AusBonsai

Hey guys,

I will be heading over to Thailand and Vietnam in a couple of months and was wondering if anyone knew of bonsai gardens or nurseries I could visit?

Cheers

ubphu wrote:Hey guys,

I will be heading over to Thailand and Vietnam in a couple of months and was wondering if anyone knew of bonsai gardens or nurseries I could visit?

Cheers

sorry no, but if you do find any we can put the details in the wiki for others to benefit from
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... by_Country

Ken

Dam Sen fun park in District 11 of Ho Chi Minh City has a nice little bonsai garden.

Hi ubphu,

Check this one out: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=5775

-- As for Vietnam, Dam Sen in Vietnamese script is "Đầm Sen" or Pond of Lotus Flowers. I do not know anything about it.

Please keep in mind that it is still a bloody communist country. The commies are flushing the country down the toilet. Life is hard, crimes are on the increased.

Foreign tourists and expats are being targeted: pockets got picked, bags got snatched, day light robberies on foreign tourists are not that uncommon either.

Traffics are extremely bad, do not attempt to ride a scooter yourself there, just about last month, a 19 year old Victorian man lost his live in Hanoi. It had been all over the news. About 4 months ago, an American girl and a Canadian girl died in Nha Trang or Đà Nẵng due to food poisoning. The hospital there was clueless even though both girls were admitted once a few days before with the same symptom.

Please take DFAT travel advice on Vietnam seriously (I have not checked it out myself. No plan to go) and ensure adequate travel insurance: anything can happen over there.

Enjoy your holiday and best regards.

Hi ubphu

Mate I'm currently in Vietnam in Ho chi Minh city!!!
It's fantastic you will love it here!
I haven't been to any bonsai nurserys yet but I'll be scouting
Around for some tomorrow
As per the travel advice that was given
It's not as bad as it sounds I promise!!
Just take normal travel precautions
Don't eat off the street eat in restaurants
Have ur camera around ur neck not casually over ur shoulder
Don't put your wallet in your back pocket because pick pocketing is known to happen
The traffic is crazy!!
I won't be going on a scooter I think haha
Taxi's are very cheap
Don't flash lots of money around keep the contents of your wallet towards ur self
The people here love tourists
More importantly they love aussies
My girlfriend and i just back packed across Cambodia for 2 weeks with out a problem
You will be fine just be carefull and most importantly have FUN!!!
there are some nice bonsai at the palace in go chi Minh city too if you are stoping through
Cheers
Matt

Have to strongly disagree on the street food issue, unless there is a sudden influx of dodgy street food vendors? I ate and drank from plenty of vendors and street restaurants and suffered not, just use your discretion. In comparison to India where I got sick after being there for 24 hours, Vietnam is all good
I was determined to get out and experience the place as those who live there do, and gathering from what I saw and tasted in the tourist district where most tourists were holed up, I reckon I would have died of bad taste anyway
Get out there and taste some food, drink some black coffee from a local (maybe stay away from the home made beers).
Vietnam is a fantastic place, it pays to keep your wits about you but if you can let yourself relax a bit you will be just fine.
If you want to see Bonsai, have a look in some nurseries, I remember some in District 5, no street name sorry. As for private collections, you may need connections?

That is quite a cynical picture and portrayal of once a war torn country that struggled and is now emerging and going from strength to strength.. Daviet when did you last stepped foot on your own native soil can i ask?

Sure and just like any where, unpleasantness can be had. I think you need to give your country more credit dude.

In my experience along with many friends that have visited, Vietnam was an amazing place with plenty to do and see. We found the best food and culinary delights were sold by street vendors and scooting around like free willy (Nha Trang) was the best way to see and go places. Of course and like anywhere you still need to take care.

Being immersed and appreciating the opportunity to experience local customs was surely amazing and fun!

I certainly wasnt going to get that kind of experience by fine dining in a restaurant.

I remember some great bonsai trees grown and displayed here n there though they were not nurseries.

I did a trip in the north of Vietnam in October. We loved the food although we ate mainly in cafes/restaurants - they were SO cheap. We did sample homemade beer from street stalls and it was great. Coffee is also good everywhere. Bonsais were in abundance but were mainly large ficus and weren't being cared for all that well. There are lots of old ceramics - I picked up some to use as soes with my bonsais. They're also very cheap.
The people seem happy and commerce is booming although they feel their elections are rigged. We visited an elderly Vietcong war hero in his village - Mr Ho did a sword dance and showed us the medals awarded to him for exceptional valour during "The American War." We asked what the people in the north what they think of Australians and Kiwis now and they said they have forgiven us but not the Americans so much.

C'mon specimen,

What Nguyen is saying is in much part true. I didn't want to go on about it as this is a bonsai forum but as Nguyen stated 'to clarify'.
I went to Vietnam with my father in law, that was a blessing having him there to translate and guide. It helped me to see much of what Nguyen is talking about. You can say it is biased however, when it is seen through neutral eyes and happens right in front of them, things are indeed not so rosy. This knowledge did not destroy my experience, it just made the whole thing deeper.
As a tourist in a foreign place or even in your own country, you can travel with eyes, mind and heart open or choose to ignore what is playing out, either way is fine as long as no one gets hurt in the process.