Hanoi Hotel Reviews
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.
Halong bay is a must to go in Hanoi. Those not prepared to climb and sun under the hot sun, please do not go to Perfume Pagoda. No safety measures for the sampan ride to the Perfume Pagoda. Plenty of local tour agencies. No problem to move around.
Recommended restaurants: Pho Thin - excellent pho bo; Pho 24 - good pho bo in a cleaner location; Cha Ca La Vong - fried fish in turmeric spiced oil with fresh mint, dill and spring onion; Fanny - for home made french ice cream; Bobby Chin and Wild Rice - if you are looking for chic restaurants. Food does not beat what you get on the street though. Coffee shops in Hang Hanh - excellent local coffee.
As recommended in Lonely Planet, we went to the Old Quarter to find "Hanspan" at 116 Hang Bac, we didn''t pay enough attention and found out later that AZ Queen Cafe Tour is there at that address. We found out talking to other people on the two tours we booked that we paid about double than they did (I guess we looked richer and dumber). The Perfume Pagoda Tour should be avoided. A 2-hour van ride brings you to a river, there are flat-bottom boats with lady rowers are waiting. Four people per boat squat on 8 inch high, hard wood benches. For a cramped hour, you are rowed along the pretty river. You reach a dock and sellers of water, and everything else descend on you (same as when you got out of the van). It was very hot and we decided to only go to the lower pagoda, which was very nice. Others decided to go all the way and our guide said it was 2, then 4, then 4-5 kilometers up the hill and back. <br><br>The people that went to the "Perfume Pagoda" said it didn''t smell so nice and was not worth the effort. The worst part was our rower who shadowed us and continuosly told us "I have boat". On the row back she said "you give tip money, I''m very tired'' over and over. At the dock she said my tip "not enough". To top it off the guide, who was lousy by the way, told the group that we would all be dropped at the centrally located lake near the "Old Quarter", not our hotels. My back still hurts and is was one of the most unpleasant days we have spent. In contrast, our tour to Hai Long Bay was very good, with a good guide. One bad defect was the cabin on the junk we were to sleep in had an air conditioner that we had to pay $10 US to get turned on. The actual tour was given by APT Tours at 37 Dao Duy Tu Street in the Old Quarter. They seem OK. The "Hanoi Hilton", which is actually Hoa Lo Prison, should be visited, just take a cab. (Our 1/2 day Hanoi tour skipped it.) The Hoan Kiem Lake is very pleasant and there is a pagoda right on the lake. We also had great tasting Vietnamese ice coffee and hot coffee at Hapro cafe on the lake. (I''m spoiled now and the coffee back home tastes like water). If you want cheap eyeglasses or knockoff watches there are clusters of stores for that. Crossing streets without traffic lights is a little scary. Tons of motor bikes and guys trying to get you on their cyclo and you weave through the traffic. We would advise crossing with the natives at first to get the idea. Then pray.
We stayed in the Lucky Star Hotel in the old quarter and it was very easy to get around from here. I highly recommend going to see the water puppet show which is in the theatre by Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. The shows are on early evening. The Presidential Palace, One Pillar Pagoda are worth a visit and also St. Joseph''s Cathedral which is fantastic. One of the highlights for me was Ho Chi Minh''s Mausoleum. It is only open to visitors in the morning so best to get there early. I would also recommend just walking around the little side streets, there is always something interesting to be found. It''s also nice to sit outside a coffee shop around the old quarter and just watch all the activity going on around you. Hanoi seemed a very safe place with lovely friendly smiley people. I can''t wait to go back and explore some more.
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.
I recommend Seasons of Hanoi restaurant in Hanoi--very nice ambience, good food, friendly staff. It was recommended to us by the receptionist at the Galaxy Hotel (when we couldn''t find the restaurant originally recommended to us by our hotel''s receptionist). Our shopping experience in the Old Quarter was also very interesting. We found Vietnamese silk clothing at reasonable prices, and the stores we went to (one, I think, was called Tha Anh) had friendly and helpful staff. Although they speak barely understandable English, they also speak French.
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.
Be prepared that the boat rowers at Tam Coc try to sell you t-shirts and table clothes whilst you are "trapped" in the rowing boat. This can be a bit annoying.
A must-do is the tour to Halong Bay with Handspan Travel - the 3 days/2 nights is recommended. We managed only 1 night as the above was fully booked. They have the best boat on the Bay called the Dragon''s Pearl and the 8-course meals they served on board were amazing.
Hanoi is fantastic I think it is what most people would say Asian cities were 30 years ago. It is not overdeveloped it has beautiful areas and the people have generally not been affected by the onslaught of westerners and tourism. I strongly recommend the tour guide agency "I love Vietnam" located on Buoi St. Ha noi, It has a cafe at street level (great food) and agency upstairs, it is owned by vietnamese & europeon partner with a view to social and ecological tourism. You must make the trip to The Perfume Pagoda, Do not go on a weekend it is very busy. The food tour of Ha noi is also a great way to gain understanding of the culture. We will be returning in 6 months to undertake a longer tour to the mountains and central vietnam with "I love Vietnam" travel agency.
I did the 3day/2night Halong Bay trip with Fansipan/Vega travels as recommended in Lonely Planet. They really did seem to be the best for good value when I compared notes with other travelers. Take a couple of cyclo trips around the old quarter - all the tourists do it and there''s a reason why - it''s the perfect pace to soak in the atmosphere. I''m not much of a shopper, but the neatest thing I found were custom-made rubber stamps. You can get all different beautiful designs and customized with a name, too, if you like. If you can manage getting up early one day, it''s well worth walking around Ho Kiem lake at 6:00 or 6:30. It''s packed with Hanoians doing their morning exercise.
I am 77 1/2 years old, American, extremely well travelled, experienced. My favorite city in Vietnam was Hanoi--good things to see in and away from it, very fine restaurants such as "Wild Rice" beautiful inside, excellent food. Halong Bay of course I liked, the Mekong Delta for early morning floating markets, and the charming city of Hoi An a great delight. I ran out of energy but wished I could have gone to Sapa for a treak and a chance to see local colorful markets. I prefer always to travel solo, no guides except at Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit several of the temples. Definitely no tours. Not for everyone of course but I''m an independent artist.
Hanoi is hustling and bustling and a ''must-do'' Asian city. And the art shops are an essential ''must-do'' for buying Vietnamese art. Had lovely food in the evenings in the ''Wild Rice'' and ''Emperor'' restaurants...and good lunch food at ''Little Hanoi''. We didn''t take tours, but did our own thing, using taxis or just walking!
If you take the "group" Dragon boat tour in Hue for 25.000VND (which is really more fun because you get to meet a lot of interesting people from all over) what they don''t tell you is at all but one of the 5 historic sites they take you to, you have to buy a ticket to get in for 55.000VND, plus at 2 of the sites you have to hire a motor bike to take you there. Most of my fellow tourists felt a little cheated by all the hidden costs...just remember, you get what you pay for!
My favorite thing to do in Hanoi is the water puppet show. I can also recommend Bobby Chinn''s Quan An 22 Restaurant, and Cha Ca La Vong for fish!
Hanoi in January is cool and dry and we could get around during the day quite comfortably in light jackets and jeans. While we were there the air quality was quite poor with a smoggy haze blanketing the city and reducing visibility. However it didn''t dampen our enthusiasm for exploring the lake area, the Old Quarter and French Quarter. The Water Puppet Theatre originates in Hanoi and is well worth a visit as is Uncle Ho''s body lying in state. Halong Bay is a ''must do'' trip from Hanoi and the best tip is to stay overnight on a Sampan to enjoy the full experience of this magnificent bay.
Hanoi was much colder than we expected (we went at the end of December to the beginning of January). We were wearing layers and plenty of sweaters the whole time. Crossing the streets were nearly impossible due to the speeding motorbikes. I found it much easier to get around Ho Chi Minh City than Hanoi.
Hanoi has a lot of great shopping - brand name shoes, clothes, bags, etc. - at incredible bargain prices. Delicious Vietnamese food is available at every price range. Be sure to try cha ca (my favourite place for the dish was below Cafe Des Arts - can''t remember the name). Traffic in Hanoi is thrilling to observe and experience, especially the act of crossing the street through the moving swarm of motorbikes.
Water Puppet show was very enjoyable, highly recommended for anyone. Bobby Chinn Restaurant is a great restaurant with nice and friendly atmosphere. Handspan Adventure Travel offers great package tours to different places in Vietnam. Very good service and great price.