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[yogurtpooh]

Hai Phong reminded me of a Saigon with its roads and shops. Aside from the weather, I didn't see any major red flags as to why living there wouldn't be an option.

[mark_in_saigon]

I would suggest that we use this thread to ask new questions about Hai Phong, as it already has a lot of info on it, and then both the new member and any other interested readers can have the benefit of what is already posted. Additionally, people who have already contributed do not have to repeat themselves.

Using the search function on this great site will really improve your experience here.

[Newcomber]

[Knaved]

It is true that Haiphong has a reputation for crime, violence and corruption. and it is true that the nearby resort of Do Son has a reputation for prostitution.

I have been living and working in both places since June this year. Please do not believe people who paint both places as dangerous dens of iniquity and sleaziness. It is simply not the case.

Maybe those who post such comments are a little wet behind the ears and not used to places off the beaten track, If they don't like to be away from their western creature comforts, they should stay in Hanoi or HCM city.

Firstly, it is nonsense that you shouldn't ride a bike from HP city to Do Son alone. Hahaha. Utter tripe. I and other guys I work with do so every week and have been doing for months. The most dangerous thing that can happen on that road is that a stray buffalo or horse might amble out in front of you.

Haiphong is not a tourist city and as such is not geared to westerners. Don't expect to services and food to be on equal footing to other places you have travelled to in VN. However, it has a vibrant cafe scene, a couple of expat bars, modern/kicking discos (nightclubs), live music venues and late at night ice cream parlours where you can sit back and watch the world go by. Parkson does have a 6 screen cinema, bowling alley and games centre. While HP city has plenty of billiard halls and enough shops and markets to keep you occupied, if you like that kind of thing.

I ride and walk all over the city, by day and night on a regular basis. as do my colleagues. I have never been accosted, mugged or been the mark for any kind of scam. People may not be as refined as in other cities in VN but they are generally friendly and polite. That is what I have encountered and experienced.

It is true to HP is limited re entertainment and western cuisine when compared to other cities in VN but it does have decent restuarants with western menus.

Do Son, 20km down the road is portrayed on the net by some people as a kind of wild west town. Again, it seems these people don't get out much. I live there and am in a position to tell you that you don't need to be nervous about coming here. It is tame by comparison to many other places I can think of. Bognor Regis at night has more menace that DS.

[LettersAthruZ]

I have resided in Hai Phong for a couple of years (no longer, thank the stars) but I haven't been in Do Son for about a year now (I avoid that place like the plague). Last time I visited was in January 2012.....STILL had guys grabbing my arm "Hey! Hey! Boom boom?? Massa? Massa?" LITERALLY every thirty metres there.

If ya wanna tell me that Do Son has become Disneyland in the span of 11 months, hey, happy to hear that! Still, I can't imagine they've been able to do much with the polluted water and the rubbish-strewn beaches there.

Riding a motorbike between Do Son and Hai Phong is a joke!! IF I remember correctly, the road is even brightly illuminated! NO problems there!

From what I am told, given The British Council's recent presence in Do Son and their contract to teach municipal employees to speak rudimentary English, there's now a fairly large government/police presence there, so (for now) things are very much under control in terms of safety in Do Son.

As for Hai Phong, I was just back there visiting friends about five weeks ago! Even when I lived there, there wasn't "violent" crime really - a couple Tay guys I knew had knives pulled on them after actually looking for prostitutes (you don't have to look very far in Hai Phong) and, in another incident, one Tay girl was riding on the back of a Xe Om and had a small faux Gucci handbag snatched from her (which then sent her sprawling to the pavement) by two guys on a motorbike in a snatch-and-grab-and-ride deal. She suffered a hairline fracture to her forearm, but was otherwise all right. She went back to Australia two days later.

Still, in two years of residing there, that is ALL that I have heard about......in a city of more than 2,000,000 people, I can't say that it is a dangerous place.....far from dangerous, actually.....as long as you don't do anything stupid.

There really wasn't much in the way of amusement and entertainment there at all. Parkson/TD Plaza (which I visited five weeks ago with my friends) has a very nice eight-screen multi-plex, but the bowling alley was stunningly at WESTERN PRICES (65,000VND/$3.10USD/₤2 for each game of bowling played - when I left town two years or so ago, the bowling alley was priced at around 30,000VND - 35,000VND per game). I don't know about NOW, but when I lived there, Hai Phong didn't quite have the ca$h flowing around freely like Ha Noi and HCMC did.....maybe that's changed, I don't know. Maybe there are more Tay there now to warrant higher bowling prices as opposed to when I departed.

There's ONE "ex-pat" bar that my friends there knew about in Hai Phong and took me to (a place with the traditional Vietnamese name of "Julie's")......loud music and 30,000VND for a Bia Ha Noi. But Hai Phong had (when I left a couple of years ago....possibly more now) at least five nightclubs/discos, if that is what you are into.

IF you're lucky enough to be able to latch on to a B.C. gig, then Do Son's not a bad place at all.....otherwise, if you end up in Hai Phong, Cat Ba Island is a much better place to spend your hoilday time.

[Newcomber]