PIPE AND SMOKING IN VIETNAM (Ho Chi Minh City/ Saigon)
General Smoking Background:
Almost every man in Vietnam smokes cigarettes, and every place allows to. Only a couple of cocktail bars forbid to smoke, but there is generally no problem to walk into a shop smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes are available in all shops, restaurants and thousands of street sellers. The price is among the cheapest in the world. A Marlboro light pack averages 16OOO VND, which is less than 0,75c of a dollar, the quality is not bad. It is cheaper to buy cigarettes in the country than in the Duty Free.
Local population smoke Craven and other unknown brands that are very harsh. Who wants to show class, smokes Korean brands, like ESSE, and super-thin cigarettes.
CIGAR
While cigarettes are ubiquitous, cigar smoking is often frowned upon, with -especially the female- locals complaining about the smell. The only cigar shops went bankrupt this year, and the supply of cigars is now found only in 5 star hotel lounges, and some street vendors with some wine shops. CAUTION: Counterfeits rule at around 85% of the market!
Prices of cigars in Hotels are not outrageous: Around 50% or 100% of Duty free price.
Street counterfeits are of good quality, all considered. A "Cohiba" Churchill rounds the 10 dollars.
Despite all that, there is a limited supply of Villiger cigars in several shops, and they are becoming popular.
Pipe
The same shops and street vendors in tourist areas that offer Villiger, offer Borkum Riff Cherry. There are no pipes for sale except for a shop: Humidor, which sells Davidoff and Villiger Cigars, and 6 or 7 pipes at 400% of the price. The Nording Wild Boar costs 350$ there.
Despite the previous, in the Antiquities shops there are pipes for sale from the Indochina times. Mostly French pipes, and some American and English. They are in a pitiful state, and cost around 10-15 dollars.
There is no pipe tobacco in the Saigon Airport.
Conclusion:
Vietnam has a relaxed attitude to smoking, but a limited or non-existant supply for anything but cigarettes. If you come, bring your own stuff. Most of the flights do a scale in Bangkok, Hong Kong or Kuala, which are a great place to stuff yourself with international and standard brands. Customs for tourists is lax, so don't be afraid of buying more than the legal limit.
