My next target, Vietnam - Hanoi

Question

i will be going to hanoi in october between 15 to 22, any advice to offer?

what have to look out?

any suggestion for backpacker route?

any good restaurant to recommend?

any cheap stuff must get from there?

Answer 1

yeah, vietnam s a great place to go for holiday.

Advoid?

- oh.. becareful, since ur foreigner. they would make u pay things much more expensive then the stuff actually worths.

(lives here fo 16 years, and still gets cheat at, haha)

Safety and stuff

- people who steals ur stuff (not so bad anymore, but still beareful)

- traffic here is crazy, so watch it when u cross the street

- keep passport in hotel.. so u wont lose it. u lose it. ur in trouble

- what wat u eat, foreigners tend to not get use to the food here, and watch where u eat, or u can get diahree if ur not use to the food.

- there are people who sale stuff on the street, and they tend to touch u and bug u, dont be rude, after all.. ur a foreigner in THEIR country. so becareful

- when u c people argueing on the road. advoid it, and leave asap.

Where to visit:

(im asuming ur going to go to SAIGON aka HO CHI MINH CITY)

1/ ben thanh market

and there are some other places to visit, like malls and museums and such such. check with ur hotel for more info.

also, people might stair, and wisper stuff, but they mean no harm. they probably saying how pretty u r, or how tall u r, or how pretty ur eyes are,how white u are. (vietnamese are very afraid of getting dark. yet they are still dark)

it is very hot in vietnam, but its been the raining season, u might want to bring a light jacket, to keep u warm.

also, try out all the signature vietnamese food while ur here.

1/ pho ga (chicken noddle soup)

2/ pho bo (beef noodle soup)

3/ cha gio (spring rolls)

4/ bun bo hue (not sure wat u call it in english)

5/ banh cuon

6/ bun mam (type of noodle. a bit hard to eat.)

and so on..

so.. have a great trip. hope u enjoy it here, and have a great time.

for more info, ask ur hotel for where to visit, wat to try and taste.. so on..

good restaurants:

1/ ngoc suong (sea fod, quiet expensive thou)

2/ alfresco (good food)

3/ underground (bar and rstaurant)

4/ pho 24 (traditional vietnamese pho)

5/ pomodoro

6/ cantina

7/ pandelasco

thats all i can think of for now

(not listedin any particular order)

cheap stuf to get here:

- mayb u can buy an "ao dai" it is the traditional vietnamese dress... depends on ur size, u may have to get it fitted at a tailor.

(thats a must)

(vietnamese traditioonal dress "ao dai" shows how graveful vietnamese woman are and so on..)

hope i help ♥

Answer 2

omg, i'll be in saigon around that time. i'll be in hanoi earlier than that around beg of september. i'll answer your question then... : )

Answer 3

hi, in Hanoi, for hotel, i think u can come to Bluestar hotel (21 Bat Dan str, 12$/day ) nice room, really comfortable.for eating, u can come to Ngon (15 Phan Boi Chau str ), Pho24 (just for Vietnamese noodle). try noodle rolls, all of my friend n my bf too love it very much.u can bye some cheap T-shirt ( 40.000 - 50.000VND for 1).. for sight seeing, it's not really much but u can go around the old quarter, visit some pagoda like 1 pillar Pagoda (near Ho Chi Minh's museum ), Ngoc Son temple ( Hoan kiem lake, centre of Hanoi, very easy to find out ), spend few hours for water puppet show, shopping at Hang Gai str if u like silk but some shops r really expensive.. take the tour 2 days 1 night to Ha Long bay (about 25-60$ or more expensive than if u want to stay in luxury ).. i think u can buy a lonely planet book to read ... or i can give u some more information later coz i have to think first..:).. have fun

Answer 4

For hotel I'd check with tripadvisor.com  .  Loads of reviews, prices and locations.  Silk goods are always a good buy there and the scarves are really nice gift, very light in the suitcase too.

As far as restaurants go I suggest the A15 Bia Garden.  Cheap cold beer and very reasonable good food.  We go there every time we are in HaNoi.

HaNoi has many beautiful historical sites and also almost any hotel can arrange fun day trips for not very much money.  

Have a good time.  Cheers C

Answer 5

I thought you could get many answers from many people about spending time in Vietnam, so just a small tip:

The mother language here is Vietnamese, not English, so in case you need help urgently, it's better to address someone young, because the younger people are better in English.