Vietnam general observations Sep2023

Vietnam general observations Sep2023
In addition to previous post
https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2023/04/general-notes-feb2023-vietnam.html

Now there is 45 days visa free stay for German passport holders and many other western countries. My previous stays where all less than 2 weeks (visa free stay then), but I can see myself making use of those 45 days. And it certainly sets a positive example and I hope others (Cambodia, Lao, and even Thailand) will follow.

Exchange rates: 1 EUR = 26 kVND, 1 USD = 25 kVND, 1 THB = 680 VND. VND = Vietnamese Dong, kVND = 1,000 VND, mVND = 1,000,000 VND.

ATM limits and fees
ATM from Agribank gave me a maximum of 3m with 22k fee, and now I tried TPBank which gave 5m without fee! Whereas Kien Long ATM (was next to Agribank in Danang, that branch had no own ATM) gave an error message. Last trip I had an error message from another bank's ATM. Elsewhere as well, credit or debit cards were refused for no obvious reason. Reports above are with comdirect visa debit card. There are plenty of articles who compare ATM fees and limits, e.g. search for "sacombank atm fees".

Traffic
Traffic is on right side. Usually of no importance to me as a pedestrian or passenger. But when I was waiting for a bus the first time, I stood on the wrong side of road and realized my mistake only when the bus came. Even more so than in Thailand, mocy drive on shoulder of road counter traffic. Before crossing, I watch out in all directions.

Convenience stores
List of convenience stores I saw: Circle K, WinMart, 7-Eleven (without number), GS25, Co-Op smile (small branches of Co-Op), Family Mart (still original,whereas in Thailand re-branded as mini Big C, useless name change as Tesco Lotus to Lotus's). In Cambodia former Kiwi Mart now mini Big C.

SIM card
A friend was in Vietnam recently and I got his Wintel SIM. A new operator, little information on internet and no stores. The SIM is still valid, I top it up and get an SMS with data plans and I subscribe to a data plan, get confirmation message, but nothing happens. I assume this was a tourist SIM that cannot be extended or topped up.

It takes me a few days to realize this is not going to work. I can do my navigation offline, and online dating not convincing so no need to read and write while I'm out in town, and when I tried to call Grab from my hotel, it didn't work (it kept loading data without result). I later found the problem is my hotel's WiFi, Grab works fine with WiFi elsewhere. Did they block Grab in my hotel? But why? Thus, I spent the whole trip without SIM card.

Bus Apps
Google maps covers about 80% of buses in Danang and Saigon. About 10% of operating lines are missing, and about 10% of lines on google maps don't run any more. E.g. Google maps Line 11 passes Marble Mountain, but in real (DanaBus app and personal experience) last stop is 2.2 km north of Marble Mountain, where I changed into line 16 to get to Marble Mountain. For the GPS live location alone it's worth downloading local bus app DanaBus or BusMap (white on green, wheels of bus form eyes of a smiley).

Food
Getting a menu with pictures or a menu in English was a problem, I had to skip several restaurants for language barrier. Google translate by picture works okay, but I had no data connection. For future trips, I should get a food cheat sheet to learn the most common dishes. Good food I had: durian yogurt, oranges, oysters, bakery. Coffee not relevant to me, but probably to many of my readers. 

Time zone
Vietnam has the same time zone as Thailand, but is about 800 km east. That means sunset is earlier, I lose half an hour of sunlight in the evening. Important when out for sightseeing.

Danang airport and railway station
Both airport and railway station are in town, and I choose a hotel that is in walking distance to both. My first trip where I arrived by airport and left by railway, and all by walking!

Medical services
I had a problem with my throat that suddenly got worse. Search on internet, and Hoan My Da Nang Hospital is the closest and good review. They have an international clinic. Initial consultation, X-ray and blood test, second consultation and medication cost me 2.4m VND, about 100 USD. I quickly got better.

Negatives
A lot of smoking. I don't like motorbikes. Google maps street view coverage is poor. Low chairs and tables at restaurants. I have to fold me knees over my ears.

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