Viet Nam Regulations on Photography: Hi, I'm going back to Viet Nam after a 39 year break. I asked their embassy about any possible restrictions on photography and equipment and the...

sarge69 Loc: Ft Myers, FL

Hi, I'm going back to Viet Nam after a 39 year break. I asked their embassy about any possible restrictions on photography and equipment and the answer was ' for tourism, no restrictions.' I'm skeptical.

Anyone been there ? Any hints ?

The country is beautiful and I want to take my 40mm macro, 55 mm Nikon Kit and the 300mm kit. Two batteries with charger and 3 large storage chips.

Trip should be about 30 days altogether, mostly from Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) south into the Mekong Delta areas of Can Tho, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and maybe at the tip in Ca Mau.

Sarge

thegrover Loc: Yorba Linda, CA

Thanks for your service. I am a Vietnam Vet. My wife is Vietnamese and has been there twice recently. Photography is no problem. Just be careful as you would in any place carrying expensive equipment.
I am looking forward to going back with my wife soon. I was unable to make the other trips.

GC likes NIKON Loc: East Greenwich, Rhode Island

Take the Black camera strap with NIKON in bright yellow letters off your cameras. Keep a close hold onto them in the cities. Sometimes I use a longer strap cross chest. Then it cannot be ripped off your shoulder.

30 days ??? PLEASE take more than three camera memory cards ??? You will be taking a ton of pictures. With three, if one goes whacky or gets lost you've lost at least 33 % of your shots. SD cards are cheap and take up NO room at all. Take a bunch !!!

thegrover Loc: Yorba Linda, CA

GC likes NIKON wrote:

Take the Black camera strap with NIKON in bright yellow letters off your cameras. Keep a close hold onto them in the cities. Sometimes I use a longer strap cross chest. Then it cannot be ripped off your shoulder.

30 days ??? PLEASE take more than three camera memory cards ??? You will be taking a ton of pictures. With three, if one goes whacky or gets lost you've lost at least 33 % of your shots. SD cards are cheap and take up NO room at all. Take a bunch !!!

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

francesca3 Loc: Sausalito, CA

I thank you, too, for your service.

I might explore possibilities for as much storage as possible. There is probably some sort of device onto which you can download your images and thereby re-use your storage chips ---> If there isn't there should be. Because I do not know about that, I would take my laptop onto which I could download my photos at the end of every day or so.

Maybe someone can tell you (us) how to download your images and send them via the internet to a safe storage place. Professional photo-journalists and Nat'l Geographic photographers have that option, but I don't know how it is done. It may be prohibitively expensive.

Oh yeah, make sure your equipment is insured properly.

I hope you have a wonderful trip there.

gmcase Loc: Galt's Gulch

My hunch is that there is more freedom to photograph there than here, at least as a tourist.

Hando Rei Loc: Long Island New York

Another Vietnam veterans 2 cents...Agree with other vets. You will have no problems with being restricted as to photography. Most of the people you will encounter have a distant memory of the war and are more interested in your money as opposed to giving you "snake Eyes ".Spoke with many people there especially the younger ones who do not even know that Ho Ci Minh city was the former Saigon. Country is still poor and petty thievery is a problem.Try to fit in as opposed to standing out ! You will encounter tourists from around the world. Hope to see your photos soon .

TimS Loc: GA

Great. Now I'm craving some pho!

sarge69 Loc: Ft Myers, FL

To All: Thanks for the hints and tips. I'm going to WorldStart ( Great site for discounts with a very low join fee ) and buy a few more memory cards. Also look for a voltage converter ( 220 to 110 )
NOTE: Just found this:
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Can't wait to visit street vendors for some Chio Gio ( Spring Rolls ) and the great variety of exotic foods available at the Vietnamese people level.

I was there for 6 1/2 years as a young man and a some-what translator and courier, so I was always on the road driving and staying in villages with my crew.

The opportunity to take pictures of what I remembered as a beautiful country is exciting.

Sarge

shih tzu mom

Thank you for your service to our country. You are going to have a wonderful experience! I was there in the mid 90's. I didn't know what to expect...Wow, I was embraced in Saigon, and more so in Hanoi! There are a lot of Ex Pats living in Saigon. My daughter crawled through the Cu Chi Tunnels. Hoi An is gorgeous, and be sure to visit Halong Bay. That's a photographers heaven! Look up "SafePac" strap for your camera. Overall, people are fantastic! The War Remnants Museum is great (See the command room, with all the maps still there) Enjoy!

berchman Loc: South Central PA

sarge69 wrote:

Hi, I'm going back to Viet Nam after a 39 year bre... (show quote)

I was there for two weeks with a small tour group. Carried two Nikons, one on each hip, and never had any trouble photographing anything or anyone. I also did not experience any threat of robbery.

gravelc Loc: Nepean, Ontario, Canada

I was there in 2006, went from the Northern villages to the middle part - Hoi An - and never had any problem.

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

sarge69 wrote:

Hi, I'm going back to Viet Nam after a 39 year bre... (show quote)

My dad did a tour there with the Air Force. He was in air rescue and stationed in Tan Son Nhut. Post some pics when you get back. He has some slides of large fuel storage tanks on fire after mortar attacks. I remember seeing the slides but we can't find them. :thumbup:

macv dave

sarge69 wrote:

Hi, I'm going back to Viet Nam after a 39 year bre... (show quote)

Sarge - I'd like to go with you (but I can't).
I was centrally located in Bac Lieu with MACV in 1969-70 and would love to "re-visit" that area. I've looked Bac Lieu up on the web and a lot of it looks vastly different and some looks the same. Also "visited" the other "towns" in the Delta that you mentioned. BTW, we used to call it "Beautiful Bac Lieu by the Sea" but I really didn't get to see the sea.
Have a great trip. Extremely interested in the photos & comments you'll bring back from the experience. Stay safe.
"MACV" Dave

CocoaRoger Loc: Cocoa Florida

GC likes NIKON wrote:

Take the Black camera strap with NIKON in bright yellow letters off your cameras. Keep a close hold onto them in the cities. Sometimes I use a longer strap cross chest. Then it cannot be ripped off your shoulder.

30 days ??? PLEASE take more than three camera memory cards ??? You will be taking a ton of pictures. With three, if one goes whacky or gets lost you've lost at least 33 % of your shots. SD cards are cheap and take up NO room at all. Take a bunch !!!

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: