Going To Vietnam, Any Members From There? Or Any Tips While Visiting?

[brassmonkey]

We are heading to Vietnam at the end of March for a couple of weeks.
Are there any forum members from there who could fill me in about the state of pipe smoking there.
From what I gather most people smoke cigs or a local tobacco which is consumed through bamboo pipes.
Is it even possible to get pipe tobacco that I might recognise?
I will take a tin with me anyhow but would like to see what might be availabe otherwise.

How have folks, who have been there recently, found the experience?

 

[mikethompson]

There was a person on the forum who carved pipes that was in Vietnam. He hasn't posted for a while though.

Vietnam looks beautiful, enjoy your trip!

 

[tbradsim1]

Might have a smoke with this guy.

 

[krizzose]

I’ve never been, but it sounds amazing. Have a great trip and eat a lot of pho

 

[alaskanpiper]

Visited in 2005 with a bunch of vets and fellow college students. Can't tell you about pipe smoking, but what I can tell you is that is is cheap, cheap, cheap, has amazing food, and is incredibly beautiful. I'll never forget it.

 

[subsalac]

I don't know as far as tobacco, but eat some bun thit nuong and some vietnamese drip coffee over ice with sweetened condensed milk. You'll be in food heaven over there.

 

[troyniss]

I went in 2016 on a motorcycle trip. At the time I didn't smoke a pipe, but I did get to try the infamous water-bong pipe. Whatever tobacco they use is super high in nicotine and gets you lit. I took one good hit and the old Vietnamese guy started video recording me because I was swaying back in forth in a trance. It's really strong and I don't reccomend doing it unless you have eaten your days worth of calories in one sitting. Took another hit and got green in the face, walking through the industrial section of Hanoi, holding onto each lampost as I walked past. Side effects subsided about 10 minutes later but I never felt so sick from nicotine in my life. As far as regular pipe smoking, I didn't see any shops, but that was in Hanoi. You may have better luck down in Ho Chi Minh, the capital. But then again, I wasn't particularly looking out for them.

Here's an article you may want to look at:

Thuoc Lao – Pipe Smoking | How to Get High by Vietnamese Tobacco

If you are looking for a new stimulant to get you high in Vietnam, pipe-smoking or thuoc lao will be mentioned as the number one by all Vietnamese. Thuoc lao

www.vietvisiontravel.com

 

[adam12]

No matter where you spend the night, you must set your alarm for about 530 Am and wake up step outside and say ... GOOD MOOOORNING VIETNAM!!

 

[bullet08]

always wanted to visit vietnam. my father was in korean army, mandatory in korea, few months before we joined in. for whatever reason i have great interest in that country. it has nothing to do with the fact i love rare steak pho.

 

[subsalac]

Oh, I forgot to mention this but just in case, please be careful with scams! These unfortunately do exist in Vietnam, certain areas are very... party oriented, if you catch my drift, and there's a decades old economy of catching sucker tourists in these areas. Do your research if you plan to visit any bar neighborhoods or night life areas.

 

[Tranphii298]

We are heading to Vietnam at the end of March for a couple of weeks.
Are there any forum members from there who could fill me in about the state of pipe smoking there.
From what I gather most people smoke cigs or a local tobacco which is consumed through bamboo pipes.
Is it even possible to get pipe tobacco that I might recognise?
I will take a tin with me anyhow but would like to see what might be availabe otherwise.

How have folks, who have been there recently, found the experience?

Greetings from Viet Nam!!!

Lovely to hear you are going to visit our country. I am very new to pipe smoking but I believe I can supply you some piece of information that you are looking for.

Although cigs are the most popular here in Vietnam, and yes Vietnamese folks (especially those in the North) do prefer to smoke locally-grown tobacco from pongs made from bamboo (we call them ‘Thuoc Lao’), we do have pipe smoking communities, clubs and tobacco/pipe dealers here and there. I am not sure about other cities but from what I know, for sure you can purchase pipe tobacco in Sai gon, Ha Noi and Da Nang. You can contact them via Facebook messenger, place an order that they can deliver to you, or you can pay a visit their shops/ clubs and purchase directly.
Below are some tobacco dealers that I know:
In Ha Noi:

• http://thuoclasoi.com/thuoc-tau-d7.html
• Pipe & Lighter - https://facebook.com/PipeLighter82/

In Da Nang: you can contact me for support as I am living here ^^
In Saigon:
-https://www.facebook.com/pennsouls/
-https://www.pennsouls.com/thuoc-tau-cac-loai

If you are going to stay somewhere else, you can contact them, place the order and they can deliver it to you. (it takes 2-4 days for shipping throughout Vietnam)

Feel free to inbox me for any further infor. ^^

 

[brassmonkey]

Thanks for the replies folks, I expect itwill be very different than what I am used to here in NZ.
Tranphii - thanks for the information I will definately check it out. We are travelling the length of the country so will be in Da Nang at some point, i'll message you soon for more details.

 

[mikethompson]

Even if you don't like the show, I would recommend the Top Gear Vietnam special to watch, as it showcases just how beautiful some of that country is.

 

[anotherbob]

I can say it's worth checking out the local Thuoc Lao. It's basically rustica. Though it tastes better then rustica. Worth a quick check.

 

[mso489]

Most of my Vietnam experience was offshore on a minesweeper. However, in my later civilian career a number of my colleagues went to Vietnam on business. The main tip I picked up was from Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, where the traffic is incredibly dense, fast, and hectic, so if you have to cross a busy street, and you will, get with a crowd of pedestrians and keep moving no matter what. If you are caught out on the pavement alone, you life is in immediate peril.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I've never been to Asia myself but a teacher friend of mine signed on to teach English there for 15 months. He loved it so much he never came back.. He's been there for 6 years now. Finally married a lovely Vietnamese woman last year.

 

[Kingdom Dokha]

There's a Thuoc Loa tobacco variety over there. It's a strain of rustica that's pretty popular. I had a friend come back from Vietnam with some it. Very interesting smoke. It really wasn't as harsh as I expected it to be considering the variety. Kind of reminded me of the Arabic dokha tobacco as far as the buzz and the long pipe. I would definitely recommend trying some of it out.

 

[warren]

The best advise I could give, from experience is, unload quick and try to get airborne before the incoming finds the range.

 

[magicpiper]

View attachment 15269
Might have a smoke with this guy.

I knew a guy like him in college.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I went in 2005. Highlights were SaPa and Cat Ba island. You will eat very well my friend, for pennies at that. I was there 12 days. Spent $300 total and lived like a king the whole time.