>>1098528
People in Vietnam are markedly less friendly to tourists than in other SEA countries I find. More so in the north though, Saigon is fairly western friendly. Tourism is relatively new, just be glad no one is shooting at you.

>>1098539
They're not as openly friendly as others, but it's a mistake to call them UNfriendly because that implies they go out of their way to make you feel unwelcome. I think what made me feel most uncomfortable was their body language -- the smile isn't used so much by the Vietnamese. Doesn't mean they're not happy, but I guess that's a big contrast to Thailand, "the land of smiles"

We took buses to get out to Mekong, but once there we rented a motorbike and discovered a lot of funky little tourist attractions (okay we found them with the help of our guidebook, but they were still pretty off the beaten path)
>Any foods that are a must try
Anything and everything, especially in Saigon. Don't buy dinner at a restaurant; just walk around the streets at night looking for street food stalls. I wouldn't care if the war was still going on; I'd still go to Nam for the food.
>What's the best way to avoid losing a kidney
Don't be a disrespectful cunt tourist like so many people are. I felt really ashamed on behalf of other tourists I saw while I was there. Not that they were always being drunk/disorderly; usually it was just being totally insensitive to the fact that they were guests in another country. That's okay in melting pots like Europe, but not in traditional societies like Nam.

>>1098528

Tbh, if your only visiting the south your missing out on a lot, although i dont speak for everyone lots of people that ive talked to liked the north better. Combination of less businessy and built up, more traditional and better natural attractions, id also say the North has more important cultural and historical attractions too, but to be fair Ho Chi Minh city also has a fair bunch that the north dont have and cant compete with (Presidential palace + Chu Chi).

I found a good place to search for unique souvenirs in HCMC was Dan Sinh market, although i doubt much of it is real (if any) they do sell a bunch of military memorabilia that you cant find elsewhere in the world, and if you plan on getting one of those 'american army zippos' its the cheapest place.

I found HCMC okay, though i didn't really like the vibe of the main tourist area, just like middle aged men hanging out in bars and the normal tourist stuff, i think i thought it would be a bit more like Hanoi but i was very wrong, good thing is all the tourist centered stuff is mainly in a single area so its not so bad at 11pm at night outside there.

Anyway yeh, advice is to go north if you have time, i wouldnt want to spend a few weeks just down south, but if you only have a week trip advisor attractions are pretty good.

>>1098528
That's awesome, I'm heading to Vietnam today with my gf also.
Are there a lot of Russians in Vietnam?

In Saigon there's a park right across the "backpacker " street, you know the one where 90% of all the hotels are. Well, in that park if you just sit on a bench you'll soon be approached by local students who want to practice their english. It's kinda fun. You can ask them stuff. But be prepared that they'll recommend you the most touristy staff first. They think that, since that's where all the tourists go, those must be the places that tourists like. On the other hand, they are sort of shy to tell you about the places they go to themselves. OK you get the idea.

>>1098603

For some reason they concentrate in Nha Trang. Signs there are Russian first, English second, and Vietnamese third. Every restaurant there would hand me Russian menus first.

>>1098662

You can do the same thing in Hanoi at the turtle lake.