Nha Trang: visited Ba Ho waterfall. The turn off the main highway is at a restaurant
named Quynh. Your Vietnam guide has it listed as Quyen. No big deal, not hard to
figure out.

318
Jan 11, Andrea Fuernkranz,
Entrance Fee to Hang Nga Crazy House has been increased and is now 20.000
dong.

Page 12





323
Jan 11, Richard T. Howard,
Change the name of Novotel Dalat to Hotel Du Parc. Taxi drivers in Dalat still
know it by the old name, but it appears to have changed hands.

325
Jan 10, JEFF VIZE,
DALAT: A metered taxi to the airport from Thien An hotel cost us about $17. Your
book estimates $12.

328
Feb 10, AVI ELAZAT,
The area code of Buon Ma Thuot is not 050 as it says in the book but 0500

342
Feb 10
Re tel numbers in HCMC - they all have an extra digit now - varies according to
district - so every number has to be updated.

347
Jun 10, Long Nguyen,
Ho Chi Minh City: The Fahasa Bookshop at 185 Dong Khoi street was closed end
of May/2010.

348
May 10
Ho Chi Minh City: Diamond Plaza (19) is on the other site of D Le Duan.

350
Jan 10, CRAIG MAYO,
Ho Chi Minh City: The main post office closes at 8pm, not 9.30pm.

351
Aug 09, Samantha Christie,
Budget travel agencies- Sinh Cafe is now called "the Sinh Tourist" this is
mentioned numerous times throughout the book.

354
Apr 09, ROBERT CRIBB,
Ho Chi Minh City: there was no sign of a water puppet performance at the War
Remnants Museum

361
Aug 11, Ray VarnBuhler,
LP STAFF: Traveller suggests that the map of temple locations in ChoLon district
has mistakes. Please review.

365
Oct 09
Saigon seems to be changing quickly; I took an hour taxi ride today to get to x rock
climbing which isnt there anymore. I did get my guesthouse to call ahead but
obviously they called the wrong place, as they said it was open when they called.
Its now in district 3, you can find the info on their website.

366
Dec 09, VICKI BYRNE,
I wanted to attend Saigon Yoga in Ho Chi Minh City and followed the address in
the Lonely Planet. After finding the place it was actually someone's house. He
didn't speak English however he was able to communicate to me that the yoga
place had moved and it was at the Somerset Ho Chi Minh City hotel. (new
address: Somerset HCMC Apartments. 8A Nguyen Binh Khiem District 1, HCMC)

Page 13





367
May 10
I like your walking tours in Hanoi, Hoi An and in HCMC, but the route in HCMC
indicates that the entrance to Reunification Palace is on the southwestern side of
the fence, but actually it is on the nothern side. A little shame when we replanned
the route a little, equal a longer walking distance.

369
Sep 10, Alex Long,
HCMC: It might be worth mentioning that the Botanical Gardens/Zoo does not
close at 10pm (at least not on weeknights). When we went on a weeknight the
park closed at 6.

370
Jan 10
I am the owner of Guest House California in Ho Chi Minh City. I would like to have
you correct my email address in your information about us. You have
guesthousecalifornia-saigon@yahoo.com right now; however our email address is
guesthousecaliforniasaigon@yahoo.com

373
Jan 10, JEFF VIZE,
HO CHI MINH CITY: Quan An Ngon: Great place and great recommendation.
They have moved to a new location just around the corner on Rue Pasteur.

373
Nov 09
Saigon: Unfortunately the highly recommended Quan An Ngan restaurant has
moved (it was an LP 'our pick') - and I don't no where to - sorry!!

373
Dec 09
Restaurants in HCMC: Quan An Ngon has moved from 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia St
to 160 Pasteur St in Dist. 1. Concept is the same. Location is in a new French
colonial style building with a nice outdoor terrace.

373
May 10, Vera Tang,
Quan An Ngon; Note change of address. 160 Pasteur St, Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam;Telephone: 08 829 9449

375
Nov 10, Alex Long,
Tiem An Nam Long; Prices have gone up, most entrees are now between 40,000-
80,000, no entree is cheaper than 40,000 dong

375
Nov 10, Alex Long,
HCMC; Tandoor; price range is off by quite a bit-- most entrees start around
90,000 to 100,000d and go up from there

375
Jan 10, DENISE GROHS,
HCMC: Seoul House restaurant in HCMC has moved. It still exists but we could
not find it.

Page 14





375
Jan 10, JEFF VIZE,
HO CHI MINH CITY: Giang Nam: This Cholon restaurant is listed as being “the
place for noodle soup … in Cholon. There’s no menu, just a dish or two of the
day.” Imagine our surprise when we arrived and were presented with menus – with
not a single noodle soup in sight! Either they’ve radically changed their business
model, or someone screwed up. Nonetheless, it was good Chinese food at
reasonable prices.

376
Sep 09
HCMC: La Camargue has changed name to Vasco's (now both the very trendy bar
and the restaurant have the same name) but the food is good

379
Sep 10, Alex Long,
HCMC: Apparently the night club "Underground" is out of business, or at least has
moved from their address on 69 Dong Khoi (there is now a restaurant at that
address and the staff told us Underground is closed)

379
Oct 09
I walked for a long time to get to Acoustic bar which is not there, so then opted for
Yoko which is also not there.

379
Ho Chi Minh City- there were quite a few mentions of the ex pat Bar "the
underground" mentioned on page 379 (also mentioned in page 356 the tim page
article) this was closed down months ago- no longer exists, owner argued over
rent

379
Nov 09
The Underground has been closed for 6 months. The chef that made it famous
(Chef Thierry Faburel) is opening a new place above the old Underground site
(address still the same - 69 Dong Khoi street - but need to go up 2 flights of stairs).
Name is to be "Rockit" and I am told that it will be "Underground on steroids". I
hear that the Underground owners are still looking to re-open but haven't found a
suitable place yet ....

382
Ho Chi Minh City: Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre; The programme
brochure we picked up when we watched the show said that the shows start at
5.00pm and 6.30pm and not at 6.30pm and 8pm as stated in the guidebook.Also,
the entry costs 120.000 VND and not 50.000 VND as stated in the guidebook.

385
Sep 09
Chinese market (Binh Tay market): the display of enormous amounts of dried
shark fins, seahorses and other protected and threatened sea life has shocked us.
Maybe the guide could inform travellers on the issues surrounding these products
and that these products should not be purchased.

Page 15





386
Apr 10, Harry Newton,
The bus I got from HCMC to Phnom Penh has a small pointless scam of taking
more money for the Cambodian visa than is required - $25 rather than $20. Not a
great amount but on the bus I got they did it for 5 people.

386
Mar 11, Tobias Schwarzmueller,
HCMC: The airport bus is 4000d per person and 4000d for a large backpack. It
runs only til 6pm.

It is easier to get a taxi with taximeter from the domestic terminal. 5 minute walking
distance to the right side when you leave the international terminal. App. price
100.000 - 140.000d (taxi driver tend to take some detours to make more money)

388
Sep 10, Henry Domzalski,
Don't use "independent" taxis in Ho Chi Minh City. We got here this morning and
in addition to paying double the proper fare (a cheater meter was the culprit) the
driver ran off with my briefcase containing my laptop computer (I wasn't closely
monitoring the unloading of bags). It's been a long long day. Had to spend $1,300
USD to replace the computer.

400
Jan 10
Found a little mistake under Vung Tau information. www.baobariavungtau.com
should have ".vn" at the end.

414
The little dot for the Cai Be Floating Market is in a slightly wrong spot.
It should actually be further north east, above the islands between the two river
arms, north of Vinh Long and east of My Thuan.

419
Jan 10, JO-ANNE CHADWICK,
lonely planet suggests catching the local bus form district 1 in HCMC to Cholon
bus station and then to catch another for 460000dong to My Tho-Mekong Delta.
We, a family of 4, paid 3000dong to catch a bus to the outskirts of HCMC in view
of catching another to My Tho. No one spoke english and we handed just
3000dong each to reach the outskirts of HCMC where once we arrived we were
told to change buses. We knew we would then have to pay another fare. Feeling
very vulnerable and no other english speaking people with us on the second bus
two men entered the bus speaking in Vietnamese whereby one man looked like he
was giving the other 300000dong for his fare. The man asking for the fare then
spoke rapidly to us asking or rather illustrating that we needed to pay 300000dong
each to get to MY Tho. I gave as was in shock. I then asked for a ticket "where's
my ticket " I cried. He walked off the bus with 1200000 dong of our money.
Subsequently I found 'thief' in Vietnamese in the Lonely planet book and alerted
the other occupants of the bus. I began to cry in frustration. Later a man stated in M

Page 16





424
Aug 11
The map shows a bus station in the centre of Vinh Long; however, that bus station
is not there anymore. The only one is a few kilometres out of the town.

426
Jan 11
The Vihn Long bus station in the center of town is served only by very local
busses. The express buses from HCMC drop you of at a different point about 4 km
from the center. From there you need a XE-OM or taxi to take you "down-town".

To go from Vinh Long to Can Tho we recommend to return to that far out bus
station, and continue with the cheaper and faster express service all the way to
CAN THO. We took a bus to CAN THO from the small station in town. Surprisingly
these buses don't go all the way to Can Tho, but drop you off at a small station
north of the Mekong, from were you have to take a 2nd bus. Alltogether, this trip
took us almost 3 hours for as little as 35 km. We paid 40,000 VND in the first bus
(to CAN THO) , but nevertheless the 2nd bus tried to collect some additional
payment from us. We refused.

434
Jan 11, Richard T. Howard,
We did not find the tourist office at 20 D Hai Ba Trung, which is a place that sells
food or whatever. I was told that it is a few streets back from the waterfront by a
Danish couple, but I couldn't find it.

435
Jul 10, Paul O'Neill,
Can Tho: Green Hotel is now called Hello Hotel II

435
Jul 10, Paul O'Neill,
Mai Linh Bus copmany actually drops customers off at a bus station 6 kilometres
south-west of the city. This is not indicated in the guidebook or the map. it's very
important because another bus station is on the map 1km north. Major confusion
caused regarding this.

436
Mar 11, Tobias Schwarzmueller,
Can Tho: Blind massage moved to a different location and is called "Nhat
tan".Price remain the same.56/58 Tran Quang Khai; Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho;
07103733857;Operating hours: 9am - 22pm

438
Jun 10, Duncan Gardner,
Can Tho: Nam Bo; Building demolished - no restaurant!

Page 17





455
May 09, LINDA EBDON,
Border Crossing Cambodia to Vietnam: I just want to warn against this border
crossing. We took a driver from Sihanoukville and while the driver didnt know the
way he stopped continually and asked directions this was not great but was not
the issue when we finally arrived at the crossing we made the crossing into
Vietnam all ok the issue started when we entered Vietnam there are no taxis
waiting to take you to Chau Doc there is only moto drivers whom think it is their
god given right to take you Chau Doc this was not practicle as we had large
suitcases they wanted $8US each per person + same for luggage after refusing
contially we walked the 1.5-2kms to the small town of Tinh Bien, so small it didn't
rate a mention in the lonely planet. We saw some buses in the distance, so made
our way there on arrival I asked if the buses were for Chau Doc someone said
yes but when we tried to board one of the moto drivers was blocking our way and
said this is not the right bus (going wrong way) then I asked someone else who
just waved us away. We left that bus area to gather our thoughts then we saw mini

459
Perhaps it did not yet exsist at the time this edition was published, but there is
nowadays a perfect bus connection between Ha Tien and Cambodia via the
nearby Xa Xia/Prek Chak border. Visa on arrival for USD 25/550.000 VND (yes, an
unfavourable rate). The morning ferry from Phu Qoc arrives at 11.00, the bus to
Kep, Kampot and Sihanoukville leaves after lunch. Bus tickets are sold in a cafe
where you can have lunch, but imho it pays to cross the road.

467
Jan 11, Wendy Barker,
Unfortunately, I think you need to include a warning about theft. Our daughter had
a lot of money and a watch stolen while on a remote beach in the north of the
island. We had hired motor scooters the day before and had been told there was
no need to lock them because the island was safe but sadly not. Our daughter was
on a small beach just east of Vung Bau (which is south of Bai Dai) and someone
snatched her bag while she was standing within view, emptied the contents, took
the money and watch and then took off on a motor bike. We reported it to the
police but all very tricky as they don't speak english. We had to go trhough the
hotel manager. our daughter heard from other travellers two days later that they
had had things stolen too in similar circumstances. A shame for such a lovely
island but would have been good to know about.

469
Feb 11, Ralpha Jacobson,
MAP: Street name Correction. In "C"1", Nyugen Trung True should read Nyugen
Trung Trac.

470
Feb 11, kim johanson,
Tropicana resort; this resort was closed and looked like it had been for quite
awhile

Page 18





481
Sep 09
Beware the Black Jack (21) card playing scam. Where someone is playing with
you to scam someone else when in fact it can only be you being scamed. And it
may start as simply as a man & a woman talking to you in the street, they have a
relation, a nurse going to (Australia) to Woolongong Hospital to work. Would you
like to visit her and talk about Australia? It's then that the other bloke there starts
talking about a card playing scam he's got going. etc etc.

481
Oct 09
This is to report that we have been scammed on the local bus from Van Minh to
Ninh Binh. We were heading to the Cuc Phuong National Park and apparently one
way to get there is to take a local bus to Vanh Minh which is about half way, and
then take a motorbike taxi. First we got on the bus 27 September. The ticket seller
asked for 50.000 dong each. It seemed a lot but we didn't know the price then.
Later we learned that the normal price was 15.000. On 29 September we took the
same local bus back to Ninh Binh (exactly the same bus) and we were asked for
50.000 dong each again. We were aware of the prices that time and didn't want to
pay more but we didn't have change. We handed over a 100.000 dong note to the
ticket seller and he refused to give back any money. After a very long negotiation
(and after I wrote down the number of the bus) he returned 20.000 dong but we
were still overcharged by 50.000. There was nothing we could do as no one spoke
English.

481
Aug 09
Hue: after checking in a hotel on Pham Ngu Lao Str, Hue City, I went for a walk
around the city. I bumped into a bike rider, he said his name was Cubah (nick
name) or Loong (at school), who insisted to give me a service riding around the
town for a one off cheap fare. He said he was originally from HCMC and was
abondoned by his parents when he was five years old. He was now studying at an
international polytechnic school in Hue. However I refused all the times but he
kept following me while I was walking. I was looking for Vietnam Airlines office so
he then again for one last time offered me for a ride to the office for a cup of coffee
in return. So I accepted the offer. after visiting the office he rode me around the
city and end up in a coffee shop that he called "Cafe". it was weird - the "Cafe"
turned out to be a brothel. There were about ten private rooms with slide doors. He
explained it was a place for friends to meet up and talk when I asked why he took
me there I knew he lied. Then he ordered "Cafe" but not coffee. It was a tray with
full of snacks, two cans of beer and a bottle of water. Then a lady came and talked

Page 19





486
Jan 11, Ralpha,
If you need some US Dollars, and you will for travel in Cambodia, ALL the Banks I
went to including, HSBC, CitiBank, SaccoBank, VietcomBank, would NOT
exchange Vietnam Dong for US Dollars. However, several Travel Agencies in
Pham Ngu Lao will exchange Vietnam Dong for US Dollars. BUT.. from a 6% - 9%
charge. For only a 3% charge, the United Overseas Bank at 17 Le Duan Blvd, Dist
1, in the Central Plaza Office Building, Tel : 3825 1424, WILL give you Dollars IF
you use a Visa / MasterCard. Map, p.346, located in "C2", to the RIGHT of listing
#2, British Consulate, on the same side of the street.

487
Nov 09
On a recent trip to Vietnam I left my camera in my hand luggage which went
through the very old and out dated x-ray machine in Hanoi.I lost all of my photos
up to Hanoi.I had taken quite a few in Ho Chi Minh City - they were ok. Back in
Australia, it cost $450 to retrieve 300 photos (ouch). Would you please warn
travellers who visit Vietnam to remove the memory card from their cameras and
put it in one of their pockets or purchase one of those x-ray proof packets (I can't
find one anywhere). After this I wouldn't trust suitcase x-rays either. The machine
you walk through is not as invasive as the luggage x-ray. Please let others know

487
Jan 10
There was another point I forgot to mention: slide film, yes, the oldfashioned
analogue film for transparencies. Although the LP guidebook states that they are
widely available, it was absolutely hopeless. Most sales persons did not even know
what it was. So if you still have a few non-digitally minded photographers among
your readers, they should come with huge supplies to Vietnam!

490
Nov 09, EVELYN BIENEFELT,
Vietnam Visa in Kunming: Same day: 550 RMB. Next day 17:00 o'clock: 450 RMB.
Place is on the fifth floor (not second floor) in the building next to Dragon XXX
hotel

490
Oct 10, Magnus Olsson & Catharina Treber,
Just a little remark: Swedish people do not need a visa - they can stay in Vietnam
up to 15 days for free (check with the Vietnamese embassy in your country before
leaving)

490
I think the visa thing should be highlighted further- basically all countries need a
visa- and I somehow got in with out one- by looking smart, very sad and begging,
then they confiscated my passport let me in and had someone deliver to my hotel
the next day for $100

Page 20





496
Jan 11, Ralpha,
GETTING THERE & AWAY: LAND: Visa price when you obtain a Visa at the
Cambodian Border is now $25US payable in US DOLLARS only !! BOTH Hanoi &
Ho Chi Minh City have Cambodian Consulates where you can obtain a Visa for the
SAME price, in ONE Day and no "overcharging" hassles.

499
Nov 09, EVELYN BIENEFELT,
Nightbus Kunming – Hekou (border Vietnam): This bus was a most unpleasant
ride. After 1 hour the robbing began. There is no light in the bus and the walking
space is very narrow which makes it extra claustrophobic. We had the feeling the
bus drivers were in this scam as well. We advice to take a day bus as there's no
train yet.

502
Nov 09, JANE METLIKOVEC,
The sleeper buses drop you off wherever they are getting commission. In Nha
Trang, the driver would not let us off at the bus station- where the hostel was
picking me up from. They just drove us into town and dumped us where the
hawkers were.

502
Jan 10
Overnight sleeper bus: If you are thinking about travelling from Hanoi to Hoi An by
overnight sleeper bus-beware. Check what sort of bus it is, what the facilities are
and how many travelling. We didn’t and suffered, how we suffered. Surly drivers,
appalling stop overs, ancient bus with no facilities, packed to the gunnels, awful
‘beds’ which hadn’t been cleaned and the journey took 17 hours. You have been
warned.

505
I got done by a taxi in Hanoi trying to get from the airport. 2hrs in the middle of the
night driving around the city before he dropped me off. I was pre-warned by you
guys about this, so keep those warnings going!

512
Pack loads of gastro-stop and other gastro-beating medicines. 9 out of 10
Western travellers I met spent some time laid up with the dodgy stomach from
hell. And these stints can run into 3 or 4 days. Not fun.

Page 21

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