This realistic Saigon paintball shooting range is set up to give you a taste of real battlefield warfare, featuring bunkers, hills, forests, plains, and villages that are a cover for “soldiers,” or obstacles, for you to fight through.   Experiencing a Saigon paintball shooting range At 10 AM there was an exchange of gunfire between… Read More »Paintball Shooting Range in Ho Chi Minh City

Although foreigners are now permitted to drive in Vietnam (as long as they have an International Driving Permit and local insurance), you’ll have an easier time going around the country if you hire a private driver (chauffeur), especially in Ho Chi Minh City.   If you’re visiting Vietnam, having a driver gives you the freedom… Read More »How Can You Hire a Personal Driver in Vietnam

We all have days when we just need to unwind and release the tension in our bodies, especially if you’re an ex-pat or traveler who is going around Vietnam. A massage is great for those days, but what if you’re feeling lazy and you don’t want to go out? There are quite a few home service… Read More »What About Getting a Massage in Your Home

The Dan Sinh Market is also the first choice of metalworkers who want to buy spare parts for their work. The market, also known as Dan Sinh Area, is located in an area of ​​more than 5,000 square meters in the heart of District 1 with four surrounding streets: Nguyen Thai Binh, Yersin, Nguyen Cong… Read More »Discovering the Dan Sinh market in Ho Chi Minh City

Many foreigners find it hard to understand the structure of Vietnamese names. In fact, it is not that complex. Most Vietnamese names are usually three words long, but may also be two, four, or five separate titles.   Decoding the complexity of the Vietnamese names The first word is the family name or surname, and… Read More »Vietnamese names, a look back in time

This area is, after all, the most Westernised part of Ho Chi Minh City. Obviously, the streets and architecture resemble more southern Europe than southern Vietnam, and the best restaurants in district 7 and bars follow suit.   Some of our selected best restaurants in District 7   KINGSCROSS 103 Ton Dat Tien, Phu My Hung,… Read More »Some of the Best Restaurants in District 7

If you purchase expensive products during your travel in Vietnam, it is very easy to get a VAT refund if you follow these instructions. A pilot program was implemented in 2012 at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat International airports which allowed foreigners to receive VAT refunds in Vietnam. As of early March 2015, the VAT refund… Read More »How to get VAT refunds in Vietnam

Although Vietnam is ranked high among countries for physical inactivity in a recent global study, the country also has the lowest rate of adult obesity in the world. The Stanford University study that ranks Vietnamese people’s daily steps among the world’s lowest worried many at first. So one may wonder how can Vietnamese people stay thin without exercising… Read More »Vietnamese People Among the Most Physically Inactive but Least Obese

• Find out where to go for the finest of Saigon nightlife’s best bars and clubs. • Find out where to go for cheap beers and meet new people. • Where the millennial “cool kids” go. • Discover where the eclectic mix of socialites, tourists, ex-pats, and wealthy Vietnamese spend their nights out. • Don’t miss a beat!… Read More »Saigon Nightlife Best Bars & Clubs

If you could only use a few words to describe your Southern dish, what would they be? For some people, the answer is clear: rich, flavorful, and sweet! We have gotten to know more about Northern and Central Lunar New Year foods in the previous articles, so let’s head down to our last stop: Vietnamese… Read More »Vietnamese Southern Foods for Tet – New Year Tradition

Tết (Lunar New Year) is a Vietnamese tradition also known as Tết Nguyên Đán. It is a Vietnamese tradition celebrated from the 1st of January to the 3rd, according to the lunar calendar. Each year a different sacred animal in the Chinese Zodiac controls the luck and destinies of all people.   Tết (Lunar New Year)… Read More »Tết is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year Tradition

Vietnam’s food history is as complex as it is fascinating. Travel back in time with us to the days of peasants and emperors, colonization, and revolutions to discover the lineage of some of Vietnam’s most essential dishes.   Vietnam’s food history began with the birth of noodles The known history of Vietnam began around 12,000 BC when… Read More »Understanding Vietnam’s Food History

Vietnam has a relatively young entertainment industry. It started three decades ago when the Doi Moi reforms lifted economic and cultural barriers. Since then, the Internet has given rise to a host of new celebrities, and now we can establish who is Vietnam’s most popular celebrities.   Who are Vietnam’s most popular celebrities? According to statistics… Read More »The most popular celebrities in Vietnam

The Best Local & International Restaurants to Try In Thao Dien abound. When people first visit or move to Saigon, they are often surprised by the incredible range of culinary options at their disposal. Vietnam has for a long time offered a heady variety of delicious dishes of its own, and that is still the case.  … Read More »Best Restaurants in Thao Dien – Thu Duc City

Vietnamese food is delicious and it is often cited as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. To make sure that Vietnamese food is healthy or not, we spoke to Antoine Yvon, the head nutritionist at CMI hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. You will finally know if all those banh mi sandwiches are good for… Read More »Find out if Vietnamese Food Really is Healthy or Not?

All along Bui Vien, bar owners are armed with Laughing Gas Balloons. With a constant influx of young travelers eager for adventure and excitement, Bui Vien is notorious for its debauched, chaotic, and often messy nights.     Every night of the week the strip of bars along Bui Vien and neighboring roads De Tham,… Read More »How Safe or Unsafe are Laughing Gas Ballons on Bui Vien?

Learning Vietnamese seems to be hard for a lot of ex-pats or foreigners but it really just takes a bit of practice and patience to be able to learn and understand it. Vietnamese language personal pronouns are typically used in written forms, or in a more formal setting.   In conversations, Vietnamese use ‘kinship’ honorific terms of… Read More »Vietnamese Language Personal Pronouns Use is Challenging

Prostitution is considered a necessary evil, or moral corruption. In Vietnam, the mindset on sex work has always skewed towards the latter due to the country’s strong Confucian value system. But even though this may seem surprising to some, prostitution is actually still illegal in this country.   While prostitution has been made legal in… Read More »Vietnam’s Flickering Red Light Districts

Funerals are events that you would prefer not to ever have to experience. Depending on where you’re from, they can either be viewed as a sad event or a celebration. Here in Vietnam, there are certain age-old practices and routines that you may not yet be aware of. Take note of these Vietnamese funerals dos & don’ts… Read More »The Dos and Dont’s at a Vietnamese Funeral

Proverbs are unique phrases usually used to teach an important value or explain a particular moral concept. Regardless of where you’re from, you may have heard some of them as you were growing up, and some of these words may even stick with you throughout your life. In this article, we address the Vietnamese culture… Read More »Vietnamese Proverbs and How They Relate to Us

Learning English is a problem for many Vietnamese learners who can have a hard time trying to learn it as there are not many similarities between the two languages. English education in Vietnam to date has not had very good results and important skills like listening, reading and writing do not receive enough attention. Here… Read More »Reasons Why Learning English is a Problem For Students in Vietnam

Vietnam has not only one but two billionaires in USD, along with some other seriously wealthy individuals. Here is Vietnam’s Richest Business People should keep an eye on.   Vietnamese people joke that half of our country are billionaires (in VND)   Pham Nhat Vuong The founder and chairman of the giant conglomerate Vingroup, Pham… Read More »Who Are Vietnam’s Richest Business People

Every country has its own set of laws and regulations, and while most of them are there to ensure the country doesn’t descend into chaos, there are some laws that are highly questionable. Essential Vietnamese laws are no exception to this, with some that are similar to most other countries in the world, but also… Read More »20 Laws Every Expats in Vietnam Needs to Know

Cao Giỏ (rubbing or coining) is a traditional, ancient traditional technique used to treat illness. In China it’s known as Gua Sha, in Indonesia it’s referred to as Kerikan, and in Vietnam, it’s called Cao Giỏ. This exercise is a great way to cleanse the body of “heatiness” and “negative energy” so that you can… Read More »What about cao gio (rubbing or coining)

After 17 years of being a mom and a pediatrician, I’ve been able to learn a lot about the key children discipline traps to avoid from my own experiences, as well as from other parents. While there are all sorts of possible blunders here are five biggies that most of us are guilty of –… Read More »5 Discipline Traps to Avoid With Your Children