Search Results For : Vietnam

Hoi An - Old Quarter 103
JUNE / JULY 2023 OVERVIEW We have just finished our 3 month stay in Cenang Beach, Langkawi, Malaysia. … our next stop is Hoi An, Vietnam … PLEASE NOTE: I have been to Hoi An before: firstly in 2015 and later in 2020. Hoi An hasn’t changed much 🙂 In this blog, I will focus on what is new. To read my previous blogs follow these links: Hoi An – Vietnam – Information (2015) Hoi An – Vietnam – Retirement Locations (2020) EXCHANGE RATE The currency in Vietnam is the Dong (or the ‘VND’). At the time of writing, the […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – Information (2023)

FEBRUARY 2020: OVERVIEW: I flew my 2 daughters out from New Zealand to join me in Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Our plan was to tour the Mekong Delta before making our way up through Cambodia to Siem Reap (picking up the best highlights along the way). This is our route: … this is our story … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (or the ‘VND’). I will refer to them as V$s. At the time of writing, the exchange rates were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate V$23,215 V$25,775 V$30,156 Effective Exchange Rate V$22,538 […]

Mekong Delta (Vietnam) to Siem Reap (Cambodia) – Living Ideas

FEBRUARY 2020: OVERVIEW: Last year, around 8.4 million Medical Tourists travelled abroad to seek healthcare services in S. E. Asia. This number represents nearly one third of global medical consumers. Medical Tourism is well established in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. But, now, Medical Tourism is emerging strongly in Indonesia, The Philippines, and Vietnam. The Vietnamese medical sector grows by 18-20 per cent every year. The number of foreigners travelling to Vietnam for medical examinations and treatments is over 80,000 per year. The income is reaching over $1 billion. Vietnam has the advantage of political stability. This makes Vietnam a safe and […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – Dental Tourism

DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020: OVERVIEW: My ‘6 Year Around The World’ tour is complete. We are, now, going back to some of the best Retirement Locations in S. E. Asia. We start in my, personal, favourite S. E. Asia country: Vietnam. … and, in one of my favourite locations: Hoi An … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (or the ‘VND’). I will refer to them as V$s. At the time of writing, the wholesale exchange rates were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate V$23,215 V$25,775 V$30,156 Effective Exchange Rate V$22,538 V$25,023 V$29,276 You will […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – Retirement Locations

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019: OVERVIEW: Our ‘Around The World’ tour is complete. I ‘skipped’ India … but, I might go there at a later date. We are, now, going back to some of the best locations in S.E.Asia. We start in my, personal, favourite: Vietnam … PLEASE NOTE: The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (or the ‘VND’). I will refer to them as V$s. At the time of writing, the wholesale exchange rates were: US$1 EU€1 GB£1 Published Wholesale Rate V$23,234 V$25,623 V$29,840 Effective Exchange Rate V$22,556 V$24,875 V$28,9269 You will not get these wholesale rates (read the […]

Hanoi – Vietnam – Retirement Locations

  2016:   INTRODUCTION: I applied for my 6 month Tourist Visa at the Vietnam Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand. This Visa cost NZ$150 (US$100) and involved two 1.5 hour return trips to Wellington by car. In hindsight, it may have been better to secure my Visa using someone like Vietnam Visa. This is what Vietnam Visa have to say … 3 TIPS FOR AN AWESOME TRIP TO VIETNAM: 6153 miles and 12 hours 47 minutes are numbers that wanderlusts might be thinking before travelling from Wellington, New Zealand to Hanoi, Vietnam. For many years now, Vietnam has been known for being […]

Vietnam Visa

DECEMBER 2015: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: In Hoi An, I was able to Get Around By Bicycle for 2 days investigating. I concluded that the only real area for GRANDPAckers to stay in was in the heart of or within walking distance of the heart of the Old Town. Some hotels out from center provide complimentary bicycles – they have to because, otherwise, it is too problematic for their guests to get around. You can easily get from the Old Town to the Beaches on a bicycle… and, it is a pleasant 25 minute ride. WHERE TO STAY: It is worth noting […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – Where To Stay

NOVEMBER 2015: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: In Phu Quoc, I rented a scooter and went Around The Island for 2 days investigating. I concluded that the only real area for GRANDPAckers to stay in was in the 5km strip along Long Beach south of Duong Dong. It reminded me of Cenang Beach, Langkawi, Malaysia where (similarly) this was the only beach on the island suitable for GRANDPAckers to stay long term. The rest of the island is either being built, up-market, unkempt, or not to GRANDPAcking standard. On my 3rd day, I sat down to have breakfast, and used BOOKING.COM to create a […]

Phu Quoc – Vietnam – Where To Stay

  JANUARY 2016:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I spent 8 nights in the Old Quarter, Hanoi and it was, now, time to leave Vietnam and move on to the Philippines. I needed to get to Terminal 2, Hanoi Airport (Noi Bai) for my regional Cebu Pacific flight to The Philippines. The ‘typical’ taxi fare from the Old Quarter to the Airport is about VND350k. It is a 35km journey (and the typical taxi rate is VND10k per km). But, try and negotiate a fixed price in advance so that there are no ‘surprises’ when you get to the airport. Some […]

Hanoi – Vietnam – To Puerto Princesa – Philippines

JANUARY 2016: OVERVIEW: My costs start where I was dropped off in the Hanoi Old Quarter and include: 8 nights in a GRANDPAcking Standard hotel Food & Drink Mobile Data / Communications Visa cost apportionment Partying Transport to Hanoi Airport CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about Hanoi – Vietnam – Information. Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country. Click here for detailed Travel Information and more Travel Budgets in this country. Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures. SPREADSHEET SUMMARY: MY ACTUAL 1 PERSON GRANDPAcking COSTS: Cost Of Existence (COE): Accommodation: My accommodation was a ‘GRANDPAcking Standard’ Double with aircon […]

Hanoi – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs