| |
 Traveller's Tales: Advise for travellers in Vietnam
Heed our handy tips on safe travel in Vietnam. You may read about travel warnings, health, what to wear, travel with kids, travel with pets, local weather, local government, medical information and traffic information in the area.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.
Pages (4 of 14):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 More »
| L Bain |
22 October 2002 |
Stayed at Hoi An Riverside Resort - Hoi An, Vietnam.
|
Shuttle bus drops you off at Brothers Cafe which is in same ownership as the hotel. It also is excellent with wonderful staff. Meals are superb and much cheaper than the hotel with a huge menu. Charming and quiet situation again by the riverside.
Hoi An is endearing and charming. Hired a motorbike at the hotel to get about which surprisingly was dirty and quite old - but at $7US a day who can complain. Check fuel before setting off. We were told that the tank was full, but the fuel guage was broken. Wrong!! We ran out of petrol and had to push the bike 5k to refuel. Not good at 32C and 85%RH. Still we did lose quite a bit of weight!
|
| H Sung |
19 October 2002 |
Stayed at Saigon Morin - Hue, Vietnam.
|
Hotel is located at the center of everything, very convenient. Walk to The Cidadel from hotel is only about 25 minutes at most; when taking "SHICRO" to the Cidadel, please DO negotiate with "Shicro Driver" for FAIR charges.
When my husband and I took the "Shicro" to Cidadel from Morin Saigon, the prices we negotiated before getting on Shicro was 30,000.00 VND for each person/each way; then on the way to Cidadel, they OFFERED to take us from Cidadel to Museum afterwards (which the museum was only about 5 minutes walk away from Cidadel). The way they offered sounded to be complimentary. And we thought even if with charges, how more expensive could it be? After all, it is only 5-minute walk distance; and we were also very careless that we did not ask exactly how much extra charges would be. The fact was, they made a long route around old quarter of Hue, and when we got off the Shicro in front of museum, they have asked for 100,000.00 VND per person for the trip.
My husband and I felt to be cheated, somehow. Since then, we have been avoiding Shicro for the entire trip in Vietnam.
For those who are interested having Custom-made Ao Dai, "Morin Silk" at the hotel could be your choice. I had two sets of Ao Dai made from "Morin Silk" and they fit perfectly. About USD 20.00 each set.
|
| L Tan |
19 October 2002 |
Stayed at Sofitel Plaza Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
|
It was a short stay for us. We did not find the people in HCMC as polite and humble as people in the north eg Hanoi. Cab drivers at the airport were rude and demanded too much for the ride to the hotel.
|
| H Yoon |
16 October 2002 |
Stayed at Bong Sen Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
|
You can see all the sites at Ho Chi Minh City in a day. The food in the area is excellent, but after a day and a half I think I was ready to leave. The museums are not impressive, and the constant begging, appealing, and harrassing from people on the street begin to wear on you. It's such a poor country with incredibly friendly people. But after a day I wanted to be able to walk on the street without being interrupted every five feet. I know this remark makes me sound like a privileged western tourist, but I have to tell it like I experienced it. I'm sure other westerners will feel the same.
|
| J Yellen |
13 October 2002 |
Stayed at De Syloia Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
|
Get an up-to-date tour book. Hanoi is completely different this year than last. There are hundreds of thousands of motorbikes on the roads--30% more this year than last year due to newly affordable motorcycle imports from China.
Hanoi was the most difficult city to travel through due to little to no traffic control and thousands of motorbikes. Bikes are parked on the sidewalks and the street. Bikes ride down sidewalks during rush hour. Traffic is a mess.
Watching traffic go by can be a tourist attraction in itself, if you are driving through it during rush hour from the protected point of view of a seat in a bus. It is a pain, however, when trying to shop or sightsee.
|
| J Majeed |
28 September 2002 |
Stayed at Rex Hotel Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
|
Ho Chi Minh is truly chaotic. It takes a bit of practice to master the technique of crossing roads: simply picking a direction and pace and maintaining it across intersections with constant traffic approaching from all directions.
Exchange rates make the city very cheap for most tourists, however this also makes you a target for anyone trying to sell, scam or beg. You'll find most things aimed at tourists quoted in US dollars.
|
| A Timms |
24 September 2002 |
Stayed at Majestic Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
|
Great country, spend some time in the cities and some in the countryside. The Vietnamese are very friendly people, be careful you understand the exchange rate - dealing in 1000s of dong can be confusing at first!
|
| H Thorndike |
22 September 2002 |
Stayed at Rex Hotel Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
|
HCM is a chaotic, bustling city with many interesting place. But I did not feel safe as a female traveller alone. I was paranoid that I'd get robbed on the street after all the tales I was told! But it's OK if you do not take your valuables out with you. The street-children broke my heart... be prepared to deal with this.
|
| T Kelley |
18 September 2002 |
Stayed at Hoi An Hotel - Hoi An, Vietnam.
|
Hoi An is quite touristy. In fact, it's like a European resort with a Vietnamese staff. Most of the post card kids are aggressive and some are malicious. If you have been to Angkor Wat, don't bother to go to My Son.
|
| E Brady |
13 September 2002 |
Stayed at Furama Resort Danang - Danang, Vietnam.
|
Not much to see or do in Danang. Stop off to stay at the Furama Resort and use it as a base for exploring Hoi An and Hue. Hoi An is definitely worth a visit, its small and quaint and so much more relaxed than the hectic Hanoi. Don't get sucked into buying a ticket for 50,000 dong at the entrance to the town which claims to give you access to all sites/attractions in the town (the majority of these sites/attractions are free anyway!)
|
|
Pages (4 of 14):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 More »
Book a hotel in Vietnam
|
