Rita

Was just cruising the websites on Vietnam and one company offers the car and drive option.<BR><BR>http://www.passionasia.com/Trip_info.cfm?tripid=847<BR><BR>Is it easy to drive in Vietnam? <BR>

Rita

Here's the real link, sorry.<BR><BR>http://www.passionasia.com/self_drive.cfm

kathy

NOOO!!! Unless you have nerves of steel and are used to weaving in and out of traffic full of bicycles and mopeds.... no, not even then would I recommend driving a car in Vietnam. The traffic flows are nothing like what we're accustomed to in the West and not everyone obeys traffic signals and laws. There are few signs in English. And even though driving in the countryside may be more doable, there are no English signs out there. I strongly recommend against a self-drive vacation in Vietnam.<BR><BR>That said, you could probably hire a car and driver for very little--I think we paid something like $300 USD for five days with a driver and mini-van to drive between Saigon, Da Lat, and Nha Trang. And this included the gas money.<BR><BR>

Joe

I am a pretty much a do it myself type of guy, 41, and driven in a few other countries, but there is NO WAY I would drive myself around Ho Chi Min/Saigon. My nephew lives there, and the stories are graphic about how bad the driving is. That more than anything is one of the most impressionable memories I took home with me from Vietnam (I was just there last month actually). It is cheap to hire a car and driver, relatively speaking. However you decide, have fun!

mari

LISTEN TO THE ADVICE U'RE GETTING! <BR><BR>the biggest risk is that u'll hit somebody, which is nearly unavoidable bc motorbikes pop in front of cars, trucks and taxis all the time. they either don't look (most motorbike drivers in vn aren't required to undergo any kind of driver education) or assume u're looking and will stop. also, motorbike drivers riding together tend to stop suddenly in the middle of traffic to discuss things.<BR><BR>the second biggest risk, imo, involves the game of 'chicken' on major highways. oncoming drivers tend not to pull aside or slow down, but rather to accelerate toward ur windshield.<BR><BR>most of vn is not equipped w/ traffic signals. this holds true even for 7-way intersections. nobody waits their turn--that's just not the system. everybody plows ahead and angles out of everybody else's way.<BR><BR>be prepared to have people walk in front of the car while u're driving. they assume u'll stop, or they're trying to encourage u to come to their restaurant.<BR><BR>it will be nerve-wracking just being a passenger in vn.

Alan

Rita, I love Vietnam and would love you to have the same good time that I had there so I would urge you strongly to listen to and heed all the advice above. Hire a driver if you want to get around safely -- even then you will spend a goodly amount of time with your hands over your eyes -- but do not get behind the wheel of anything more motorised than a pushbike. Even in the country.... everybody seems to live in a narrow ribbon along the road anyway, so there are few areas where you will not see crowds of people within inches of your vehicle. The children are the ones that worry me most... Vietnamese mothers seem to think that their children are born road-safe, and toddlers are allowed to wander along the edge of the &quot;highway&quot; unsupervised, as huge tour buses speed past them with a hair's-width between. Believe me (and the other posters above) you would be setting yourself up for a holiday you would never forget, though you might spend the rest of your life trying.

Rita

Thanks for the advice, I have decided to drive a rental car, you only live or die once.

tr

Rita: Go ahead and rent the car but when you get in a wreck do not expect the US government to &quot;fix&quot; the situation. And be content with whatever level medical attention you receive. Shut your eyes and gun it!

been there

Rita -<BR>You have no idea what you are getting into to. Chances are better than 50/50 you will get into an accident unless you are used to it, and those odds get worse every day you are there. Good luck because you will seriously need it. It is not you I am worried about. The gene pool has an uncanny way of taking care of itself. I just hope you don't hurt any Vietnamese. And oh yea, you are definitely on your own if you're in an accident..