2) Vietnam Trip Questions:

[redjako]

Howdy ho.

I'm going to Vietnam in about a month for some time as a graduation trip, post college.

I WILL be bringing mah hookah, because I'm healthily addicted to it

My two questions:

1) Anyone have experience in the more third-world style countries, Laotia, Vietnam (in my case), Cambodia etc for hookah smoking?

They have INCREDIBLY harsh drug laws, and want to know if anyone visiting a similar country has had a lot of hassle from the local government / police force mistaking the Hookah for something different.

2) I've visited China a few times in the past, and of course, the humidity will saturate me...but, I believe over in Vietnam and similar locales the humidity is very high, but constant, would this mean I could bring along some Tangiers to smoke? Or is it just going to be a disaster similar to Florida on a larger scale?

Thanks!

[MrMoodz]

Ahhhh... Vietnam, my motherland. Well, if you bring your hookah don't be surprised if it will get confiscated... especially if you look like an American or a non-Asian. The military runs the airport and they pretty much do as they please. When I went I didn't want to chance it and I'm glad because they took my DVDs (had to make sure there was no "adult content") and they almost took my CDs. My aunt had to bribe them to get them back and the DVDs were mistreated. So if I would've brought my hookah, I am pretty sure it would've been taken too.

But yes, the humidity is maxed out in Vietnam. Are you going to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi? I've never been up north but Ho Chi Minh is really humid... probably the most humid city I've ever been in. So I am not sure how Tang. would hold up.

Regardless if you bring your hookah, I hope you have a great time there. It's a beautiful county, the food is superior and inexpensive, and the people are most hospitable.

[An1m]

Best bring a mya acrylic or something that you don't mind getting confiscated, or if possible just try to mail it over there.

[redjako]

Ahhhh... Vietnam, my motherland. Well, if you bring your hookah don't be surprised if it will get confiscated... especially if you look like an American or a non-Asian. The military runs the airport and they pretty much do as they please. When I went I didn't want to chance it and I'm glad because they took my DVDs (had to make sure there was no "adult content") and they almost took my CDs. My aunt had to bribe them to get them back and the DVDs were mistreated. So if I would've brought my hookah, I am pretty sure it would've been taken too.

But yes, the humidity is maxed out in Vietnam. Are you going to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi? I've never been up north but Ho Chi Minh is really humid... probably the most humid city I've ever been in. So I am not sure how Tang. would hold up.

Regardless if you bring your hookah, I hope you have a great time there. It's a beautiful county, the food is superior and inexpensive, and the people are most hospitable.

Thanks for the replies guys!

I'll be in the southern region outside of Ho Chi Minh...my friend is Vietnamese and goes back every summer, so I'm tagging along I'm stoked, and definitely want some Hookah on the beach / awesome patio view pictures.

I'll get a little acrylic or QT (planning on that anyway just for simplicity of setting up / taking down and space saving) in case it DOES get confiscated, it won't be a world ending scenario, though it would suck

My friend did say that she's never seen a hookah in all her years over there, so it may be interesting, I'll have to start a little blog or (GOD) twitter on this later.

Edit (spelling and this question): With the tangiers, is it more acclimating to ANY humidity, so even though Vietnam is probably a constant high 100%, wouldn't it theoretically still acclimate (even if it took a bit longer then my usual dry-utah 4 hours, lol)...I'm thinking to bring just a little tub as a test subject, but going with AF and maybe some others that aren't humidity shock-prone.


DBL EDIT: I think it would be an awesome opportunity if I was able to start a little importing action of Hookah's and breaking into an entirely new demographic of hookah enjoyers...but with the lack of...cultural awareness of hookah (or some other such phrase), may be a pipe dream anyway.

Would be fun to start a little hookah shop in Vietnam, low cost for sure vs a US shop. Edited April 3, 2009 by redjako

[joytron]

wow, super jealous, if i could go to any country it would be vietnam for sure. My gf's extended family lives over there so one day (soon hopefully) i plan on visiting. Its making me hungry just thinking of all the pho i will be eating. Also i dont know how well your coals will hold up as far as humidity goes. I had a humidifier on a few weeks ago and all my insta lights are basically no longer insta lights. Just a heads up; bring the nats.

[Scoop]

i wouldn't bother.

just for your information, my friend put coals (sealed) in his checked in luggage from LAX to Miami, and they took 2 boxes of charcoal (johns QLs and 3Kings). this happened a week ago

[redjako]

Bah..that sucks.

*bump*


I will be one fat ass pho man by the time I'm done.

[Hippo_Master]

Pho + Hookah =

Well, actually, just pho by itself could rape me anytime of the day.

[Sariél]

Quicklights contain gunpowder, which is not allowed. YMMV, going between CA and TX, my coals were confiscated twice out of nine trips. They also took my little butane refill, but not the benzomatic torch, which was fully charged!

[MrMoodz]

Bah..that sucks.

*bump*


I will be one fat ass pho man by the time I'm done.

Pho... so good... so good! The nice thing about pho is that you can eat as much as you want but you won't get fat from it!

[inino]

make one there!

[delSol_si]

What the fuck is pho? Also, how can they just take your shit? I mean, I understand them not letting you board a plane with certain items, but seriously just taking them away? Thats bullshit. I could understand them saying "Either you give up your shit, or you don't board the plane."

[Sariél]

Pho is Vietnamese Noodle soup.

And Uts not US customs taking it away at departure, its at the destination, where you are already there. There is less recourse or oversight there, and you are at the mercy of the local authorities. The guy in front of you with the big gun makes the rules...

[redjako]

What the fuck is pho? Also, how can they just take your shit? I mean, I understand them not letting you board a plane with certain items, but seriously just taking them away? Thats bullshit. I could understand them saying "Either you give up your shit, or you don't board the plane."

THIS is pho, hot, noodle / beef / fatty flank etc. soup, its the SHIT amigo...give it a whirl, excellent grub anytime, especially post-heavy drinking night






And as far as confiscation, that was my initial thought when thinking about taking Hookah because 1) its not a big cultural (if at ALL, like I said, my friend whom is vietnamese has never seen a hookah over their) item, 2) its not the freeest of countries still.

I'm also curious if cross-state, these confiscation stories would be different with checked baggage vs carry on.

We all know the airlines / TSA are retarded about many things carry on now (4.5 oz of deoderant? NO GO!)


Anyone actually traveled to a more third-world asian / pacific country w/ a hookah?

[ilikemyusername]

it took 2 weeks for my tangiers to even start to smell like rasberry, smoked like a buffalo's butt , two weeks after that point, i tossed it. i live in FL., our humidity is pretty high, but not as high as the jungle.
how long do you plan on being there? you may be better off with another type of shisha, nakhla al-waha etc.
-just a thought.

[MrMoodz]

What the fuck is pho? Also, how can they just take your shit? I mean, I understand them not letting you board a plane with certain items, but seriously just taking them away? Thats bullshit. I could understand them saying "Either you give up your shit, or you don't board the plane."

Hey, if a man with a loaded AK-47 says, I am taking your belongings, then he is taking my belongings. That's just the way how things are done. America is a free country, Vietnam not so much. Us Americans are a spoiled bunch. Everybody needs to spend some quality time outside of the US and North America so that they can truly appreciate how easy we have it here. But yeah, pho is a delicious Vietnamese noodle dish. If you have any Vietnamese restaurants in your town, order some pho. Pho is pronounced "Fuh."