Asia - Help with internet access in vietnam

Can anyone give me some info re:internet cafes or such (is there wifi in public places)? I'll be on a ship which stops in various locations and hope to access internet at rates lower than the shipboard prices :)

I know how to find/recognize these type of places in Thailand, etc. but not so savvy about my chances of finding places with limited time in port in Vietnam - I'll be in Saigon, Hanoi and Da Nang

There are many internet cafes throughout Vietnam (Look for the "Internet" signs ;)). We're talking pennies per hour for internet access. But most machines seem to have spyware so watch what you do on them.

WiFi is in a lot of palces now, but best shot is at local hotels (usually public and unsecured).

Thanks - ?spyware - meaning they can record stuff like passwords?

Thanks - ?spyware - meaning they can record stuff like passwords?

Can be - especially logins to well known banking sites. Also it can look for and recognise credit card numbers as you type and send them back.

Having said that, some cafes are more careless and others, and my experience hasn't been so bad.

If you have your own laptop, you can ask to plug it in directly... that would be safer. (Though take care when carrying an obvious-looking laptop bag around in touristy areas.)

Another problem is that internet can be VERY SLOW in Vietnam. After midnight usually seems better - if you can find a cafe still open. (Most of Pham Ngu Lao, the backpacker area of Saigon is still open after midnight.)

Some cafes/restaurants now advertise WiFi but I've never used it.

As IceTrojan reports, they are easy to spot. I recently had relatively fast connections in Saigon in a small, slightly mucky looking place in Dong Du (near junction of Dong Khoi) and the "Tax Trade Centre", the other side of Le Loi, opposite the Rex Hotel. (Can't remember which floor, but the place isn't huge...) This place was cleaner.

As mentioned.. there are plenty of internet cafes that you can use -- I know at some, that if you want to use your own computer, they may have to give you the wireless ID as the SSID is not broadcast, so they provide the info and you input it into your computer to access.

Some bars also have wifi for free -- grab a beer and email away.

I also would stay away from financial websites unless your own computer or you are confident that key logging programs or similar are not installed. This is a growing problem around the world.