Travel tales and tips for event in Vietnam by asiahotels.com

Traveller's Tales: Events in Vietnam

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A Yngve	13 February 2002
Stayed at International Hotel Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
We did not take any tours as we stayed so few days and it was the Vietnamese new year. We just walked around the city exploring it by foot. There are so many nice houses and buildings in Ho Chi Minh City. Not as many restaurants as in Hanoi though. You can safetly eat at the food stalls on the street. We had a lovely lunch at an outdoor restaurant not far from the hotel, but have forgotten the name. Vietnam is a heaven for shopping if it is not New Year. This week many shops were closed and also places that we wanted to visit were closed. Important to visit the museum of war remnants.
S Stevenson	30 December 2001
Stayed at De Syloia Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
The city is very busy and the streets take a bit of getting used to. The trip to the Perfume Pagoda is worthwhile for a day trip - best booked via cafes in the old quarter. Winter is a good time to visit because it is alot easier to get about and explore the old quarter than it would be in the middle of summer.
G Tsoutsos	15 December 2001
Stayed at Green Park Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
Hanoi is a charming and fascinating city. The people are warm and friendly which makes up for the cooler weather we encountered in December. There is so much to see and Hanoi definitley serves as a good base for exploring surrounding areas and attractions like Halong Bay and Tam Coc. There are many tour operators most of which will fetch you directly from the hotel - we used the Vietnam tourist office which was very good.
R Saunders	07 December 2001
Stayed at De Syloia Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
Hanoi was a great place to visit; we hope to go back again. Excellent restaurants include Indochine, Tamarind, Verandah Cafe (pricey). The Sunday market in Bac Ha was spectacular! Sapa was a disappointment because of the weather (heavy fog), and the aggressiveness of the small girls selling their wares. They swore at us in English and French when we didn't buy from them, and followed us for about 10 minutes with their cursings. The Perfume Pagoda is a must see. If it's raining, be careful of the slick rocks!
H Mccreadie	01 August 2001
Stayed at Heritage Halong Hotel - Halong, Vietnam.
The destination is great. I would come bach again, but not in summer, as it was extremely hot.
P Mathieson	01 February 2001
Stayed at Lucky Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
Hanoi is remarkably different to many other parts of Vietnam. It has a charm of its own which is largely due to the Old Quarter ( quite remarkable), the lakes and the very obvious influence of the French. We were able to discover most of the sites by walking although beware of the bike riders. We found them to be less co-operative than the riders in Saigon particularly when we were crossing the roads!!! Highly recommended in Hanoi is a visit to the Mausoleum and of-course if you have time you should pay a visit to Halong Bay. We went in winter and it was quite eerie - a wonderful experience. Enjoy Vietnam - we did!!
R Burrows	28 January 2001
Stayed at Hanoi Horison Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
WE VISITED MOST SIGHTS ON OUR OWN-VIA TAXI AND WITH GUIDE BOOK IN HAND. AL FRESCO'S SERVE AMAZING ITALIAN FOOD. THE PRESS CLUB IS A BEAUTIFUL RESTAURANT WITH GREAT FOOD AND VERY GOOD WAITING STAFF. THE MEDITRANNO (sp.?) ALSO HAS EXCELLENT FOOD. THE MUSUEM OF ETHNOLOGY WAS A VERY INTERESTING AND IMFORMATIVE PLACE TO VISIT - A MUST SEE!!BEING IN HANOI OVER TET WAS COLOUFUL AND EXCITING - HOWEVER - MANY OF THE SHOPS WERE CLOSED - SO IT WAS ASLO A QUIET TIME. THE WATER PUPPET SHOW DELIGHTED US ALL - FROM THE WEE KIDS TO THE "MORE MATURE" SENIORS.
N Kabisch fredrickson	23 January 2001
Stayed at Golden Key Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
Restaurants that we liked: Indochine (the best!), Little Hanoi, Moca Cafe, Cyclo Bar and Restaurant, and Diva. Several others recommended by friends were closed during Tet. Getting around the city was easy and inexpensive both by taxi (cheapest) and cyclo (most fun). Walking was fine, too. For Hanoi, I recommend the walking tour of the Old Quarter found in the Lonely Planet Guide to Hanoi. Virtually all sites in the city are worthwhile. We particularly enjoyed the Temple of Literature--a quiet, lovely spot.
G Browne	22 January 2001
Stayed at Century Riverside Hotel Hue - Hue, Vietnam.
We had a day and a half in Hue, and that was long enough. The Imperial City is worth visiting - although many of the buildings have been destroyed, the main gate is impressive and there are a number of other buildings worth exploring. USD 5 entrance fee is a bit much, although this seems to be standard in and around Hue. We spent an hour or so there. Our full day we spent on a tour to the old tombs - a boat ride arranged through the Sinh Cafe, on the main road close to the main bridge cost USD2 per person, including lunch (very basic though). The trip visited 2 pagodas and 3 tombs. The Tu Duc tomb was worth seeing, but the Minh Mang tomb was not - not well preserved. Nice setting, but not for USD5 per person. The Kiet ??? (name?) tomb was also worth a visit - great view of it on the hillside. Both the Tu Duc and Kiet ??? tombs are about 2km from where the boat docks. While you can walk, its best to jump on the back of a waiting motorcycle, which gets you there and back quickly for 20,000 Dong, providing more time to look around. Generally, we found Hue much more expensive than Hanoi, and the food less appetising. We struggled to find any evidence of the supposed food excellence in Hue. 2 nights here was enough. There is a pharmacy tucked away in the street parallel to the main road, on the same side as the Sinh cafe. Before leaving Australia, we had arranged a car with guide to take us from Hue to Hoi An. It's 140km, and takes about 4 hours driving. Worth stopping to see the Marble Mountains (and stop at the shops selling fantastic marble sculptures) and the Cham Museum in Danang. China Beach is a beach - other than a touch of history, nothing worth stopping for. I'm not sure what we paid for this trip from Australia, but there are lots of tour cafes in Hue offering this trip, for a few dollars pp. if in a group bus. Hoi An is a very nice town, and we much preferred it to Hue. Note that the river in Hoi An floods every year (Nov / Dec), so unless you're into rowing up and down flooded streets, leave your visit to another time of year. Clothing shops abound in Hoi An.
H Mitchell	17 January 2001
Stayed at Century Riverside Hotel Hue - Hue, Vietnam.
Hue was a great place to hire cyclo drivers, the roads weren't too busy and it was a wonderful way to see everything, the drivers know where everything is and they will happily negiotate for you if need be. Ours took us to the markets which was very exciting as Tet was fast approaching, it was crowded, colourful and you could get anything. The Citadel is an essential place to visit, we had been told it wasn't worth going to but I am very glad we didn't listen on this occasion to our fellow travellers. You need a couple of hours to wander around, the architecture and decoration is quite well preserved in some sections and it gives you an idea of the structure within a structure existence of the time. It was also wonderful to wander around a laid out garden without lots of people around, it was peaceful, and the sounds of a flute floating from the former library was very atmospheric. The tour along the river to various sites was worth it but it became rather costly with all the entrance fees and compulsory rides on motorbikes to the actual sites. I would rather pay everything upfront and not be hit by those hidden costs as the trip went along. The best restaurant in town has to be the Mandarin, don't be put off by what it looks like ( I actually liked what it looked like although I heard several people say they were put off by its appearance). The food is fantastic and the prices are unbelievably cheap and there are some wonderful photographs around the walls.

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