As I am a complete Vietnam nooby, can someone explain to me about the hairdressers and beauty salons, are these undercover brothels or not? I seen some videos on youtube about 10 woman just standing about doing nothing, not sure what to make of it. Also in one of vids these woman were literally pampering this one Vietnamese dude not sure if that's just normal service over there.

Another thing, as I am not really into the hooker scene, I will more likely be looking for normal girls, I assume their are more than enough that are not hookers right.

There are naughty places that claim to be hair cut shops as a cover. However, most places that say they are salons are actually salons. Probably the videos you saw are not naughty places. Just salons with pretty girls that cut hair, shampoo, facial, and body massage and tell you how handsome you are. In my limited experience at these places, they don't offer any "extra" services. Labor is extremely cheap here, and most every place you might be surprised at the staff to customer ratio (salons, restaurants, bars, etc).

There are plenty of normal girls. Bars and clubs are not usually great places to meet normal girls though. Normal girls do go out to these places, but the majority of girls there will be pros and it is often impossible to distinguish one from the other (unless she tells you she is a pro. If she tells you she is not a pro, she may still be a pro). Vietnamcupid.com, WeChat, and some others are decent places to meet girls online. Some pros use these as well, so you need to be somewhat careful still. Also, if the girl has a decent job, that is a good sign if you are seeking a non-pro.

I agree with DonJuan that you should come here and stay in a hotel for at least a couple weeks. You can find a reasonable hotel for around $15usd/day. It's not an unreasonable option to stay in a hotel for longer either. You can usually negotiate a better price the longer you stay.

Once you are here you will get acquainted with the place. Make friends with some locals and some expats and they may know of some good places for good prices. And if you have a local do the calling, you can probably negotiate a better price.

D2, D7, and Binh Thanh are all nice places in my opinion. D2 and D7 are really foreigner-friendly with lots of good foreign restaurants. Foreign food here is not cheap though. Expect to pay about the same as you would in a western country (or more). And, if you travel to district 1 a lot and you don't drive a motorbike, taxi fees can add up (probably around $7+ each way).

Not really sure why foreign food and taxis are so much more expensive here than in Thailand, but they are.

Thanks for your reply sl4v3. Just wondering if I choose to live in D7 will their be enough entertainment during the day, like cafes or coffee shops and evening such as bars or clubs? Or is all of that stuff just in D1?

Don't mind living further away but if I am too isolated from everything them it might not be for me.

i live in d7. golf course, driving range, pool halls, bars (some of which are pretty decent), beer club, decent food places (all you can eat korean is a winner at $10), football pitch, tennis courts, fishing lake, swimming pools etc. if your working online you will be missing peak traffic to get to d1 if you drive and will only take 15 mins to go through when you want.

hopefully i am unbusto soon and can do more and get more involved with the poker players here

Cool Scroosko, you set my mind at ease, I think I prefer to live just outside of the hustle and bustle and from what I've been reading D7 seems to tick most boxes and now pretty much all.

I was just searching for apartments in D7 area and I have found a website that offers pretty nice places for 5-8 million vnd. Not sure if I can post a link but here goes: http://batdongsan.com.vn/cho-thue-ca...n-7/-1/4/-1/-1
Also would any of you know if these prices are standard, could someone tell me if these prices are legit and or if this website is legit?

If ure a newbie to VN, I don't recommend living anywhere but D1 bc D1 is where all the actions are at. You can certainly live in other districts, but you would be missing out a lot of stuff IMO especially if this is your time in VN.

You get what you pay for. Saigon has loads of apts ranging from 500 for a basic place all the way to upwards of 10k for a baller place, so the discrepancy is quite vast.

The asking price for my apt was 575. Most owners want a 2 months full rent as a security deposit. I negotiated and got it down to just 1 month and got the price down to 550. My apt is spotless w top of line hardwood floor, a massive bedroom, 2 super nice bathrooms on par with any 5* hotel bathroom, squeaky clean w granite counter. My apt is probably around 700 SF. I looked at over 20 different places before settling choosing this one. The deciding factor is the apt is on Nguyen Trai, which is in the center of everything.

Binh Thanh district is quite big so depending where you're at you could be quite far from D1. Saigon Pearl and the Manor are your best options in BT. I don't recommend D7 if you're a newbie to VN. While D7 is nice w loads of foreigners, eateries, and coffee shops, it is quite far and quite different than D1 and the center of the city. As sl4 said, get over here stay in a hotel while you diligently search for your apt. You will encounter a lot of frustrations during your search, but if you put in the time and effort, you will find a suitable place. I am very happy w my place. I don't have any killer views of the city, but I would put my apt on par with any modern apt in Saigon.

Don't rely on any websites as the pics are photoshop. A lot of the apts are big and poorly structured and wreaks w a bad odor upon entering the lobby.

D7 and D2 are kind of like living in Vietnam without living in Vietnam. You probably came here to experience the inner city and people. To do that its probably gotta be d1/d3/d5 and really D1 is just best for that. People tend to move out to D7 and D2 after the pollution and the congestion get to them but by that time you know all the good spots anyways.

I think DonJuan had it right where he said don't settle for the first girl you meet and fall in love with. You are looking for a normal girl but Vietnam isn't black and white but all shades of gray. Go have fun with all the massage girls, shampoo girls, clubs girls, bar girls, promotion girls etc until your phone is filled with "crazy girl from le duyen do not answer", "girl i slept with from Gold Club who said I got her pregnant" to the point where you are afraid to answer your phone when a number you don't know calls you. Then and only at that point are you ready to settle down. If you try to settle down before then, all you are going to do is see pretty women everywhere and go damn.. i want to tap that and that and this and that one over there. If you get it out of your system first you can easily go "she's hot but how crazy is she going to get?" and go "not worth it."

wise words there, sounds same as thailand

+++1. or you can follow the local Vietnamese tradition, get marry have kids and sneak out on their wife-have a bunch of "little wife". The rule of the game is as long as you don't get caught they will turn a blind eyes. Remember don't get caught http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/soc...-his-wife.html
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/soc...-his-wife.html

Also don't get mad at your wife and do this http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/18955/...ool-into-canal

HAHA, Bruce that's golden advice.

Good to hear you found a great spot m8. Damn I am torn right now, I am hearing you guys though. D7 appealed to me because it is much greener and cleaner, a more tranquil life style. How much of a hassle is it to get to D1 from D7? Going to D1 a few times a week should still provide me with heaps of entertainment right?

It's my apartment BUDGET I am worried about, I am trying to get a place for $350, max $400 and I do not think I will get that in D1. We'll see, I will definitely get a hotel for a few weeks and visit several districts to get a feel of the place.

DonJuan would you be willing to help me negotiate a rental when I get there

this might be off topic not sure. But who else think this would of never happen if he just went to SEA http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/25/ju...ooting-deaths/

I mean the dude is a rich as f.uck and his dad is famous and he couldn't get any pussy? Imagine orgies I would of had with his status. lol at feeling inferior because he is short. I am like 5'3 on a good day with terrible acne and still able to pull(paid for) more pussy then him.

Anyway I live in tay ninh Tactiicue it 2.5 hour away but I am sure there are other that willing to have coffee and show you around.

Try 8A Thai Van Lung. Its the Japanese area off of Le Thanh Ton in Q1. I have two friends living there for $350 including everything. One has a kitchen, one doesn't. It's an alleyway with houses that are converted into small apartments. I'm not saying they are stunning apartments but they are in the center and affordable. Also pretty good food within walking distance as well as entertainment.

You are also asking the wrong question.. its not how much of hassle is it to get to D1 from D7 but how much of a bitch it is to drive your motorbike back to d7 after a night of drinking and do you really want to deal with the police while drunk. Much easier to take 20k($1) taxi's from the center of d1 to LTT.

Cool, good to know there are places available in D1 for my budget. I agree haha didn't even think of the journey back, guess taxi's could be an option though.

Can any of you tell me if my expectations are too high or unreasonable? I basically want a modern 1 bedroom, with good kitchen and bathroom for no more than $400, the area should be => 45m2 in District 1. If not then as close to D1.

I have seen apartments advertised online in this price range but really only serviced apartments and most are studios with no kitchen.

Depends on your definition of modern but I'm pretty sure that it doesn't exist. Yeah most are converted homes with 10 or less rooms for rent. You might get lucky and score one that's newly refurbished but most likely without a kitchen. Good luck with the search!

Completely unreasonable for D1. With that price range, your best bet is a serviced studio (and even that is difficult to come by bc most service studios are at least 500) or get a roommate and share a nice apt.

Don LOL. Let me just put it simply, punanies are plenty to be had in HCMC! Lol

What about the Districts close to D1?

It would prolly be cheaper, but once you factor in the costs of travelling to the city center, ur rent would be same if not more. But if this is ur first time in HCMC it wouldnt make any sense to live anywhere but D1!

I've been looking at your choices for the poker dinners and you guys like fancy places. You guys should do the all you can eat Galbi Brothers on Thursday/Friday or Au Lac Do Brazil. Better value and lots of meat! Or do a lunch meet up and do Dim Sum in D5 Parkson 250k.

lol it all Alpha. Him and his expensive french cuisine. Majority of the time I do street foods with bunch of beers