First time to Vietnam - Hanoi
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Soldato
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Depends on the drugs. Only ever used Malarone and don't believe I've suffered any side effects but my fellow traveler was on Doxycycline and did not take well to it. I take it whenever there's a slight risk, but the drug types recommended do vary by region. But this is no substitute for medical advice - go see your local GP surgery and they may give you an appointment with a nurse who will talk through what you may need and what they think is suitable.
I just don't mess around when malaria is on the cards.
No, guidance was that malaria is only really in the rainforests of Vietnam rather than the dense population. Check the Government website though.
I never bothered and I travelled all over Vietnam so it up to you certainly your locations it not worth it.
But go and see your doctor for travel jabs you will need to get some more then likely.
Edit: For mosquito reppellent I recoomend odomos cream fantastic stuff plus it has a more nice smell over the usual deet sprays
Soldato
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Even if they wanted to look after it - and they are trying - properly they couldn't with the sheer number of tourists who visit.
Best advice for the OP would be to not go as they'll only be contributing to the problem like every other selfish tourist.
Associate
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Hanoi - just chill out in the old town, if you haggle prices are about the cheapest in Vietnam.
Take a day trip to Ninh Binh - also known as "Ha Long Bay on dry land" - my wife and I both thought it was a better experience than Ha Long itself which was pretty but suffers from too much tourism. Look on youtube for Ninh Binh, Tam Coc, Lying Dragon Mountain, Hoa Lu ancient capital.
This video is a fast flythrough:
https://www.facebook.com/AmazingThi...3ugr99PUMU3YaL2b-gaDW-eoOLzyxnjuk&pnref=story
Advice is to take Malaria meds if you're going to the western/northern mountain regions so we took it - but where you're going you won't need it.
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I assume you just sit in your house and never leave then?
How does being a tourist make you selfish? Surely tourists can pick companies that are the most environmentally friendly?
Soldato
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Nope, I try to visit places that haven't been ruined by unlimited tourism, and I try to do so in a way that leaves as small an environmental footprint as practically possible.
Tourism is inherently selfish. It's visiting places (in this case a country that despite its recent economic success is still beset by myriad problems that result in a very unfair and unequal society) purely for your own gain (the pleasure of having an experience, creating memories for yourself alone). Most income generated through tourism does not go to the people you actually interact with whilst you're there, indeed a lot of it ends up back outside the country through corruption and inefficient government. Tourism allows governments to get away with doing as little as possible to improve the lives of the most vulnerable in those countries.
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Caporegime
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I assume this is [First Name][How everyone feels when you type]
Diphtheria, hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid boosters are recommended. I didn't think about them when I went to Vietnam for the first time, but then it did cross my mind the second time I went that I should really look into what is needed! To be fair though they're all down to cleanliness and hygiene, so it depends where you go!
I didn't bother with Hep B as prostitutes and dodgy tattoos weren't really on the top of my list of things to do
Right, okay. I assume you:
- Cycle to your destinations rather than fly
- Never use hotels
- Never use any tourism company
- Never visit any attraction or when you do, ensure you touch nothing to ensure the architecture is preserved for... err... no-one caus you don't want anyone to see it unless it is purely to take photos for the worlds enjoyment.
Diphtheria, hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid boosters are recommended. I didn't think about them when I went to Vietnam for the first time, but then it did cross my mind the second time I went that I should really look into what is needed! To be fair though they're all down to cleanliness and hygiene, so it depends where you go!
I didn't bother with Hep B as prostitutes and dodgy tattoos weren't really on the top of my list of things to do
You can get Hep B also by other means like blood in maybe cooking water I think it worth considering also it expensive though you have to have 3 jabs at £50 each.
Yeah, I didn't leave enough time to get the full course of Hep B jabs although I'd have had 2 of 3 so probably would have been alright, but decided against it as it's just bodily fluids/blood that spreads it.
What a country Vietnam is though, been twice for 6 weeks in total, I'd happily go back again tomorrow!
I really want to go back again in a few years and motorbike from North to South
What a country Vietnam is though, been twice for 6 weeks in total, I'd happily go back again tomorrow!
I really want to go back again in a few years and motorbike from North to South