Hanoi or Saigon?

Question

For two days to experience Vietnam. Should I visit Hanoi or Saigon? I like old buildings and cultural history etc.

Answer 1

Saigon is known as  Ho Chi Minh City  ( Don't ever call it

as Saigon , as the Vietnamese dislike the name ).

Ho Chi Minh is a beautiful city.

You can find old buildings plus new.

History ?   You must get to know local people

and talk to them.

Ho Chi Minh City is in the South of Vietnam

Culture of South Vietnam is somewhat different from

that of North Vietnam (Hanoi)

Hanoi is too far from HCM

bordering South China

Answer 2

personally, I would stay in the South as they seem to like Westerners more there than in the North ...... at least that is the impression I have .....

Ho Chi Minh City (formally Saigon) is loaded with historical things ......

I heard the Rex Hotel was where a lot of the media stayed during the war ..... so I stayed there myself for a few weeks. That was a kick!

Answer 3

To view old buildings, consider Saigon (now officially Ho Chi Minh City).  The old-timers can still recall the good old days.  But  with the advent of communism after the NVA's invasion, the government can punish those who would call it Saigon.

Be very careful.   Freedom of speech there is not like freedom of speech in the USA.  Here in America we have freedom after we speak.

Answer 4

ha noi is more centralized and has the preserved "old town".. the food is better in sai gon[ and almost everyone i know calls it "sai gon".. the airlines will even tag your baggage "sai"] but for 2 days go to ha noi and enjoi....

Answer 5

depend on where you arrive. If you arrive in Saigon's airport, you should visiting Saigon. Hanoi and Saigon are good places to visit. Since you don't have much time, you have to visit wherever is convenience for yourself.

Answer 6

i'd prefer siagon aka hp chi mihn city becasue back then it was a free country until hanoi took over and claimed it as theirs rightfully the french.

Answer 7

Hanoi.  

I left Saigon after one day.  It is a big city, with tons of traffic and pollution, and hard to navigate.

While Hanoi also has the traffic, it is much easier to get around on foot (so you don't need to deal with the traffic- and will save you time in the end). There are many museums there, and shopping!

Answer 8

i preffer sai gon but for only 2 days ha noi is deffinately the place of choice. go to the "old city" hoan kiem lake district.. plenty to do and see in walking distance[ or a short motor bike ride around town. ..AND GET UP AND DOWN TO THE LAKE EARLY EVERY MORNING... and avoid the water puppets like the plague...

Answer 9

My granparents have houses all over Vietnam (there a bit on the wealthy side since they have so many smart children), but the Saigon's house is my favorite city. Its fairly modern compared to most of Vietnam and there are a lot of markets so if you're looking for gifts or to shop, Saigon is the best place to go. However there is a lot of political power there.

However, Hanoi is the capital for a reason. There were so many great places there. Its more historical so it might fit your tastes better. If you do go, I suggest the The Temple of Literature and the Tháp Bút (pen tower) next to Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Its gorgeous!

Answer 10

Saigon definitely!

There are plenty of historical building in Saigon and the people are much more nicer.

Saigon is a typical Vietnamese city I think with the dirty narrow streets but very exited.

Markets there are not clean, however they sell a lot of things especially food that are only in Southeast Asia.

If you can quickly adapt the environment, remember to try some of the Saigon food like fish sauce, Vietnamese pho noodle and much more!

These day they are celebrating Tet so I hope you will enjoy it as well.

Hanoi is not as good as Saigon, and the people are..............and the weather is unusual.

Hope this helps.