Have you been to Vietnam?

@Cherryann01 I visited HCMC in 2019 as a one week trip from here with girlfriend (at that time). Spent hours trying to convince Immigration that I was not Trafficking! I also noted and was impressed with how clean everything was in comparison to Cebu and Manila. The work ethic there is far superior to here. I found the food excellent and the people friendly. That being said, I like the fact that in The Philippines that most of the people speak English (enough) for me to get by, and that the signs are mostly in English. The local diet here of pork, seafood, and rice is similar to back home in Louisiana. I considered retiring to Thailand, which I love, but with my poor sense of direction, If I got lost on the streets of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or Phuket I would be wandering aimlessly, and lost for the rest of my life. Also, I think that the rules are far more restrictive in Vietnam (and Thailand) for retirees from another country. I considered Costa Rica before moving here, but the costs have skyrocketed due to so many wealthy Californians moving there. For many reasons, I think I am set here in The Philippines for the rest of my life.

I would love to go back to Vietnam and may stop off there again on my way to the Philippines. I have a kind of list of places I would like to see. Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi/Da Nang/Ha Long Bay, Hong Kong, Singapore and Phnom Penh are on there.

- @Cherryann01

@mugteck  Not really my cup of tea I am afraid. Most cruises seem to offer only a few hours, maybe overnight in port besides the departure or arrival port where a 3 or so night stay may be included in the price. Besides I cannot really see myself sitting down to dinner on a posh cruise liner all on my todd. Also, and this is just my thought, but I imagine all these nice pictures of swimming pools you see on the videos and advertisements where there are just a handful of people swimming and relaxing by the pool will turn out to be like a crowd at a football match in reality.

Yes, Vietnam is cheap (although in some cases, you get what you pay for) and is very popular with Vietnam veterans from several countries.

@johnross23 Thanks for the info.

@mugteck  Not really my cup of tea I am afraid. Most cruises seem to offer only a few hours, maybe overnight in port besides the departure or arrival port where a 3 or so night stay may be included in the price. Besides I cannot really see myself sitting down to dinner on a posh cruise liner all on my todd. Also, and this is just my thought, but I imagine all these nice pictures of swimming pools you see on the videos and advertisements where there are just a handful of people swimming and relaxing by the pool will turn out to be like a crowd at a football match in reality.

We went to Vietnam in April, 2019 for two weeks in the north - Hanoi, SaPa, Hoi An and Da Nang. Really enjoyed it, agree with most of Charryann's comments. However, the smog in Hanoi stretched almost to the coast - it was really bad. We loved hiking in SaPa in the far north, and Hoi An was absolutely lovely. Having been to Palawan / El Nido, saw no need to visit crowded Ha Long Bay.

Food was great everywhere, clean, and they are indeed very industrious people. I felt not as friendly as Filipinos, though. We hope to go again, this time to the south (Saigon) and perhaps do a riverboat tour on the Mekong.

- @pnwcyclist

@pnwcyclist I went to Saigon HCMC in October 2019. AirBNB has great Condos available for cheap.

I went on the Mekong Delta River Tour. We stopped at a Chocolate Farm/Factory on the way.

Be sure to also go to the War Museum. Also the Water Puppet Show.

I used a Tour Operator, info below:

@talamban Thank you very much.