tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-939335758324549676.post8743307540118133780..comments2023-11-22T15:08:19.551-05:00Comments on Miss.Adventure in Vietnam: Miss.Adventure’s Guide to Living in VietnamMiss.Adventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12816858493861712911noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-939335758324549676.post-60565813857836040392008-10-01T08:54:00.000-04:002008-10-01T08:54:00.000-04:00Hey good tips - I got a long winded one on my blog...Hey good tips - I got a long winded one on my blog too, the short version being: collect a extra (or three) white customs declaration form when you are on the inbound flight to Vietnam. <BR/><BR/>That's one way to get around some of the duties hassles at the airport.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11493832932541943259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-939335758324549676.post-7764258846684541092008-09-07T23:40:00.000-04:002008-09-07T23:40:00.000-04:00If you do a stopover in Seoul. Dongdaemun market i...If you do a stopover in Seoul. Dongdaemun market is good for clothes. Only problem is that it is LARGE. You almost have to know where what you want is available. But it is the center of the Korean fashion industry. Namdaemun is touristy, and most of the clothes are golf type clothing, though you can also pick up the requisite steel chopsticks. A trip through the palace downtown is also well worth the price of admission. You can enter from the folk museum side, and you ticket used to be good for the palace as well. The Choeson dining hall and the King's pagoda on the small artificial lake are great places for a shot, as is the area between the main gate and palace. You can easily get to the palace by bus from several stops in Itaewon, though the subway requires several changes. Either bus or subway still leaves you with a walk of some distance. Insadong is great in the early evening, and there are some reasonably priced traditional Korean restaurants there. Off of the main street in Itaewon, over near Queen Min's club, is an alley where there is a green tea cooked rice restaurant. Try it. They also have a rice wine aged in bamboo available. The meal should run you about 12,000 won, and the wine 7 to 8,000 won. You can reach insa-dong via bus or subway, but make sure you write down all the directions before you go. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, Itaewon is hopping. Gekko's garden at the intersection is popular with the young and middle aged crowd, and there are a couple of places in the alley behind the Hamilton hotel that might be hopping. Thursday nights in the Three Alley Pub are quiz nights, and the place is standing room only unless you get there in time for a seat. Used to have really decent German and Aussie tucker, and a good variety of beer to include North Korean beer. Mid September to Mid-October is usually the best time to see Seoul, as the summer heat has gone and the skies are crystal clear. If you are in for more than a few days, get up to Namsan mountain and take in the views. Also available by bus, though your concierge may have to map it out for you. At the west end of namsan park, there is an old observatory, the "Patriot Ahn" shrine (a beautiful Korean style building), and a sidewalk cafe/cum Mom and Pop shop where you can buy coffee, soft drinks, beer, etc, and enjoy the view. If you go, I hope you enjoy your stay. Korea is much more expensive that Vietnam, but a bit cheaper than the U.S. for drinks and food, though not in hotels. Oh, buses run from the airport downtown to the major hotels, and their cost is $14.00 or so. You pick up the bus ticket from one of several booths in the airport, and simply catch the bus at the curb outside designated gates. Not a bad price for an hours drive, and the buses have water available.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-939335758324549676.post-20716847419029715162008-09-05T09:49:00.000-04:002008-09-05T09:49:00.000-04:00Tip for those who have too much of VN dong at the ...Tip for those who have too much of VN dong at the end of your trip: go to Le Loi street, between REX hotel and the old Continental Hotel, looking for those foreign exchange kiosk, use your VN dong to buy Japanese Yen or Singapore dollar (not other currencies, they are not that popular in North America) then once you’re back to your home town, re-exchange them to your own currency at your bank or preferable in your Chinatown, they usually have a better rate. You may have to pay twice the exchange fee but it’s better than keep milion and million dong for souvenirs!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-939335758324549676.post-6619488608547058112008-09-04T00:54:00.000-04:002008-09-04T00:54:00.000-04:00Here's another tip - Don't eat or buy fruit any wh...Here's another tip - Don't eat or buy fruit any where near Ben Thanh Market. It will cost you an arm and a leg ;-) There's one exception to this rule - if you have a "package" from your former employer, it's okay to eat and buy fruit by Ben Thanh Market.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com