Shadowing Practice: Things to do in Ho Chi Minh city for first time travelers - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

Hi everyone, it's Vân Vũ from Vietnam.

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Hi everyone, it's Vân Vũ from Vietnam.

Welcome back to my channel.

It's been a long time since I've seen Anh Long.

Hello, hello everyone.

So you've already seen him in some of my videos such as Phủ Chi videos or Mekong videos.

By the way, if you want to learn more about Vietnamese culture,

don't forget to visit my website at whattheforvn.com.

So what are we gonna do today, Anh Long?

Well, this morning we're gonna take you around,

introduce you to things to do as the first time traveler because I know that many viewers,

many fans of yours, right, haven't been to Vietnam.

So I think it's gonna be a very interesting video.

It's got me so much fun.

But first, let's get breakfast.

Yes, let's go.

Okay, let's go.

Hey, but this way, let's go.

If you want to see the real hustle and bustle of the city,

you should join the locals to buy breakfast in the morning.

Before going to work, Saigonese usually order sandwiches and coffee while still sitting on their motorbikes.

That's why today Long and I will go to Bánh Mì chim chạy,

literally translates to the running bird sandwich shop.

The unique name came from the idea of using meat from ostriches,

the birds that cannot fly.

Over the years, they substitute ostrich meat with chicken and grilled pork

because ostrich meat was so dry and chewy for Vietnamese people.

It's one of my go-to Bánh Mì spots in Ho Chi Minh City.

Long and I will go to the cafe apartment on 42 Nguyễn Huệ walking street

and I'm gonna show you how unique it is.

And now we are at the cafe apartment already.

42 Nguyễn Huệ.

And this building actually becomes super famous after a cover on National Geography.

Yes, at night it's so beautiful

because I took a picture here with the apartment the first time

when I came to Saigon and it was so so beautiful at night guys.

Did you know this building initially served as a barrack and office for the army during the Vietnam War?

After the war, some of the apartments were allocated to shipyard workers.

However, it wasn't until the 2010s that the owners of these buildings began embracing the concept of cafe apartments,

which subsequently blossomed into a culture phenomenon in Ho Chi Minh City.

The 9-story apartment block at 42 Nguyễn Huế stands as a testament to its history,

housing a vibrant mix of cafes, boutiques and creative businesses.

Okay.

We can eat bánh mi,

drink coffee, and see, enjoy the flowers and the views.

Wow.

And meet like so.

What a life.

Yes, right?

Yeah.

What a life.

Oh my gosh, I see there are a lot of options for Ơi here.

So they have cafe sữa đá Anh ơi is the traditional condensed milk

and then cafe sữa đá Em ơi is like more milk

and then more condensed milk so it's like kind of like bạc siu

and then cafe sữa đá Trời ơi like oh my gosh cafe it's like they have durian in the coffee

which I ordered here Oh my gosh she sounds like an expert right?

Like she asked me to come along as a tour guide but she didn't miss my recommendation

Anyway she ordered the right thing Congratulations.

Thank you.

How are the coffee though?

Very good.

I got em ơi.

Yeah, so I got the right choice.

I need to try this one.

Good right?

It's actually good.

It's like...

Durian and coffee.

Can you believe it?

It's such a combination.

Wow, yeah.

Like, I can smell the durian in here,

but it's not too overwhelming.

It's actually a very good combination.

Saigon is just a girl in love.

Right?

Yeah.

Watch out, watch love.

And then Hanoi is like an old lady,

you know, like, she's trying to keep the rain and keep the rain.

On the way to Nguyễn Huệ walking street,

you can pass Dong Khoi area,

which is considered the richest area of the city.

You can see Hotel Continental Saigon where writer Graham Greene wrote his famous movie The Quiet American.

You can also see the Saigon Opera House where people take wedding photos.

And I also highly recommend you see the A O Show,

which is a cultural entertainment performance from talented Vietnamese artists.

I would like to show you another little construction that has very interesting information.

Yeah, that's the fountain, right?

You can see the roundabout right there, right?

Lotus roundabout.

That is the first traffic roundabout in Ho Chi Minh City.

Wow.

Back to the colonial of time.

Initially when it was untreated,

it wasn't functioned as the traffic route about.

But right there the French have musicians,

artists, they come to that area to perform.

But I think when the French come back to Vietnam,

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they're gonna be so surprised.

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Because right now they do rapping and then they sing karaoke here.

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Yes, adapt to the Vietnamese culture, right?

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Definitely.

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So in Rome, do as the Romans do.

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Now we are walking on Nguyen Huệ Boulevard.

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This is the main pedestrian street in Saigon.

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Now it's quite empty, right?

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Not very crowded in the morning,

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but during the night time,

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people, especially youngsters, family members,

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even couples, they come here to hang out and have fun.

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And by the way, over there you can see that is one of the most iconic landmarks of Ho Chi Minh City,

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which is Ho Chi Minh City Hall, right?

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But now it's function as the office building for Ho Chi Minh City People Committee.

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Right there you can see the Rex Hotel at the corner.

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Yes.

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It's a very famous hotel, especially among American tourists.

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I was really curious and surprised why a lot of Americans know about that place.

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I asked them and they said,

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like, back in the day during the Vietnam War,

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Rex Hotel together with another hotel,

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which is Caravell Hotel, at the two first hotels that hosted the very first American soldiers who came to Vietnam

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you know for the Vietnam War.

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Yeah so this one together with the Caravelle were the first two hotels that hosted them.

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Interesting.

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Yeah we're gonna do a couple of crossing again.

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Okay I love crossing the road you know.

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That's a good experience right.

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We appreciate life more.

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I appreciate it.

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But now I want the pink one.

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I want the red one.

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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Independence Palace.

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The Independence Palace has been the symbolic end game that brought the Vietnam War to an end on April 30th,

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1975, when the North Vietnamese Army Tang crashed through its gates.

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The palace was the home and workplace of the President of the Republic of Vietnam,

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and it was constructed in the early 1960s and designed by a Vietnamese architect, Ngô Viet Thu.

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The palace architecture is a unique blend of traditional Vietnamese,

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Chinese, and modernist styles.

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From the above of the Independence Palace mimics the form of the Chinese character,

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Ji, which represents good luck,

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and the symbol ko, mouth,

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symbolizing high standards of education and freedom of speech.

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Entering the Independence Palace, you can see the meeting rooms,

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banquet rooms, entertainment rooms and the bunker where the president and his staff could take shelter during attacks.

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Don't forget to go to the balcony on the second floor

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because you can enjoy the stunning view of Ho Chi Minh City.

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The Independence Palace is not only an important historical site,

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but also a significant symbol of Vietnam's struggle for independence and reunification.

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It stands as a reminder of the country's tumultuous past and serves as a testament to its resilience and determination.

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the brick right that's the original color of the brick from the very beginning and on the brick right

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for the wall it was imported from maxi province from france yeah

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i feel like nowadays we live in such a fast-paced life

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and it's so convenient for people to call or send each other emails

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but i feel like it's more special

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if we send letters to our loved ones

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and i would like to send a letter to my future husband

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so um do you know where i can send it let

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me tell you we have to come to the right place where a building just right behind us

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saigon central postal field if you know a lot about feng shui which is all about harmony and balance

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you will notice a dragon and a tiger at the gate.

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They resemble strong spirits who protect the building.

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The architecture is a perfect combination of Gothic,

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Renaissance, and French colonial influences where you can see a massive clock

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that has been running for more than 130 years and Hermes,

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the god of all communication.

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There are also numerous well-known scientists

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and inventors of the telegraph industry such as benjamin franklin alessandro volta

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and michael faraday are engraved on the wall entering the post

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office you will see a hanging huge portrait of president ho

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chi minh who was the leader of the vietnamese revolution in

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the 20th century on both sides of the post office walls

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there are two large meticulously drawn maps one depicts saigon and its neighborhoods

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in 1892 while the other illustrates the network of telegraph lines across vietnam

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and cambodia in 1936 the seating area was designed like a

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train station where you can see the time from other countries

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and telephone booths did you notice there's no number 13 wow i see there are a lot of souvenirs here

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and even host cards and then magnets here as well

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but you know what we know Another option that you can buy more souvenirs with more affordable price.

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Okay, let's go to...

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Biên Thái Market.

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Yes.

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Alright, let's go.

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Oh my gosh, my nose.

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My nose, my nose.

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You smell something?

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Oh my gosh, I smell durian.

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Yeah.

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I smell dry shrimp.

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I smell everything here.

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Oh my goodness.

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Alright, so now we're entering the market,

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Bến Thành Market, and you see the name outside, right?

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So this is the most popular market in Ho Chi Minh City, especially for tourists.

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So when you come to Saigon,

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you should definitely check out Bến Thành Market, because it's a highlight.

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Yeah, it's so lively here.

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And not to mention when you go to Binh Thang Market,

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don't forget to check out coffee.

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Right, there's so many types of coffee over here.

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And over here they have a lot of candy and then dried fruit and nuts that you can buy.

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I know that like lotus is super good for your sleep.

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So maybe you can buy some and make chè,

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which is a Vietnamese dessert.

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Super yummy.

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Oh my gosh, look at this!

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Cinnamon!

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And then like if you want to make pho,

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this is a good spot for you to have all the ingredients to make your bed more pho.

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That's right.

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I think my mom would love this.

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Igerbom.

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So for Asians, this is a secret medical oil.

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Because my mom, my grandpa,

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my dad, they use this for everything.

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Like headaches, stomach aches, nausea, whatever.

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Even when you get mosquito bites,

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you can also apply on your skin.

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I know, right?

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You can treat everything.

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Multi-functional.

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Oh my gosh, Anh Long,

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I love this little cone hat.

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Oh yeah.

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These are so cute.

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Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

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What's this?

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Conical hat, right?

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This is another stuff that you can take home as a souvenir.

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So cute.

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All right, so we are entering the wet section,

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the wet market of Ben Thang.

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So right here, there's like butcher,

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you know, like meat and the fish section over there.

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Yeah.

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So for local ladies, they come here every morning to buy fresh ingredients for daily meals.

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And then in Vietnam, they only sell it for half of the day so that the food can stay fresh, right?

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That's right.

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So my mom, for example,

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she loves to go to the market in the super early morning because she can get fresh food.

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That's what my mom did too.

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But then you need to know how to negotiate.

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That's the thing that I want to say.

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While we're outside of the Bên Thành market,

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what's a tip to bargain?

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Well, you know, as I explained earlier,

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anyway, it still functions as a tourist market.

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So when you come here to buy things,

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make sure that you do a very good negotiation.

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Sometimes it can be like 40-50%,

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you have to cut it half-right.

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Yeah.

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Yep.

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40-50%.

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Keep that in there.

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Right.

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Especially souvenir stuff for example they say like a hundred dollars you have to make it like 50 or even 40.

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and also

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if you go with the professional local tour guide like Ang Lam you don't need to worry about negotiation

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because they know the price.

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One more tip you should ask the local beforehand to know like how much it is

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so you can negotiate with better price right.

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Wow this is so cool.

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I have never seen like as many outside as in here.

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And by the way, this is a fixed price section.

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So for those who don't like negotiating or they have no skill of negotiating,

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then this should be the place for them, right?

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You come here, every price is also fixed already.

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Yeah, the price is very good.

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Yeah, I feel like people can buy outside for their wedding here.

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And then after that, when they have honeymoon,

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they can go to that section to buy some graphic t-shirt to go to the beach.

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When they have a baby,

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they can buy some clothes for babies.

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How convenient it is, yeah.

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Many people are so strategic.

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So if you want to learn some strategic skills or negotiation skills,

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I suggest you to come to Vietnam ASAP.

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Yeah.

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There is one construction I would like to show you,

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which is really interesting, not many people know.

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What is that?

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The building just right behind us,

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by the way, that way,

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you can see a very old building with yellow color right there, right?

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That is where one of the last helicopters of Americans left Saigon.

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Is that like a.. they have an iconic picture for it, right?

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That's one.

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That's one.

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So the picture was taken in the afternoon of the 29th of April,

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one day before the Vietnam War ended.

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For the whole building, right,

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it was converted into the office for a company,

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but the rooftops still remain the same.

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Yeah, so sometimes if tourists are lucky enough,

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you are allowed to go inside to go up there because there's a cafe up there.

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Really?

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But sometimes we are not allowed to go inside.

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I don't know.

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It's so weird.

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Oh my gosh.

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It was a long day.

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I was so exhausted, but I had so much fun with Anh Long today.

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Barely, we had a great time today.

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And we know that this video is very short, right?

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And if it's short, of course,

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it cannot show you everything about Saigon because the CDE staff has a lot to offer.

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So stay tuned for more videos to come.

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Yes, and please comment down below if you want to see more of Anh Long in my channel.

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Okay, and also if you want to learn more about Vietnamese culture,

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don't forget to visit my website at whatthephovien.com and subscribe to my channel.

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Thank you so much, Anh Long,

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again for helping me today.

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Thank you so much for sharing the opportunity.

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Thank you!

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Thank you!

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I'll see you guys in the next one.

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Bye!

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