Vietnam travel tales and tips

Vietnam travel tales

Our customers share their travelling experiences in Vietnam. Read about first hand stories on travel tips and guides, events, entertainment,shopping, food, business and transportation. Also, you might want to read our Central Vietnam city guide, Halong Bay city guide, Hanoi city guide, Ho Chi Minh city guide, and Phan Thiet city guide.

S Fleck	29 March 2004
Stayed at De Syloia Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
The only monument/local attraction that we visited was the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and museum complex. It was very interesting. It is neither expensive nor does it take a long time to do (we covered it in less than 2 hours). If you are a runner, there is a local Hash House Harriers group in Hanoi that has regular weekend runs. It might be worth investigating if you want something different to do. We took part in an "agricultural run" through some farms located about 45 minutes outside of Hanoi. A bus was arranged for the transportation. The meeting point in Hanoi was "The Spotted Cow" which is one of the expat bars.
A Lewis	26 March 2004
Stayed at Majestic Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
We did a day tour with Buffalo tours to Cu Chi and the Cau Dai temple-well worth doing. Whilst in the city we got around on motor bikes-this is by far the best way to travel and despite appearances, they dont go very fast. We then had 3 days in the Mekong delta with Buffalo-again, well worth doing. Buffalo are on the up-market side but worth the money for individual trips.
D Mayer	22 March 2004
Stayed at Lucky Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
Don't miss taking a tour of Halong bay. One, two and three day trips are available from many locations in Hanoi. We booked through our hotel for the 1 day trip and found that sufficient to get a good overview of the bay.
A Angela irving	22 March 2004
Stayed at Metropole Hotel, Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Taxi rides were cheap and always metered. Although our guide books warned us of rip offs with taxi drivers and other things in general, we never encountered these experiences. The Vietnamese people were delightful on every occasion. Loved the Cholon and Ben Thanh markets.
Y Nagai	19 March 2004
Stayed at Rex Hotel Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
It takes 20 min from the airport at USD 3. The Don khoi street which is main shopping street is accessible by foot in 5 min. Super maket is next to the hotel so that you could get something easily.
V Tran	13 March 2004
Stayed at New World Hotel Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
For lunch, no place could be better and cheaper than the Binh Thanh Market just right across the street from the Hotel.
K Subramanian	12 March 2004
Stayed at Green Park Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
Everything for a tourist in Hanoi is Lake-centred. You can spend a few good days riding the cyclo around the city, walking round the tranquil Hoan Kiem Lake, shuffling thro the myriad street markets, and not fail to be impressed by the quiet charm and peace of this place and especially its beautiful people. The motorbike traffic is unstoppable and, if you follow traffic light traditions, you would end up waiting at the light from morn to evening. Just pull up your socks, place your heart firmly in your mouth, do not look too much at the oncoming traffic and cross slowly. They slow down and let you pass, or wind their way around you, and you manage to stay alive and get to the other side as well. Ocassionally you might see a few of them bumping into each other but there is no argument, no chaos, they just get up, dust themselves off and proceed. A busy city that retains its peace and tranquility.
S Lewis	12 March 2004
Stayed at Sunway Hotel Hanoi - Hanoi, Vietnam.
In Hanoi we can recommend the Emperor restaurant for good but relatively expensive food and the Hoa Sua restaurant which trains street children for jobs in catering-it serves excellent Vietnamese and French food. We used Buffalo Tours for a trek in the Mai Chau area, Cuc Phuong National Park and Halong Bay. Halong Bay was amazing, even in the mist!
A Macphail	10 March 2004
Stayed at Hoi An Beach Resort - Hoi An, Vietnam.
Hoi An is a very pretty & interesting town, particularly the world heritage area. Brothers Cafe on the river is a brilliant dining experience. Marble Mountain just up the road is well worth visiting.
L Innes-small	08 March 2004
Stayed at Lucky Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
Vietnam is a wonderful place to visit. Feb/March was a great time to go weather wise if you dont like it too hot and humid. Saigon - First destination and favourite place (once we got over the shock of the volume of traffic and mastered the art of crossing the road). Vibrant city and lovely people, friendly and genuinely interested in talking to you. Delta Adventure Tours for trips, very reasonable and well organised with great guides. Do not forgot to tip them as they are on a low wage (we were the only people who tipped). Excellent trip to the Chu Chi tunnels. Only did day trip to Mekon Delta but would recommend going for 2 days. Most interesting sites for me in Saigon were the Presidential Palace (take one of the free tours)and of course the War Remnants Museum. Food was very good. Great vegetarian restaurant in back packer area - Bohdi Tree. Very disappointed with rooftop garden at the Rex hotel. The cocktails were expensive and I was not offered any change from the money I handed over. Biggest disappointment of whole trip. Hoi An - A bit disappointing. 2-3 days is enough time to spend hereif you are not getting clothes made (we were there for 4 days). Fed up with hassle from shop keepers and cyclos. Also trip to beach a nightmare as accosted by a constant stream of peddlers. The food is amazing here, lots of sea food. Try the wontons at Ms. Lys cafeteria. Tour to the Cham Ruins worthwhile, as is Old Quarter walking tour. We were invited into one of the lovely old French colonial houses by the owner for a private tour. One of the highlights of the holiday. Hue - Excellent. Only spent 2 days here but wish I had stayed longer. DMZ day trip very interesting but long day. Citadel very worthwhile to visit. Food is fantastic. Every restaurant recommended in the Lonely Planet is great. Best memory of Hue was sitting having a drink on a floating restaurant at the river watching the sun go down. Hanoi - Was ok, but didn’t like it as much as Saigon, even though a lot of people on this website seem to prefer it. Found the people in Hanoi more reserved. Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum worth seeing and the Temple of Literature. Trip to Halong Bay spoiled as the weather was bad, but good for exploring the caves. A day trip is enough. Water puppet theatre is great - pay a bit more to get front row seats and book early. Did not think much of the food in Hanoi. Had not had a bad meal in the whole of Vietnam until arriving in Hanoi. Also left it until Hanoi to do shopping, but wish I had got stuff in Saigon or Hoi An as more choice. Transport: Getting to and from places is easy. As we were time limited, took domestic flights. very reasonable and good service $60. Would liked to have taken a train journey. Would definitely go back to South Vietnam and take a trip into Cambodia (any tour operator can arrange it). Have recommended lots of friends to go to Vietnam – can’t describe how wonderful it is!

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