We flew with Air Asia and Vietjet Airlines. Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Airlines, recently had to serve as a flight attendant on Air Asia when he lost a bet with the owner of Air Asia about whose Formula One racing car was fastest. Vietjet airlines was fined $1,000 dollars by civil aviation authorities because on its inaugural flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang the flight attendants wore bikinis.
We had to carry a lot of cash because it is not worth very much. The currency in Cambodia is Riel. 1
Canadian dollar = 4,250 Riel. The currency in Vietnam is Dong. 1 Canadian Dollar = 21,000 Dong.
10,000 Riel (about $5 American): Amount Garth bribed a policeman after we were stopped at a road block. Policemen set up road blocks in Cambodia at indiscriminate places and stop cars for a particular "violation". You then pay a bribe and then the policeman lets you go. Our guide and driver Bunli suggested that we pay 10,000 Riel and sure enough we were then free to go. We happened to have been stopped close to the market on our way to have breakfast.
4,000 Riel (about $1 American): Amount that Garth bribed a border official so we could get our passport processed at the Cambodia / Vietnam border. The border was very busy that night. It was the first time we have gone through a border crossing without talking to a border guard. The guide on the bus, with all the passports of the people on the bus, had us all follow him and go around the border agents. We had our luggage screened and then we went back on the bus. There were many buses there that night and he suggested that a "donation" may help speed up the process. After our "donation", we were given our passports back and then a border agent came on our bus to give a cursory check to make sure our passports were stamped properly and then we went off to Ho Chi Minh City. The 4,000 Riel was almost all the Riel we had left after leaving Cambodia.
The Dong is a "soft" currency and is not worth anything outside the country. Once you leave the country you can't exchange it for any other currency. You may as well throw it away unless you plan to go back to Vietnam.
Number of tourist shirts bought by Garth: 5
Vietnam: Cost of a beer: 50 cents American. Cost of cigarettes: $1.00 American.
How do you cross the road in Vietnam?
Traffic is crazy in Vietnam. We were told to look for an opening and then slowly cross the street. If you continue to move at a steady pace, the drivers will usually avoid you (see video link).
Crossing the Street in Vietnam
The video was taken just outside the Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City, within walking distance of where we stayed and a place we visited a few times. We crossed the street many times like this in Vietnam. It worked very well in Ho Chi Minh City but we had to adjust our strategy in Hanoi. In Hanoi the motorcycles and cars would just honk at you and you would have to wait until each lane was clear before you crossed each portion of the road.
Our summer trip included 5 of the Top 25 Asia Destinations for 2013 according to Tripadvisor. It was a fantastic trip!
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