Things to know before going to Vietnam

Vietnam is a beautiful country of rice fields, water buffalo, nice people and great food, but before you travel to the country, read our Top 17 things to know before you travel to Vietnam.

Beware of counterfeit travel agencies

The Vietnamese are very nice and honest yet there are always dishonest people like everywhere in the world.

It is sad to see in the travel forums the exchange of bad experiences of travelers who made Vietnam, it is true that scams and scams are a persistent problem in Vietnam .

Counterfeit travel agencies are not the exception. It kills the country’s tourism and it annoys us …

Counterfeiting hits hard on tourism, ranging from airline ticket booking offices to fake stores, as well as tourist agencies.

Fake agencies use the name of a well-known reputable agency or company to sell their products, obviously of inferior quality and without warranty.

For the moment, they do not seem very dangerous but it spoils the trip. Just try to book your tour with a real reputable agency.

Watch your belongings

Be very careful when walking around the big cities in Vietnam.

There are quite a few pickpockets in Vietnam and many of them are on the lookout for naive and distracted tourists, who don’t keep their eyes on their belongings.

Tip: Keep your bag and camera in front of you and always close to your body. Don’t make yourself an easy target by being distracted when visiting sites.

Be aware of your surroundings and surroundings. Read this article in the same topic

In Vietnam, knowing how to negotiate is imperative

This is something that is difficult for you Europeans to understand. You are used to a fixed price for everything

Remember that in Vietnam it is normal for locals to overcharge or inflate the prices when they think they can get more money for something.

This is happening here in Vietnam long before the arrival of tourists.

This is the normal way small transactions take place in Vietnam.

It happens every day. Be careful, educate yourself and know that …

Bargaining is a convivial ritual procedure, in Vietnamese it is the rule.

We must negotiate for everyone and everywhere without exception. Knowing how to haggle is advised as you will almost always have a tourist price.

Usually when a salesperson sees your handbag, they assess whether you are a rich or poor traveler before giving you the price.

Tips 

For the first purchase, do not haggle right away, but visit the neighboring stores, they of course have the same things you are looking for, in the same color, same size, same material, so take a tour of 3-4 shops for an idea of ​​price. It will take you time but will help you determine the right seat and the right price.

If you start business with sellers, in the next store you like, start with half the price offered by the seller. Wait with patience! If the place is touristy like Hanoi, Hoi An or Ho chi Minh city, the price is often doubled! It’s 100% sure, so lower the price by 50% to start. Then continue to haggle according to the seller’s attitude until you and the seller come up with a good price

Vietnamese wear their houses on their motorcycles

Ok, so maybe the Vietnamese can’t haul an entire house on their motorcycles, but if there was a country that could, we bet the Vietnamese would be the first to try.

The Vietnamese are crazy about their motorcycles!

In fact, one of the things that makes Vietnam very unique from any country in Southeast Asia is that Vietnamese people carry a lot of things on their motorcycles, from a mountain of caged chickens to wooden sofas… things that will do your thing. jaw drop.