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

Traveller's Tales: Shopping suggestions in Vietnam

L Wu	06 May 2002
Stayed at Que Huong - Liberty 3 - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
The best food I had in Saigon was in Cholong market. Someone was carrying it for vendors in the market. It was tasty and delicious. About motor cycles, try to negotiate the price before you get on. Many of them tried to raise price after the ride.
H Dear	04 May 2002
Stayed at Saigon Morin - Hue, Vietnam.
The Paradise Garden Restaurant located between the river and the Saigon Morin is a great place for dinner! If you want to spread a little goodness while you are in Hue, contact Dr. Nhan at the OGCDC (office for Genetically disabled children) and make a donation for a wheelchair or other useful item. I purchased some beautiful artwork from the deaf children's school, took some toys to the disabled children's school and donated a special wheelchair ($150) to a disabled man so he can now work and get around. It was the most rewarding part of my trip. Dr. Nguyen Viet Nhan MD can be contacted at: OFFICE OF GENETIC COUNSELING AND DISABLED CHILDREN (OGCDC),br> HUE MEDICAL COLLEGE 06. NGO QUYEN, HUE CITY - VIETNAM Tel (office): 84 - 54 - 833694 Fax (college): 84 - 54 - 826269 E-mail: ogcdc@dng.vnn.vn
L Hoskin	02 May 2002
Stayed at Hoi An Hotel - Hoi An, Vietnam.
Hoi An is a great destination but is becoming a bit touristy. The postcard selling children are very persistent and we saw one incident of aggressive behaviour from one of these sellers. We would recommend Des Amis and Yellow River restaurants - both have fantastic food that we didn't find in other parts of Vietnam (try the "white roses"). We took two tours with Seventeen Tour Company (across the road from Hoi An Hotel) and would recommend them. They offer inexpensive and well organised tours. The tour to My Son with boat return is highly recommended.
D Freeman	27 April 2002
Stayed at New World Hotel Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City was the least interesting place in Vietnam that I visited on this trip. The highlight was a Cyclo Tour to the Saigon River, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the markets.
P Kennedy	27 April 2002
Stayed at Hanoi Horison Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
our visit to Vietnam was to adopt a vietnamese baby so we didn't get out and about much, we loved to walk to the old town for shopping and stroll along the lake, we ate a lot in Little Hanoi which is great for light snacks and coffee, very cheap. Shopping is a great experience as the people are so warm and you spend a lot of time just chatting to them.
Z Bin abd ghaffar	22 April 2002
Stayed at Oscar Saigon Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
We wanted to avoid the usual tourist traps by avoiding the recommended tours. We just wanted to take in the sights and get to know the people and the city in our own way. It was a good decision for Saigon is easy to get around. Quitea few of the places deemed interesting are within walking distance to one another from where we stayed in District 1. However, the Cu Chi Tunnel and the Pagoda Tours would require transportation and a guide. Do not be annoyed if you get accosted by taxi drivers, cyclo riders and practically any man offering to take you to a massage parlour the moment you step out of the hotel. If you smile and politely say no, they will eventually leave you alone. If ever you do say yes, please let me know if it was worth it. The kids selling postcards who hang on to your sleeves are a lot harder to let go of. One little girl who spoke impeccable English made me promise to buy her postcards after showing me the way to the Malaysian Airlines office. When I told her later that her postcards were expensive, she said she will "save my life" by helping me cross the street. She wasn't joking. The number of motorbikes in this city is amazing ! They'll come from all directions so please train yourself to be a stuntman if you intend to walk the streets of Saigon. Remember that scene in " Bowfinger " where Eddie Murphy was asked by Steve Martin to cross a LA freeway as part of the film he was shooting. It's something like that except that instead of fast cars, we have motorbikes. No self respecting Vietnamese would be caught walking for more that 2 meters in Saigon. We were that obvious. Generally, the men are warm and friendly and the women are sweet and gentle. People in Saigon smile easily so please smile back without any suspicion. During our 3 ight stay in the city, we didn't meet a single Vietnamese who was not pleasant and helpful. Saigon is a shoppers paradise. Decorative items, arts and craft, local apparel, food and drinks are cheap and plentiful. At every turn and every corner, we found things that we liked. My colleague who proudly professed that he was a non shopper ended up buying things for his wife, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, friends, staff, uncles' sisters-in-law's cousins, etc, etc. The highlight of your stay should be the river cruise on the Ben Nghe. Complete with dinner and on board entertainment , diners are also serenaded by the gentle evening breeze from the Saigon river. There is also a sad off-board "entertainment " courtesy of an old man with no legs on a small boat picking up empty cans stuffed with Dongs or Dollars as a means of earning a living. We felt slightly guilty. Other than that it was the most wonderful birthday I ever had because it was a unique experience for me.
G Cullen	20 April 2002
Stayed at Palace Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
Vietnam, beautiful country, warm friendly people, no worry of personal safety, but too much never ending attempts to sell you something, anything, with endless pressure.
M Nevin smith	19 April 2002
Stayed at Lucky Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
Too many places to mention. Hanoi is endlessly fascinating, with good restaurants and intriguing shops on nearly every street. Forget about the tourist cafes and try the "real" Vietnam!
R Eckhardt	16 April 2002
Stayed at Sofitel Metropole Hanoi - Hanoi, Vietnam.
Highly recommend Au Lac cafe behind the hotel for delicious baguette sandwiches. L'Opera is a lovely restaurant and the food is exquisitely subtle -- unfortunately one in our party became violently ill after a meal there. Koto across from the Temple of Literature has delicious food in a nice atmosphere. (Be sure to walk all the way back at the Temple, beyond what appears to be the main area, to hear live Vietnamese music.) Il Grillo is frequented by Italian diplomatic corps but seemed overpriced -- we were told, however, that they are between (Italian) chefs, with a new chef from Turin to arrive within a few weeks. If you live in SE Asia and are wine shopping highly recommend the shop at the Press Club ... an amazing choice at reasonable prices. Don't ignore street food .... our best meal was bun cha at a street stall, with no ill effects.
B Bromley	14 April 2002
Stayed at Ana Mandara Resort - Nha Trang, Vietnam.
Hiring a moped from the hotel cost US$5 per day and is great fun. It lets you get out and about to see Nha Trang (if you can brave the madness on the roads that is). The tour around the market in the morning with the Chef is also an interesting tour and lets you see the non-touristy side of Vietnam (but beware animal lovers, you might find some of what you see shocking!!)

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