Flights to US Originating in HCMC

[Teacher Mark 53]

Has anyone bought a ticket to the US originating here in Vietnam? Are there any websites to compare prices? Thanks.

[Teacher Mark 53]

Nevermind, I finally found a few.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I booked tickets online with EVA. I tried booking over the phone, but they wanted me to drive across HCMC to their office to physically present my Visa card before they would book the tickets. They said I had to get there before 5:00 pm, and it was already 4:15 pm. From Tan Phu to District 1 in 45 minutes at rush hour?

The only hassle I had was that my bank's fraud detection system was freaking out about over $2K in charges originating from an internet connection in Vietnam (3 tickets). I ended up having to get a customer service rep on phone, and kept him on the phone while I walked through the purchase online. Also, I DID have to present the Visa card when we checked in at the airport.

I've flown EVA, China, and Asiana. Of the three, EVA is the best by far. Better food, better service, better airplanes. I've heard Singapore and Cathay Pacific are even better, but they don't transit through Taipei. I don't like the airports in Hong Kong and Seoul - too crowded.

I guess what I'm saying is that I don't usually bother to compare prices. Unless I'm really strapped for cash, I take EVA.

[Teacher Mark 53]

I booked tickets online with EVA. I tried booking over the phone, but they wanted me to drive across HCMC to their office to physically present my Visa card before they would book the tickets. They said I had to get there before 5:00 pm, and it was already 4:15 pm. From Tan Phu to District 1 in 45 minutes at rush hour?

The only hassle I had was that my bank's fraud detection system was freaking out about over $2K in charges originating from an internet connection in Vietnam (3 tickets). I ended up having to get a customer service rep on phone, and kept him on the phone while I walked through the purchase online. Also, I DID have to present the Visa card when we checked in at the airport.

I've flown EVA, China, and Asiana. Of the three, EVA is the best by far. Better food, better service, better airplanes. I've heard Singapore and Cathay Pacific are even better, but they don't transit through Taipei. I don't like the airports in Hong Kong and Seoul - too crowded.

I guess what I'm saying is that I don't usually bother to compare prices. Unless I'm really strapped for cash, I take EVA.

Thanks for the information. The banks security measures would be a pain, but at least you know they're watching.

[ScottThuy 140]

I have had issues with my bank shutting my account down while I was n VN and now I have to carry an international# to contact them should a problem arise... not like they would contact me to ask about it

[Icarus 0]

I always fly EVA, their prices and service have always been exceptional! As for using debit/credit cards overseas, it's best to contact your bank prior to traveling and let them know what countries you are going to and for which days of travel. They'll place a note in your account and alert the fraud dep't that you've pre-authorized... At least thats how Wells Fargo handles things. And its ALWAYS a good idea to have the US local numbers for your account providers as 800 numbers can be difficult to reach outside the US. Lastly, if you have an old cell phone lying around, bring it and have a VN sim card placed inside, buy some minutes and you have a very cheap way of staying in touch with families both in VN and in the US.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I always fly EVA, their prices and service have always been exceptional! As for using debit/credit cards overseas, it's best to contact your bank prior to traveling and let them know what countries you are going to and for which days of travel. They'll place a note in your account and alert the fraud dep't that you've pre-authorized... At least thats how Wells Fargo handles things. And its ALWAYS a good idea to have the US local numbers for your account providers as 800 numbers can be difficult to reach outside the US. Lastly, if you have an old cell phone lying around, bring it and have a VN sim card placed inside, buy some minutes and you have a very cheap way of staying in touch with families both in VN and in the US.

Many cell phones purchased from service providers in the US don't use SIM chips, or are locked to the service provider. I use Verizon, and have always purchased phones from them to get the discounts whenever I renew my contract. They don't use SIM chips. The only service provider which I know for sure uses phones that have SIM chips is T-Mobile. If you don't use their service, they'll rape you on the cost of a phone.

There is a company in Los Angeles that rents and sells mobile phones that use SIM chips, and they can also sell you a SIM chip for most countries in the world, as well as scratch cards to recharge the minutes. You can rent a phone and buy a VN SIM (with about $25 of pre-paid minutes) for as little as $29 for the first week.

http://www.cellularabroad.com/vietnamRcell.php

I purchased a phone from them several years ago for my daughter to use in Europe. I've since gotten an international SIM (homed in the UK) and a Vinaphone SIM for it, and I've used it on 5 trips to VN.

[lindal24 1]

ATT uses SIM cards. VERY easy to unlock--I called up C/S and informed them that I'd be traveling and they'd send me an email a few days later. An even easier way is if you want to pay for a code, just go through one of the online companies who'll send you an unlock code via email. Never tried that method, but you can also get it done in VN for 5-10 US bucks.

[ScottThuy 140]

I purchased a phone from them several years ago for my daughter to use in Europe. I've since gotten an international SIM (homed in the UK) and a Vinaphone SIM for it, and I've used it on 5 trips to VN.

Many VN mobile companies have time limits on the SIM's.. if you dont use them.. the number is reassigned... A SIM I bought in April was nolonger valid in November..not a result of used inutes, rather because I failed to use the # for the extended period... Now I just leave the SIM with Thuy and she uses it every now and then to keep it active...

[BinhJerome 14]

Many VN mobile companies have time limits on the SIM's.. if you dont use them.. the number is reassigned... A SIM I bought in April was nolonger valid in November..not a result of used inutes, rather because I failed to use the # for the extended period... Now I just leave the SIM with Thuy and she uses it every now and then to keep it active...

That is just like in america with any prepaid card, all you need to do with a VN sim card is every 90 days have someone put money on it or as Scott said to leave it there. Both AT&T and Tmobile and now even some Virgin Mobile cell phones have SIM cards (all AT&T and T Mobile have them) They all also have the same 90 day timelimit, but AT&T you can buy a 1 year card, it cost $100 but you do not need to worry about the sim going bad on you. I think you can also get the same in VN but it might cost 200,000 dong or something like that. Almost all SIM card phones can be unlocked with few exceptions, and those are how cheap the phone is. If it is a nice phone then the chances are it can be unlocked, as the popularity of it warrants such an unlock, but a cheap $20 prepaid phone will have little chances of having a unlock on the market. Developers just dont want to waste so much time and money on something that originally was so cheap. Jerome

Edited May 2, 2010 by jeromebinh

[Teacher Mark 53]

That is just like in america with any prepaid card, all you need to do with a VN sim card is every 90 days have someone put money on it or as Scott said to leave it there. Both AT&T and Tmobile and now even some Virgin Mobile cell phones have SIM cards (all AT&T and T Mobile have them) They all also have the same 90 day timelimit, but AT&T you can buy a 1 year card, it cost $100 but you do not need to worry about the sim going bad on you. I think you can also get the same in VN but it might cost 200,000 dong or something like that. Almost all SIM card phones can be unlocked with few exceptions, and those are how cheap the phone is. If it is a nice phone then the chances are it can be unlocked, as the popularity of it warrants such an unlock, but a cheap $20 prepaid phone will have little chances of having a unlock on the market. Developers just dont want to waste so much time and money on something that originally was so cheap. Jerome

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Sorry, that was my fault.

Did you book a ticket? If so, what web site did you use?

[Teacher Mark 53]

Sorry, that was my fault.

Did you book a ticket? If so, what web site did you use?

Not yet. I'm in the process of deciding whether I'm staying, so I wanted to price tickets.

Edited May 2, 2010 by Mr. Saigon

[ScottThuy 140]

Edited May 2, 2010 by ScottThuy

[Teacher Mark 53]