Post: #276

$45/mo. is a good price but if it's not fully legal to drive, you can get in a lot of trouble if you happen to be involved in an incident where someone got hurt. Wouldn't take that risk..

Post: #277

So much simpler to buy a shitty used bike and sell it for the same price when you leave than pay every month for the same shitty bike. No one is going to steal your bike if you're parking it somewhere with a parking attendant, which is 99.9 percent of places.

Post: #278

This will be my nightly read I will absorb this knowledge. Just wrapping up day 4 here and this place is looking like the land of opportunity and extreme contrasts. Everyone is so very nice and polite and yet crude and vulgar, well to do and destitute (literally a new Mercedes Benz drove past me while there are homeless people on the side of the road one of them had his cock out and was pissing on himself).

Getting settled into a nice apartment tomorrow in district 10 then I can explore and think about uh "getting my flag" I am really feeling the spirit of adventure. I will contribute something to this thread in the future! Sorry if I am rambling and off topic...

Post: #279

(12-03-2017 09:09 AM)STEEL_WARRIOR Wrote:  This will be my nightly read I will absorb this knowledge. Just wrapping up day 4 here and this place is looking like the land of opportunity and extreme contrasts. Everyone is so very nice and polite and yet crude and vulgar, well to do and destitute (literally a new Mercedes Benz drove past me while there are homeless people on the side of the road one of them had his cock out and was pissing on himself).

Getting settled into a nice apartment tomorrow in district 10 then I can explore and think about uh "getting my flag" I am really feeling the spirit of adventure. I will contribute something to this thread in the future! Sorry if I am rambling and off topic...

Why District 10?

Post: #280

(12-04-2017 04:21 AM)Patriarch Wrote:  Why District 10?

Because I don't know any better.

Post: #281

Being west of CMT8 street makes it a bitch to get into District 1

Post: #282

That is the street I live on (spooky) currently down one of the alleys there I'm in a little shoebox apartment with many other westerners. I am about 2.8km away from D1 have to go through a roundabout though.

Post: #283

CMT8 is the worst road in all of Saigon.

It has a stress-including roundabout seemingly every kilometer, after which you get through, you still can't relax or a breathe a sigh of relief because that road is choked with traffic 80% of the time. The other 20% of the time, everyone is racing to get in front of each other or to beat the changing lights without any regard for anyone's safety, including their own.

Then you also have people driving on the wrong side of the road because they're too damn lazy to drive an extra block and make an U turn, or to take a shortcut instead of going around the roundabout. Oh, and those crazy bus drivers.

In fact, I've seen a girl on a motorbike get killed trying to take a short cut on the wrong side of the road as she got hit head-on by a bus. Also heard a bunch of stories about people getting in horrid accidents along that road.

CMT8 can be a death trap if you're not careful. When I moved away from there, life became so much better and less stressful.

Post: #284

In both my trips in Vietnam, I stayed at CMT8. I have a feeling we stayed at the same apartment Steel Warrior haha just like many others before us.

In my experience, for short term stays, I found the apartment alright for my game in HCM. The New World Starbucks was a great Location 2 for my dates and since my apartment is 2mins walk from the starbucks, I would walk them there and tell them to drop by my apartment, they hardly say no cause it was so near so there’s no logistical cockblock.

Still, I agree with the insane traffic. For a short trip like mine, it helped me because of its proximity to the malls and Nguyen Hue walking street but should I stay in HCM long term, I would imagine how irritable I would be with the traffic condition. Something to note if any of you are coming to HCM.

Post: #285

I thought the traffic is normal the driving on the wrong side of the road ECT. I'm still trying to get used to looking at it and visualizing "how would I drive here" before I get my own bike. Right now I am still being a little bitch and using Grab (essential viet cheap taxi app so fast good and cheap) cost 14k dong to get to work.

I will look at a place that is in a less traffic intensive area also I'll look into lessons for riding, I've heard there is some kind of service? Forgot the name of it and start looking for places that'd be good to take dates... I doubt they will be impressed with Pho 5000 (eating this on the daily).

Post: #286

Also, living right next to that roundabout makes you sick in the long run. Air pollution is off the charts.

Post: #287

Am flying into Ho Chi Minh for a mini 10 day trip over Xmas and NYE. Am thinking of flying to Phu Quoc island then making by way back to HCM via Mekong Delta along the way. Anyone have any advice/recommendations on anything to see/do, places to go or general stuff. Any feedback would be appreciated

Post: #288

Quick question guys: how reliable is the online visa service, or should I go in person to embassy? I emailed them asking for prices, and recieved an unintelligible response, which makes me think I should just go in myself.

What is Chinese New Year like in Ho Chi Minh?

Post: #289

(12-15-2017 03:06 PM)churros Wrote:  Quick question guys: how reliable is the online visa service, or should I go in person to embassy? I emailed them asking for prices, and recieved an unintelligible response, which makes me think I should just go in myself.

What is Chinese New Year like in Ho Chi Minh?

Going to the embassy to get a visa will make things much easier at the airport.

Not sure on the e-Visa if that is what you're talking about.

I used MyVietnamVisa and it worked fine. The only thing is you might have to wait a long time to get your passport back at the airport if there were a lot of people on your flight. I've heard putting a $2 bill in your passport might speed things up, but I've never tried it.

Post: #290

(12-08-2017 03:08 PM)Chase Wrote:  Also, living right next to that roundabout makes you sick in the long run. Air pollution is off the charts.

Out of interest whats the best logistics location to stay in ? Someone close to malls etc , but not too busy you die of air pollution , an area easy for girls to get to...

Post: #291

You can get "visa on arrival" through the Vietnam gov website: https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/vietnam-visa...n-arrival/

You pay, receive an email within about 2 days with some papers to print. Print them and show them at their airport at the "visa on arrival" booth, before passport control. There you pay a bit more (can use USD) and get the actual visa on your passport.

The visa on arrival booth can have a queue (sometimes yes, sometimes no), so be prepared to maybe wait there. Even if you spend a couple of hours there, it beats going to the embassy and back and what not.

There shouldn't be any complications, so I see no reason to go to the embassy or use third party websites... except one:

The papers you receive by email contain your passport number (obviously), and some passport numbers and names of other people which were processed at the same time (about 10 of them). Full name, country, passport number. Which is somewhat of a privacy issue.

Post: #292

You can also pay 25 USD to skip the queue (fast lane service, need to book that when you get the visa online from the visa agent). You can also get a private visa letter if you are concerned about that.

(12-16-2017 02:00 AM)Malo Wrote:  The visa on arrival booth can have a queue (sometimes yes, sometimes no), so be prepared to maybe wait there. Even if you spend a couple of hours there, it beats going to the embassy and back and what not.

There shouldn't be any complications, so I see no reason to go to the embassy or use third party websites... except one:

The papers you receive by email contain your passport number (obviously), and some passport numbers and names of other people which were processed at the same time (about 10 of them). Full name, country, passport number. Which is somewhat of a privacy issue.

Post: #293

Yeah can confirm the visa was a kick in the teeth. Let me tell you HAVE MONEY READY. I had no cash so they let me into the terminal to get out some dong I got 8m and just handed it to the lady all 500k notes she laughed and just took one of the 500k notes and gave me 2 USD change and let me get the visa.

I now know the currency 20k = 1 usd = 1 Bahn Mi (these are so amazing).

Post: #294

I am happy to say that the 2nd Saigon RVF Christmas dinner was a great success. It's becoming a nice tradition and like last year it was a lot of fun.
This years dinner was attended by 6 redpillers + 4 girlfriends, and at the afterparty 2 more joined in. Won't disclose any names but people can chime in if they would like.

At dinner we enjoyed such delicacies as Pan Seared Froi Gras, Grilled Duck, Baked Truffle Coquilet, and Garlic Lobster. All that went down with some nice bottles of Cabernets.

After dinner we relocated to a nearby sky bar lounge where we sipped Vodka and enjoyed the stunning Saigon views.

This night also put an end to my 4 months in Saigon. Now I'll head home to spend some time with my family for Christmas, followed by my usual winter in South America. But I'll be back here in about 3 months.

See you on the road!

Post: #295

Every guy has his thing. Personal tastes vary widely... and that is a good thing.

But... just so we are on the same page... you don't like this look?



Guys, I don't want to be the naysayer party-pooper... but if you think you will find girls like that on every street in Vietnam you are in for a rude awakening! Having lived here for 9 months, I can tell you that 99.7% of Viet girls look nothing like that...

Most Viet girls are plain, plain, plain as can be. Thy have very average faces, they all look the same, same kind of bodies (skinny, shortish, flat chested, just over-lookable)

Imagine the Asian nerd with hair tied up in a ponytail and glasses - but the sort that doesn't look hot. That's what the majority all look like. Plain boring practical clothes, wrapped up in hoodies for riding on the streets, some old leggings or jeans, yes often they will wear a nice dress and heels (at work for example) but... it's nothing much to get excited about.

Just spoof your Tinder app to say you are in Ho Chi Minh and take a look - girls on Tinder are the same you will see everywhere in the streets. OK maybe the rare hot girls won't have a Tinder profile but there are so few hot girls anyway.

I'm simply relaying my observations - I would love to be proved wrong by somone showing me photographic evidence of their harem of hot girls, then at least I would know that I must have fucked up in some way and it not be the country itself.. but... I am doubtful!

And as for the malls....... the malls in HCMC suuuuck! They are dead mostly, with crap shops, families and dull plain girls. It it nothing like the buzzy atmosphere of Bangkok malls with their international food courts and high end shops etc.

Viets have a way of just letting everything slide - set up a business then never make it better, don't keep up repairs, just run it into the ground - the same way they ride their motorbikes - they all buy new, then drive them until the finally break for good one day, 15 years later, having never serviced or washed them ever. The city is a dirty dust bowl... it's basically 3rd world to be honest, they haven't even got a metro system in place yet (although working on it)

I'm glad I saw it but am equally glad to leave. I hope some of you guys make the most out of it but it is way over-hyped in my opinion - I even remember that image of the girl before I went and thinking, "wow, attractive girl, looking forward to it!" - reality, not so much.

Post: #296

^ and yet you're still in Vietnam for 9 months and counting...

Post: #297

Sandstorm you should have tried to meet up with some of the guys in Saigon. We just met up for a Christmas party at a classy rooftop bar. You could have seen the attractive Vietnamese girls you were trying to find for 9 months.

Post: #298

Quoting Sandstorm: "They have very average faces, they all look the same, same kind of bodies (skinny, shortish, flat chested, just over-lookable)":

I disagree, or partially, because anyway in my book there is nothing wrong in a woman being skinny, or even shortish, as long as they are cute (and preferably big-breasted, granted). And usually Viet women are cute indeed.

And you might have wrongly guessed that they have small breasts, but it's because they usually don't wear push-up bras or revealing clothes, but once naked, you'd be surprised. I have for example sent a couple of pics (to highly-repped forum members) of my Vietnamese ex-gf topless, and believe me, she's not flat chested: quite the contrary. Modest women can hide the true size of their breasts with what they wear, just as other (Western) women can reveal it or exaggerate it.

On a different matter, Vietnam (like China, according to what I am told) have found a way to deal with the troublesome Nigerian mafia, which wrecks havoc throughout the world (with their crimes and especially human or drug dealing), but not in China or Vietnam anymore:

http://peacebenwilliams.com/drug-traffic...tos-video/ (link a bit dated, but still illustrative of current policies, from what I'm told)

Better not try to smuggle drugs into Vietnam (or China). And this (among other things and qualities inherent to the Asian culture and soul) guarantees urban peace and calm, respectful societies.
(Anecdotally, the government of Nigeria approves of Vietnam's policy: "the Nigerian Senate leader, David Mark said that Nigerians who engage in criminal offenses outside the country deserve to die because of their act)"

Post: #299

Sandstorm, I disagree with most of your comments although I haven't been here long enough to be entitled to a strong opinion.

However the consistent overly negative tone of your posts makes them unreliable. And the fact that you are in Vietnam for so long, yet hate it so much, yet refuse to leave, yet whine with passion, makes it even more so.

I'd agree that the malls here in HCM are problematic. The central ones are somewhat clastrophobic for daygame, and the bigger ones which are a bit further away are mostly empty, even on weekends.

But to say that there aren't hot girls roaming around.. is a joke.

Post: #300

You need solid game to get access to the top quality women. Even in South East Asia.

This has been discussed sooooo many times on the forum, and it's unbelievable that men still travels here, and expect 8's and 9's to fall in their laps.

If Sandstorm would have reached out to the highrepped, permanent RVF community here in Saigon we could have helped him with advice. Advice you receive in real life beats forum material any day of the week. But judging from his rep points he has never met any members, which makes him less credible in my eyes.

Steps for a successful trip:
1) Don't make girls the primary focus of your trip
2) Don't get your expectations from a model photo (wtf lol!)
3) Reach out to the local RVF community
4) Keep an open mind!

It's really that simple..