tonicboy's profile
tonicboy's Posts
4 reviews or comments posted; 3 questions asked; 13 answers given.
Reviews / Comments (4)
This is a great restaurant with great value. Despite what the summary says, you can easily have a full meal for about 70-80,000 per person, without having to skimp on appetizer or anything. The decor is cozy and charming, in a rustic Vietnamese style. While the food is not the best gourmet food, it's quite good and the menu is very extensive, offering up almost any popular dish in Vietnam. I haven't been here for lunch, but I've been here for dinner three times and never had to wait more than a couple minutes while they cleared a table. It's also close to Window's Cafe, which is a great place to relax after dinner for a drink.
| Was this review ... |
This should be more of a 3.5 stars, but if I had to pick 3 or 4, well you can see that I picked 4. The venue was nice and the service was good. I had the Skewers Gyros which were good. Everything was good and the reason I'm not giving this place four stars is because there's nothing special about it at all.
I can get the same food for the same price in an equally nice restaurant in the US. Considering this is Vietnam, I expect it to be cheaper or better for the same price.
| Was this review ... |
Nam Giao is a great find for the budget-minded diner who still wants to eat well. The food is not quite as good as more upscale Huế restaurants such as Phú Xuân, but the price is very affordable (check their website for menu with prices). The first time I ate there, we ordered almost everything on the menu and the bill for two people was about 180k. Last night, my friend and I had two bowls of noodles, appetizer and iced tea for 66k. While the decor is not on the level of a Western-style restaurant, it is cozy, comfortable and clean.
| Was this review ... |
Windows 4 is the hottest non-club hangout in Saigon right now, but to call it a cafe doesn't do it justice. Make no mistake, Windows 4 is not a quiet place to curl up with your favorite book and a cup of joe. Windows 4 is the place to go, dressed to the nines, to see and be seen. Drinks here are US$4-6, which is even pricey for Americans.
The establishment itself is absolutely gorgeous. World-class architecture that includes streams and waterfalls is so tasteful, you might think you are in a trendy Miami Beach bar. It's truly impressive. The location facing the park is also quite pleasant and makes for a great backdrop.
The cafe plays music that can range from Vietnamese pop to house and trance. The music tends to get dancey later in the night and that probably reflects the fact that much of the clientele is there to meet and warm up before they go out clubbing.
| Was this review ... |
Questions (3)
Where can I find a maid to come clean my place once a week? And how much can I expect to pay?
What do I need to do to get a motorbike license? I know that tourists renting a motorbike for a short time don't need a license, but I heard that expats living here do need one. Can anyone give insight?
Football season is just around the corner. Anyone know a good bar that shows American football, preferably many games on multiple screens?
Answers (13)
Posted Monday June 9th, 2008.
The most popular gym in the city is Lan Anh, which is actually a "country club". It has a gym as well as pool, tennis court, restaurant and other facilities (I can't recall if it has basketball courts). I can't remember off the top of my head, but the fee for just the gym is something like 20,000 dong, which is about $1.25. The price of the xe om back and forth will cost you more than the workout! Of course, that's not an issue if you have your own motorbike. Quality-wise, it doesn't even measure up to 24-Hr Fitness, but it's pretty decent and I'm sure you muscles won't be able to tell the difference.
Lan Anh Country Club
291 Cach Mang Thang Tam st., D.1
(8) 862-4144
In response to the question: I'd like to find a clean gym with the basics (free weights, weight machines, treadmills), where I can workout 2-3 times a week during after-work hours...
Posted Sunday June 22nd, 2008.
The simplified answer is, Google yourself a map of Saigon and locate the Opera House. The closer you can be to it, the better. District 1 is best if you can afford it, then District 3 after that. Binh Thanh District or District 4 after that.
In response to the question: Am about to move to HCMC. What are good living ares for singles? Ideally, the place should not be far from city center and within reach of some re...
Posted Tuesday June 24th, 2008.
I would have to agree, 250 sq. m. is really huge. Even in America that would be a house in the suburbs, nothing you could find in a city (for a reasonable price). I only managed to look at about 5 places before I found the one I'm living in now, so not sure how well I know prices, but... the place I'm living in now is a 3-story 2BR house with roof terrace. About 100 sq m or 1,000 sq ft and I'm paying $600 + utilities. It's a great location about 5 blocks east of the Opera House.
I really like the neighborhood a lot. Walking around here, there are tons of "Rooms for Rent" signs down the alleys, and I have also seen a few "House for Rent" signs. I would recommend walking around the neighborhood and see if you get lucky. Or, you could always go the "serviced apartment" route where you would pay about US$1500-$3000 for probably a 50 sq m 1BR apartment, but really modern and nice quality with all the amenities.
In response to the question: Am about to move to HCMC. What are good living ares for singles? Ideally, the place should not be far from city center and within reach of some re...
Posted Thursday July 3rd, 2008.
I'm paying $600 for the whole place. Even though property values in general are falling, properties in high demand areas still retain the most value. This is the same as you can see in the States. On top of that, many landlords have written their contracts in US dollars, so they remain expensive despite the falling value of the Vietnamese dong. Fortunately, I was able to negotiate my lease in dong.
In response to the question: Am about to move to HCMC. What are good living ares for singles? Ideally, the place should not be far from city center and within reach of some re...
Posted Thursday July 3rd, 2008.
Just to give other people some info, I found a maid for my place. My relatives told me that 50k dong per cleaning was a typical price. I asked my landlady if she could recommend anyone and she said she had someone who would clean my place once a week for 300k dong, which comes out to about 69k dong per cleaning. I probably could have been more hard-nosed on the bargaining and got it closer to the 50k, but I really didn't feel like it.
In response to the question: Where can I find a maid to come clean my place once a week? And how much can I expect to pay?...
Posted Thursday July 3rd, 2008.
Yeah, be a hard-nosed bargainer :-) When asking about the apartment, make it clear that you will negotiate the rent in dollars but will pay the rent in dong at current market rates. When signing the lease, double-check the small print.
In response to the question: Am about to move to HCMC. What are good living ares for singles? Ideally, the place should not be far from city center and within reach of some re...
Posted Monday July 7th, 2008.
Hi Steph,
The quality isn't great, but there are maps of Saigon at http://tinyurl.com/5qq67s. However, you don't need to know any district except District 1. A quick Google of "District 1 map Saigon" will give dozens of results, many with hotels marked. However, in my experience, many of the better deals do not take online bookings.
If you don't mind taking a 5-minute cab ride every morning to the conference, try Xuân Mai Hotel (xuan_mai_hotel@yahoo.com, 140 Cống Qùynh, +84 8 291 2860). It's at the western end of the backpacker district (Bùi Viện between Dề Thám and Cống Qùynh streets) and offers clean, comfortable AC rooms for $14/night. The owner even has another hotel nearby for $12/night I believe. There's also Sao Nam Hotel (haohlep@yahoo.com, 175/5 Phạm Ngũ Lão, +84 8 920 6472) which has rooms for $12. The rooms aren't quite as nice as Xuân Mai but it's a few blocks closer to touristy stuff. Really, there are dozens of good values if you are willing to go from hotel to hotel asking around. There are hotels around Bến Thành Market as well, and those would be walking-distance, although I have no experience with their prices.
The best bookstore I have seen is Fahasa at 185 Dồng Khởi and 40 Nguyễn Huế. There is also a small bookstore with a decent English selection in the Saigon Center, 65 Lê Lơi.
In response to the question: Am coming down to Saigon for a brief w/e conference at the end of July. Wondering if anyone can pass on the following: 1. An online map of Saigon s...
Posted Thursday July 17th, 2008.
There is no HDTV programming in Vietnam. Sorry, there's a reason it's still considered a third-world country. The closest you can get is to download HDTV content via Internet and play it via computer or other method.
In response to the question: Do television stations in Saigon broadcast HDTV channels? If so, can you receive HD channels over the air (with an antenna) or do you have to have ca...
Posted Thursday August 7th, 2008.
Yeah, I had heard the same thing, but a Vietnamese friend of mine did a little research and came up with this info. Seems like it may be worthwhile to keep you from having to bribe.
http://sgtvt.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/web/data/news/2008/3/4501/case1.htm
In response to the question: What do I need to do to get a motorbike license? I know that tourists renting a motorbike for a short time don't need a license, but I heard that exp...
Posted Thursday August 7th, 2008.
I'd have to agree with the above and say that, generally, if you are younger then HCMC is the place to be. Also, I feel like there are more western-oriented amenities such as shopping and fine dining, if you're the type of people that need such things. If you're looking to learn the language, you're probably better off in Hanoi, as the northern dialect is considered more proper. As for the weather, I don't mind the heat at all. When you live here, you're not out hiking all day in the sun anyway, and the nights are very pleasant. If you live in Hanoi, you'll have to bring twice as many clothes with you - summer and winter clothes. Just something to consider. Finally, I feel like the traffic is more "sane" in HCMC, although traffic in general is chaos in VN.
In response to the question: We are moving to Vietnam in 2 months. I was wondering which city would you choose to live in given the chance? Hanoi, Ho Chi Min or a city 1/2 betwe...
Posted Wednesday September 3rd, 2008.
What's your budget? My rule of thumb is, if you can afford it, live as close to the Opera House as you can. There's probably the largest concentration of shopping, (higher-end) restaurants and nightlife around that part of the city. I live in an alley off Le Thanh Ton east of Thai Van Lung and I quite like the neighborhood. You can just wander around the alleys and there's a good chance you will see signs for house/apartments for rent. Of course, you could always rent a posh serviced apartment as well but that will probably cost you over US$1000/month.
In response to the question: Will be heading on down from Hanoi next couple of days. We are staying in a hotel while we look for a nice apartment to rent.We would like somewhere f...
Posted Wednesday September 3rd, 2008.
Try these:
A & Em Hotel http://www.hotels-in-vietnam.com/hotels/saigon/A&Em5_hotel.html
New Star Hotel http://newstarhotel.com.vn/index_e.html
A & Em is a little cheaper with rooms starting at $42 (with little slit windows) but they are currently doing construction on the ground floor so be sure to request a room on one of the upper floors if you end up there.
I thought New Star was nicer but the rooms start at $50.
On the other end of the spectrum, try Sao Nam Hotel in the backpacker district. Rooms for $15-20 (with a discount for stays longer than 3 days I believe). Extremely no-frills but clean rooms.
Sao Nam: #175/5 Pham Ngu Lao T9206472, soouthernstar@yahoo.com.vn
In response to the question: Looking for decent hotel accommodation in city. Budget uo to $40 per night. Any recommendations greatly appreciated...
Posted Thursday November 6th, 2008.
Hi Erich,
I have a room I am looking to sublet. It is one room in a 2BR house, with kitchen on the first floor. I will send you a private message with more details.
-Tai
In response to the question: I'm going to be in Saigon for a month and I'm looking for a short-term apartment. Any advice? A kitchen and something in the First would be ideal. ...
Well-Written (0) Funny (0) Accurate (0) Useful (1)
Tai Nguyen
My Blog or Website EmailPrivate
So Saigon Member SinceMonday June 9th, 2008
