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hinh anh

Pepsky CD/DVD Ripper 5.2

Currently there are many specialized programs to rip audio tracks from Audio CD music discs, extract audio from DVD video to audio formats commonly used. But few have programs to support export multiple audio formats such as the Pepsky CD / DVD Ripper to 11 audio formats including MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, AU, AIF, APE, VOC, FLAC, M4A, and OGG.

Also Pepsky CD / DVD Ripper is a tool to convert DVD video to common video standards for mobile handheld devices, including: MP4, iPod, iPhone, PSP, Zune, Mobile phone and other standard video ... dedicated to upload to the Web as well as stored on the computer.


Program support video export formats: MPEG 1/2/4, AVI, ASF, SWF, DivX, Xvid, RM, RMVB, FLV, SWF, MOV, 3GP, WMV, PMP, VOB, MP4 .... Special to design special features to copy and compress the contents of a DVD-9 to DVD-5 format and still ensure quality. You can install and use the program with a very low profile computers.
ca you dowload here :
http://208.101.37.229/setup5/Pepsky-CD-DVD-Ripper.exe

Graboid Video 1.65

No separate 30,000 plastic film, the Graboid Video built more than 7,000 film animation attractive and 75,000 TV program enriched. The film presentation of months ago are sold beautiful (DVD Rip), but the new movie rolling out two months ago a new test only copyrighted TS (TELESYNC) or CAM.

Graboid Video is a software allows you to download the movie "blockbuster" from 1990 to present, including the new movie out. For each free account, Graboid Video gives you 4000 MB of bandwidth to view online or download the movie nails the telephone conversation picture world today such as: Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half - Blood Prince, Fast & Furious in 2009, Star Trek 2009, Mens Watch 2009, Terminator Salvation 2009 ...

Unfortunately, on each computer Graboid Video only allows you to register and use a single account for free (download the movies 5-6). Want to download more movies than you have "affected".

can you dowload here:
http://www.graboid.com/downloads/GraboidVideoSetup-1.65-onyx.exe

Wallix Pro 3.2

Wallix Pro Firewall prevents intruders access to your computer. It automatically detects and blocks attacks through a comprehensive check of all information inside and outside your computer. Wallix Firewall Pro provides an easy interface, with more clearly give you a list of all programs installed on your computer. Unwanted programs can be removed at any time with just a few clicks.

can you dowload here:
http://www.bestsecuritytips.com/downloads/WallixPro-setup.exe

Auslogics Disk Defrag is a program for those who use computers with large hard disk capacity. Although Windows is accompanied by protection against fragmentation, but when do defragment the hard drive on the large capacity, it proved slow, you can wait hours to complete new tasks. Therefore the use AusLogics Disk Defrag is a solution to help you save a lot of time and effort for this.


can you dowload here:
http://www.auslogics.com/en/downloads/disk-defrag/disk-defrag-setup.exe

Enchanted Beach

This is a favorite scene that I've painted several times. Every year I enter one in a "Mini Show" and so far they have sold opening day of the exhibit. The painting itself is only about 3" x 5" but when framed is the perfect thing to hang on those small wall spaces.

Color Change

This design was conceived by another artist. I lived the free form feel of the tropical leaves and chose to replicate it in different colors making my own personal interpretation. This then provided a lesson in color exchanging which I demonstrated to my watercolor class. It is a bit mind boggling to paint this way but with good results

Flora Cerebellum

This painting began in exercise class. Realizing my balance was better on the right made me wonder if I was possibly left-handed. Deciding to paint with my left hand was very interesting. I even setup my paints differently by mixing all colors beforehand before starting. These flowers are the result of a right-handed person painting with my left!

On the Vine

I particularly enjoy painting on Yupo paper which is synthetic and non-absorbent giving unexpected results. It is a challenge to make somelthing look recognizable. When we travel we visit vineyards so I have plenty of stored memories to help me paint grapes. Purple and green are a favorite combination of mine and they lend themselves perfectly to these paintings

Memories

When we were growing up we didn't get a lot of things except for Christmas or our birthday. One time we went to a rodeo and our parents bought us hats, just like the one in the painting. We treasured this unexpected gift and have fond memories of the good times we had together as a family. I decided to give my sister the painting and she immediately remembered the significance of these straw hats and we had fun reminiscing.

Lighthouse for Tommy

When I first began painting I enjoyed painting for friends. Margaret's husband Tommy loved lighthouses so I painted this with the intention of giving it away. The nice thing is that this couple redecorated their kitchen in a nautical style and hung my creation in a place of honor. I think this lighthouse is on the coast of Maine.

Ronkonkoma Kitchen Window

I painted this during the Christmas holidays, sitting in the kitchen, in my cozy bathrobe watching the snow fall. It was just beautiful, very bright and appealing. Had to get out my paints and try to capture this memory. You see I knew we were moving to Florida the following year and that this scene wouldn't be repeated. I hung it in my new kitchen here and looking at it brought back wonderful memories of life on Long Island.

Florida Cracker

I was visiting my daughter and her family in Vancouver, Washington. My granddaughter Cheyenne is a true horse lover. She volunteers her time to work at a nearby horse ranch, mucking out the stalls and working the horses so she can spend time near horses. I sketched and then painted this majestic horse just for her. I feel this horse represents a inherited strength along with freedom of expression. This is actually a Florida Cracker horse, decended from the horses set free when Ponce De Leon left St. Augustine.

Sailing at Sunset

I had the great fortune to take a watercolor painting workshop with Norma De Santis. She was quite famous in our area, a very accomplished artrist who specialized in painting beautiful flowers, water scenes and children happily playing or dancing. This painting was begun by first using triangular pieces of masking tape to block the sails. Then encouraged to use bold colors and large strokes a dramatic finish was created. This is a 'class' piece but I think quite accomplished. She was an excellent teacher.

Ageing Gracefully

This charming cottage was part of an old rental property called Edenlawn. It's located along the Indian River in Jensen Beach FL. Originally a hotel along with cottages for rent, it served visitors to Florida during the winter months beginning in the 1950's. Now overgrown and abandoned,it still retains an appeal worth preserving as a painting. This cottage, called "The Mole Hole" particularly seems to have aged gracefully.

Down by the Riverside

I find the colors of autumn so beautiful. Walking every day when I lived up north was a special treat in the fall. The colors of the leaves from the various maples and oak trees in the neighborhood was spectacular. Very uplifting for someone who enjoys being surrounded by warm tones. This painting was done to honor my inner feelings regarding color.

Consideration

This may be an odd name for a painting but somehow it fits. While staying at a suite hotel for several weeks I left my artwork in progress out on the table. The cleaning girls began to comment on my paintings when they saw me in the room. Further they started bringing me flowers from other rooms after the guests left. This made me quite happy as it was very thoughtful. Of course I had to sit down and capture these bouquets to show my gratitude for their consideration.

On the Dock

My grandkids came to visit and we took them to Sandsprit Park. Along with great views, an active waterway, it also has a wonderful playground. After they finished playing we walked to the boat ramp to watch the fisherman cleaning their catch. There is a handy table set up for this purpose right on the dock by the water. Many pelicans hang around, waiting for dinner. They are not shy, just hungry I guess. Here is one preserved in paint.

Gentle Spirit

When I saw this photo of my grandson Jesse, I just had to paint it. The idea that he could actually get close enough to a chipmunk to hand-feed it simply amazed me! Jesse truly has a gentle spirit, is very loving, warm and beautiful, inside and out

Capricious

This is one of my first paintings on yupo paper. Not having any control over where the paint goes or what it does makes it a delightful experience. I had a cut glass vase full of fresh flowers to use as a reference. The unexpected results are the bonus in working thiw way. I think these flowers look pretty wild!

Sold

Family

Everyone seems to favor a certain animal. For me it is giraffes. My feelings are that they are graceful, elegant and appealing. I have many giraffe statues and pictures throughout my home. A wallpaper border with giraffes lines my studio and a large giraffe statue sits on a shelf above the area where I paint. It was delight to do this watercolor because of my total admiration for these unusual and gentle animals

Grand Dames

Irises are unique and very intriguing to paint. I've done countless versions in various colors but this painting is one of my favorites. These flowers stand in line like on parade, each one vying for attention. Somehow they seem quite regal, don't they?

Goodbye Sis

This painting was developed from a photo taken at my daughter Heather's wedding. Tara, her sister and the matron of honor, is hugging her and conveying good wishes. It stuck me as such an emotional moment, one that I wanted to capture on paper. For me, as a mother, it was wonderful to see such obvious love displayed between my daughters.

Wildflowers of Riverwalk Park

Once again I picked wildflowers along the beautiful Columbia River in Vancouver WA. This has become an annual tradition for me. When I return to our hotel I put them in a glass and prepare to paint. Using yupo paper I prefer to skip the drawing part and just dive in. This year as I began the phone rang. It was an artist I'd just met in Florida who specializes in using yupo paper. How serendipitous! She told me "more paint, less water". I was able to get a clear, crisp rendition this way. It really works!

Waiting for the Guests to Arrive, Lake Como

I wanted to combine a festive feeling with a scenic view of Lake Como. I placed the party tent on one side with silhouettes of the host and hostess waiting for the celebration to begin to provide that combination. There is such romance in the air at Lake Como on can't help but feel joyful!

Pink Tie Tulips

We have a local organization called the "Pink Tie Friends" that raises money for women with breast cancer who do not have medical insurance. This dedicated group of women, almost all survivors of breast cancer themselves, is very active and extremely successful. They help many women with treatments and medications that otherwise they would unfortunately be unable to have. I painted these tulips for the current President, Debbie.

Blue Fish

I've been painting in watercolor for 10 years and really enjoy it. But of course what artist is satisfied to stick with one medium? This huge fish is one of my first forays into using acrylic paint. I took a workshop last spring designed to open up our creative channels. It was fun to experiment and freely throw down paint, gels, inks and powders and then wonder what would happen. I found this guy lurking there, ready to be enhanced. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish?

Elliott Museum, Stuart FL

This is our local museum, the Elliott. It houses memorabilia from local Indians and early settlers along with an extensive classic car collection. The museum has a gallery for juried shows, special interest exhibits and also space for art classes. Outdoor Art Shows were held on the property for years. It was quite the sight to behold: a double row of white tents filled with paintings, sides flapping in the crisp ocean breezes as potential buyers leisurely strolled around. This building is going to be torn down and replaced so I painted it to preserve it in memory.

Tay Ninh Travel Guide

Tay Ninh Travel Guide
There is only one reason tourists visit this town northwest of Ho Chi Minh City: to see the Cao Dai Temple—the main cathedral. Caodaism is a homegrown Vietnamese religion that mixes many traditional Eastern religions with Christianity, animism, and the teachings of Victor Hugo and Joan of Arc, among others. The Great Temple, built in 1880, is fascinating—it's garish and surreal, with an altar dominated by an enormous, suspended globe decorated with glitter and a large, painted eye. The

building is a whirl of details, painted in pinks, greens and yellows. Try to get there at least a half-hour before the daily noon service, which is attended by hundreds of worshippers. Men and women sit on opposite sides of the church in brightly colored robes—red, blue and yellow for Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. We highly recommend this excursion—see it on the same day you go to the Cu Chi Tunnels. If you get an early start and don't mind a long day, push on 10 mi/15 km to the northeast to Nui Ba Den, a sacred mountain in an otherwise flat area. There are temples, pagodas and panoramic views to enjoy on the path up. 60 mi/100 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City.

Tay Ninh Travel

Geography
Located in Eastern of the South, Tay Ninh shares border with Cambodia on the north with 240km boundary, Binh Duong and Binh Phuoc provinces on the east, Ho Chi Minh City and Long An Province on the south.

On the north, there is Ba Den Mountain, 986m in height. On the south, terrain is quite flat. The province has Vam Co Dong and Sai Gon rivers and Dau Tieng Lake.

Climate: The weather is hot, humid around year with annual average temperature of 27.5ºC, annual rainfall of 1,724mm. The dry season lasts from December to April and the rainy season lasts from May to November.

Tourism

Coming to Tay Ninh, tourists are able to visit Ba Den Mountain, a famous complex of cultural and historical sites and beauty spots, and Binh Thanh Cham Tower, a monument of the Oc-Eo culture. Every year, Ba Den Mountain Festival attracts many pilgrims come to pray, sightseeing and enjoy the entertainment.

Tay Ninh is home of Cao Dai religion with Tay Ninh Cao Dai Temple, a complex of Great Temple, Chanh Mon Gate, four towers and Mother-of-Buddha Temple. The province also is base of revolution of South Vietnam during resistance against the Americans.

Transportation

Tay Ninh Town is 99km from Ho Chi Minh City, 224km from Vung Tau, 129km from Bien Hoa. There are Moc Bai and Xa Mat border gates to Cambodia. Moc Bai Market is trade center of Vietnamese and Cambodian.


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The Years Before the War

The Years Before the War

The seeds of the Vietnam War were sown in 1945, when the country was divided into the two halves that would see millions die before reunification in 1975. The end of World War II ended the short Japanese occupation, and Ho Chi Minh declared an independent Vietnam. A few weeks later, the French, who had been temporarily ousted from their colony by the war, returned to, as General Jacque Philippe Leclerc famously declared, “claim our inheritance". Ho Chi Minh accepted the French presence as preferable to aggression from China, but the Vietnamese would continue to fight for independence until they achieved it in 1954.

Under the Geneva Accord of that year, hammered out between France, Vietnam, Laos, China, Cambodia, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, foreign involvement in Indochina affairs would cease, and the country was divided at the seventeenth parallel. The South was ruled by the staunchly anti-Communist Ngo Dinh Diem, the North by the Communist Party. The next few years would see the slow infiltration of the South by Communist forces, increasing evidence of Diem’s corruption, and the expansion of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, used to move people, weapons and supplies from the North to the South. By the end of 1960, the campaign to ‘liberate’ the South was in progress, and the National Liberation Front (‘NLF’, later to become widely known as the Viet Cong) had been founded.
The US Enters the War

The US had at this point been involved in Vietnam for years, first funneling money to the French, then propping up Diem’s increasingly unpopular government - all in the name of fighting Communist expansion. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, passed in 1964 by the US Congress after two highly disputed attacks on American destroyers[1], gave President Lyndon Johnson carte blanche to wage war against the NLF. US aircraft began dropping bombs on the North, the first American prisoner of war was captured, and in March 1965, combat troops arrived in Danang. The war had begun. By the end of the year, there would be over 200,000 US troops in Vietnam.

B52s dropping bombs1966 saw the first use of B-52 bombers by the US, and the Southern forces managed to take control of Hue and Danang, both major cities. Such strong US support for the South had not been expected in Hanoi, and the initial vision of a quickly achieved unification was rapidly replaced by the realisation that this was to be a long, drawn-out conflict. The North had initiated compulsory military conscription in 1960, and it now altered its strategy to one of ‘protracted war’, whereby they would ‘bog down’ the US in a lengthy, unwinnable war, and make it politically unfeasible for US troops to remain. Ultimately, though costly in terms of Vietnamese and American lives, this was successful.

Operation Cedar Falls began on 8 January 1967, a campaign to oust NLF forces from an area just north of Saigon known as the ‘Iron Triangle’. A massive two-and-a-half-week assault, this was the war’s single largest ground operation, involving over 30,000 American and Southern Vietnamese troops. The area had long been an NLF stronghold, and home to the Cu Chi tunnels, a series of underground refuges where NLF troops would hide, sometimes for weeks at a time. Although Operation Cedar Falls made use of saturation bombing, artillery fire and intense patrols seeking to root out the Communist fighters, it was largely unsuccessful. Within two days, the NLF had reentered the area, and it would become a staging ground for the next year’s Tet Offensive.
The Tet Offensive

Marines in Hue shelter by a wall during the Tet Offensive30 January 1968 was the beginning of a three-phase operation designed to inspire an uprising among the people of southern Vietnam, and to provoke the American public into rebelling against a war that had long since fallen out of favour. The Tet Offensive, the most well-known of all the war’s battles, was launched on the first day of the lunar new year, Vietnam’s most important holiday and a day on which both sides had previously agreed they would hold their fire. The NLF diverted attention from the plan by massing troops near Khe Sanh, then 80,000 NLF fighters attacked more than 100 towns and cities, catching US and southern forces completely unprepared. The NLF was quickly beaten back in most places, but fighting continued in Hue for almost a month, leaving thousands of civilians dead and the city nearly razed to the ground.

While the North suffered huge casualties compared with the relatively few American deaths, the Tet Offensive was a psychological victory and is widely regarded as a turning point in the war. Anti-war protests in the US has been growing, and the unwelcome news that the government had been misleading the public about the NLF’s ability to launch such a large-scale attack turned opinion firmly against. In March, President Johnson would announce that he would not run for office again, and made it clear he wished to end the war.
Nixon Intensifies Attacks on Vietnam

Nixon Richard Nixon took office in January of the next year, and ordered the bombing of Cambodia, in an effort to destroy Communist supplies and strongholds. The war continued apace, with no pause at the death of Ho Chi Minh on 2 September 1969. In November, news of the My Lai massacre (16 March 1968) finally reached the US public. The atrocities committed by the US army on the villagers of My Lai provoked serious questions about how the war was being conducted, who was in charge, and what was actually happening. The US was by now relying increasingly on an air war and sending some soldiers home, leaving Vietnamese troops to defend the South on the ground.

Between 1969 and 1972, peace talks were in progress, but produced little result. A major stumbling block was the insistence of the North Vietnamese on the deposition of South Vietnam’s President Nguyen Van Thieu, to which the US government was unwilling to agree. These years also saw ferocious US bombing of Cambodia, and the use of Laos (also officially ‘neutral’) as a battleground. In 1971 Australia and New Zealand withdrew their soldiers from the conflict, and American troop numbers were reduced to less than 200,000. The war intensified, however, in December 1972, with what were known as the ‘Christmas bombings’. Nixon, in an attempt to win concessions from Hanoi at the conference table, ordered heavy bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong, the North’s biggest cities. These were roundly criticised by the international community.
The War Draws to a Close

Signing the Paris Peace AccordsThe end of Vietnamese-US hostilities came with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords 27 January 1973 by chief negotiators Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho. The Accords stipulated a maximum of sixty days for the withdrawal of all US troops (which was followed, only a few technicians and agents remained) and called for elections to be held in the North and the South (which was not). Prisoners of war were exchanged. The war between Vietnam and the US was over, but the battle for the country would rage for another two years.

After the departure of the Americans, the advantage moved from the North to the South and back again. The NLF improved the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which eventually became a drivable road, a far cry from the dangerous mountain pass of a few years before. The North was receiving more funding from the Communist bloc, while US Congress had cut American aid to the South. In December 1974, the NLF took the town of Phuoc Binh and - when it was clear the US would not intervene - this signalled the beginning of the end.

10 March 1975 saw the North take Ban Me Thuot in the Central
Highlands, a surprisingly easy victory. Inspired, the NLF quickly moved further south, taking Hue and then Danang. With the bulk of the South’s defences eradicated, they continued progress southwards, the remainder of the opposing army rapidly collapsing.
The Fall of Saigon

In a symbolic move NLF tanks crash through the gates of the presidential palace in SaigonAs the NLF neared Saigon, the few remaining Americans evacuated, taking some Vietnamese friends and families with them. Those who had been employed by the army, fearing for their lives when Saigon fell, were especially desperate to get out, but many were forced to remain behind. Some would be deported to the countryside, others to re-education camps.

On 30 April, NLF entered Saigon, driving a tank through the gates of the Presidential Palace and raising its flag. The war was officially over. Between three and four million Vietnamese had died, but Vietnam had finally ousted its last occupiers.

Written By Nell McShane Wulfhart. Images used are in the public domain

Bus Travel, Open Tours & Sinh Cafe

Bus Travel, Open Tours & Sinh Cafe

One of the most popular modes of transport for visitors to Vietnam, particularly among budget travellers, are the Open Tour buses that operate between all the major stops on the tourist routes. While these can be handy if all you want is a quick trip up the coast, we would strongly encourage travellers to look further afield for a more interesting, genuine experience of Vietnam.
Open Tours - Sinh Cafe, T M Brothers, Hanh Cafe & Phuong Tran

100s of people wait for a Sinh Cafe Bus
Hundreds of people wait for Sinh Cafe buses

These operators are famous in Vietnam among travellers and have pretty much become the default mode of transport for any backpacker passing through the country. It can't be denied that they offer a cheap service whose hop-on, hop off system is flexible to suit indecisive travellers who decide they really want to stay another day in one town and skip another.

Yet it is this default, generic feel to the tours that make them so mind numbingly, crushingly dull. I would love to be able to recommend one company over the other but the truth is there is so little to tell them apart it would be difficult to say so.

Perhaps it is fair to say Sinh Cafe and PT have the most modern fleet of buses - yet my most recent experience of Sinh Cafe involved 2 hrs of delays before an irate assistant herded us onto a small city bus with no leg room or a/c before verbally abusing us, so I am also hesitant to recommend them on this basis. The fact we'd paid more than double the ticket price for the privilege of travelling a week after a national holiday didn't exactly sweeten the deal either.

This is mass market, industrial tourism at its finest - the phrase 'meat market' certainly sprang to mind a few times on that last trip. True, it gets the job done but it certainly doesn't leave you with a feeling of wonder nor is it likely to lead to the kind of chance encounters that make a journey through another culture so special.

If you want to leave Vietnam enamoured with the country and people, longing to return one day, this probably isn't the best way to travel.
The alternative

There are hundreds of local bus companies that run regular routes from city to city. Catch these buses and not only will you make some savings on your tickets but you will be travelling with Vietnamese people rather than yet more tourists who have been to the same places you've just been and you will most likely see in every place you visit for the rest of your trip too.

The opportunity to chat to people who live in the country you are visiting who are not waiters, hotel receptionists or other members of the tourist industry is great, and offers up a great chance to learn more about the country you are visiting.

It is also common for large bus companies to run buses as often as every half an hour, rather than at one or two fixed times per day like to open tour operators, meaning you have a far great flexibility in when you depart and arrive in your destination - no lost days or dead time while you wait for that night bus.

It is true that some smaller bus companies may over-load their buses or stop to pick up more and more passengers on the way, but by going with a trusted brand you can ensure you have a smooth journey in a cool spacious bus.

In general I prefer travelling by train whenever possible, but when I need to take a bus I am extremely fond of Mai Linh, who now have buses that cover almost the entire country. Their staff are friendly, their services frequent and punctual, their buses cool and comfortable and their prices are cheap. Most importantly, they don't overload buses, they drive safely and direct to the destination - no roadside stops for more passengers.

Budget Airlines between Vietnam + South East Asia

Budget Airlines between Vietnam + South East Asia

In the last couple of years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of no-frills budget airlines serving Vietnam, offering travellers an alternative to the heavily potholed roads of Cambodia and Laos on the way in and out of Vietnam. While they can be handy for those short on time, we really would advocate travelling overland where possible - both from an environmental perspective and because when you travel over land you get to meet more people and learn more about the countries you are passing through.

Air Asia - Based in Malaysia, Air Asia provide flights connecting Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Bangkok to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), with fares starting as low as $16 one way before taxes. Most of their connecting flights depart from KL, where it is possible to fly on to Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, the Phillipines, Singapore and Thailand, as well as many destinations within Malaysia

Bangkok Airways - Offers flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok, and was awarded Best Regional Airline by SkyTrax in 2008. From Bangkok you have a choice of several destinations within Thailand, or flights on to Burma/Myanmar, Male in the Maldives, Guilin and Xi'an in China, Macau, Luang Prabang and Vientiane in Laos and Hiroshima in Japan

Nok Air - Has suspended flights between Bangkok and Hanoi, and currently only offers domestic flights within Thailand.

JetStar, JetStar Asia & JetStar Pacific - Jetstar, which has been flying cheap routes from Australia, Singapore, Bangkok and New Zealand to Vietnam for a while has recently formed a partnership with domestic carrier Pacific Airlines, offering budget flights around Vietnam at a discount to Vietnam Airlines' rates. In addition to these domestic and international routes from Vietnam, connections from Singapore include routes to Jakarta + Denpasar Bali in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Manila in the Phillipines and Taipei in Taiwan as well as Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in Cambodia. From Australia it is also possible to reach Japan and Hawaii with Jetstar, but it would be a fairly inefficient route!

Tiger Airways - Tiger Airlines offer routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore, where the airline is based. From Singapore it is possible to fly on to Haikou, Shenzen and Guangzhou in Chinam Bangalore and Chennai in south India, Phuket and Bangkok in Thailand, Manilla in the Phillipines, Macau, Padang in Indonesia and a good number of destinations in Australia. In 2009 they plan to expand into South Korea with connections on to Mongolia, Russia, China and Japan.

Viva Macau - Viva Macau offer cheap flights directly between Ho Chi Minh City and Macau, where you can take flights on to Tokyo, Okinawa, Sydney and Jakarta.

Getting Around Vietnam

Getting Around Vietnam

Vietnam is an exceptionally easy country to travel in, with many options for travel by bus, train and plane - all of which are surprisingly cheap. Even private car or taxi hire (with a driver provided) can be quite reasonable if you need to get somewhere in a hurry - or should you wish to explore some places off the beaten track.

In general we believe the most enjoyable, relaxing and interesting way to travel around Vietnam is by train, but this may not always be possible if you plan to visit the central highlands. Read on for our guides to travelling by domestic airlines, buses and trains across the country.

Taxis in Saigon - How to avoid being taken for a ride

VinaTaxiTaxis are a surprisingly cheap way to get around the major cities in Vietnam - and if need be, its event not too prohibitive to take a taxi between cities. In Saigon the crowded streets and haphazard construction can make walking a very hot and tiring exercise so it can be quite a relief to hop into a nice cool taxi when you are starting to wear out.

In general cross city taxi travel in Ho Chi Minh City between major tourist sights can be achieved for $1-2, occasionally up to $5 or $6 if you need to travel a particularly long way - for instance from downtown Dong Khoi area up to Chinatown. The vast majority of taxi drivers are very courteous, helpful and safe drivers, if a little too fond of their horns at times, so you should feel free to relax and enjoy the scenery as you drive.

That being said, taxis are not closely regulated and if you do not travel with a trusted brand you may find the meter has been fiddled and you are paying over the odds. The government have recently been holding a crackdown on dodgy taxis at the airport in o Chi Minh City which appears to have been quite successful, but it seems little is being done to put a stop to overcharging in private taxis in town.

To help visitors and expats new to the city we've put together a guide to the taxis to trust and those to avoid. Its quite easy to stick with the trusted brands if you follow our guide below - and if you feel you are being taken for a ride, just ask the driver to pull over and choose another cab. You will have to pay whatever is on the meter if you want to avoid a very lengthy argument, so it is better to stop and do so sooner rather than later!

Since most drivers only speak Vietnamese do bear in mind that at times a detour they are taking may be to avoid heavy traffic and roadworks to get you to your train, bus or plane on time, rather than to inflate the meter. There may be a few crooks operating tourist taxis but the majority of taxi drivers are legitimate, so try to avoid taking a cynical view on your travels - you will enjoy your time in Vietnam a great deal more!
The taxis to avoid

It may have a meter, but..

It's a dead giveaway really. You will see many of these taxis hovering in the tourist areas, outside backpacker ghettos, museums and late night bars but rarely picking up local passengers .. What do they know that you don't?

Taxi Du Lich

It's quite simple actually - painted on the side or on the roof are the words "Taxi Du Lich" - which translates as 'Tourist Taxi'. While I generally like to advocate supporting independent traders chances are you are more likely to pay much more for your fares in one of these than in a taxi run by a major company.
Taxis we know and love

Vinasun

Vinasun - Possibly one of the most comfortable fleets - at least in Saigon - Vinasun have cool, clean and spacious cars and seven seater 'people carrier' style taxis. Their meters start low - around 12,000 Dong - and the drivers are friendly and helpful

Mai Linh Taxis

Mai Linh - One of my favourite transport companies in Vietnam, Mai Linh are building an empire on good service and fair pricing. I always use their buses when I have the choice and their taxis are great too - though the larger vehicles in their taxi fleet are a little boxy compared to Vinasun's, but to be fair I am a fair bit taller than your average Saigon resident.

VinaTaxi

VinaTaxi - bright and yellow just like new york taxis, Vinataxi are cheap and cheerful. Meters start at 9,000 Dong which perhaps reflect the age of the fleet - they were the first taxi company in Saigon and some of the cars are beginning to look a little sad and old. Still, they are dependable and very competitively priced, so you can't complain.
The following are also great value:

Although you may not see so many of them, all of the following cab companies will give you a decent rate and a comfortable journey.

Savico
Savico
Saigon Tourist
Saigon Tourist

Hoang Long

(i forgot to take a picture of this one but it'll be up soon!)
PetroVietnam
The pretenders


Vinamet

Definately not a Mai Linh

Sadly success often leads to copycats in Vietnam and the same is true of taxis. Therefore if you see a 'Vinamet', 'Vinameter', 'Lai Minh' or similar play on one of the popular brands above chances are its a fake and given the slightly unscrupulous adoption of their competitor's names it is fairly likely they may be just as unscrupulous when it comes to setting their meters.