I am planning to go to Vietnam in Hanoi for a week so if anyone could give some advice about the place to stay in Hanoi,the place I should visit near by Hanoi during that period and the best agency,it'd be helpful.
Cheers.
any advice about Vietnam?
Hi Dallyn.
My name is linh and now i'm staying in Hanoi. It is areally nice city and i bet you will like it.
The cost of living here is very cheap. You can choose to stay in Hotel(quite expensive) or house in old square ( very cheap).
The place of interests vary alot.
If shopping, i recommend Big C super market. The stuff here is very cheap compared with other supermarkets.
. The Metro is also good but u need a card so Big c seems more feasible.
IF museum, go to The museum of Ethnology. you will have a chnce to discover all about Vietnam mimorities.
U should go to ho Chi minh museum and the temple of Literature to. The Old squares is the most typical of hanoi, in my opinion.
For further info, contact me at the ID:linhzom or live through this exciting website..
Hi There,
My name is Neil, I am from Canada but lived in Vietnam for six months after I graduated university. I spent some time in Hanoi and it is a great city. I have some travel suggestions while you are there:
THE NORTH - HANOI
- Cha Ca La Vong on La Vong Street. Its where they serve that fried fish with rice noodles. It was named one of the top places to see before you die by MSNBC and by a couple of travel writers. They serve the dish with this purple shrimp paste that smells rancid, but it’s the only way to eat it in my opinion. Costs about $5 USD.
- Sofitel Plaza. There is a bar/lounge on the 21st floor I believe with the best view in all of Hanoi. A cup of tea will probably cost you $4 USD but sip it and stay awhile. Beautiful view of Hanoi’s lakes and scenery from a bird’s eye view.
- Lenin Park. Go there early in the morning (i.e. 5 am) to watch locals exercise – and to partake if you wish.
- Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. You can line-up on certain days to view Uncle Ho’s preserved body. Its freaky but something you have to do when you’re in Hanoi. I hope he’s not in Russia at that time getting a makeover. No charge, but you have to leave cameras at the front desk, they might charge like 40 cents or something for this. You have to note that his body is viewable only on certain days and times (mornings).
SAPA - BAC HA - HALONG BAY
- When you reach Lao Cai by train, make sure you don’t pay anything more than about $4 or 50,000 VND for a mini-bus to Sapa. Keep in mind these are crammed, often with 12+ people. I think its about 1 ½ hour drive to Sapa from Lao Cai.
- In Sapa, I stayed at a place that was fairly nice but I can’t remember what its called. It was $12 a night for two of us with “hot” water (that barely trickled) and the most comfortable down filled sheets you have ever felt.
- There are neighboring towns around Sapa so you may want to go on a trip. The closer one is Ta Phin, I can’t remember the name of the other one. You can hire a driver (motorbike only I think) to Ta Phin for about $4 both ways (each). The ride is kind of sketchy but beautiful, takes about 40 minutes from Sapa. There is a village further away which I bet do not see many visitors, it might be worth going for an entire day.
- You should definitely take a trip to Bac Ha’s weekend market. It’s a cultural must-see – stay away from the livestock market though if you mind squealing pigs and dogs for sale.
- Halong Bay. Just go and enjoy it. Definitely a place to go and relax but I would not spend anymore than 2 nights there as it might get boring. Remember to bring lots on board cuz I don’t know how much there is to do once you get on. I think there are some boat tours that are more “party” atmosphere ones so you may or ay not want to stay away from those.
That's all I got right now. I also recommend South Vietnam where I think the culture is much more vibrant.
Cheers,
Neil