In Ho Chi Minh, couldn't help but, as often as possible, just grab one of those ever-present red plastic stools, just park up on a street corner and behold the unfathomable chaos that was Vietnam traffic (and that's after having lived in Taiwan for a few years prior).
Also probably goes without saying, probably good to have a plan in terms of accomodation, etc, before you get there. You'll get hustled from here til next thursday by dudes who are part of a network that see their buddies right (a cyclo driver here, a hotel owner there, etc). Plus, when you exchange currency, you get handed hundreds of thousands of "dong" (currency). It can all be pretty baffling and the hawks just love to circle.
Try speaking French to a local in Ho Chi Minh if you can throw some around. Many locals can speak better french than english.
Enjoy the best coffee in the world: Vietnamese coffee. Hot or cold. That #### is life changing.
Have Pho at Pho Binh restaurant, a one-time Viet Cong front who served noodles to the enemy and gathered intelligence. Also, damn good Pho.
http://www.time.com/time/travel/arti...029390,00.html