Guidance Requested on Vietnam

[12is12]

Hi Guys,

Oct-Nov, I'll be visiting Sapa, Hanoi, Hue, Hoi-an, Saigon (HCMC), and the Mekong delta. Got the impression so far from my web research that there are no venues for active fun, and very few ads for rent/money boys. Would very much appreciate info and tips.

Beyond this general request:
1) Some months ago a forum member here suggested using vietfun.com through its the link for videofun. However, I couldn't locate the next link for "gay". Was it taken off? Did I miss something??
2) Do masseurs at Ami Spa really go for extras? If so, is it 'just' happy-endings or can it proceed to more interaction?
3) On one hand I read boys could be picked up at certain locations (e.g. the lake in Hanoi). On the other hand, apparently they can't be taken to a hotel and it's too dangerous to go with them. So, what's to be done?
4) There are no ads for escorts on Gay Romeo, but there are more than 100 users. I'm 55 yo and don't hold special attractions for the young and handsome. Is it ok to ask them about sex-for-pay. I'm unfamiliar with GR etiquette...

Thanks in advance for as much guidance as possible.

[bobsaigon]

HCMC: I just checked GR Ho Chi Minh City, and it looks like there are several 18-22 guys looking for a sexdate (aside from the numerous massage boys - I love the ones who say straight out “I am a money boy” – so there’s no confusion). For just about any kind of encounter, I suspect 500,000 Dong ($25 US) would be acceptable, but the hardened massage guys might demand more.

Two problems: the guys of the type you’re looking for might not speak a word of English, and once you’ve found someone, you might not be able to take him back to your hotel room if it’s a “nice” hotel. When I first arrived in Vietnam, I used short time mini-hotels for these meetings. The boy would need ID and so would you. You might even ask the clerk at reception to make a copy of his ID for you.

It can be risky here, but I haven’t heard of money boys doing anything nasty to foreigners.

I’ve been in Saigon for over ten years, most of that time with the same partner, and not frequenting the gay places in the city. Check the usual internet sources. If I were still single, I think I’d give the shopping malls a try. They hire a lot of gay sales boys. At one food shop in a suburban mall, there are currently two young ladyboy cross dressers. (Something that would never have been seen 10 years ago when we were still considered “social evils”.) These two are cute and fun to talk with – if you can speak Vietnamese.
You might consider hiring an English speaking guy from GR, someone who is looking for “friends not sex”. He would be able to take you around to the gay venues and offer advice, translate, etc. And on GR, it IS OK to discuss payment for sex. If someone is offended, what can he do? Ignore you. That’s all.
Good luck.

[Alex]

And on GR, it IS OK to discuss payment for sex. If someone is offended, what can he do? Ignore you. That’s all.

Frankly, I think this attitude sucks. That someone cannot do anything much when he feels offended really doesn't make offending him OK.

[Gaybutton]

That someone cannot do anything much when he feels offended really doesn't make offending him OK.

I don't think bobsaigon meant it that way. What reason would he have to go on Gay Romeo and intentionally offend anyone? I think what he meant was that sometimes Gay Romeo boys do get offended when someone offers them money. Not every boy is a money boy. I think all bobsaigon was trying to say was that if a boy does get offended, there won't be a physical confrontation.

[12is12]

Thank you Bob for your very detailed reply. However, it seems that I'm GR-challenged: there are no profiles in the escort section; there are more than 4,000 in the users section; there's no area categories enabling to focus on HCMC; and in the first 130 profiles I browsed, I found only one explicit "moneyboy".
What am I missing in order to make this search manageable?

Thanks again,
Roni.

[bobsaigon]

I go to Users at the top of the GR homescreen, then enter Asia, Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, then click on Only with Photos, then minimum and maximum ages, then choose between Online and offline.

Alex, surely the majority of guys on GR are "offable". If you ask a GR boy if he would consider a sexdate/one night stand/no-strings meeting, (since he is on GR), I hardly think that is offensive. If the boy is offended,that is unfortunate, but at least that will make him aware of what appearing on GR means in the eyes of most GR users. Then he might want to switch to FB or wherever the non-commercial guys go to look for new foreign friends.

[Gaybutton]

If you do your search as shown in the photo, it will narrow your search to Ho Chi Minh city:

[12is12]

Thank you both for this patient education.

[Alex]

Alex, surely the majority of guys on GR are "offable". If you ask a GR boy if he would consider a sexdate/one night stand/no-strings meeting, (since he is on GR), I hardly think that is offensive. If the boy is offended,that is unfortunate, but at least that will make him aware of what appearing on GR means in the eyes of most GR users. Then he might want to switch to FB or wherever the non-commercial guys go to look for new foreign friends.

I agree with you that most users on GayRomeo are looking for sexdates (maybe among other things, but still), that's the main purpose of the site as I see it as well. I don't know anything about the locals who create GayRomeo profiles in Vietnam in particular, but in most countries, the assumption that those who're looking for sexdates are also available for money is wrong in many cases. Sure, offending those who aren't doesn't come at a high cost, but I dislike the attitude behind it, and that's pretty much all I said.

Obviously, there's nothing wrong with offering money to someone who makes it clear that he's a moneyboy, anywhere in the world.

[pong]

as for GR; there is No proper ''etiquette''- how would all others know and not you?
The best is (Ive done that found it to work excellent for Malaysia last year in the floods) you can set your own profile to visitor to there-do that a week or 2-3 before you go, those active in looking will hit your prfile as ''new'' in the area and likely make the first move.