| T Crozier |
08 January 2005 |
Stayed at De Syloia Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
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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.
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| H Viikinniemi |
02 January 2005 |
Stayed at Kimdo Royal City Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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After visiting Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue and Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) had only little to offer as to ancient buildings / culture. Trip to My Tho (Mekong Delta) was in vain and local guide was hopeless. Cu Chi tunnel trip was good thanks to our excellent guide from Ben Thanh Travel, a young man originally from Siem Riep, Cambodia. HCMC is good for shopping and eating, but do not expect much of culture.
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| A Turner |
01 January 2005 |
Stayed at Rex Hotel Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Our stay in HCMC was a huge contrast to the slow lane of Hoi An. My wife revelled in the shopping opportunities and still complains of not having had enough time. We found the art particularly attractive and affordable in Vietnam, buying both in Hoi An and HCMC - the latter setting a new record for the family budget but was a piece we both instantly loved.
Our kids survived well, HCMC is a tough place for the little ones (aged 2 & 4) - but we did find the zoo much better than expected and was a green space that also seems to be much appreciated by the locals. We also took the boat trip in the Mekong delta which was fun, but be prepared for a very bumpy drive down there...you can understand why river travel is so favoured!
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| Y Gerig |
30 December 2004 |
Stayed at Ancient House Resort - Hoi An, Vietnam.
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In Hoi An a bit out of town is a very beautiful restaurant called the Red Bridge, it can be reached by boat or by taxi. They also do a great cooking class in the morning for 12 USD.
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| D Tay |
28 December 2004 |
Stayed at New World Hotel Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Unless you have USD to burn, don't book your tours with Saigon tours. They are very expensive. I paid 25 USD for a day trip to the tunnels and found out later that a local tour does it for 5 USD plus a trip up north looking at some temples. You can imagine the profits Saigon tours are making. I subsequently use the local tour operator to go to mekong delta for 15 USD as opposed to 40 USD. Look out for the small tour operators around, a good place to go find them is the park near hotel new world and you can see their ads at the lively bar and dinner area adjecent to the park.
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| K Tremaine |
26 December 2004 |
Stayed at Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort - Hoi An, Vietnam.
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Hoi An is a gorgous town on the central coast of Vietnam. A wonderful place to stop of for a few days or for a week-like we did. We had a relaxing stay at the Victoria Beach Resort and did nothing during the day but lay by the pool or on the beach. At night time we caught the shuttle into town where we strolled the streets, did some shopping, had some clothes made and ate some fantastic food (very cheap). Two restaurants that we particularly liked were the Mermaid restaurant (fried wantons-yum) and Faifoo - both on the same street. While we had a relaxing time here, there is a lot you can do during the day if you chose to-trips to My Son, the DMZ etc. We chose not to as we did a lot of touring around in other areas and just wanted to relax. We will return to Hoi An and stay at the Victoria Beach Resort again, we enjoyed it that much.
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| A Rundle |
24 December 2004 |
Stayed at Grand Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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We only had one full day in Ho Chi Minh City so took a private tour in the afternoon. We organised this through Ben Thanh Tourist when we went to collect the Vietnam Airlines tickets they had purchased on our behalf. Our 4 hour tour included some of the more famous sites such as the Reunification Palace, Thien Hau Pagoda, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. In the evening we joined masses of people in the street outside the Municipal Theatre listening to the rehersal for a Christmas concert - carols and opera!! We then went on to dinner at Lemon Grass in D Nguyen Thiep, not far from the hotel. We were lucky to get in (the only free tables were on the second floor) and had a most enjoyable, inexpensive Vietnamese meal.
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| A Locus |
21 December 2004 |
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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If you use a GSM phone bring it and get a sim card in vietnam. Should save you some money but more importantly is a great convenience. Try not to stay in HMC for more than a day or two. There are more interesting places to visit around the place and the backpack areas have all the information in english. Happy tours are fun and cheap though the guides are sometimes a bit inexperienced and the food is below par.
If you fly to Nha Trang the plane will not arrive in time to catch any island tours during the day as the new airport is a fair way from the city now. A guide on a motorbike will happily take you around for a day or half a day.
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| B Barry |
19 December 2004 |
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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I stayed 3 days in Ho Chi Minh and took a half day tour ($US 9) of Cu Chi tunnels and a full day Mekong trip ($US 7) through Sinh Travel Office. Both of these tours were good value for money and I would recommend. The war museum was also a well spent 2-3 hours for less han $1 entry. If using taxis, always make sure the meter is on.
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| L Ng |
10 December 2004 |
Stayed at Guoman Hanoi Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
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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.
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Traveller's Tales: Things to do in Vietnam
