Korean Job Discussion Forums

[daisydew]

Okay, so I'm going to fly into Ho Chi Min city in July and stay there for around two weeks to meet up with a friends from the states who has a ton of family there. In the middle of that 2 weeks, we are flying to Bangkok for 1 week, for our other friend's wedding and to sight see.

Questions I have:

1. Are travel agents (in Korea) and buying a ticket online (in U.S. dollars) about the same price and service?
2. Any suggestions about which airline to fly?
3. How much is too much for Vietnam? -I saw some really inexpensive tickets, less than $500 with taxes and stuff but the arrival time in HCM was like 12:30am, so I'm assuming I'd have to get a hotel as soon as I got there then find my friend the next day.
4. Any other suggestions about what to do in HCM or Bangkok?
5. Is it safe for a girl to go by herself to these places (if I'm eventually going to meet up with friends)? Is it as safe as Korea?

I'm a novice traveller (coming to korea has been my first real experience) so i'd appreciate any advice. thanks~!

[northway]

1) Korean travel agents will generally be a bit cheaper than American online sites. In my experience, Korean sites have been significantly cheaper (as much as 100,000), if you have a Korean to help you.
2) The airline is totally irrelevant.
3) Can't say, but if you found tickets for that cheap, don't worry about getting in that late. I've gotten clean rooms with hot water for less than $15. Taxis cost nothing.
4) Bangkok - there's so much to do I don't know where to start. Try not to stay on Khaosan Road for more than a night or two.
5) They're safe places for a girl to go, just keep your wits about you. I don't think women need to worry too much more in Vietnam or Thailand than men do; don't be a drunken jackass and you'll be okay. Be a drunken jackass and you'll most likely still be okay.

[blahness]

I'm thinking about going to Vietnam too but I was worried about flights. I checked flights online via American sites.. but it was pretty expensive. I'm hoping going to an agent in Korea would be cheaper.

As for the safety of Vietnam.. just make sure you don't wear jewelry and watch your bag when you go out. They tend to snatch bags and steal jewelry that you're wearing. It happened to my family quite a few times... but other than that it should be safe.

[daisydew]

[SNOTOSEOUL]

1. I don't know about Korean travel agents. I used kayak.com
2. I flew China East Air, they were the cheapest by about 50 bucks but when I flew with them from thailand the plane was delayed 7 hours. Also they had other little delays. When I flew with them to vietnam though the flight was ok.
3. 500 or around there seems like the rate to get to a lot of SE Asis from korea. I actually found a flight from busan for 40usd cheaper, you may want to check that out. As for getting there late, I got there at 2am and just slept on the airplane benches until daylight, then at 7 in the morning went to find a hostel for the next day.
4. ice coffee and pho?
5. It probably isn't as safe as Korea (is anywhere) I never felt in danger, never had any sketchy situations or times where I felt in danger?

[Kepler]

In Vietnam, some people will drive by on their motorbikes and grab what they can from pedestrians. I would suggest keeping things like cell phones and cameras in your pockets. When wearing a backpack make sure both straps are on your shoulders. Don't wear jewelry. I had a friend who had the expensive gold necklace she was wearing snatched from off her neck while near a busy road. It's also probably best to arrange for someone to pick you up at the airport rather than deal with some dodgy taxi driver who may have his meter rigged. Your hotel may be willing to send someone to pick you up.

[blahness]

[northway]

[daisydew]

okay, so i'm trying to buy my ticket sometime this week for vietnam. the cheapest i saw as $500ish but the airline is china eastern air. i asked a couple of koreans about that airline and they told me to stay away (even though they haven't flown with them before). should i stay away? the next is $200 more, but i'm willing to pay that if needed. i dont want my flight to get cancelled or delayed by 20 hours, something crazy like that.

[Caffeinated]

[ntchimy]

You can check with Vietnam Airlines for cheap ticket to Vietnam at: Wooree Agency 02-775-7666. Some of them can speak English.

[daisydew]

okay, i've found a couple of tickets online that i'm interested in. What's the easiest way I can get a visa for vietnam. Am I correct in thinking that I don't need one for Thailand?

[mellinger]

When I went to Vietnam, I got my visa at the airport. I don't know if it's really "the easiest way" though. It seriously took forever for it to be processed. I even had my form filled out in advance with hopes that would speed things up. This was in Hanoi, by the way. But, to their credit, them getting me my visa at the airport was still faster than it took for my baggage to come out.

I waited for about a half hour for my visa, and then waited probably another 45 minutes for my bags to come out. Then it took about an hour to get through traffic to get to downtown hanoi from the airport.

Don't get me wrong though, Vietnam (at least the parts that I saw) was wonderful! I visited the northern part around SaPa (very beautiful and mountainous if you get a chance), and then spent some time around HaLong Bay (another fantastic area). The food is great, and traffic is some of the craziest I've seen in the world, at least with scooters

Some photos from my trip to Vietnam: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theworldismycanvas/sets/72157626108950473/