David’s guidebook

Getting around Grab is the best choice for tourists: reliable, cheaper (during non-peak hours) and the route is mostly accurate. If you have to take a traditional taxi, then Vinasun and Mai Linh are the only reliable ones. Others might try to scam you. Some Vinasun and Mai Linh drivers might try to scam you by asking for an unreasonable price, but they are reliable in general. A good rule of thumb to calculate the price is always < $1/km. Both are meter-based. Public transport is not common in HCM Airport - It should cost < 8 USD from Airport to my place, ~30 mins during non-peak hours

Don't ever walk around and use your phone. Pickpocket might drive on motobike and snap your phone. Don't give them a chance by exposing your belongings. Other than that, Ho Chi Minh is the one of the safest cities in the world. It's alright to walk around at night in the CBD

It's alright to get a sim card at the airport. It's slightly more expensive in the city but you get convenience. It should cost around 200 000 VND to get the sim card. There are multiple data plans at a reasonable cost. e.g: Vinaphone telco: 15G for 200 000 VND/month, 3.8G for 70 000 VND/month. You can ask the seller for more plans

- Local authorities are very strict on COVID-19 matters. The punishment might be jail as it is very costly for them to deal with contract tracing and spread. They already made a very good example of a few cases. - Always wear a mask in public (it is a breach of law otherwise)