Job Discussion Forums

[foozle]

Anyone bought a pair of glasses in Vietnam?

I'm in need of a new pair, and I'm not sure whether to buy a pair here in the UK, or wait and buy a pair after I've arrived in HCMC. I know they'll be cheap in Vietnam, compared with the �100-�200 I'd have to spend here, but what's the quality like and can you find something stylish? Is there anything like the Japanese store, Zoff?

[foozle]

Thanks Jerry, that's all the assurance I need. I'll wait 'till Vietnam! Those UK shops can rip someone else off!

[RedRoof]

I know some people have been happy with glasses. My experience has been different.

In 2006, I was referred by a work colleague to an optometrist in Ba Trieu street in Ha Noi who claimed also to work as an Opthalmologist at the hospital across the road.

1. He tested my vision for both reading / computer glasses and a multi-focal light sensitive set. Cost of test = 10,000 dong (less than $1) and it turned out I got commensurate value.

2. I wanted green frames and he presented me with some "Dame Edna Everage" plastic frames with multiple diamantes (not really ever likely to be me!!!) and eventually a very stylish green metal frame which I had to pay for (from memory about 1,500,000 dong!) before he'd make / order the lenses. After many weeks and return visits, he eventually told me that he couldn't get any lenses that could be fitted to these frames. As I'd paid cash, I was out of luck and his suggestion was that Aussie optometrists could fit appropriate lenses! A quick check at home revealed they were sunglass frames and would never have been suitable for my script - and any qualified optometrist would/should know that.

3. He made reading glasses fairly quickly in the interim which never felt or worked properly. Subsequent checking at home decreed them to be an inappropriately strong prescription by a long mark.

4. 2007 I (a) took my prescriptions from home and (b) obviously tried a different optometrist (just along from Trang Tien Plaza). They still insisted on doing their test of my eyesight. Two pairs of multifocal glasses later - supposedly made to my scripts - I found I still had no really suitable glasses - and testing at home showed (a) neither was my script and (b) both had been made to different scripts!

Given that it's not easy to get dentists, doctors ot optometrists - or many others - to accept payment by credit card, there seems to be very little one can do in these circumstances!!!

So my suggestion would be - DON'T pay for much until it's a working and satisfactory reality. Perhaps taking your own script and ask them to make up to that script might work more effectively than it has for me?

RedRoof

[foozle]

Thanks for the extra info and advice, guys. I'm sorry you've had some bad experiences, redroof - I'll certainly be cautious when it comes to choosing an optician and to payment. However, I've just had an eye test here in the UK, so I have a prescription that can hopefully be used (correctly) in Vietnam, and I also only require very weak, distance-viewing lenses. Hopefully, this'll simplify matters.

Since I'll also be in HCM, perhaps you could tell me the name and address of the optician you use, Jerry? It could save me a lot of legwork in searching.

[foozle]

Wow! Thanks Jerry! I don't mean to cause you any trouble though!

And your teeth done? I'm guessing you mean whitened? Or maybe you're just talking about a general check-up and clean? Well, I wouldn't mind having my gnashers whitened by a few shades, and having my stains removed, too. If you could give me the name of the dentist you saw as well, I'd be eternally grateful...

By the way, I don't speak a jot of Vietnamese at the moment. Is this going to be a major problem in sorting these kind of things out? Perhaps I should take a Vietnamese speaking friend along with me?

[foozle]

Cheers Jerry - I will do. Only a month to go now.

Hoping to mix more with Vietnamese too. Actually, my current work colleague is Vietnamese and I have a lot of Vietnamese customers. I suppose I should be taking advantage of this and have some free language lessons whilst I can. hehe