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 Vietnam travel tales
Our customers share their travelling experiences in Vietnam.
Read about first hand stories on travel tips and guides, events, entertainment,shopping, food, business and transportation.
Also, you might want to read our
Central Vietnam city guide,
Halong Bay city guide,
Hanoi city guide,
Ho Chi Minh city guide,
Phan Thiet city guide,
and Hoi An city guide.
Pages (1 of 186):
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| M Crowell |
17 August 2005 |
Stayed at Ana Mandara Resort - Nha Trang, Vietnam.
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I would recommend renting a motorbike (ask for a scooter, they are automatic and easy to drive). The thought might seem somewhat daunting to the visitor, but it really is a great way to see the town. It is also exhilarating. The town really comes alive in the afternoon and evening with everybody "cruising" the main strip. It is fun to be a part of it.
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| D Babor |
15 August 2005 |
Stayed at New Epoch Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Perhaps not the best time to travel to HCMC. Most of the time, it rained during my stay. I had to cancel my intended trip to the Mekong Delta as the weather was not compatible. Lesson learned: always be familiar with the local weather details before embarking on a trip to a foreign land.
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| D Smith |
11 August 2005 |
Stayed at Majestic Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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People at the market stalls were great as were the people generally - we will visit Vietnam again for sure. The mekong delta was great fun - do that trip but watch out for the rain - it's amazing but very heavy - buy the cheap poncho US army style macs at the American Market. The war museum is an eye opener and worth a visit - it's smaller than I thought it would be but to the point. The cu chi tunnels were good - have a shot of an AK47 - it's pretty cheap and well worth 10 shots. Go the the restaurant opposite the old imperial palace - the busy one not the posh looking one - its cheap and fabulous! Taxis are the way to go - cheap and good - and get a metered one from the airport - not one you are solicited for - they rip you off.
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| A Gyure |
08 August 2005 |
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Do yourself a favor and attend the evening traditional Vietnamese musical concert and fashion show at SI HOANG, a tea salon located on the street just behind Saigon's famous City Hall building. For only $15.00 US per person, you get to sample gourmet teas and snacks while hearing talented musicians play extremely rare instruments (like a unique stone xylophone and beautiful violin made out of a stalk of bamboo) and seeing professional models wearing ancient Vietnamese textiles in intimate, charming, and very atmospheric surroundings. Best of all, it is not cheesy or touristy like a lot of things in Vietnam can be. CAN'T RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH!
For dinner I highly recommend Luong Son Quan. I like to eat where the locals do--off the beaten track from the tourist circuit, and you won't find any foreigners here, just really well prepared Vietnamese cuisine that is delicious and very safe. Their specialty is a wonderful marinated beef that you grill yourself on a handy table top charcoal grill, accompanied by a nice mustard sauce. For the more adventurous diner, there are also many exotic dishes like deep fried scorpion or grilled field rat!
Best (cheapest) way to get around Saigon is by motorbike or cyclo (bicycle pedaled rickshaw) but BE SURE TO AGREE ON A PRICE BEFORE YOU EMBARK! Same goes for taxi cabs - most of them in Saigon don't seem to be metered!
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| Z Kelly |
01 August 2005 |
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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We visited the war remants museum, one sided but still very eye-opening, the Bin Tanh market - crazy busy but great bargains and all around the Dhong Khoi area is great shopping. Lemon Grass restaurant (just off Dhong Khoi St) had some lovely Vietnamese food and we ate in Camargue and Le Jardin French restaurants, the former somewhat more expensive but amazing food and setting.
Also worth a look is the Fine Arts Museum, set in a beautiful building (French style) and if you go down the corridors and not just the main rooms, there is a wealth of ornaments and paintings to be seen. A find are the 2 galleries selling art at the bottom of this museum.
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| D Mason |
01 August 2005 |
Stayed at Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
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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.
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| G Siew kek |
28 July 2005 |
Stayed at Lucky Star Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
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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.
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| L Lipovich |
11 July 2005 |
Stayed at Empress Hotel Ho Chi Minh City - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
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Street merchants in Saigon are unwilling to bargain despite there not being many tourists around. For best-priced food and souvenirs try the Pha Nga Lao area near the Sahara Bar. Some taxis have doctored meters showing absurd amounts to fool tourists -- problem easily resolved by getting the doorman or greeter at your destination to talk to the driver, though. Don't miss the Cu Chi Tunnels daytrip and the War Remnants Museum. Beware of limited direction signs and lack of spoken English throughout the city.
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| F Hau |
03 July 2005 |
Stayed at Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
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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.
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| D Watz |
27 June 2005 |
Stayed at De Syloia Hotel - Hanoi, Vietnam.
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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.
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.
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