FAQ
- I will keep this updated. Reply with FAQ info/topics and ill add it.
Vanrangsit Truong - Any one who travel by air(Tan son Nhat airport). Pls note that they are building up a new bridge from September 2016 to March 2017, so the traffic is terrible, adjust your time accordingly especially if its during rush hour.
1. Jeremy Canuto
Having spent the last 4 days at Cho Ray hospital assisting some members of our staff (in separate accidents!) I would urge you all to do 4 things:
A. Buy a REAL helmet. With a cheap one you may as well not have one at all.
B. Buy insurance. For the sake of a couple of hundred dollars you could avoid a mountain of hospital bills and rehab costs.
C. Get a license. Without one your insurance is NOT valid and they will refuse to pay out for anything.
D. Make sure in your wallet there is a contact number
2. Use only reputable taxi's such as Vinasun, Mailinh and uber. You will be able to find Vinasun stand at the airport upon arrival to VN by going to the departure level (top level)and going to the far right upon exit.
Jon Gilkison - You can get Vinasun and Mailinh on arrival level on the far left now.
Linh Tran - Uber or Grab (taxi, car, bike - bike is VERY cheap), and you can pay in cash for Grab, as well as knowing the exact price you will have to pay.
3. If staying longterm, you will need to register with the police ward in your area. If staying at a hotel, the hotel will handle it. If renting a place, usualy hte landlord will but not always. You will need to register if you plan to extend your visa.
4. There are a lot of snatchers about. Do not talk on your phone in the open or have your belongings like purses laying about or even hanging by your side ever.
5. Anh Le - "No valuable in the check in luggage when traveling in and out of Vietnam" those suckers working the luggage line are the scums of the earth
Ambulance
- http://www.vnh.com.vn/vi/dich-vu/dich-vu-cho-thue-chuyen.php
- http://www.vietnammedicalpractice.com/…/24-hour-ambulance-…/
- called EMR service and can call it by dialing *9999 by Family Hospital
Ant problem
- Borax is called 'hàn the' in VN. It can be found in any basic street shop that sells soda's, detergents, candy breads etc.
- You can also use an alternative, ' axit boric ' which is boric acid which is sold in pharmacies.
1/2 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons Borax and 1 1/2 cups warm water and dispense with cotton balls or paper towels
Airport shuttle/bus
- Two dedicated Airport Shuttle buses to popular District 1 destinations including to Ben Thanh bus station near the market. The 152 costs between 30 cents and a dollar, depending on the amount of luggage you have. And the new airport shuttles cost between 12 000 and 40 000 VND (< $2), regardless of how much luggage you have.
- Route 109 from the Airport to District 1. It terminates at Park 23/9, right near Pham Ngu Lao backpacker district and goes via Ben Thanh Bus station (it leaves from the same platform as the 152 at this station) They run every 15-20 minutes between 5:30 am and 1:30 am, cost for one-way trip is 20,000 dong and the entire journey takes approximately 45 minutes.
ATM
- Max withdraws - 5mil in ANZ, 8mil in citi bank, 12 million max HSBC, 10 mill commonwealth
- Joe Attard-Owen ATM - MB allows multiple withdrawals of 2m with no ATM fees (Tested on UK Mastercard)
- Claudio Karjalainen
HSBC 5.6Mn
Citibank 8Mn
BIDV 3Mn without local fees
VCB gives as well 2Mn without fees
Babies - half viet/foreigner
- The hospital will provide a record of the birth, which you can take to the appropriate VN government office to register for the VN birth certificate. Foreign countries will then accept the VN birth certificate when applying for the babies foreign passport and birth certificate. I have heard that if both parents are from the same country it is possible to take the hospital record directly to the consulate and have a birth certificate from your home country.
Banks - Oct 2016
- ACB allows VND account with passport only and debit card for use for international and online. with the new law, sometimes they do, sometimes they dont. .
-Joel Marold - Citibank
:) zero fees and better rate than the best rate here which is a gold shop
- Mary Brady - Just opened at Shinhan. Passport only, issued a visa debit card immediately and have been using it online no problem
- Mick Rasmussen No problems depositing money at ANZ, no questions asked. You can't use their Visa debit cards for online payments. only payments to other Vietnamese bank accounts
Barber Shop - Hair / Beard
-A Cut Above - 90/10 Quoc Huong Thao Dien Q2 +841228875413
-BarberShop Vũ Trí - Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Q3
-Liem Barbor Shop - 79 Nguyễn Sơn Hà Phường 5 Quận 3 +84 96 695 51 33
-Urban Style Salon - For salon hair - 10 Đường, số 9, phường 4, Quận 4 +84 90 898 28 93
Bedsheets
- https://www.facebook.com/tramlinescreations/
- https://www.facebook.com/youngricedrap/?hc_location=ufi
- https://www.facebook.com/beddinggallery/?hc_location=ufi
Bus - city
-Jennifer Foster - you can also go to busmap.vn and download the Saigon Bus map with the routes and schedules and up to date bus locations
- Jennifer Foster - buyttphcm.com.vn is the official bus site. It has so much information, a map of every route and a separate map for each route with the address and visual of every stop, the hours of operation and any news/updates on new or modified routes. It's in Vietnamese, but once you figure out where a few things are and/or translate it, it's very, very useful.
- Scott Sommerville - TripGo is a very useful app if you want to get around the city by bus.
- Nutiteq app
-BusMap - Xe buyt thanh pho app
Bus travel
- Futa
- Giant Ibis Bus
- My Mekong Express
- Phuong Trang
- The Sinh Tourist - beware of imposters
BBQ grills
- Saigon BBQs
- Yersin Market
- Meatworks D2
Cell Phones - to change to english
- Vietel - Christian Krüper - Dial 900 and press 3 when the voice starts, press 2 (to select English) and press 1 to confirm the change.
- Mobi - David Clary Brillian - dial 900. Then press 5. Then press 1. You then have to confirm by pressing 1 and quit by pressing 2
-Vinaphone - Leszek Mitraszewski Dial 900 . On the first menu press 4 (entering the language menu), second menu press 2 (select English), third menu press 1 to confirm.
- Stop ads on Mobi - text “TC” to 9241.
. Vinaphone: TC send 18001091
. Viettel: TC send 199
- http://vietcetera.com/the-complete-guide-getting-a-sim-car…/
- Stop spam on super sims
Linh Tran Click on your Apps Logo on the right corner.
Find an App name: Super SIM and click on that.
Click on LiveInfor, select Bat/Tat D.vu then Tat (Turn Off), select OK.
Cheap flights
- Expedia
- Kayak
- momondo
- skyscanner
Once you know the cheapest airline, its recommended you check the airline directly for prices also.
Chiropractor
- François Babelaere - ACC American Chiropractic Clinic on hai ba trung street
- Serge Yurovsky - you can add Maple clinic in d7 as chiropractor
- Thomas Dixon Chiropractor - Dr. Bill, APT Clinic. 9B Phung Khac Khoan, District 1. Phone: 0909221388.(Bill has 20+ years of experience running his own clinic in the states, I go to him and I think he does a pretty damn fine job)
-https://www.facebook.com/maplehealthcare/?hc_location=ufi
Contact lenses
- Jade White - Pearl plaza and Parkson have some contact lenses
Criminal background check for the UK
-http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/
-https://www.acro.police.uk/police_certificates.aspx
-https://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/basicdisclosureonline/
Dentist
- Dental Hospital - State owned - 201A Nguyen Chi Thanh Street – District 5 - Ho Chi Minh City (84 – 8) 855 6732
- Dental Hospital - State owned - 263-265 Tran Hung Dao 84 383 60 191 - 383 77 584
- FV hospital - 6 Nguyen Luong Bang Street, Saigon South, District 7 (84-8) 54 11 33 33 - speaks great englis
- Nha Khoa Thuy - 128 Truong Vinh Ky P. Tan Son Nhi, Q Tan Phu 0838426187 0903369653 - speaks decent english
-Tran Phan - Nhung Nguoi Ban on Ba Hat street, Dist 10. Dr. Duyen. 0918698574. I recommend her because of great consultance, good English and reasonable price
- West Coast Dental 27 Nguyen Trung St. Dist 1, HCMC, tel (848)38256999
- Alexandre Le Guyader - best dental clinic in Q7 is Sakura Dental Clinic
Driver License
- VN currently accepts international license though cops will play dumb or not know but the law was effective from Jan 1st 2015 in VN
- supposedly you can obtain a international driver license from VN from this website http://www.drvn.gov.vn/web/guest [If anyone who reads Vietnamese well can confirm and direct us how as the english section is non existent]
- Translate your countrys Driver License into a Vietnamese Driver License. Will only be vallid until your current Vietnam Visa expires.
1. One copy of your passport with the photo page and the visa page (both visa and passport need to be valid).
2. One copy of your existing driving license, with a translated and notarized version. Go to Government Translation Office at 47 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1, HCMC (corner opposite Diamond Plaza). Go to counter No. 1 and ask for your driver’s license to be translated into Vietnamese.
3. Three passport size photos (3x4)
4. Go to HCMC Transportation Office 252 Ly Chinh Thang street, ward 9, district 3 fill out form and submit. 135,000 VND processing fee
- Unexpired Vietnamese Driver license - you need to take the written test which is in vietnamese (no help/translator allowed)and the driving test.
- convert your driver license into an international driving permit in vn. You will need a valid driver’s license, passport, and permanent residence card. It states that the driver license must be vietnamese but unsure. We will know more as time passes or in Oct 2015 when VN starts issuing these permits. The max time will be 3 years.
- https://www.facebook.com/vnlicense - can help you get a real unexpired license
- A2 unexpired license - Rod: 0963 400 643 or 0934 932 360
Earplugs
- http://www.lazada.vn/bo-50-cap-nut-bit-tai-macks-ultra-nau-…
- Hachi Hachi http://www.hachihachi.com.vn/Lien-he
- Jean Leandro Nevares Most pharmacies have. I bought mine at the one opposite Go2 bar on the corner of Bui Vien and De Tham streets.
Electricity
3-4.000 VND is common price per unit , Oct 2016
owners/landlords get one bill for the building so tiered pricing doesnt work. Depending on your outlook, some are making extra money off elec rates they charge or using it to pay for communal electricity like the kitchen etc.
Foreign Food
- 58 or 60 ham nghi street are popular stores that have resonable prices for pantry goods
- Annam Gourmet Market 16-18 Hai Ba Trung, Q1 3822 9332
41A Thao Dien, Q2 3744 2630
- Classic Fine Foods Vietnam N.17, Street 12 , Binh An ward, District 2, 8 3740 7105 / 06 / 07
- Kim Hai Butchers 41 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Q1 3821 6057
- VEGGY's Behind New World Hotel, Q1 3823 8526
- Meatworks No.1 Street 2, Thao Dien Ward, District 2 (+848) 3744 2565
-Alexandre Le Guyader - Giant (Q7) is the best supermarket for expats in Saigon
Funerals
- Yes its noisy all night long; we all hate it, just suck it up for the 3-5 days or stay in a hotel during that time.
Housemaid /Nanny recommended by members
- No name - 01265143683
- Thanhvan Nguyen - 01227446679 email: nhuthao3003@yahoo.com
- Ms Lài - 01645456323
- Ms Loan +84 93 375 17 39
Housemaid Companies
- www.btaskee.com
- www.dependableprogress.com/
- My Little Maid - 0166 2299 663
-Dependable Progress Company - 4 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Ða Kao , District 1 +84 (0)125 361 2712, +84 (0)8 7304 5009
Housing
just know you will be paying a surcharge if using an agent
-www.placeinsaigon.com Bryan Le is extremely popular in this group probably for a reason. 0909012328 email: Info@placeinsaigon.com
- https://www.facebook.com/bigcheeseapartment - Thomas Matt - speaks english 0934182301 Many have mentioned him as a great landlord
- http://www.cbrevietnam.com/
- http://chothuesaigon.net/
-https://www.facebook.com/profile.php…
- https://www.facebook.com/expatrealtyservices/…
- craiglist
it is recomended you have a viet friend or significant other who is vietnamese to do all the walk throughs/negotiations as the renter usually raises the price when dealing with foreigners.
Interpreter
- Simply call and the operator will act as two way interpreter for you. (+84) 0122 843 6883. 8AM - 9PM all days. 3000VND/min standard rate. From 5PM to 9PM it's 5000VND/min.
Jewelry
- Vy the owner makes excellent jewelry praised by many expats
Made by Mum
175 De Tham, Q1 and 31T Cao Ba Nha, Q1
+84 98 535 49 04
Job search
- http://www.careerjet.vn/
- Craiglist
- http://eslcafe.com/
- http://www.expat-blog.com/…/a…/vietnam/language-teacher.html
- http://www.hoteljob.vn/Home/HotelJob/
- http://www.jobstreet.com/
- Saigon Teachers a FB group
- http://www.vietnamworks.com/
- https://www.workinasia.net/
- https://career.vn/
Marriage
- Marry in Vietnam - Foriegner spouse - Get Affidavit of Single Status (Certificate of Non Impediment), Birth Certificate, Health and Mental check and photocopy of passport. Bring all papers to Ministry office and Foreign office to legalize/notarize it. Send or bring all papers to VN for translation and legalization/notarized again or you can send it to a VN embassy in your country. Vietnamese spouse - Certificate of Non Impediment (Affidavit of Single Status) from home town, Birth Certificate, Health and Mental check, Photocopy of So Ho Khau and Photocopy of ID card. Bring all paper to Ministry Office of the vietname spouse hometown and apply for marriage doc. Set up interview date ( this step could be ending eventually) Pictures/videos and the like of being together will help.
Mechanic
- Jose Tuset - This guy is the best and cheapest Mechanic in saigon. He speaks English perfectly 01207664650
Money exchange
- any gold shop but 86 mac thi buoi is very popular due to best rates
Moped renting
- https://www.facebook.com/tigitmotorbikes/?hc_location=ufi highly recommended
- Chi's cafe 84 8 3836 7622
- Motorbike Rental 3.837 – 4916
- Saigon Scooter Centre 3.844 – 7816
- Saigon Wheels 0995145465
-https://www.facebook.com/motoHQsaigon/?fref=ts
It is recommended you never let the establishment never know where you live so that means you should go and pick up the moped yourself and input a false address due to rental places can go and steal your rental with a copy of the key. You will usually also have a choice to hand over your passport or a deposit. Passport prob isnt the best idea.
Movers
- Stuart Jones - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1281748945191907&set=p.1281748945191907&type=3&theater
- Raymond Lee - http://vinamoves.com/ Run by long term expat in Saigon
- Corie Sovereign - Download "Aha Move" App
- Astrid Matarrita - 0903782646. does transportation and packing.
- Cody Bouscaren - 0854 360 360, 0839 876 876, 0862 909 090
Notary
- notarized at the us embassy
- Mary Ann Aimglobalvietnam Contact this guy +84 121 277 0856,,, their office located in Hai Ba Trung... reliable... he does pick up and deliver documents too.
- Van Phòng Cong Chung Sai Gon - 136 Nguyen Thai Binh, Quan 1
- district 1 popular committee 47 Le Duan, Ben Nghe, Quan 1 - note : Some government notaries (i.e. District 1 committee) will not notarized certain documents that some how fall outside of their jurisdiction.
Onward Travel
- it has to do with the airlines being responsible and paying for your return trip if you are refused entry and nothing to do with Immigration.
- Many are never asked about it when checking in at the airport which doesnt mean you wont be ask either. Your choice in buying onward travel or not is up to you. You weigh the risk.
- You can buy a fix for 10usd at https://flyonward.com/en/ or buy a ticket from sites like travelocity before you leave. They offer 24 hr cancellation.
Passport
-USA no longer adds pages. Must get a new passport.
-Go to immigration to have your VN visa transferred over. New visa with exactly the same info. Should cost 10usd.
Postal codes VN
-Scott Sommerville - http://mmowm.blogspot.com/…/zippostal-codema-buu-chinh-cac-…
Resident Card
- Stevie Yip - Go to 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, get application form/folder (10k vnd), the rest is self explanatory
Restaurants
- Tripadvisor is your friend
- Michael Brent - Foodies in Saigon (HCMC) is also your friend(s)!
Searching within this group
- on the right under the groups banner is a search field you can find info on what ever it is youre about to post. Odds are; it has been discussed countless times. .
Shipping company
- An Nam - http://annamcargo.com/service.html
- Asian Tigers - http://www.asiantigers-japan.com/
- Crown - https://www.crownrelo.com/en-us/country/vietnam
- DHL
- Fed Ex
- Santa Fe - http://www.santaferelo.com/
- UPS
- Vietnam post office - deemed unreliable and untrustworthy but could be okay with non valuable items. 360k for the first kg, and 120k/kg after that.
Shoes
Custom
- ManGii - 7/9B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, district 1. Phone: 0981099448
- Thanh Dung - 150A Ly Chinh Thang, District 3
Non Custom
- Factory Outlet - 212B/D90 Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward
+84 90 737 47 57
Sports Bars that play western games on tv
Game On, Shrine, Phattys, Kim's.
Universal and Orient - they both stay open late
Jakes BBQ is a good place to watch the replay
Storage
- Des Smith - https://www.facebook.com/Saigonstorage/
Suits
200+ range
- Nhut Tailor on Le Thanh Ton Directly opposite of Dung Tailor rec by the admin whom is pretty picky
- Cooper & Co 53 Nguyễn Tất Thành, Phường 13 +84 90 779 03 45
Both ranges
- http://www.houseofbrijuni.com
150 range
- Harmonie 60 Mac Thi Buoi 0902 552 312
- Chuong Tailor 270 Hai Ba Trung Str D1
-Phuoc tailor on 241 De Tham st
Supplies
- Dan Sinh Market. 104 Yersin St. they have everything kitchen and household related not found in regular shops.
Tattoo
- Saigon Ink
- Monster Ink
- https://www.facebook.com/bob.tattoo.sg…
- http://vincykat.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/fionatattooartist/
- https://www.facebook.com/ExileInkVietnam/
- https://www.facebook.com/Bloodshot-Eye-Tattoo-Shop-9273390…/
Teaching in VN
- its usually believed that CELTA over TESOL. In class over online.
- ILA and Apollo are recommended schools to get certificate in VN.
- ILA, Apollo and VUS are schools that do not discriminante.
- requirements - Bachelor’s degree, CELTA/TESOL certificate. Criminal background check but not always required depending on school. Native speaker and white a big plus.
Visa
-Linh Tran seems to be very popular. Prob popular for a reason
linhtran@vncy.vn 0906776919 - Hes also a lawyer if you ever need one
- Join Vietnam Visa Agents facebook group
- Chi Cafe 84 8 3836 7622
- Johnny Le 0912 565 368
- Phatman Visa Mr Phat Dang, 090 831 1294
-Voavietnam.net
- Joeri Renkema - April 2016 - For the newbies here, this might help if you want to stay here longer (VISA RUN CAMBODIA - 104$)
1. Apply for letter of approval ($30*)
2. Take bus 703 between Pham ngu lao and le lai street to Moc Bai border ($2, 40k vnd)
3. Leave Vietnam
4. Enter Cambodia (visa on arrival, $35)
5. Don't waste money at the casinos
6. Exit Cambodia
7. Enter Vietnam (visa on arrival, show letter; $30)
8. Go back to Saigon (bus 703, $2)
Note: perhaps if you dont mention once entering Cambodia that you only come for a visa run you only have to pay $30 for the visa.
Also I was in the understanding that the Vietnamese (3 month single) visa was 25 usd, but maybe it changed or just ordinary Vietnamese corruption.. On the way back you can also take a random bus to HCMC, max $5.
Take about 6 hours for the whole trip. Have fun. Or just book a flight to Bangkok.
How much does it cost to live here
- Bare minimum to live here independently in a non poor state is 500usd/month. Thats with no luxuries or any kind of frills though and everything is still clean and you eat a balanced cheap meal etc.
- rent 150, food 100, visa 50, utilities 25, misc 175
- You can easily go cheaper but you start to drift into the uncomfortable realm; also the skys the limit if you want to spend more.
- Average spending per month would be 700-1000 for the average joe expat; more if you have higher expectations. Living with a significant other and sharing cost is obviously cheaper.
- I will keep this updated. Reply with FAQ info/topics and ill add it.
Vanrangsit Truong - Any one who travel by air(Tan son Nhat airport). Pls note that they are building up a new bridge from September 2016 to March 2017, so the traffic is terrible, adjust your time accordingly especially if its during rush hour.
1. Jeremy Canuto
Having spent the last 4 days at Cho Ray hospital assisting some members of our staff (in separate accidents!) I would urge you all to do 4 things:
A. Buy a REAL helmet. With a cheap one you may as well not have one at all.
B. Buy insurance. For the sake of a couple of hundred dollars you could avoid a mountain of hospital bills and rehab costs.
C. Get a license. Without one your insurance is NOT valid and they will refuse to pay out for anything.
D. Make sure in your wallet there is a contact number
2. Use only reputable taxi's such as Vinasun, Mailinh and uber. You will be able to find Vinasun stand at the airport upon arrival to VN by going to the departure level (top level)and going to the far right upon exit.
Jon Gilkison - You can get Vinasun and Mailinh on arrival level on the far left now.
Linh Tran - Uber or Grab (taxi, car, bike - bike is VERY cheap), and you can pay in cash for Grab, as well as knowing the exact price you will have to pay.
3. If staying longterm, you will need to register with the police ward in your area. If staying at a hotel, the hotel will handle it. If renting a place, usualy hte landlord will but not always. You will need to register if you plan to extend your visa.
4. There are a lot of snatchers about. Do not talk on your phone in the open or have your belongings like purses laying about or even hanging by your side ever.
5. Anh Le - "No valuable in the check in luggage when traveling in and out of Vietnam" those suckers working the luggage line are the scums of the earth
Ambulance
- http://www.vnh.com.vn/vi/dich-vu/dich-vu-cho-thue-chuyen.php
- http://www.vietnammedicalpractice.com/…/24-hour-ambulance-…/
- called EMR service and can call it by dialing *9999 by Family Hospital
Ant problem
- Borax is called 'hàn the' in VN. It can be found in any basic street shop that sells soda's, detergents, candy breads etc.
- You can also use an alternative, ' axit boric ' which is boric acid which is sold in pharmacies.
1/2 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons Borax and 1 1/2 cups warm water and dispense with cotton balls or paper towels
Airport shuttle/bus
- Two dedicated Airport Shuttle buses to popular District 1 destinations including to Ben Thanh bus station near the market. The 152 costs between 30 cents and a dollar, depending on the amount of luggage you have. And the new airport shuttles cost between 12 000 and 40 000 VND (< $2), regardless of how much luggage you have.
- Route 109 from the Airport to District 1. It terminates at Park 23/9, right near Pham Ngu Lao backpacker district and goes via Ben Thanh Bus station (it leaves from the same platform as the 152 at this station) They run every 15-20 minutes between 5:30 am and 1:30 am, cost for one-way trip is 20,000 dong and the entire journey takes approximately 45 minutes.
ATM
- Max withdraws - 5mil in ANZ, 8mil in citi bank, 12 million max HSBC, 10 mill commonwealth
- Joe Attard-Owen ATM - MB allows multiple withdrawals of 2m with no ATM fees (Tested on UK Mastercard)
- Claudio Karjalainen
HSBC 5.6Mn
Citibank 8Mn
BIDV 3Mn without local fees
VCB gives as well 2Mn without fees
Babies - half viet/foreigner
- The hospital will provide a record of the birth, which you can take to the appropriate VN government office to register for the VN birth certificate. Foreign countries will then accept the VN birth certificate when applying for the babies foreign passport and birth certificate. I have heard that if both parents are from the same country it is possible to take the hospital record directly to the consulate and have a birth certificate from your home country.
Banks - Oct 2016
- ACB allows VND account with passport only and debit card for use for international and online. with the new law, sometimes they do, sometimes they dont. .
-Joel Marold - Citibank
:) zero fees and better rate than the best rate here which is a gold shop- Mary Brady - Just opened at Shinhan. Passport only, issued a visa debit card immediately and have been using it online no problem
- Mick Rasmussen No problems depositing money at ANZ, no questions asked. You can't use their Visa debit cards for online payments. only payments to other Vietnamese bank accounts
Barber Shop - Hair / Beard
-A Cut Above - 90/10 Quoc Huong Thao Dien Q2 +841228875413
-BarberShop Vũ Trí - Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Q3
-Liem Barbor Shop - 79 Nguyễn Sơn Hà Phường 5 Quận 3 +84 96 695 51 33
-Urban Style Salon - For salon hair - 10 Đường, số 9, phường 4, Quận 4 +84 90 898 28 93
Bedsheets
- https://www.facebook.com/tramlinescreations/
- https://www.facebook.com/youngricedrap/?hc_location=ufi
- https://www.facebook.com/beddinggallery/?hc_location=ufi
Bus - city
-Jennifer Foster - you can also go to busmap.vn and download the Saigon Bus map with the routes and schedules and up to date bus locations
- Jennifer Foster - buyttphcm.com.vn is the official bus site. It has so much information, a map of every route and a separate map for each route with the address and visual of every stop, the hours of operation and any news/updates on new or modified routes. It's in Vietnamese, but once you figure out where a few things are and/or translate it, it's very, very useful.
- Scott Sommerville - TripGo is a very useful app if you want to get around the city by bus.
- Nutiteq app
-BusMap - Xe buyt thanh pho app
Bus travel
- Futa
- Giant Ibis Bus
- My Mekong Express
- Phuong Trang
- The Sinh Tourist - beware of imposters
BBQ grills
- Saigon BBQs
- Yersin Market
- Meatworks D2
Cell Phones - to change to english
- Vietel - Christian Krüper - Dial 900 and press 3 when the voice starts, press 2 (to select English) and press 1 to confirm the change.
- Mobi - David Clary Brillian - dial 900. Then press 5. Then press 1. You then have to confirm by pressing 1 and quit by pressing 2
-Vinaphone - Leszek Mitraszewski Dial 900 . On the first menu press 4 (entering the language menu), second menu press 2 (select English), third menu press 1 to confirm.
- Stop ads on Mobi - text “TC” to 9241.
. Vinaphone: TC send 18001091
. Viettel: TC send 199
- http://vietcetera.com/the-complete-guide-getting-a-sim-car…/
- Stop spam on super sims
Linh Tran Click on your Apps Logo on the right corner.
Find an App name: Super SIM and click on that.
Click on LiveInfor, select Bat/Tat D.vu then Tat (Turn Off), select OK.
Cheap flights
- Expedia
- Kayak
- momondo
- skyscanner
Once you know the cheapest airline, its recommended you check the airline directly for prices also.
Chiropractor
- François Babelaere - ACC American Chiropractic Clinic on hai ba trung street
- Serge Yurovsky - you can add Maple clinic in d7 as chiropractor
- Thomas Dixon Chiropractor - Dr. Bill, APT Clinic. 9B Phung Khac Khoan, District 1. Phone: 0909221388.(Bill has 20+ years of experience running his own clinic in the states, I go to him and I think he does a pretty damn fine job)
-https://www.facebook.com/maplehealthcare/?hc_location=ufi
Contact lenses
- Jade White - Pearl plaza and Parkson have some contact lenses
Criminal background check for the UK
-http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/
-https://www.acro.police.uk/police_certificates.aspx
-https://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/basicdisclosureonline/
Dentist
- Dental Hospital - State owned - 201A Nguyen Chi Thanh Street – District 5 - Ho Chi Minh City (84 – 8) 855 6732
- Dental Hospital - State owned - 263-265 Tran Hung Dao 84 383 60 191 - 383 77 584
- FV hospital - 6 Nguyen Luong Bang Street, Saigon South, District 7 (84-8) 54 11 33 33 - speaks great englis
- Nha Khoa Thuy - 128 Truong Vinh Ky P. Tan Son Nhi, Q Tan Phu 0838426187 0903369653 - speaks decent english
-Tran Phan - Nhung Nguoi Ban on Ba Hat street, Dist 10. Dr. Duyen. 0918698574. I recommend her because of great consultance, good English and reasonable price
- West Coast Dental 27 Nguyen Trung St. Dist 1, HCMC, tel (848)38256999
- Alexandre Le Guyader - best dental clinic in Q7 is Sakura Dental Clinic
Driver License
- VN currently accepts international license though cops will play dumb or not know but the law was effective from Jan 1st 2015 in VN
- supposedly you can obtain a international driver license from VN from this website http://www.drvn.gov.vn/web/guest [If anyone who reads Vietnamese well can confirm and direct us how as the english section is non existent]
- Translate your countrys Driver License into a Vietnamese Driver License. Will only be vallid until your current Vietnam Visa expires.
1. One copy of your passport with the photo page and the visa page (both visa and passport need to be valid).
2. One copy of your existing driving license, with a translated and notarized version. Go to Government Translation Office at 47 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1, HCMC (corner opposite Diamond Plaza). Go to counter No. 1 and ask for your driver’s license to be translated into Vietnamese.
3. Three passport size photos (3x4)
4. Go to HCMC Transportation Office 252 Ly Chinh Thang street, ward 9, district 3 fill out form and submit. 135,000 VND processing fee
- Unexpired Vietnamese Driver license - you need to take the written test which is in vietnamese (no help/translator allowed)and the driving test.
- convert your driver license into an international driving permit in vn. You will need a valid driver’s license, passport, and permanent residence card. It states that the driver license must be vietnamese but unsure. We will know more as time passes or in Oct 2015 when VN starts issuing these permits. The max time will be 3 years.
- https://www.facebook.com/vnlicense - can help you get a real unexpired license
- A2 unexpired license - Rod: 0963 400 643 or 0934 932 360
Earplugs
- http://www.lazada.vn/bo-50-cap-nut-bit-tai-macks-ultra-nau-…
- Hachi Hachi http://www.hachihachi.com.vn/Lien-he
- Jean Leandro Nevares Most pharmacies have. I bought mine at the one opposite Go2 bar on the corner of Bui Vien and De Tham streets.
Electricity
3-4.000 VND is common price per unit , Oct 2016
owners/landlords get one bill for the building so tiered pricing doesnt work. Depending on your outlook, some are making extra money off elec rates they charge or using it to pay for communal electricity like the kitchen etc.
Foreign Food
- 58 or 60 ham nghi street are popular stores that have resonable prices for pantry goods
- Annam Gourmet Market 16-18 Hai Ba Trung, Q1 3822 9332
41A Thao Dien, Q2 3744 2630
- Classic Fine Foods Vietnam N.17, Street 12 , Binh An ward, District 2, 8 3740 7105 / 06 / 07
- Kim Hai Butchers 41 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Q1 3821 6057
- VEGGY's Behind New World Hotel, Q1 3823 8526
- Meatworks No.1 Street 2, Thao Dien Ward, District 2 (+848) 3744 2565
-Alexandre Le Guyader - Giant (Q7) is the best supermarket for expats in Saigon
Funerals
- Yes its noisy all night long; we all hate it, just suck it up for the 3-5 days or stay in a hotel during that time.
Housemaid /Nanny recommended by members
- No name - 01265143683
- Thanhvan Nguyen - 01227446679 email: nhuthao3003@yahoo.com
- Ms Lài - 01645456323
- Ms Loan +84 93 375 17 39
Housemaid Companies
- www.btaskee.com
- www.dependableprogress.com/
- My Little Maid - 0166 2299 663
-Dependable Progress Company - 4 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Ða Kao , District 1 +84 (0)125 361 2712, +84 (0)8 7304 5009
Housing
just know you will be paying a surcharge if using an agent
-www.placeinsaigon.com Bryan Le is extremely popular in this group probably for a reason. 0909012328 email: Info@placeinsaigon.com
- https://www.facebook.com/bigcheeseapartment - Thomas Matt - speaks english 0934182301 Many have mentioned him as a great landlord
- http://www.cbrevietnam.com/
- http://chothuesaigon.net/
-https://www.facebook.com/profile.php…
- https://www.facebook.com/expatrealtyservices/…
- craiglist
it is recomended you have a viet friend or significant other who is vietnamese to do all the walk throughs/negotiations as the renter usually raises the price when dealing with foreigners.
Interpreter
- Simply call and the operator will act as two way interpreter for you. (+84) 0122 843 6883. 8AM - 9PM all days. 3000VND/min standard rate. From 5PM to 9PM it's 5000VND/min.
Jewelry
- Vy the owner makes excellent jewelry praised by many expats
Made by Mum
175 De Tham, Q1 and 31T Cao Ba Nha, Q1
+84 98 535 49 04
Job search
- http://www.careerjet.vn/
- Craiglist
- http://eslcafe.com/
- http://www.expat-blog.com/…/a…/vietnam/language-teacher.html
- http://www.hoteljob.vn/Home/HotelJob/
- http://www.jobstreet.com/
- Saigon Teachers a FB group
- http://www.vietnamworks.com/
- https://www.workinasia.net/
- https://career.vn/
Marriage
- Marry in Vietnam - Foriegner spouse - Get Affidavit of Single Status (Certificate of Non Impediment), Birth Certificate, Health and Mental check and photocopy of passport. Bring all papers to Ministry office and Foreign office to legalize/notarize it. Send or bring all papers to VN for translation and legalization/notarized again or you can send it to a VN embassy in your country. Vietnamese spouse - Certificate of Non Impediment (Affidavit of Single Status) from home town, Birth Certificate, Health and Mental check, Photocopy of So Ho Khau and Photocopy of ID card. Bring all paper to Ministry Office of the vietname spouse hometown and apply for marriage doc. Set up interview date ( this step could be ending eventually) Pictures/videos and the like of being together will help.
Mechanic
- Jose Tuset - This guy is the best and cheapest Mechanic in saigon. He speaks English perfectly 01207664650
Money exchange
- any gold shop but 86 mac thi buoi is very popular due to best rates
Moped renting
- https://www.facebook.com/tigitmotorbikes/?hc_location=ufi highly recommended
- Chi's cafe 84 8 3836 7622
- Motorbike Rental 3.837 – 4916
- Saigon Scooter Centre 3.844 – 7816
- Saigon Wheels 0995145465
-https://www.facebook.com/motoHQsaigon/?fref=ts
It is recommended you never let the establishment never know where you live so that means you should go and pick up the moped yourself and input a false address due to rental places can go and steal your rental with a copy of the key. You will usually also have a choice to hand over your passport or a deposit. Passport prob isnt the best idea.
Movers
- Stuart Jones - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1281748945191907&set=p.1281748945191907&type=3&theater
- Raymond Lee - http://vinamoves.com/ Run by long term expat in Saigon
- Corie Sovereign - Download "Aha Move" App
- Astrid Matarrita - 0903782646. does transportation and packing.
- Cody Bouscaren - 0854 360 360, 0839 876 876, 0862 909 090
Notary
- notarized at the us embassy
- Mary Ann Aimglobalvietnam Contact this guy +84 121 277 0856,,, their office located in Hai Ba Trung... reliable... he does pick up and deliver documents too.
- Van Phòng Cong Chung Sai Gon - 136 Nguyen Thai Binh, Quan 1
- district 1 popular committee 47 Le Duan, Ben Nghe, Quan 1 - note : Some government notaries (i.e. District 1 committee) will not notarized certain documents that some how fall outside of their jurisdiction.
Onward Travel
- it has to do with the airlines being responsible and paying for your return trip if you are refused entry and nothing to do with Immigration.
- Many are never asked about it when checking in at the airport which doesnt mean you wont be ask either. Your choice in buying onward travel or not is up to you. You weigh the risk.
- You can buy a fix for 10usd at https://flyonward.com/en/ or buy a ticket from sites like travelocity before you leave. They offer 24 hr cancellation.
Passport
-USA no longer adds pages. Must get a new passport.
-Go to immigration to have your VN visa transferred over. New visa with exactly the same info. Should cost 10usd.
Postal codes VN
-Scott Sommerville - http://mmowm.blogspot.com/…/zippostal-codema-buu-chinh-cac-…
Resident Card
- Stevie Yip - Go to 196 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, get application form/folder (10k vnd), the rest is self explanatory
Restaurants
- Tripadvisor is your friend
- Michael Brent - Foodies in Saigon (HCMC) is also your friend(s)!
Searching within this group
- on the right under the groups banner is a search field you can find info on what ever it is youre about to post. Odds are; it has been discussed countless times. .
Shipping company
- An Nam - http://annamcargo.com/service.html
- Asian Tigers - http://www.asiantigers-japan.com/
- Crown - https://www.crownrelo.com/en-us/country/vietnam
- DHL
- Fed Ex
- Santa Fe - http://www.santaferelo.com/
- UPS
- Vietnam post office - deemed unreliable and untrustworthy but could be okay with non valuable items. 360k for the first kg, and 120k/kg after that.
Shoes
Custom
- ManGii - 7/9B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, district 1. Phone: 0981099448
- Thanh Dung - 150A Ly Chinh Thang, District 3
Non Custom
- Factory Outlet - 212B/D90 Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward
+84 90 737 47 57
Sports Bars that play western games on tv
Game On, Shrine, Phattys, Kim's.
Universal and Orient - they both stay open late
Jakes BBQ is a good place to watch the replay
Storage
- Des Smith - https://www.facebook.com/Saigonstorage/
Suits
200+ range
- Nhut Tailor on Le Thanh Ton Directly opposite of Dung Tailor rec by the admin whom is pretty picky
- Cooper & Co 53 Nguyễn Tất Thành, Phường 13 +84 90 779 03 45
Both ranges
- http://www.houseofbrijuni.com
150 range
- Harmonie 60 Mac Thi Buoi 0902 552 312
- Chuong Tailor 270 Hai Ba Trung Str D1
-Phuoc tailor on 241 De Tham st
Supplies
- Dan Sinh Market. 104 Yersin St. they have everything kitchen and household related not found in regular shops.
Tattoo
- Saigon Ink
- Monster Ink
- https://www.facebook.com/bob.tattoo.sg…
- http://vincykat.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/fionatattooartist/
- https://www.facebook.com/ExileInkVietnam/
- https://www.facebook.com/Bloodshot-Eye-Tattoo-Shop-9273390…/
Teaching in VN
- its usually believed that CELTA over TESOL. In class over online.
- ILA and Apollo are recommended schools to get certificate in VN.
- ILA, Apollo and VUS are schools that do not discriminante.
- requirements - Bachelor’s degree, CELTA/TESOL certificate. Criminal background check but not always required depending on school. Native speaker and white a big plus.
Visa
-Linh Tran seems to be very popular. Prob popular for a reason
linhtran@vncy.vn 0906776919 - Hes also a lawyer if you ever need one
- Join Vietnam Visa Agents facebook group
- Chi Cafe 84 8 3836 7622
- Johnny Le 0912 565 368
- Phatman Visa Mr Phat Dang, 090 831 1294
-Voavietnam.net
- Joeri Renkema - April 2016 - For the newbies here, this might help if you want to stay here longer (VISA RUN CAMBODIA - 104$)
1. Apply for letter of approval ($30*)
2. Take bus 703 between Pham ngu lao and le lai street to Moc Bai border ($2, 40k vnd)
3. Leave Vietnam
4. Enter Cambodia (visa on arrival, $35)
5. Don't waste money at the casinos
6. Exit Cambodia
7. Enter Vietnam (visa on arrival, show letter; $30)
8. Go back to Saigon (bus 703, $2)
Note: perhaps if you dont mention once entering Cambodia that you only come for a visa run you only have to pay $30 for the visa.
Also I was in the understanding that the Vietnamese (3 month single) visa was 25 usd, but maybe it changed or just ordinary Vietnamese corruption.. On the way back you can also take a random bus to HCMC, max $5.
Take about 6 hours for the whole trip. Have fun. Or just book a flight to Bangkok.
How much does it cost to live here
- Bare minimum to live here independently in a non poor state is 500usd/month. Thats with no luxuries or any kind of frills though and everything is still clean and you eat a balanced cheap meal etc.
- rent 150, food 100, visa 50, utilities 25, misc 175
- You can easily go cheaper but you start to drift into the uncomfortable realm; also the skys the limit if you want to spend more.
- Average spending per month would be 700-1000 for the average joe expat; more if you have higher expectations. Living with a significant other and sharing cost is obviously cheaper.
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