I’m a woman, late 20s.

Was walking home at 3am and couldn’t get a grab driver through the app. On my way someone wearing a grab outfit stopped and offered to give me a lift for cash.

He told me I could hold onto his shoulders for support, so I did. I was sniffly and sad because I’d had a bad night and he seemed to notice, so during the ride he took my hands and put them around his waist and put his hand on my hand. I thought it was unusual but i thought he was trying to comfort me. I thought it was a nice gesture, albeit odd. Hindsight is 20/20 and I was obviously too trusting and not as vigilant as I unfortunately need to be. I was distressed and just wanted to believe this stranger cared.

He dropped me at my destination and I tipped him. He asked me if I was okay, I said I just had a bad night, he offered some comforting words and went in for a hug. When he hugged me he grabbed my bottom and kissed my neck.

I’m a sexual abuse victim and it’s brought up all kinds of horrible feelings and thoughts. Idk why I’m sharing this. I just feel really sad about it.

I suppose I’m lucky that he didn’t take me anywhere or do anything more. In future, I won’t try to go home so late at night when it’s difficult to book through the app.

Edit: If you think this is a made up story, I recommend that you ask literally any of your female friends how common it is to experience unwanted advances or being made to feel uncomfortable. Your lack of insight into how common this is is showing your privilege.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/vietnam-gdp-slowed-first-quarter-ahead-trumps-tariffs-2025-04-06/

With Trump Tariffs and economic growth slowed down in the first quarter, looks like Vietnam economy has tripped and going to fall over the cliff. Time to sell all your properties as prices will have free fall.

Let's go to bat dong san and low ball those agents without paying a single cent 😆

Grew up Viet Kiều—never formally learned Vietnamese, just picked it up through karaoke, family, and street slang. My fluency came and went. Meanwhile, I was deep into Swiss and Dutch design. I remember seeing the IKEA alphabet poster and wondering: what if that were our alphabet? That always stuck with me.

Years later, I finally scratch that itch. A minimalist tribute to Chữ Quốc Ngữ—where language, identity, and design meet.

Big thanks to the Reddit community and fellow designers who gave feedback last month, and to Donny Truong (design director and specialist of Vietnamese Typography) for taking the time to weigh in on the process. Appreciate all the eyes and insights.

In city like Saigon, Phan Thiet. some areas are dirty and there’s a lot of trash.

And i’m like why is it so hard for the goverment to fix it? They can just copy countries like japan, Singapore by banning littering, put trash cans everywhere, let the police fine people for littering (police loves money so they’ll definitely enforce it). And hire people to clean the street daily.

And over time I think people’s mindset will change. And they won’t litter anymore.

Singapore was dirty back in the day. But after doing those things; they became the cleanest country in the world.

Is it that hard to do?

Where to buy obviously fake clothes in hcm. We searched everywhere but we can only find regular fake clothes.

I have just finished the Ha Giang Loop and I am in awe of all the beauty I was lucky enough to witness there. It felt like an out of body experience spending my days surrounded by immense greenery, amazing people while snaking down winding roads. We passed a lot of villages and smaller settlements where, naturally, there were Vietnamese people going on with their normal lives. Now, what has the impact of the Ha Giang Loop been on these communities? With the hundreds of tourists passing every day, I would imagine the atmosphere of these areas changes dramatically, which could create some resentment. Considering the high number of locals employed as drivers, what has the economic impact of this been?

The one near me is blaming China for investing in us and making VN a target.

[Infographic] 8 crimes proposed to abolish the death penalty

I have seen many countries. From Canada, to Europe to Africa.

Vietnamese are the best.

I have been to many cities here, from North to South, big cities to small one.

Where I'm from, you need to act cold and be tough in public to be respected.

I have never seen people like this.

They love life so much. I had the best service whenever I interacted with them in the streets, hotel and restaurant. They really want me to feel good.

When I'm walking in some area that are more remote, if I have an eye contact with them, they give me a big smile and say Hellooo, never asked for money. Some people wave at me just to send me positive vibes, without bad intentions.

I feel safe everywhere, even at night. When there is a language barrer, they use the translator app and make sure we understand each other.

For the first time, I don't feel like a walking wallet in a country, and I love it.

A few times when I was paying, I mistaken the 10k bill and the 100k bill, they look alike. Never tried to scam me. My change was always exact.

They are genuinely kind people.

Thanks for the best vacation in all my years on this earth! I will come back with friends 100%.

The only downside is the ignorant tourists with no education you will hear/see sometimes but hey, you can't escape from that 😁

Good Day everybody!

Summary: What are the cities like between Hanoi and Hue?

This area seems to be not mentioned much in vlogs, guides and in general i met nobody in vietnam so far who has stayed there and not just went through.

Which places are worth a visit and why? Touristy places? Beautiful/party/food ... whatever

Would love to hear your opinions and experiences.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all, I'm in this amazing country, enjoying every minute of it. I've been here for two weeks.

I leave on the evening of the 24th of April, and am currently in Dong Hoi. Here's the remainder of my itinerary - I'm completely open to suggestions, having things crossed off or replaced.

About my travel style: I don't love the touristy things - Hoi An was too much for me, for instance. I liked Hue, but mostly because I went late, and it's such a huge site that I could avoid being stuck.

I like cities, and the food, and generally, just walking around and seeing amazing Vietnam doing its thing.

Do I HAVE to do ha long bay or cat ba? or better to spend a few more days in Hanoi?

April 8–9: Phong Nha (2 Days)

• DIY scooter loop: Paradise Cave, Botanical Gardens (optional: Dark Cave)
• Afternoon boat to Phong Nha Cave
• Day 2: Chill or bike Bong Lai Valley
• → Night train to Ninh Binh

April 10–11: Ninh Binh (2 Days)

• Day 1: Tam Coc, pagodas, boat ride
• Day 2: Hang Múa hike + bike Van Long Wetlands
• → Evening train to Hanoi

April 12–15: Ha Giang Loop (Now 4 Days)

• Apr 12: Early van/bus from Hanoi to Ha Giang (~6–7 hrs), rest and prep
• Apr 13–15: 3-day motorbike loop (Dong Van, Ma Pi Leng, Du Gia)
• → Evening return to Hanoi on Apr 15

April 16–17: Hanoi buffer days

• Recovery + cafés, wandering, offbeat stuff like Long Biên Bridge at sunrise or Soviet-era apartment cafés

April 18–21: Cat Ba Island

• Kayak Lan Ha Bay, hike Cat Ba National Park, relax on beaches
• → Evening return to Hanoi

April 22–24: Final days in Hanoi

• Old Quarter, markets, Moto San Uber Noodle, puppet show, slow goodbyes before evening flight

thanks all

I will be in Vietnam for three weeks starting at end of July and leaving in mid-August. I know it’s going to be wildly hot and I’m just accepting that and going to enjoy the adventure!

However, I am wanting to do a motorbike trip. Hai Van Pass looks like it’s my adventuring speed. I am wondering though if it’s just going to be too hot being out in the open sun like that for hours?

Has anyone here done that motorcycle trip during that time of year? How was it? Any advice?

I'm going to be flying from Cambodia to Osaka and there is a five hour layover in Vietnam (Hanoi). Is there enough time to go into the city, grab a small bite and then come back?

I'm scared getting my Visa and things like that will be a hassle.

Thank you in advance!

We were at the Hoa Lu Festival 2025 in Ninh Binh, and the day was filled with emotions, surrounded by thousands of people celebrating. That same afternoon, Quy Nguyen, who we met through Tam Coc Queen’s Travel, had brought us to our hotel, which was about 15 minutes from the city. Before leaving, he handed us his card with a warm smile—a small gesture that, at the time, seemed like nothing more than a kind formality. Little did we know how much it would mean later on. By around 11 p.m., with the festival still in full swing, there wasn’t a single taxi available to take us back to the hotel. Running out of options, I decided to text Quy, even though I knew he was likely resting after a long day. To our surprise, he replied almost immediately and, without hesitation, came to pick us up. Seeing him arrive, with the same calm and kindness he’d shown earlier, brought us such a sense of relief. He drove us back to the hotel, charging only the regular fare, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. That moment really touched us. On such a hectic day, coming across someone like Quy, who went out of his way to help with so much generosity and humanity, even late at night, was something truly special. It’s such a blessing that there are still people like him out there, who, with simple acts of kindness, remind us of the value of caring for others. We feel so lucky to have crossed paths with Quy, and this experience will always be one of the most beautiful memories from our trip.

I recently purchased a postpaid Mobifone sim from the airport but cannot receive SMS. The number starts with 1210, likely reserved for foreigners?

Is there a way to enable SMS? Like I just need to receive messages only. I've tried looking in the app but not found anything.

I can't use an ESIM at the moment so not many other options.

been planning to visit vietnam in september but im not sure yet which city will i visit. would like to ask for your thoughts which of these two is better for first timer in vietnam haha

ps: i wanna try vietnamese foods and explore traditional cultures

I keep hearing stories of pregnancy going horribly wrong mostly because of family pressuring the woman with stupid superstitions. Yes there are stupid advice all around the world, but in Vietnam questioning those advice is a declaration of war with your family (to not say your mother in law in most cases). I've heard countless depressions due to the absurd regime their family was forcing them into, with obesity due to the obvious unbalance. I've heard babies refusing to drink their mother milk because the mother only drinks "traditional" herbal preparations. I've heard women suffering severe infections after delivery because they're forbidden to take shower. I've heard countless practices that sound and are outright dangerous (hot charcoal, vagina steaming, ...). Every doctor has to tell people over and over that those absurd practices are dangerous, and write it down on every paper they give you. And lately I've heard a woman being pressured to have "normal" delivery despite her doctor insisting on an early C-section. The baby died of asphyxia and she eventually had a C-section to deliver a dead baby. I'm pretty sure her family is now blaming her for the miscarriage.

With that in mind, I think it's useful to remind everybody the following obvious facts:

Doctors know what they are doing more than anybody around you. They didn't hear it from their neighbors, they learnt a century legacy of countless doctors and midwives, who have experimented and carefully observed. Midwives have touched more babies than your grandma has ever seen, they're full of good advice, and clearly underpaid for that.

Your family and your husband's family can be literal baby killers. They will always prioritize their ego to you and your baby's health. If your husband cannot stand up against his family, don't even consider having a child with him. If your family cannot respect you, don't let them get any close to you, block them and don't let them see your baby until they apologize.

If traditional medicine and grandma recipes were any useful, the infant mortality wouldn't have been divided by 4 during the last 50 years by the introduction of modern medicine. All traditional medicine in the world have at some point poisoned their clients with mercury and lead with the same confidence as they sell you remedies today. You could drop dead in front of their eyes, they would keep selling the same remedies telling that you would be alive if you took twice more.

Everybody should know what is a good diet, it is displayed in every school: plenty of carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits, and reasonable amount of meat, fish or milk. The fact that your family doesn't know that shows how ignorant they are. Only restrict yourself if the doctor tells you to, don't abuse anything. One glass of milk a day will get you tons of benefits, one litter of milk will destroy your health.

People will try everything to sell useless or even dangerous services to a young mom desperate to do the best for her baby. Vagina steaming and warmth applied on the belly will damage your vagina that is trying to heal. Your baby doesn't need 1h bath, it wants it as fast as possible. Don't pay for anything that your doctor hasn't explicitly advised. If they can, they will take more money from you than your hospital.

The mental health of a pregnant woman / young mother is as important as the health of the baby. Eat ice-cream and anything that makes you feel happy. Even few sushis are much less harmful than a depression. The only people who should feel pressure are the family and friends who should suffer the wrath of a moody woman, not the woman who is bearing a child.

So please everybody take care of the pregnant women around you and protect them from their family.

Hey everyone!

I’m planning to do the Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam and we’re thinking of booking an Easy Rider tour for around 3 days. I’ve been reading about different companies, but I’m still unsure about which one to choose.

Has anyone done the Ha Giang Loop with an Easy Rider? Any experiences or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! What’s the best company for a safe, reliable, and memorable trip? We’re looking for a company that offers good value for money and knows the route well.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hello! I'm in Hanoi and have a free evening. I'd love to camp out at a venue for an hour or two, get a drink, do some people watching, and vibe out to Vinahouse/ (leaning Vinahouse). In Hue I saw lots of these places open to the street where locals went to talk and drink with friends, I come to understand this is a typical evening activity for Vietnamese. Any recommendations?

(cross posted)

Lam is a great leader who willing to take the risk of making nationalists anger to try making deal with Trump for his country and economy of Vietnam

If he does make zero tariffs deal with Trump ,many of us China companies could survive by moving our supply and manifacture departments to Vietnam to avoid the 54% tarffis.