Going to Vietnam

[Birky101]

Hi guys a question I'm about to go to Vietnam (Hanoi) is it safe for me to wear my Rolex Air King?

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[mfer]

I'd just get a g-shock and enjoy the trip. Food, sights, people, etc...

[49ers101hitters]

I'd leave my Rolex at home

[Watchflair]

Originally Posted by Birky101

Hi guys a question I'm about to go to Vietnam (Hanoi) is it safe for me to wear my Rolex Air King?

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If you have to question it then leave it home.

[Danny83]

I have never been there, but I have a friend that goes to Hanoi and wears a two tone sub. Its a pretty nice area from what I understand.

[RolexZen]

Originally Posted by Birky101

Hi guys a question I'm about to go to Vietnam (Hanoi) is it safe for me to wear my Rolex Air King?

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Not safe if you have to drive or cross the road in Hanoi! ;-) traffic is crazy.

[Lordofrolex]

I would wear it there.

[antbkny]

Hanoi is safe, but be smart. Like anywhere else of course

[BNA/LION]

Originally Posted by antbkny

Hanoi is safe, but be smart. Like anywhere else of course

X2

[Ferdelious]

Anthony Bourdain wore his there

[Kingair]

Originally Posted by Ferdelious

Anthony Bourdain wore his there

He wore his everywhere !

[AzPaul]

Originally Posted by Ferdelious

Anthony Bourdain wore his there

To be fair, he's accompanied by a production crew just about everywhere he goes.

[Ferdelious]

Originally Posted by AzPaul

To be fair, he's accompanied by a production crew just about everywhere he goes.

A little sarcasm never hurt anyone.

[masyv6]

I'd just bring a G-Shock and focus on enjoying the trip instead of worrying about your watch.

[ecdc]

Don't be stupid and you should be fine. I wore a Panerai all over Vietnam last year. No problem. Have a great time; I loved it there.

[Ruud Van Driver]

I've only been to a The-Artist-Formerly-Known-As-Saigon and Vung Tau and I saw nothing that would make me concerned about wearing a Rolex. Just use your head and don't wander too far off the beaten track.

If you're that worried, then do as has been suggested above and buy a G-Shock and enjoy the trip

[amg55]

You can but you need to be careful there, especially around busy areas and at night.

[77T]

I don't think it's more risky than inner big city downtown anywhere USA.


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[ciscopro2000]

I just got back from a two week trip to Saigon and Nha Trang. It's fine to wear your watch in Vietnam. I saw a Daydate, a two-tone datejust, a sub, a Cartier Santos. Like in any foreign country, just be aware of your surroundings. I never felt unsafe at anytime. I will visit Hanoi (and Da Nang and Phu Quoc) next time I'm back. Have a fun trip!

[GradyPhilpott]

Remember the guy who had his DD lifted on Bourbon Street last week?

The world is full of watches that are nice to wear and won't attract the wrong kind of attention.

It's not so much about whether the nation of Vietnam is a safe place to wear a luxury watch.

The question is whether or not you'll know when you've wandered into the wrong place or you've been distracted long enough for a thief to take advantage of you.

There is no safe place on the planet, if you don't know the area.

I'll never forget the tourist in New Orleans who innocently wandered across N. Rampart Street from the French Quarter in broad daylight and was murdered by a 10 year old boy who'd demanded his wallet.

"Put your toy gun away, kid," were his last words, his wife told police.

[Star Ferry]

Hanoi has heavy communist influence -- the city is well organized, and the law is well enforced.

It's probably safer than most of SE Asia.

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[TheBluePrince]

Originally Posted by Star Ferry

Hanoi has heavy communist influence -- the city is well organized, and the law is well enforced.

It's probably safer than most of SE Asia.

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This. I've been all around SE Asia and Vietnam is one of the few countries in the region where I would wear a nice watch without worry.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by TheBluePrince

This. I've been all around SE Asia and Vietnam is one of the few countries in the region where I would wear a nice watch without worry.

I can't think of any Southeast Asian country where I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing a nice watch, except maybe the Philippines.

[TheBluePrince]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

I can't think of any Southeast Asian country where I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing a nice watch, except maybe
the Philippines.

I was meaning specifically -

Thailand
Cambodia
Laos
Philippines
Burma

Wouldn't risk it in any of them. Been robbed with a gun to my head in Cambodia and heard enough bad first hand experiences from other people plus seen enough bad or worrying things myself in all the others to not take the chance.

* Your experience may differ, I'm often way off the recommended trails :)

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by TheBluePrince

I was meaning specifically -

Thailand
Cambodia
Laos
Philippines
Burma

Wouldn't risk it in any of them. Been robbed with a gun to my head in Cambodia and heard enough bad first hand experiences from other people plus seen enough bad or worrying things myself in all the others to not take the chance.

* Your experience may differ, I'm often way off the recommended trails :)

I've been out here for about 30 years and travelled several times in all those countries, and never had a problem except a couple of close calls in Manila, and one in Laos when it first re-opened in 1989. I'm not saying they're crime free, just that I feel safer there than I do in most Western cities. Probably been away too long.

[ecdc]

I was in Burma last year just before the elections. Probably the safest country I've ever been to. They're mostly Buddhists, and believe that you need to be good in this life to have an even better life next time. I wore a Panerai and it didn't get even a second glance. There's a Rolex service center in downtown Yangon, so there certainly are Rolexes around; I saw a few Subs. Bottom line -- I've worn nice watches all throughout Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, China, etc. Basically all over SE Asia but I've not been to the Philippines. I never felt unsafe or a target because of what was on my wrist. Just be smart, like you'd be in any major city in the US and you should be fine.

Originally Posted by TheBluePrince

I was meaning specifically -

Thailand
Cambodia
Laos
Philippines
Burma

Wouldn't risk it in any of them. Been robbed with a gun to my head in Cambodia and heard enough bad first hand experiences from other people plus seen enough bad or worrying things myself in all the others to not take the chance.

* Your experience may differ, I'm often way off the recommended trails :)

[greggsiam]

Originally Posted by Star Ferry

Hanoi has heavy communist influence -- the city is well organized, and the law is well enforced.

It's probably safer than most of SE Asia.

++

Other than the Philippines, SE Asia is far safer than almost any big city in the US. I would wear any watch in Vietnam and never think about it. Just don't act stupid or like a mindless tourist and you will be fine.

There seems to be anger over not having wealth and a sense of entitlement in the west (i.e. I can rob you to get what you have because you're rich and I'm not) that's just not that prevalent in SE Asia. I've walked through Cambodia with a $6,000 camera and never once felt unsafe. In fact, it was the exact opposite; people were friendly, good natured, and genuinely happy.

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by Star Ferry

Hanoi has heavy communist influence -- the city is well organized, and the law is well enforced.

[Star Ferry]

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

Is this laughter a reaction to the use of the word "communism" ?

Much like Beijing, Hanoi is not safe simply because it's communist (nor was my post making any political comment), but rather because the government has influenced a culture of rule-following and respect for legal authority.

This is what one Vietnamese businessman had to say about Hanoi: “Everything feels safe there because it’s so structured and institutionalized." This comment, although not mentioning the system of governance explicitly, captures the essence of what I meant

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[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by Star Ferry

Is this laughter a reaction to the use of the word "communism" ?

I happen to have known a goodly number of Vietnamese who are now US citizens and who have in recent years made many trips back to their country of origin.

Maybe your description is what things seem like on the surface, but they tell a much different and darker tale of life in Vietnam.

I'm also a veteran of the war in Vietnam and I know first hand how communists operate, rather than the whitewashed version many Americans believe.

Still, I won't argue with your version, but I can't help but laugh.