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 Traveller's Tales: Getting around in Vietnam
Know the most popular landmarks in Vietnam. You may read about best transportation, recommended travel itinerary, suggested routes and directions. Also, you might want to read our
Central Vietnam city guide,
Halong Bay city guide,
Hanoi city guide,
Ho Chi Minh city guide,
Phan Thiet city guide,
and Hoi An city guide.
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| M Crowell |
17 August 2005 |
Stayed at Ana Mandara Resort - Nha Trang, Vietnam.
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I would recommend renting a motorbike (ask for a scooter, they are automatic and easy to drive). The thought might seem somewhat daunting to the visitor, but it really is a great way to see the town. It is also exhilarating. The town really comes alive in the afternoon and evening with everybody "cruising" the main strip. It is fun to be a part of it.
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| D Babor |
15 August 2005 |
Stayed at New Epoch Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Perhaps not the best time to travel to HCMC. Most of the time, it rained during my stay. I had to cancel my intended trip to the Mekong Delta as the weather was not compatible. Lesson learned: always be familiar with the local weather details before embarking on a trip to a foreign land.
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| A Gyure |
08 August 2005 |
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Do yourself a favor and attend the evening traditional Vietnamese musical concert and fashion show at SI HOANG, a tea salon located on the street just behind Saigon's famous City Hall building. For only $15.00 US per person, you get to sample gourmet teas and snacks while hearing talented musicians play extremely rare instruments (like a unique stone xylophone and beautiful violin made out of a stalk of bamboo) and seeing professional models wearing ancient Vietnamese textiles in intimate, charming, and very atmospheric surroundings. Best of all, it is not cheesy or touristy like a lot of things in Vietnam can be. CAN'T RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH!
For dinner I highly recommend Luong Son Quan. I like to eat where the locals do--off the beaten track from the tourist circuit, and you won't find any foreigners here, just really well prepared Vietnamese cuisine that is delicious and very safe. Their specialty is a wonderful marinated beef that you grill yourself on a handy table top charcoal grill, accompanied by a nice mustard sauce. For the more adventurous diner, there are also many exotic dishes like deep fried scorpion or grilled field rat!
Best (cheapest) way to get around Saigon is by motorbike or cyclo (bicycle pedaled rickshaw) but BE SURE TO AGREE ON A PRICE BEFORE YOU EMBARK! Same goes for taxi cabs - most of them in Saigon don't seem to be metered!
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| D Mason |
01 August 2005 |
Stayed at Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
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Highlights of the trip, for me, were: the Water Puppet Theatre - just incredible; the Museum of the Revolution (a couple of minutes from the hotel) and the Museum of Ethnology. I was very touched by the people who I found very warm and helpful. I learnt to speak a few words of Vietnamese - the most important being 'thank you'. As in most countries people really appreciate it when you try to speak some of the language. And for visitors from wealthy countries don't moan if you (and it's very occasional - much worse in most western countries) get overcharged by the odd taxi driver. It will probably cost you a dollar. The average weekly wage is not high so tip generously.
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| A Randall |
01 June 2005 |
Stayed at Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
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Hanoi can be quite confusing, I found it hard to get my bearings thus would recommend at least a City Tour to familarise yourself once you arrive. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed on Mondays and Friday-my cyclo driver was unaware of this-also negotiate the price for the cyclo drivers before you depart-it might end up cheaper just taking a taxi-and you won't get wet. I found the Old Quarter to be very busy and confusing to negotiate-I ended up booking a day tour with Sinh Tours-13 US for the day-Hanoi doesnt seem to be set up for Western tourists-there were few signs in English-and restaurants were hard to find-ended up eating in the hotel mostly. I travelled by myself-and found it a bit of a culture shock to be honest-if I went again, i would go in winter to avoid the oppressive heat-and consider a tour-i have travelled to Thailand/Laos/Cambodia-this was the least tourist friendly place that I have visited.
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| D Rea |
06 May 2005 |
Stayed at De Syloia Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
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We stayed at the DeSyloia upon arriving in Hanoi, between trips to Halong Bay and Sa Pa, and prior to our departure from the country. Both Halong Bay and Sa Pa are highly recommended, though we caution travelers that the many tour operators based in Hanoi don't always deliver on their promised services. For example, the tour operator we chose, Sinh Travel, neglected to inform us that our Halong Bay tour would entail switching boats -- at 5 am! Also beware of 'helpers' at the Hanoi train station who will try to rip you off blind. Otherwise, our stay in Vietnam was most pleasant and the food was generally lovely -- we recommend the Nam Phuong Restaurant (close to the DeSyloia) in particular.
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| S Mesham |
02 May 2005 |
Stayed at Metropole Hotel, Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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We were in Saigon at the 30th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon so the atmosphere was buzzing. However, Saigon seems to be a place that natually has an exciting air to it anyway. Ben Thanh market is a must - the food is great and the shopping is good for watches and clothes. We travelled round the city mostly on the back of a bike - we paid between USD1 and USD2, depending on how far we went, and time of night. We heard about pickpockets, but did not see or experience anything, but we were very careful keeping all of our valuable in a locked back pack and in a moneybelt. Food and drink are definitely more expensive in the city area, but the Saigon Saigon Bar (Caravelle Hotel) and Level 23 (Sheraton Hotel) are definitely worth a visit for the view. Food at street stalls is just as tasty as in the restaurants, and there are plenty to choose from a must have is the Pho Bo - Vietnamese beef noodle soup - our daily fare. It's worth investigating the back streets as there is always something to see - Saigon is great for people watching! You can also buy travel books such a Lonely Planets on the street for approx USD4-5. Saigon was a great introduction to Vietnam for us - we'll definitely be going back!
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| S Chee |
10 April 2005 |
Stayed at Bong Sen Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Buy a taxi coupon from the airport, hotels all charge too much...more than double. USD4-5 will get you into the heart of town while the hotels charge anything from USD12-22 for pick up service. Taxis are generally reliable but make sure they use the meter. Vietnamese food, especially the noodles (pho) are great and there are now chains eg Pho24 just around the corner from this hotel, that offer good fare at prices slightly above local stores but they are clean and hygienic.
The highlight was a local restaurant within about 300m of the Reunification Palace that served fabulous local food at very reasonable prices. It is a restaurant housed in an old bungalow with seating both inside and al fresco with about 20 stalls lining the sides. Ask the hotel staff about the LOCAL restaurants for local fare and they will helpfully recommend them. We only took a tour to the Cu Chi tunnels which are well worth a visit. The firing range with charges of USD 1 per bullet is cheap compared to Phuket in Thailand which charges USD2 per bullet.The Russian Market at Saigon Sq and the BinTanh Market are worth exploring. There are bargains to be had for clothing, back packs and practically everything else. Good quality coffee can be bought at the latter. Be VERY careful when crossing roads, the motorbikes are everywhere and they don't necessary obey traffic lights!!
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| B Londergan |
07 April 2005 |
Stayed at Dong An Beach Hotel - Hoi An, Vietnam.
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Definitely rent a bike ($1/day) so you can bike into town -- that way you're not tied to a shuttle schedule or paying for motorcycle rides every two minutes. Great internet places along the road into town. The Safari (?) restaurant just down the road is great -- owned by a Vietnamese woman and her California husband, and there's also a crab place right on the water that's meant to be lovely, although we didn't go there. On the road to town, the Gado restaurant is good. Buy as much stuff as you can -- specially lanterns, art work, ties, silk, etc. -- you'll love it when you get home and it only seems heavy now! Check out all the calisthentics on the beach at dawn -- it's really adorable.
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| M Gerard (2nd call) |
30 March 2005 |
Stayed at Kimdo Royal City Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Stayed at the Kimdo Hotel and it is literally next door to the TAX dept store. Not only did we use the supermarket for food, actually bought T-shirts, ao dai's, robes,etc in the supermarket.!!! There is a fountain in front of the Opera and we would go there in the evening...when families were there with their children! Great fun. Our most memorable day was the one when we went to DAM SEN PARK, District 11..we took a taxi and spent a Sunday with all the locals! We were the only caucasians there. We got stared at, bowed to, asked to be in photos with them,etc. For one whole day, there was not a vendor in sight who wanted us to buy anything! Another great place to mingle with the locals: Quan An Ngon restaurant at 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia...decent food and VERY few tourists. Had lunch one day at Vietnam House and I'd highly recommend it too. Our biggest disappointment in all of Vietnam was our 2 day Mekong delta trip. We signed on with Delta Adventures (highly recommended from Lonely Planet AND people we met along the way). Do not think they stuck to the itinerary. It was a very lackluster two days. Forgot to mention that although it IS a long day, thought the Cao Dai Temple was VERY impressive and worthwhile.
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