Bastet's Home

Somewhere near D7

8 years of living in Vietnam.

It's always the same, if you want information for a few options and a little while to decide they get all grumpy, rude and sometimes even ignore you.

I have stopped myself spending a lot of money at some shops because of the attitude I get when asking about a different option near the end of sale.

My wife (Vietnamese) says it's normal.

I find it strange because it has stopped us both from spending quite a bit of money

Hey everyone,
We were riding from Hanoi to Ha Giang on a rental motorbike (with valid International Driving Permit) when we had a rather strange experience with the police.
About an hour before reaching Ha Giang, we passed a police checkpoint without any issues. Around 2 km later, a police car followed us and pulled us over. The officers told us we had been speeding at 71 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.
They told us to follow them back to the checkpoint to discuss the fine. Once there, an officer informed us that the violation carried a fine of 7 million VND. (All the interaction with Google Translate).
Between the two of us, we only had around 800,000 VND in cash in our pockets which we offered to pay. The officer said that wasn’t enough and told us that we either had to pay the fine immediately or they would keep the driving licence at the police station and the fine will stay the same.
We then asked whether there was any possibility of reducing the fine. The officer lowered the amount to 5 million VND, so at that point, we realised that the amount was apparently negotiable.
In the end, we gave them 1.8 million VND plus €40. That comes to roughly 3 million VND (around US$115).
He accepted the money (without writing any ticket or reciept), and shortly afterwards, they finished their day and left. Also he said that if we were caught speeding again the fine might be even higher and the bike can be impounded.
Looking back, a few things seem strange to us:
We were never shown any evidence of our alleged speed, in the stress and mess of the situation we forgot to ask for it.
We weren’t aware of the speed limit at that particular spot, so it’s possible we were speeding. If we broke the law, we accept that there should be consequences.
However, the fact that the fine went from 7 million to 5 million and ultimately to a payment of around 3 million VND seems suspicious.
Our motorbike barely reaches 80 km/h, so we’re also unsure whether we were actually going as fast as 71 km/h.
The amount still seems incredibly high for Vietnam, although we don’t know the exact penalties for this violation.
We’re trying to understand whether this was a legitimate traffic enforcement situation, potentially involving an unofficial payment, or whether we were specifically targeted because we’re tourists on a rental motorbike.
We don’t want to suggest that we were definitely innocent or that every police officer is corrupt. We’re simply trying to understand what happened and whether this is a known practice in the area. Did we still overpay?
Any experiences or advice would be appreciated!

This is a grilled meat noodle shop including guava leaves and very delicious dipping sauce in Ho Xuan Huong street - Hanoi

Where’s the best jewelry store for getting deals on gold necklace and bracelet in Ho Chi Minh?

Did he really set himself on fire because of losing a bet?

My wife and I went to Vietnam for our honeymoon at the end of '23 and immediately fell in love with the country. The people are incredibly kind and hospitable, the culture is incredible, and the food is *chef's kiss.* We've traveled to Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong since, but Vietnam has a special place in our hearts.

Unfortunately, I happen to be from Bangladesh, which is a country rife with people in love with breaking the law. Apparently, 30,000+ Bangladeshis overstayed their visas over a 2-year period before February 2024, prompting the Vietnamese government to ban tourist visas from my country. Even though we went and came back within the limits of our visa, we're having to face this punitive punishment. We have been waiting for almost 3 years to go back to Vietnam, but to no avail.

Apparently the only way to go at this moment in time is to have some kind of an invitation from Vietnam, either business or personal. Can anyone suggest a way out of this? Pic taken in Ba Na Hills in 2023, posting for attention.

Hello everyone,

My girlfriend and I would like to go to Vietnam for the end of February and the beginning of March, for a total of two weeks. We were thinking of landing in Hanoi and starting again from HCM, with the itinerary still to be defined. Precisely for this reason I wanted to ask you for some advice or suggestion. Our wish was to see Sapa for her rice fields, but we are aware that the period is not the most suitable, so does it still make sense to go there and include her in the trip? Also, it would be nice to see an island and stay there for a few days, but we don't know which one.

Thanks a lot

For those of you who have lived in Vietnam for a while: how often do you get sick compared to back home?

Not just food poisoning. Colds, stomach bugs, respiratory stuff, random fevers, whatever. Do you find yourself getting sick noticeably more often in Vietnam, or after a while does it basically even out?

And related: how long did it take before your body seemed to get used to the local disease environment? Six months? A year? A couple years? Never?

I realize "your immune system adjusts" can get hand-wavey pretty fast, but I'm curious about the actual lived experience of people who have been there for years.

hello friends, i am interested in learning more and exploring the Viet tea culture. i am american and started drinking tea with some monks and find i really enjoy the whole experience and feel i get drinking good green tea. although i enjoy all kinda of tea.

i would like to make a self tour of such exploring the regions, shops, and or stores that are well known and popular. i am not opposed to taking a guided tour if there is one but would like to do alot of solo exploring as well

on a different note i am also interested in any buddhist temples or monasteries that i can visit

thank you all so much in advance

I love Asian dance music, Vinahouse ofc, and I really want to try out Vinahouse in hcm city. I’ve been listening to vinahouse mixes on youtube and SoundCloud, and I rly wanna try it out in rl.

I want to know if it’s okay (safe) to enter these clubs by myself. Which neighborhood/street would you recommend? any specific clubs you’d recommend?
I think I’ll be there on Sunday. How crowded are these venues/clubs on Sundays? I’d appreciate any opinions/recommendations. Please let me knowwww!! (Btw, this is my first time travelling in Vietnam)

hi! our trip is coming up on nov already and i’ve been stressed out finding accommodations that could accommodate 6pax, are well-priced, great facilities within like have own bathroom etc, and within very good location like the center for all attractions as much as possible. i’m having trust issues also while searching up since i’ve been told hotel/accomm scams are prevalent in vietnam. PLEASE HELP ME OUT 🙏😭 thank you in advance!

Hi! My boyfriend really loved Vinamilk fresh milk. We're from the Philippines. Does anyone know where we can buy Vinamilk online and have it shipped to the Philippines? Any leads will be appreciated, thanks!

They disbanded a while ago but I never knew why. It was so sudden too

Saw this and had to repost here