I hope you find the following extract from my trip report from Easter useful, when we went to Hong Kong, Saigon and Bangkok. I have just copied the Saigon part!

Saigon
I was prepared for the worst after hearing lots of horror stories about clearing immigration but it was actually quite quick. This may have been due to the fact we arrived about 10pm. ( Flew with United by the way). There is a taxi desk in arrivals where you can get a fixed price car rather than take your chances outside. I found the ATM as you can�t take dong into the country. Our journey was to take 20-25 minutes and cost �3 for a 4x4. We were soon glad of the big car as we hit the road. I am sure that if I said the word Saigon to someone would had been and asked them to say the next thing that came into their head it would be���� Anyone care to try it out???

Yes- it�s motorbikes! I have never seen so many in my life. We had been to Bali in the summer and the world and its dog seemed to have one there but that was nothing compared to Saigon. There seemed to be thousands on the same road as us. All seemed to be quite happy to cut up the car. I mean- 4x4 v motorbike, which is more likely to come off worse?? Try telling that to the biker because he doesn�t seem to have the same answer. I was a nervous wreck by the time we arrived at our hotel- but then that experience was going to pale into insignificance compared with the terrors of being a pedestrian crossing the road. That joy awaited me the next day!
We had spent some time picking our hotel- there were a few possibilities but so many of them also got some negative reviews. I have to say that for some it was street noise and I knew where they were coming from! We picked the Marriott Renaissance Riverside eventually and we were not disappointed. This turned out to be one of the best I have ever stayed at( if not THE best!). Their website is here. We splashed out on a deluxe riverview room on the club floor. It was a huge room- a massive bed which needed 5 pillows, loads of storage, a two seater, armchair and table, minibar, sat tv etc. The bathroom had the most toiletries I have ever seen. We spent some time just looking out the window of our 19th floor room onto the river below with its ferry crossing. Every 5 minutes it would arrive and offload what looked like 1000 motorbikes! I then insisted to husband that we unpack EVERYTHING and not just what he thought we would need. We had tried that in Hong Kong and all that meant was that I would find umpteen things I had to have out of the suitcases when we were getting ready and he would spent his time swearing as he tried to find them ! After that we went for a drink at the Atrium bar. You obviously could look down on it from our floor and it looked quite spectacular. It was quiet there. Husband remarked on how much the waitress reminded him of the girl in �The Quiet American�. And then her sisters seemed to turn up as well. ( Why is it that they are all so slim- it�s not fair!) . After that it was time for bed.
Day 5
Breakfast in the Executive Club lounge. Everything you could think of and some more! Some people took the free breakfast to extremes though. Every morning this older Japanese man would have his breakfast and then wonder over with 2 tupperware containers and procede to fill them to the brim. He even had the cheek to ask for a carrier bag from the staff!
We went to the concierge to ask directions for the Sinh Caf�. This is where you book all your excursions. Don�t book them at your hotel as there is a huge mark up. Also, we had been given the tip that many taxi drivers will just drive you to other �sinh cafes�- same name but not the good company of the original. Drivers obviously are given commission for this. Our helpful concierge pointed it out on a map and told us it would take about 10 minutes walk. Well the Vietnamese must be a hardy lot. We decided to take a taxi as we didn�t fancy the walk in 95 degrees of heat. A 15 minute journey later took us to the caf�! What a city Saigon is- I have never experienced another like it. It is just so different. Women do go about dressed in traditional au dai costumes of long flowing tops over trousers, with very high slits. Young girls wear white, older unmarried ones can wear pastels and married can wear bolder colours. On their head they wear a conical palm hat called a non bai tho.
We booked 2 day excursions. One was to the Cu Chi tunnels and to Cao Dai temple. The other was to the Mekong Delta. I came away convinced the heat was getting to me and that I couldn�t work out the costs in pounds as it was 27000 dong to the pound. However, I HAD worked it out. It cost �6 each for the first trip and �5 for the second one. The first one included 6 hours in a coach, a guide and lunch. The second involved 4 hours in the coach, about 7 different boats, lunch, fruit, sake and honey wine. What a rip off!!!!
We had the rest of the day free- provided I could cross the road!!
We headed off to Ben Thanh Market. This is the largest covered market in Saigon. It was about 10 minutes walk away, which was more than enough in the heat. On the way we had a few streets to cross. When I say streets, we are talking wide boulevards here with thousands of motor bikes all roaring down it. Now there is a clear set of traffic rules to follow and loads of crossing and sets of lights- it would be well ordered apart from one thing. NO-ONE knows the traffic rules. Red light go. Green light go. Every so often you come across a harassed traffic policeman trying to hold back the hordes when the red light is on but as soon as he turns round to deal with someone else they all sneak past and roar off into the distance. Never again will I look on in awe at these army motorcycle display teams who cross over each others� paths in sequence. EVERYONE in Saigon can do this. You come to a 4 way junction and everyone just piles in, crossing over everyones� paths and no accidents are seen. You can spent hours looking on in awe but you have to cross the road at sometime. The advice is to look straight ahead, ignore the bikes thundering down on you and step right out and don�t stop until you get to the other side. The theory is the bikers will avoid you. �Right, come on,� the brave hero says and grabs my hand. �You�ve got to be joking!� I said. Well, that�s not exactly true! I actually said �**** ***. I�m not crossing that ******* ****** street!� Well I was dragged kicking and screaming across, not believing it when I reached the other side unscathed. By the end of our time there we were happily stepping out on to the road leading other terrified first timers across!
Back to the market- a word of advice- stay away from the narrower aisles. We made the mistake of going there first and you run an assault course. Hundreds of hands grab your arms and try to pull you over to see their stalls. If only they understood that I would actually have stopped at quite a few stalls if they had just left me in peace. All that happened was that we got away as quickly as we could and went to find the wider aisles. We spent some time there but found it very hot and so headed off to get a taxi to the War Remnants Museum
Still Day 5!
The War Remants Museum used to be the War Crimes Museum but they decided the tourists didn�t like it! The Vietnam conflict is called the American War there. Whilst we saw a lot that made us think when we were in Vietnam it IS very one-sided. They seem to forget they were also fighting each other!
However, the evidence of the effects of chemical warfare( agent orange and napalm) is quite harrowing and the photos overall are not for the fainthearted. I lasted the first two walls of photos then couldn�t handle anymore. Left my husband to it and went over to the part of the building which houses childrens� art- portraying what they felt about being at war. This was beautiful but very sad and I had to gulp back the tears. I think it is a section that largely gets overlooked as most people want to see the photos. Give them at least 10 mins of your time!
Some of the other sections showed the soldiers on both sides during the conflict and a lot of photos really captured the emotions on the faces. War photographers have some job. Outside the museum there are tanks, planes and guns.
To the left of the main building are the tiger cages. We almost missed these. These are where many of the political prisoners were locked up, and where many were beheaded.
That afternoon I decided I wanted to take things easy so we had lunch at the hotel ( very nice as well) and I went up to relax by the pool. It became a little overcast but was still very pleasant. Husband went to use the gym. He is running the Edinburgh marathon in June and needed a 10k run to keep in some form of training! He also had a wander around the hotel neighbourhood to get his bearings for night.
We headed up to the Club Lounge for our free drinks and snacks. We have been in a few executive lounges but none came up to this ones standards. To be honest you could end up saving money by booking into club here. You helped yourself to drinks and everything was available- down to expensive brandies. The snacks- well some people there were making a 3 course meal out of it. And you could easily do that! During the time we were there people were coming in- grabbing bottles of beers, cans of coke and leaving with them. I would swear that some went in at 5.30, stayed till 7.30 and then went back up to their room for the evening!
The lounge also had two computers where you got free broadband use. That night we had bite-sized snacks of chilli beef, smoked salmon and scallops. You could have had soup, noodle dishes, cheese, puddings too! Plus any type of bread you could think of.
During the day you can come in for soft drinks, tea or coffee and cakes, biscuits and the once we went, there were mars bars!!
During our time in Ho Chi Minh we went to the top rated restaurants and splashed out big time. Our first meal for example of two starters, main courses and drinks came to �17! We went to Lemongrass, this was 5 minutes walk from the hotel.
At this point I have to say that I felt safe at all times. We knew about motorcycle thieves and I did without jewellery and left expensive bags behind. There is no point in even wearing costume jewellery as if it looks good you are more likely to come to grief. We did this in Rio which has a worse reputation and I�m sure nobody thought it was worth mugging us! The good thing is that, as things are so cheap, you aren�t even carrying that much money.
You may have noticed that I spoke of �Ho Chi Minh� for the first time in my report. I just can�t think of it as any thing but Saigon and most of the locals feel the seem. Besides which the downtown area we were in IS Saigon and the whole province is Ho Chi Minh. I�m rambling now- back to Lemongrass. We had asked for a table upstairs as we knew they played traditional music there. Our starters were marinated skewered beef and beef wrapped round sugar cane. These came with small bowls of noodles, basil and mint leaves, cucumber and lettuce and the Vietnamese fish sauce nuoc mam( which is delicious). Vietnamese like to play with their food. You are expected to use your fingers quite a lot. What you do is, using chopsticks, pick out a lettuce leaf, put the herbs in it, then the cucumber and beef. Then you roll the lettuce up with your fingers and dip it into the sauce. Delicious!
We found that usually the starters were bigger than the main courses. This is a plus for me as I always seem to like starters best!
For my main course I picked prawns in caramel sauce. I knew this was a popular sauce here and also thought that if I didn�t like it I wouldn�t exactly starve( remember the snacks earlier!). It was different certainly but a big hit. Husband picked lemongrass chicken- their signature dish and we both tried each others. We also had 2 beers, a coke and a red wine for the �17. Lemongrass was quite ordinary to look at but it was probably my favourite in Saigon.
We went on to Saigon, Saigon bar at the top of the Caravelle hotel. This was one of the hotels used by reporters and where they congregated to get their 5pm briefing from the US army chiefs. Great views from the bar. We sat at a table on the wrap around balcony. Quite a good group playing as well. Husband thought the girls would catch their death in the cool season but seemed to enjoy watching them. 
We had an early start the next morning where the horror of the Cu Chi tunnels awaited me so we went back to the hotel about midnight.

Day 6
We caught a taxi to Sinh Caf� and after returning twice to the caf� the bus eventually started on its way. We left at 8am, returning at 8.05 and 8.15 for latecomers! We had a three hour drive to Cao Dia Temple. This is in the middle of a huge complex. Three religions join together here to worship- Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. The Temple means �Holy See� and the eye icon can be seen in the middle of a triangle.Along the way we saw many paddy fields and villages and you could just imagine yourself back in the Vietnam war.
We arrived at the complex about 11am and had a wonder around the outside of the temple but it was way too hot! There are prayers said 4 times a day and at the midday one tourists are welcomed in to the temple to witness it. You are also allowed to wonder around before hand and take photos. Graham Greene called it �the Walt Disney fantastia of the East� and I could see where he was coming from. It is very brightly coloured and has eyes. saints, dragons and various other symbols draped on the walls, ceilings and pillars. Just before midday you go up to the balcony and watch the followers dressed in red, blue or yellow march into the temple followed by others in white. It is a well choreographed ceremony and the singing and the gongs and the actions were absorbing and atmospheric. After lunch we headed back the way to the Cu Chi province to visit the tunnel complex. This complex shows how the people lived and fought against the Americans. Before our tour we were shown a film shot during the war of the tunnels. It was dubbed in English but showed the war from the Cu Chi peoples point of view. The people caused havoc for the Americans, popping up all over the place, killing and disappearing again. They ate, slept and recuperated in the tunnels during the day and came out at night to fight. The Americans recognised the importance of Cu Chi and said that if they ever lost Cu Chi, Saigon would fall�..
There were over 200 km of tunnels and these were on 3 levels. The first level was for battle, the second level was for living and where they cooked, ate and slept, the third was where the hospitals were and also led to a river exit in case Americans ever got that far. Our guide took us through the jungle and showed us a secret tunnel opening. Of course we were asked to find it first and couldn�t. The opening was so narrow that only the slimmest man in our party managed to get through it. We were also shown other tunnels and airholes along the way. They set up reconstructions of the underground kitchens, hospitals, meeting rooms along the way. We also got to see the traps and they looked lethal. We were then led to a tunnel which had been widened enough for westerners to get through. I had had no intention of going in but the guide didn�t ask- he just told us and I didn�t want to be the only one to say no. Well it was the longest 40 m of my life, It really is cramped, pitch black, hot and does drop down in level several times and round several bends and I have no idea how they could possibly have lived like that. I hated it and can imagine people having a fit down there. Trouble is, once you start you can only go on and finish. One of our party was down there a long time. She must have just have frozen with fear! I have to say I�m glad I experienced it but if we ever return there is NO WAY I am going down there again! After a cup of tea in a clearing and some sugared manioc( which was a staple food) we were back on the bus to Saigon, arriving just at rush hour. You literally could not see a square centimetre of road for the thousands of bikes. By the way, there is a cacophony of beeps continually on the road. These can mean any of the following
� I see you and will make sure I miss you
� Get out of the way
� My car�s bigger than your one
� I don�t know why I am beeping my horn- its just that everyone else is
We arrived back about 5.30, had a wash and went to the lounge � well we couldn�t waste all the free drink and snacks could we!!! We had booked what is supposed to be the best restaurant in town for the evening- Hoi An. It is in an old Vietnamese house with wooden panels and fancy teak tables and chairs. Good service and great food. It was time to play with our food again. We had dragon pancakes filled with prawns and Hoi An rolls with minced prawns and herbs. We had to wrap these in lettuce etc again. For main course we had chicken in pandana leaves and hoi an beef. We took a taxi to the other famous war hotel- the Rex and sat out on the roof terrace listening to the band, who I have to say, where not great. Still, it was a �must do� and we did it! We went back to our hotel and bed as we had another early start the next day.
Day 7
This was the day we were going to the Mekong Delta. We made our way to the Sinh Caf� again and this time our bus left on time and did not have to backtrack. It only took us 1hr 50 mins to arrive at our destination. Before we got on the first of many boats that day our guide showed us a big map of everywhere we were going to. It looked like a busy day! I wasn�t too sure of the boat as I hate having to leap on to one! However, I did it without going for a swim and off we went down the river. We had about 50 mins to our first stop. Along the way we passed the floating fish market which was doing a roaring trade. Our first stop took us to a jungle clearing where they make rice paper. A rudimentary mill crushes the rice with water then the paste is spread on to a flat heating iron. It is then transferred to bamboo to dry. It can be rolled or grilled. Grilled its like a pompadom. We tried some before we moved on. A few minutes walk took us to the coconut carving. We watched the process then I had just had to buy a few things. We bought four rice dishes and two wine glasses � these were quite unusual and of course we have already tried them out! We stopped there for lunch which came in the �5 ticket price. There was plenty to eat- soup, rice, grilled meat and a bowl of steamed veg. After lunch we headed for the boat again. This was actually a new boat waiting for us at the other end of the small island. This time we had some mountaineering to do to get on to the boat! Half an hour later we jumped from a great height off that boat and leaped on to smaller boats. We had about 4 of those for our party. We then made our way up narrow waterways. The scenery was stunning. The boats stopped at different landing stages as there was no room for more than boat. We watched our guide disappear in the distance on his boat as we alighted. Then our boat sailed off leaving us there. We looked at each other- where were we supposed to go? A Japanese tourist started striding purposely off. Ah good- he was on our boat because he knows where we are going. Off we followed. 10 mins of going up one path and down another and I realised that the tourist hadn�t a clue where we were. Further more- we couldn�t even find our way back to the river. We were lost in the jungle!

Day 7 continued
�I don�t believe this- can you imagine the headlines?� I said. �Has anyone got a mobile phone on them?� Well nobody did. We walked past a hut with some men sitting outside watching us closely. They started to shout. Then we saw them pointing back the way at a small bridge over a river. We had to go that way. After we walked the plank, the Japanese tourist suddenly perked up and began to get animated. He had finally recognised the route! 5 mins later we arrived at the clearing which had several tables laid out and was either for Alice in Wonderland or it was for us. That moment our guide appeared with the rest of the party and was surprised to see us here already( which worried me all the more. After all, there was a party of Americans with us and our guide had been a pilot in the war- he had never said which side he fought for!) I am only joking about the guide( I think!!). We are told this is where they make rice wine and honey. Lots of people around there kept bees. A local appeared with a square honeycomb thick with bees and invited us to put our finger into the honeycomb. He had to be joking- there were hundreds of bees and they wouldn�t take too kindly to you trying to get to their honey. However, a few brave souls tried � I wasn�t one of them! I was still recovering from nearly being lost in the jungle! Husband did try though. We all had a seat and were given cups and shown how to make up a drink with hot water, honey and a squeeze of kumquat. Next there was a bottle of rice wine to be sampled and a dish of local fruits. Amongst this was the durian fruit. It is said to taste like heaven and smell like hell. It is the fruit which airlines won�t allow on and hotels ban! Sorry, I thought it tasted awful! The other fruit was lovely though. Remember, this was also in the �5 ticket price. At this point 3 locals turned up with musical instruments. I knew the guitar but not the other ones. The girl who had served us the drinks sang 3 songs. They sounded so sad and our guide told us that they were songs the females used to sing when their men were away fighting. Many of course, did not return. It is something that will stay with me. Sitting in a jungle listening to local music, They had a sense of humour though and finished with Auld Lang Syne. I couldn�t believe it. The Vietnamese are a very proud nation and seem to want visitors to understand a little about them. We were then introduced to a pet python and several photo opportunities. We have already had photos of pythons draped over us so we declined the offer!
A short walk and this time it is to a rowing boat where we glided peacefully down the water ways with not a care in the world apart from the fact the boat was letting in water! We were then put into a canoe and went up really narrow waterways. Finally we were transferred to a slightly bigger boat where we sailed for half an hour before our next stop. This was where they made coconut candy. It was amazing watching all the stages � no mass production here! Our final boat journey took us back to the bus. By this time I was leaping over the edge of the boat like an old hand!
We got back to the hotel in time to wash, change and head to the lounge for a couple of drinks(!) We went on to Vietnam House for a meal where it was hands on again. The service wasn�t as good as in the other two. It was another highly recommended restaurant. I thought it was good but would not rush back.
After that I wanted to see the Continental Hotel ( of the Quiet American fame). It had obviously seen better days so we did not stay on for a drink- some of the old photos were interesting though. We went on to the Underground Bar which is another thing in the list of �must dos� and then went back to the hotel. It was good to get into bed knowing we could have a longer lie in the morning. The locals had a different idea though.

Saigon- last day
So much for our long lie. I couldn�t believe it. 6am. Wide awake with Vietnam�s version of the worst Eurovision Song Contest group ever! Yes, on the pier 19 floors down from us, complete with speakers going full blast. It was as if they were in the room. I got up and went over to the window, expecting to see hordes of screaming fans. But no. There was the group and a handful of early birds in the background kicking a ball about. I have absolutely no idea what that was about but it continued unabated until 8am. At this point we got something along the lines of bingo. At 8.30 we got a brass band. You may think I am joking but I�m not!! By this time a few locals had given up the will to live and had joined them to see what it was all about. Sunday morning is obviously banned from being a day of rest in Saigon.
Just after 8.30 we got up and went to breakfast. After that we caught a taxi and went to the Military Museum. Caught a taxi- that�s a strange phrase for Saigon because normally the taxi catches you! It follows you down the street shouting after you- its either that or the cyclo man.
The museum is where they have the tank that broke through the gates of the Reunification Palace while the Americans were taking off from the roof by helicopter. The museum attendant seemed really pleased that non- Vietnamese wanted to visit and asked us where we came from. When we said Scotland he said �oh, bird flu!� The exhibits are in English sometimes but often not. So, not many tourists visit it compared with other museums. I found it gloriously one-sided- the North Vietnam side. The south army didn�t get a look in and some of the captions were hilarious. We saw the famous photo of the Americans escaping and the caption was �Generals and senior officials of the USA and puppet government outdoing each other in fleeing overseas�. Another one of 5 Presidents which said �Five US presidential terms of office with five warfare strategies failed completely�. There were loads of similar captions. While we had a quiet chuckle to ourselves we had to remind ourselves that what they said was true! I could have stayed longer but it was very hot. We asked the attendant how far away Notre Dam Cathedral was and he assured us it was 5 minutes walk. 20 mins later we decided that he must have known we had been laughing and told us a lot of rubbish. The temp was in the late 90s and we were melting. We walked past the Embassies and they are guarded closely.
Eventually husband decided he wanted to go shopping. We went in to a shopping centre where he stood in a/c bliss for 10 minutes till his shirt dried and then we moved on! We found Notre Dam and also the General Post Office which is very impressive. After that we nipped back to the hotel for a cooling drink and then went off to do some shopping. There are a lot of nice smaller shops in the district and we had a successful wander around. After that we took a taxi to the Reunification Palace only to find it was closed for refurbishment!  Oh well, something to visit if we return. Time for lunch and one last �must do� in Vietnam- a bowl of pho( pronounced �fur�). It�s a rich broth with bits of beef or chicken with noodles. You get to add your own mint and beansprouts. The small place we stopped at had the sign � no delicious, no pay� on the window. I was really proud of myself � eating soup with chopsticks is not easy you know. By the way- it WAS delicious! In the afternoon we relaxed by the pool for a couple of hours before packing and saying good bye to Vietnam. We will be back!

lots of good info

thanks
Rally

forgot to say OH bought medals and a couple of lighters supposedly from the war- one with the words"you've never really lived until you've nearly died". He brought them back for someone. Not sure just how authentic they are of course! Saigon is fascinating. I would love to return soon- perhaps Hanoi and a couple of other places.

Great info. Thanks. Couple comments below.

I hired a local guide for one of the days I was there and he took me to the Binh Tay Market in Cholon (aka Chinatown). He told me Ben Thanh was full of tourists. I was the only Westerner we saw while walking around Binh Tay and it's tout-free; no hassles whatsoever.

I think looking straight ahead might get you run over. You need to weave your way through, sort of like crossing through a school of fish. While you can pause, never back up. My local guide said you can put your hand out, palm facing towards the bikes, if you feel they are not yielding sufficiently. And he always looked at the bikes, as did I.

Another great place is Mandarine. I had a duck dish that was a marriage of Vietnamese and French cooking. Excellent! I believe I read it's owned by same folks who run Hoi An. I was a bit disappointed with the Temple Club, another restaurant frequently recommended.

I really enjoyed Saigon. A fascinating place.

Hi Fiona, I really enjoyed your Report & will use it on my visit to HCMC.Can you advise me of the code or name of the Mekong Tour that you took as I would like to book it. ( thanks in advance )
If any one is in HCMC between 3rd - 8th Feb 07 & would like to catch up with my lady & I for a drink pls leave a message or email me at: [email protected]

I, too, used the Sinh cafe to book a Mekong Delta tour when I was in Saigon two months ago. You can find more information here:

www.sinhcafevn.com

We just booked it through the Sinh Cafe. No problems - you can book and go the next day. Get your hotel to tell you the road it is on as taxi drivers may well take you to "another" Sinh cafe so they get commission.

Everyone has got their own travel tastes and interests, but I would strongly encourage you to look again at Hanoi. The French influence you are seeking is absolutely there--Metropole Hotel, Opera House--as is the shopping: plenty of Uncle Ho/Communist propaganda to buy. As a tourist, there is more to see in Hanoi--Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi Hilton (not literally the hotel chain, as their is now one of those in the city), Ho Chi Minh's Mauseleum, the Capital, the French Quarter. Where Hanoi is cultured and romantic, HCMC is recklessly fast and urban. It is certianly a part of the country to see, but I question whether it truly stands on its own as a tourist site. I would also suggest that the attitudes, culture, even archetecture in HCMC are less indictative of what you'll find throughout the country. At least that was my observation.

The single most useful tip I can think of: if a taxi meter's clear plastic enclosure box is broken through or missing (or sitting beside the meter), then the meter has been tampered with, and after a few km will start shooting up very quickly (although the rigged ones usually start at 12k dong, instead of the usual 15k dong). If the meter is tampered-with, you may want to try to agree on a flat fare before setting off. Less of an issue on very short hops.

No matter what commercial injustices you think you may have been dealt, don't argue with anyone. Don't call the police on anyone. There's still quite a bit of "street justice" doled out in Saigon, some of it by the police themselves.

Watch your dong notes. It's easy to be off on the denomination by an order of magnitude.

They are certainly different cities, but each should be visited if you have time. Everybody has their favorite of the two. There are some fine examples of French Architecture still in HCMC. The Hanoi people dislike the HCMC people. Not sure if its jealousy or left over from the war, but if you're a Vietnamese from HCMC, they will treat you differently. HCMC may be fast, but the traffic in Hanoi is worse than HCMC, especially in the Old Quarter.

I don't really agree with this - especially the "don't argue with anyone" bit. If you have been "done" then by all means argue - of course language can be a barrier. In the case of taxis, a good way is to get your hotel to argue on your arrival if that's where you're headed. Just don't take any risks with personal safety - and I accept those risks can be difficult to assess.

Based on disputes I've intervened in, half the time its a genuine misunderstanding made worse by the foreigner arguing away with an attitude that everyone should understand English. If you're in Vietnam without speaking their language then you must be prepared to give some lattitude.

Nobody wants to involve the police - so threatening to call them can have results. The police run their scams to get their income... but that's probably not going to be their first thought if you're the genuine victim of a crime and the police become involved. Saigon police stations are supposed to have at least one English speaker available. My experience is that they do and that they have English versions of any witness forms etc that you might be asked to fill in. On the other hand if you start spouting about the brand of passport you own, things are not going to go well for you.

If the taxi is "legitimate" but the driver is the problem then call/threaten to call the taxi company. I was once told that so many Saigonese want to be taxi drivers with the legit companies that if they receive as much as one complaint from a foreigner about one of their drivers they lose their job. Probably not true - but they've been pretty worried when I've got my mobile out.

Some companies have a label in English and Vietnamese that clearly states "no meter, no fare" - ie you don't pay. Of course sometimes they forget, so don't be mean about it if without the meter running he asks you what you'd think would be a fair price anyway.

The tip about the broken meter cover is a good one. In general its best to flag down a passing taxi on a main road or get to know where the taxi companies have their ranks. Learn to recognise the companies by their colour and phone number. The yellow Vinataxis (8 111 111) are probably the easiest to spot. Some scam drivers copy popular logos, but its rare for them to have the same phone number displayed.

An "odd" tip I would add is once you've mastered this art, never allow a VN friend to flag down a taxi unless they are travelling with you. Most VN people rarely use taxis and seem to care little who they travel with. Some will negotiate the fare anyway rather than use the meter. If they get a taxi for you they are likely just to wave at the first one they see, regardless of the company.

Finally, for anyone who is in Vietnam for more than a few days, its well worth getting a local pay-as-you-go mobile SIM card. You'll need a GSM900 phone that isn't locked to a particular network.

And especially dangerous at this time of year when they complain its "so cold". Some motorcyclists have the habit of keeping one hand in their pocket whilst using the other to steer. They swap every 30 seconds or so...

All good tips from jimbo. One I'd like to add... if you find a particular taxi driver you like, ask for his cell number... he'll usually have it already printed on a company card. He will be at your beckon call, and will appreciate the business. One particular driver was with us for 2 weeks, and in that time I learned alot about how they actually make the money, and it's hard. Our guy even told us it's ok to call 24 hours a day if we needed.

Also, most don't mind if you ask them to wait... it's just easier to keep you as the fare than to find another one.

And personally, I usually flag down cabs from Petrol Limex (white with blue/orange logos) or Saigon Taxi (white with green... I think)... they seem to have the newest vehicles with working A/Cs.

Yes... I had a girl who just "learnt" my schedule. She just always seemed to be there in her yellow taxi when I left my office or out of my favourite bar. Although she gave me her number, I don't think I ever actually called her. All a bit unsettling.

Even more spooky is getting into a taxi and the driver says "XYZ hotel?". You say "Oh yes. Have I been in your taxi before?". He replies, "No, never".

VN saying: Moi nguoi dan la mot cong an
Means: "everyone's a policeman"

One time I dropped a mobile phone in a taxi. Later that night I got back to the hotel where I was staying to find it had been handed in by the driver. I had taken the taxi neither too nor from my hotel. The phone and its SIM were UK ones - so he couldn't have contacted the phone company. I didn't tell the driver my name or where I was staying. But, somehow ...

By "argue," I meant confrontationally. Lots of caucasian folk literally go about yelling and fist-waving, thinking that, and I really do think this is the train of thought, because their counterparties are physically and financially small, this is a game with no downside. I would say it's several notches more dangerous than violently arguing with the most threatening taxi driver in the most threatening neighborhood in the most threatening city in the US.

Yes, but don't underestimate the potential of the doorman having reasons to side with the taxi drivers.

I think threatening to involve the police is the equivalent of waving a gun at someone. It ruins the chances of any amicable reconciliation. How the police adjudicate your dispute depends on many factors unrelated to the dispute itself, but no matter what the outcome of the dispute, involving the police can got you a nasty retribution some otherwise peaceful Saigon evening.

I was referring to "civil disputes," not violent crime.

Great tip.

Not in my experience. I was amazed at how well they discern good from bad taxis at a distance.

The two major brands are Vinaphone and Mobifone. I think Mobifone is the government-affiliated one (uh oh, Communists), and the SIMs are conveniently sold at post offices. Vinaphone is supposedly "better," but much more difficult to find. Anecdote: I casually asked a noodle shop owner where there's a mobile phone shop nearby so I can top up my Mobifone; he offered to top up my phone on the spot, in any amount I wanted (that I'd pay him). Worked fine, and I won't ask how he did it.