Some very interesting news from ThanhNienNews.com today. The Vietnamese government is thinking about ending the restrictions which forced HCMC restaurants, discos, nightclubs, coffee shops and karaoke bars to close at midnight. This is definitely a positive sign the Vietnamese government is sending to Westerners in particular here in Saigon. Most of the good night clubs close too early for many Western expats and tourists forcing them to visit the lower quality Pham Ngu Lao Backpacker clubs. If this regulation is ended, I can Saigon transitioning to a 24 hour Western city in a relative short time.
In the same article, HCMC officials also asked the Vietnamese government to waive tourist visas for some countries such as Australia, France, Germany and the US as a means to promote tourism in Vietnam. Another positive sign for Vietnam.
Look out China, Vietnam is now becoming a full-grown Tiger…
Read Article here -> Ho Chi Minh authorities suggest scrapping nightspot curfews
I hope they stop the silliness in Hanoi too; they’ve been doing it on and off for years.
Just trying to fight social evils, right? 🙂
I can see a rise in petty crimes when they do end this regulations. That is just a gimme. You know, drunken expats are good pickings for petty thieves but maybe the new tourist police could deal with this as well.
I will be glad to see the visa requirement lifted. I will be back there in about a year to visit Trang’s family. Ever since my first visit to VN I have had a temporary resident card which meant I don’t need a visa and I don’t have to stand in the long line at immigration and customs at the airport. I just blow on through. It was great to be able to get out of the airport fast after such a long flight. But my temporary resident card expired recently.
Did you go through the new airport terminal? How was it? Faster I hope. With a larger baggage claim area. The old one is such a zoo!
Hey Tracy:
You can get a resident card through Tracy since you both are married.
The new terminal is nice. It took me 25 minutes to get from the plane, go through immigration, pick up my bags, and go through customs. It was so fast that my friend, who was going to pick me up, was caught off guard. I took a taxi.
You will like the new airport terminal.