 | Ho Chi Minh City Over-pricing Reviews | 1 - 10 of 19 |  |
When you leave the airport an official-looking guy will wave you to a blue taxi on the left (last time I went there was a line of these guys, from the airport door to the taxi rank, so everyone goes that way, of course). That will cost you US$9, at least. Instead, turn right for a few steps and cross over to the yellow cabs - US$4. That's the standard charge from the airport to downtown. Leave a Comment
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people in the markets have 100% mark up in their merchandise so you MUST HAGGLE!, start at 70% of the price and if they don't agree then LEAVE since 90% will ask yes to your price. Remember, just walk away if you don't like the price and chances are they will agree to your asking price.
knock off 70% from their asking price for the merchandise.
buy at department stores even if they have fixed prices since you can be assured of the quality!
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Well, HCMC is truly a shopping paradise on Earth. I never know that HCMC is such a wonderful shopping paradise till I am there! The wide roads are line with many attractive shops and boutiques filled with colourful ware. However, for the same amount listed on the price tag, I can buy the same item at 1/2 the price at the nearby Ben Thahn market.
Perhaps, visit the Ben Thahn market and check out the prices before deciding whether you want to "burn" your money at one of these stalls!!! *wink* Leave a Comment
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We got into a cab after we left the airport, and started haggling with the cabbie about the cab fare. In the end, we agreed to pay USD7 (we had not changed our money into the Vietnamese Dong yet, we only had USD with us then). Just before we reached our hotel, the cabbie stopped and insisted that we pay him the fare. We sensed that something was amiss, but paid up anyway. Satisfied, he then drove us to the hotel.
We soon realised that we were over-charged...the amount is no big deal, really, but it really sucks to have been cheated on the first day..just after arrival...If we had paid the original amount he wanted, we would feel worse!
Always insist on travelling in a metered taxi, and get the cabbie to switch on the meter! Most cabbies in HCMC are ok, but some of them would try to over-charge tourists at the airport. Leave a Comment
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We wanted to buy a handbag on Friday/Saturday at Ben Thanh Market and we were quoted US10 after much haggling (the inital price was US$15). We decided not to buy. Then when we went on Sunday afternoon - we were pleasantly surprise that the vendor agreed to sell the same handbag for US$7. That was a marked difference.
I cannot assume that this is widespread at Ben Thanh Market but looks like the vendors would not budge on the prces if it is Friday/Saturday as there will be so many tourist who would be willing to pay the price quoted as they would be leaving by Sunday.
So be wise and shop on Weekdays.... when there is slim pickings for the vendors
Visit Andong Market Leave a Comment
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The one and only eating place at HCMC international airport is an absolute rip-off. Everything is priced in US dollars, which is very annoying. A sandwich I had there was US$4 and a bottle of water was an incredible US$2. I was so hungry and thirsty, that I forked out the cash. The prising of stuff in HCMC is annoying when it's in US dollars. Ofcourse, the locals think that all tourists are rich, but when you're not from the States, Japan, or Europe, a few US dollars can add up to too much!
Make sure you get something to eat before you get to the airport, or if you can hold on, wait till you get on the plane. Leave a Comment
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Staying at Omni Saigon, we knew that a cab ride from District 1 only costs 48,000 dongs (eq. USD 3). We were trying to go to the War Remnant Museum from Ben Thanh Market (Dist. 1), which is a much much much shorter distance that cannot be more than how much we pay to go back to hotel. The driver insisted that, according to the meter, I should pay 100,000 dongs or 8 USD as he quoted. He pointed to the few un-used digits space on the meter where numbers weren't even shown and insisted that those should be counted. I refused to pay what he asked for and told my friend to get off the car first. The driver tried to grab me from his seat. I yelled at him immediately and ran off after throwing in a few notes that added up to approximately 10,000 dongs which was what shown as I saw from meter. Polices were around but not helpful.
We were totally freaked out and forgot to write down the company name. All I remember it was a small Toyota that looks a bit old, the company logo on the door is relatively small to be even "eye-catching". Suggested fellow tourists to ride the newer taxi van which usually have their logo stickers big enough to cover half of the taxi door. Also, remember the taxi id which is usually a 3-digit number printed inside the taxi. Taxi companies suggested by hotel are Vina Taxi or Mai Linh Taxi.
Ride the hotel shuttle if available
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All the tips on taxis overcharging so far are based on tourist experience. You need to know that there are licensed and "private" cabs. Licensed cabs have company names printed prominently and the last 6 numbers (company tel no) are always in a pattern. Eg (08) 8 383838. Even these licensed cabbies bring you for a long ride at times. The biggest culprits are "private" unlicensed cabs - they have small stickers (some camouflage themselves so well that they look like the licensed cabs), no patterns in their tel no, and meters that have been tweaked to go at double the rate.
The AIRPORT : The new HCMC airport opened in Aug 2007. It's much nicer and less intimidating than the old one. No longer will you be able to move out to hail the cheaper taxis. Instead, the various taxi companies post their own "guides" who will try to get you on to their cabs at the highest price. So you have to bargain around and see which will give you the best price. Determine the price before you board so that you are not brought on a long ride.
GENERALLY : I always take Taxi Vinasun because they maintain a very professional standard and I have never been ripped off by a Taxi Vinasun. And there are many white-&-green Taxi Vinasun cabs around. Next is the yellow Vinataxi - also quite reliable. The blue Savico-Comfort ripped me off twice in a row and Saigon Tourist once.
Please refer to the following site for more details on taxis in HCMC and on how to distinguish between the real and imitation cabs!!!
http://his3site.com/page3.html
You can always hire a car with driver (from one of the travel companies in Pham Ngu Lao) for about 800,000-1 mil VND to bring you around for a whole day (8 hrs). I did that when I had a big group of 7-8. Convenient and value for money.
The adventurous will rent a motorbike but I've yet to try - not that adventurous.
You can get on the local illegal motor bikes alias "xe om" or "Honda om" (about 10,000-15,000VND for short distances within town) - well, it depends on your bargaining skills but always determine price first. And you ride at your own risk! But with the new compulsory helmut law coming in Dec 07, I doubt if I'll be taking any more of these xe oms - God knows how many hundred people would have used the helmuts these xe oms provide.
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Over priced everything! I have to admit the scenery in the area is one of a kind in Saigon but tourists will definitely not get the feel of Vietnam.
Pham Ngu Lao is a better alternative! Leave a Comment
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Avoid the coffee shop at the top of the most dominating building, at 33 stories, the Saigon Trade Center. Prices are quoted in USD and are absolutely ridiculous, for Vietnam standards. Heck, they're ridiculous for any budget traveller's standard! Leave a Comment
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