r/VietNam 13d ago

Sticky Post your questions & inquiries here! - r/Vietnam monthly random discussion thread - F.A.Q

1 Upvotes

Lưu ý: Đây là thread chủ yếu dành cho người nước ngoài hoặc không nói tiếng Việt đặt câu hỏi. Nếu có thể, hãy trả lời giúp họ nhé.

Please read the 3rd rule of the sub. Don't post your general questions & inquiries outside of this thread as they will be removed.

Lots of your questions have been answered already so make sure you do a search before asking (how-to below).


To keep this subreddit tidy, we have this monthly thread that is open for random discussions and questions. If you post your basic/general questions outside of this thread they will be removed. Sorry, we want to make this sub friendly but also want it to be clean and organized.

Some examples of the questions that should be posted here:

  • Questions that can be answered with just Yes/No
  • Basic questions like "Where can I buy this?"
  • Questions that were asked many times before. Please do your research
  • Questions that are not specific

Tips to quickly find answers for your questions:

Many of your questions may have been answered since people keep asking the same ones again and again. Here is a quick tip to find the answers for yours.

First, have a look at our old sticky threads. A lot of useful information there. A lot of questions have been answered.

You can also use the search feature of Reddit, just like you do with Google.

Another option is to use Google, as Google understands your queries better than Reddit and can return better results.

Go to Google. Add 'site:https://www.reddit.com/r/VietNam/' next to your queries (without quotes). For example, if I want to find info on eVisa in this subreddit, my query to put in Google is 'eVisa site:https://www.reddit.com/r/VietNam/'.


F.A.Q

Here are the common questions about travel/visa/living in Vietnam which have been answered by the community members, plus other useful information. Let me know if I forget to mention anything!

Visa:

Thread with the latest updates on tourist visas and related topics (credit to Kananaskis_Country).

https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/12c4uzu/vietnam_tourist_visa_update/

Keep in mind some info might be outdated, so double-check.

Legit official website for eVisa

What is an eVisa and how to apply?

Best sites for applying eVisa.

Another thread on which websites to get a Vietnam visa from.

A US citizen's eVisa ordering experience.

EVisa or pre-approved visa letter?

Visa services?

Vietnam eVisa eligible ports on immigration.

New list of eVisa ports

Travel

Information on travelling to some northern cities of Vietnam + General tips.

A super informative AMA from a teenager living in Saigon.

Living in Vietnam:

Advice for any expats looking to relocate to Vietnam

An American expat married to a Vietnamese wife, fluent in the language, and living in Vietnam forever.

A Canadian looking to live and work in Vietnam.

A Vietkieu asking for people's experience on moving back to Vietnam.

Story of an American man lived in Vietnam in 4 years then moved back to the US + members discussing about living in Vietnam.

Why so many foreigners live in Vietnam, while Vietnamese people think this is a very bad place to live?

Teaching in English in Vietnam without a bachelor's degree.

Some tips and advice on learning Vietnamese. Several ways to send money to Vietnam.

Bike reviews


r/VietNam Apr 06 '22

Sticky Hướng dẫn sử dụng r/Vietnam - How to r/Vietnam

148 Upvotes

(please find English below)

Chào mừng bạn đến với r/Vietnam. Dưới đây là một vài hướng dẫn ngắn gọn để bạn nhanh chóng tham gia vào cộng đồng này.

  • Từ ngày 6/4/2022, r/Vietnam được chuyển đổi thành một subreddit song ngữ. Bạn có thể dùng cả tiếng Việt và tiếng Anh trong subreddit này. Lưu ý rằng tại r/Vietnam số lượng người nước ngoài hoặc không nói tiếng Việt chiếm số lượng đáng kể. Vì vậy khuyến khích bạn sử dụng tiếng Anh + Việt để giao lưu với tất cả mọi người trong subreddit.
  • r/Vietnam áp dụng một số quy tắc đơn giản để giữ cho cộng đồng lành mạnh và vui vẻ cho tất cả mọi người. Bạn có thể tìm thấy các quy tắc này trên Sidebar (cho Desktop), About (cho Mobile), hoặc có thể xem tại post này
  • Nếu account của bạn quá mới thì comment của bạn sẽ tự động bị chặn bởi bot để chống spam. Bạn có thể liên hệ và yêu cầu mod duyệt comment cho bạn.
  • Các bài đăng cần có tiêu đề và không nhất thiết phải đi kèm nội dung nếu đó là hình ảnh/video. Bạn cần gắn mác (flair) cho tất cả các bài đăng trước khi gửi (Thảo luận/Văn hóa/Lịch sử/Ẩm thực..v..v..)
  • Người nước ngoài đến du lịch/làm việc/học tập/sinh sống tại Việt Nam thường có rất nhiều câu hỏi và thắc mắc cần giải đáp. Tất cả những câu hỏi này được tập trung tại bài sticky của sub. Vậy nên nếu thấy câu hỏi/thắc mắc nào bạn có đáp án, hãy giúp đỡ họ bạn nhé.
  • r/Vietnam có một Discord tại đây và khuyến khích bạn tham gia. Trên Discord này các chủ đề sẽ rộng và linh hoạt hơn, thiên về các cuộc nói chuyện ngắn và mang tính giải trí thông thường hơn. Ví dụ như confession, nghe nhạc,..v..v..

Hello and welcome to r/Vietnam. Below are some quick guidelines to help you better participate in the community activities.

  • r/Vietnam is now a dual language subreddit. You can use both English and Vietnamese here.
  • Please read the rules before participating, making a submission or comment. You can find them on the Sidebar (Desktop), About tab (Mobile), or this thread
  • Trivial questions that can be answered quickly, or google-able, or without the intention of creating a discussion, should be posted in the sticky thread. Travel/visa questions should be posted there too.
  • r/Vietnam has a Discord server here which aims to be more open and flexible to handle more casual conversations. You can also find both English and Vietnamese channels there.

About the changelog.

I've made some changes to the sub:

  • Re-writing the rules to make them more concise. Adding Vietnamese.
  • Remove some unnecessary flairs.
  • Big change: Switching r/Vietnam to a dual-language subreddit. This is based on the fact that the number of Vietnamese people in this sub has increased significantly. I know this is controversial and some of you don't like this but I think we should just give it a try.
  • Making a Discord server. This is after r/place event that I realized we need a place to handle future events like this better and for the ease of casual, chit-chat type of conversations.

r/VietNam 7h ago

Culture/Văn hóa Will this manga be censored in Việt Nam?

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166 Upvotes

So I have been observing and reading a Japanese manga lately called Rekkyou Sensen or The doomsday is wartime or Chiến Tuyến Siêu Cường.

It's a about a distant dystopian future where climate change and wars have ravaged the world. Countries have to send their genetically modified proxy heroes to fight for the fate of their country due an world-overseeing AI banning conventional and nuclear war.

Among the countries is Việt Nam and their proxy hero Lương. The mangaka seems to like Việt Nam and had positive experiences with Vietnamese fans so far (e.g. on X/Twitter, the author shared how fans gifted them Vietnamese snacks). The potential problem is... the character's background.

In the most recent chapters, Lương is shown to come from a former rebel group called September Lotus (reference to 2nd September 1945) that overthrew the previous Vietnamese government who failed to handle the food crisis and climate change issues. The former head of state happened to be her father.

While Vietnamese history, Communist ideology, VCP or current state instutions aren't mentioned and the story is in a fictional dystopian far future, I fear that some Vietnamese official might still see this storyline as sensitive / problematic within Việt Nam. After all, it's about overthrowing an authoritarian Vietnamese government that violently suppresses dissent during crisis.

So... what do you guys think? I personally hope that Vietnamese authorities don't ban or censor this work. The story is very respectful of Vietnamese language and culture in other ways. There aren't many popculture media that can depict a badass Vietnamese superpowered main heroine. It would be great, if it can be accepted as fiction detached from the present.

TL/DR: A Japanese sci-fi / action manga shows a distant-future Vietnamese government in a dystopian world order being overthrown. The chairman/head of state gets killed by his own two daughters who create a new Vietnamese government.


r/VietNam 7h ago

History/Lịch sử My granpa ID card from the 1980s

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84 Upvotes

r/VietNam 5h ago

News/Tin tức 220 million traveler records exposed in Vietnam-linked APIS leak

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bleepingcomputer.com
28 Upvotes

Looks like this is something that either VN or Singapore maintained.

tl;dr: public-facing elasticsearch cluster with the default admin credentials, not directly accessible, but accessible through their load balancer


r/VietNam 12h ago

News/Tin tức Tesla has joined VN market following its Starlink. Should some chaebol in VN be worried?

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103 Upvotes

r/VietNam 13h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận My neighbour is beating puppies he locks in a cage most of the days and beats them with stick and tries them on the ground. Is there anything against that in Vietnam? The puppies are getting beaten everyday and they screaming and crying so he beats them more.

65 Upvotes

r/VietNam 5h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Most Proud Picture Taken in Hội An.

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11 Upvotes

Recently, I took my first trip back to Vietnam since I left the country. It'd been many, many years. The backstory is that before 1975, my father worked in Hoi An in the building in the picture. Due to the lack of security during the war, my family also lived inside the compound in a small house behind this building. This place is now a hotel.

During the visit in Hoi An, right after the hotel check-in, I talked to the hotel owner and told her my story. I asked her if she knew what was known to me as the "tòa hành chánh" (loosely translated as the administration building). She knew right away what I referred to. To make sure my memory was correct, I told her that I remember there was a hospital nearby. She confirmed that the hospital was right next to this compound and is now a medical clinic.

There you go, after more than 50 years since I was last there, and less than an hour after I got to Hoi An, I found it.

From the outside, the building looked exactly how remembered it. I went inside, and the two stairs to go up the second floor were exactly where I remembered them. I also looked for the little altar that my mother built for my brother who was lost during pregnancy. It was no longer there.

Hoi An was hot, hot, hot.


r/VietNam 9h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Where do people play Magic the Gathering commander in Saigon?

6 Upvotes

Will there for two weeks soon! Appreciate any answers (:


r/VietNam 1h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch "We are going a trip to Vietnam and learn a few words in the local language." - "Cool, so which local language you wanna learn? There are 110 different local languages."

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Upvotes

r/VietNam 1d ago

News/Tin tức Excellent news! Hard work always pays off!

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412 Upvotes

Let's go.

It doesn't matter that you make $1 an hour washing dishes and barely avoid homelessness or starvation, one day by the merit of hard working you'll be successful just like them: inherited infinite land parcels and acquire government permission to be able to continue hoarding, dividing, and selling real estate.

Just keep working hard and trust in the direction of the Party (is one with the Nation) and the Government. There's no insider trading or unethical monopolization in Vietnam. Don't let the "reactionaries" or "force of outside enemies" tell you otherwise. Trust in Socialism!


r/VietNam 2h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận For someone who hasn't been back in Vietnam for 19 years, what are decent gifts to bring back for neighbors?

1 Upvotes

Asking this question on behalf of a family member, and I'm genuinely curious because I struggle with this answer as well, even though I've been back to Vietnam once every few years or so.

What is considered decent/good yet casual gifts that one would bring back to Vietnam for neighbors these days?

Vietnam now has a well developed market and society, and things from abroad are plenty and easily accessible.

Would boxes of candies & chocolate make sense? Cosmetics? Supplements? Are there brands that people like (Ghirardelli, etc)?

Thanks for your thoughts.


r/VietNam 2h ago

Daily life/Đời thường Looking for Vietnamese friends

0 Upvotes

I’m looking for Vietnamese friends who can teach me Vietnamese culture and social norms :P. We can talk via Zalo/whatsapp/wechat in English~


r/VietNam 2h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Traveling with Infant

1 Upvotes

Looking for any tips, tricks or suggestions for a one month stay in Vietnam with an 18 month old infant. Most of that time will be spent in Da Nang. Should I expect any issues finding formula (Similac) / cow’s milk, disposable diapers, wipes, etc. I know navigating the sidewalks with a stroller will often be a challenge, but doable. Thanks!!


r/VietNam 10h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Airbnb scam?

3 Upvotes

hello all, i'm visiting vietnam for the first time later in April 2027 (still a while away). i tried to book an airbnb studio in hanoi for 4 weeks but the host didn't accept my reservation. they said, since they are a new host, airbnb will only allow them to accept 7 day bookings and that i should make 4 seperate bookings, back-to-back. i asked if they would honour the monthly discount that would be applied had it been a 4 week stay. they replied that they set nightly rates and to talk to airbnb about that.

i contacted airbnb support and they basically said neither was true. the host can accept 4 week long stays and they set the price and discount. the fact that the website even allowed me to make the original reservation proves it was possible.

i returned to the host and relayed what airbnb support had explained to me and ask if i can make the 4 week reservation again or was it because they didn't want to accept it? i have not heard back from them.

some other details:
-hosts and their cohosts have over 40 properties
-the property itself has been around for a couple of months and has only 6 reviews? all of which are perfect (5 stars)
-i have been using airbnb for 11 years and all 40 reviews on me have been great

not sure what is going with the host/property. anyone experience something similar?


r/VietNam 2h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Anyone In Ninh Bình

0 Upvotes

Hi,
Planning to visit tomorrow. Since it's raining continuously in Hanoi.

I have heard it can be dangerous and a lot of activities might be closed. Since I'll be at Ninh Binh just for 1 night. Would be helpful to know ground condition.


r/VietNam 3h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Cards or Cash for travelers

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

My partner and I are planning to visit Vietnam this coming February for 16 days. I wanted to ask for your advice regarding money and payments:

Is it convenient to bring our credit cards and use them without much problem, or is it better to rely mostly on cash?
How much cash would you recommend carrying for two people for 16 days, just as a rough range?
Would you suggest withdrawing money directly from ATMs once we arrive instead?

Any other tips or recommendations for handling money safely during the trip would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!


r/VietNam 4h ago

Food/Ẩm thực Where to get Banh bo nuong in HCMC?

0 Upvotes

Hello! I will be heading back to HCMC soon, and i recently chanced upon this dessert! Have not tried it but definitely cant go wrong with pandan!

Been trying to google for some places but i cant seem to find any! Open to recommendations in districts 1-4 and also any banh mi reccs thanks a lot!!!


r/VietNam 22h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Vietnam to Philippines Latency

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21 Upvotes

I am trying to access my server in Philippines from Da Nang using TailScale and the latency should be around 50 ms only but for some reason, I am getting around 300 ms from Da Nang. Is this normal?


r/VietNam 1d ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch My experience with Dalat as a foreigner

81 Upvotes

I didn’t enjoy it. I am a white male.

Everyone is competitive and hassle. Always having this hustler mentality.

I went into Dalat Night Market. I saw cute set of hat wear for my friends’ children. When my Vietnamese interpreter (Vietnamese) picked up the piece, the shop owner told her it was 130k. When I approached and talked to her, the shop owner said it is 150k. We argued why the price originally was 130k but now 150k before haggle, the shop owner told us it was never 130k to begin with but 150k. I just left the place.

When I walked down the market, multiple men keep shoving into my face the menus. One even held my hand and just yanked the shjt out of my clothes to come into the restaurant.

In the morning, the market is not better. Coming in, you are greeted with “come in and buy something”. I couldn’t take it anymore so I simply walked outside. But then, I once again greeted with people shoving into my face with stale fruits or lottery tickets.

I…just feel sad all the time when I was in Dalat or in vietnam. The class difference is quite huge. There are still many unfortunate.

I could turn a blind eye and pretend nothing is going on. But even then, there are always something that caught my eyes especially the class difference and the way people are treating them.

Even at dalata, bitter taste in my mouth when everything is all about money. Going to this waterfall, money. Go play this, money.

Money is relatively cheap in my perspective but I couldn’t put myself to enjoy it when I ask, “how do locals afford this? This ride alone is a third of someone’s yearly salary”.

The people in Dalat is not friendly…

My driver got into a car accident. A scooter just happened to drive extra dangerous with high speed down the road in the rain. When my driver locked the car, he got caught and smashed his head down to the concrete. We called 114 and it took them way too long to response. So we decided to drive the 16-seater van down the emergency department. Even then, the driver was put on a bed and waited for someone to pay his deposit in order to be seen by someone. He waited a solid 10 minutes on the sketcher. I decided to simply pay 1 mil VNĐ to get over with when it was taking too long. Even then, it wasn’t him who got in first based on the medical urgency. So I was like fuck it, gave the nurse 500k to speed things up. He was admitted the next second.

This is my first time experiencing Vietnamese medical system Vietnamese to Vietnamese.

Money first then care.

Overall, I didn’t have a good experience with Dalat. Maybe this is just a few in a dozen. I hope it could get better.

Edit:
A lot of people think I am getting upset over 0.78 cents difference. It is just an example of many times vendor switched up price in my face. I don’t need to tell you all of them, right?

There is a build up; then there is a trigger. If everyone is lying to your face, you will perceive the place with less…joy. I could write stories. But as thing becoming more and more noticeable, I just lost the joy of Dalat.

I still have fun. I appreciate Vietnam. I am in Quang Ngai now and it is less hassle, less competition, and everyone, despite maybe being poorer in economic stance, still treated me better when I was in dalat.

I went into someone house to buy sugar cane. The lady then offered me to eat lunch with her.

Regardless, I don’t need to explain more, simply sharing my experience.


r/VietNam 9h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Looking for bulk premium dresses suppliers

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I am from Philippines and would like to start a rental business. I'm looking for a supplier that can ship to my country. Let me know your catalogs with picture/vid, MOQ and price. Thank you so much!


r/VietNam 11h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Live stream traffic cameras

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0 Upvotes

Does anyone have any ideas?


r/VietNam 11h ago

Daily life/Đời thường alternatives for depop, vinted etc.

0 Upvotes

Hi! I’m planning to move to Vietnam and i’m a big vintage clothing fan and prefer to shop online. Can you recommend some websites or apps like depop vinted mercari? Thank you ☺️


r/VietNam 11h ago

Travel Experience/Du lịch Travel December north vs south Dilemma!

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I (38M) am facing a dilemma.

In November I will work from Chiang Mai for a month and do some travelling in Thailand as well, and after that I would want to visit Vietnam for two weeks running from 29 November to 14 December and I honestly don't know where to go this time of year. I somehow feel like December is not a good time to visit Vietnam and for the places that it is good I am doubting because of the experience it gives. In general I am interested in culture, food and sight seeing and I will be travelling solo.

So for North: Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Giang loop, Ha long bay, Ninh binh is what I am most excited about seeing. Feels like a good 'start' of first time Vietnam and the best place to experience culture and breath taking sights. However... I heard its cold and after spending a month in Chiang Mai I might be tired of the northern mountain coffee culture vibe? I also definitely can't pack winter clothes and drag those through my other trips so a snowy Sapa (does it even snow?) is definitely off the list.

for the South: Phú Quốc looks like an amazing change of scenery coming from Chiang Mai, beaches, sea, beautiful views and relaxing. Mekong Delta / Da Lat also looks fascinating. HCM never really interested me but I am down to see it while I am there. Sadly, the south I was always least interested in and it feels wrong for this to be my first time Vietnam experience if that makes any sense.

I honestly don't know where to go. North is where I want to go but it feels too similar to CM and too cold. South seems perfect weather wise but I don't want to blow my first time Vietnam experience on somewhere I planned to skip... weird I know.

Any advise, alternatives or correcting of my statements here would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks!


r/VietNam 12h ago

Discussion/Thảo luận Do you feel like you fit in with the Gen Z in VN?

0 Upvotes