vietnam

I spent one month there in October 2005, loved it.

If you are just staying one week you can stay in the Hanoi area, go up to Sa Pa, also go out to Ha Long bay. Saigon is ok but I didn't think there was that much to see there and think Hanoi is a nicer city. Saigon is a bigger party town though.

 

I just got back from hanoi/ ha long bay.. was there for 4 days.. surprisingly clean, and i'm amazed at how few accidents there are since i counted a grand total of 4 traffic lights in the entire city. Ha long bay is a nice trip, it's a unesco heritage site, starting to open up.. it's a 4-5 hour boat out to Cat Ba island, you can check out the forest reserve or the mangrove lands.. nothing much else though.. there's another option of travel to Cat Ba which is the hydrofoil, but it runs from Hai Phong which is off route, and about 2 hours from Hanoi.

I had an english speaking guide (tip $2 per day per person) so it wasn't too bad. You can probably backpack and negotiate your way around the place, lots of people i met were doing just that. In Hanoi city, i was mainly in the french quarter, more pricey, but food quality was good and decent. When you're there, hit the pho stores, that's the vietnamese noodles. Pho Ba is beef, Pho Kha is chicken (this is from memory, spelling might be wrong)

Lodging-wise, the 3-4 star hotels were between $30-60. I've still got one of them expat booklets, lemme know if you want more specific addresses, shops etc

 

If you are entering Vietnam through Hanoi, I would spend:

2 days in Hanoi
1 or 2 days in Halong Bay
2 days/nights in Sapa
2 days/nights in Ninh Binh - rent a motorbike and drive around the rice fields
1 day and leave from Hanoi

If you are looking for a good bar to try in Hanoi, try either Armageddon or the more inaccessible Barracuda Bar (live music) across the Red River.

Check out Sticky Rice's Blog about food and entertainment options in Hanoi... I was in a book club with her.

I would look at your transport/lodging options cause things tend to get booked up before the Chinese/Lunar New Year.

Have fun! Try the street food (esp. 'bun cha' Hanoi -- grilled pork patties over vermicelli) and get cheap sneakers/shoes! I lived and worked there for five months and it was awesome. Be sure to also go inside one of those open market places and take a look at all the stuff they sell (meats hanging, live seafood, etc.) - there's one near the Old Quarter.

[EDIT] If you are getting a taxi or a 'xe om' (motorbike driver) make sure you are very clear on where you are going and how much you are going to pay. Different taxis have different meter speeds.. so the same trip might cost very different. No way to get around it.. you just need to know the 'common' price for distances within the city. Try asking your hotel/guesthouse owner and subtract 20-30%. As for bargaining, never pay more than 50% of the starting price.

 

Chinese new year starts Feb 18th, so a May trip shouldn't meet with any problems. That said, i'm don't know if May is possibly peak period travel to that part of asia

 

High season in SE Asia is generally Nov/Dec/Jan

 

hey man i got a favor, its sort of unusual. if you can pick me a zippo lighter (circa 1970ish) from there that would awesome!

 

Smack with the monsoon season
I'm in singapore right now, first 2 weeks back, rains 13/14 days and floods.. I've been outlasted by the humidity.. can't complain.. it's back south to melbourne for me now

 

If you haven't noticed yet, Ha Long Bay is a must. Indescribable!

Like most places in Asia, the key is to have a local friend who can guide you. The people are extremely friendly. I don't remember all the places in particular, but there is a lot to see and the food is great. Don't limit yourself to the two big cities because the countryside is beautiful.

 

Well yeah in the far south like Singapore you can get the SE monsoon in the winter but further north like Vietnam you don't get that monsoon season. Weather is fine from Oct to May.

 

well i dont have a perticular one in mind, i do know they have a lot left over from the vietnam war era, and generally shouldnt run past $25 USD, if it is too much trouble, dont worry about it, thanks.

 

Chances are you will pick up a faked one!

 

I was in Hanoi for a week about 8 years ago and almost everyone spoke English there, or were at least accustomed to communicating with American tourists so understood enough. Best coffee and sandwiches I've ever had were in Hanoi, good jazz clubs too.

 

as long as the actual zippo isnt fake i dont really mind. its hard to find a genuine vietnam war zippo.

 

I am so mad. I was supposed to go at the same time, and be there for about a month with Cambodia and Thailand.

New Breaks, plus other auto work on both of our cars, and some dental work later, and I am out of my dream vacation. Or rather it has been postponed another year.

I will take a less expensive, less extensive vacation this year, and I will adjust my budget so that by next year I will have more than enough stocked away to take this. I have been saving for this vacation for a couple years.

Anyway let me know how it goes, and I will take your advice as well as what I have already heard from Sam Fisher, Cur.ve. I will probably still e-mail cur.ve before I go if the offer still stands.

So definitely let us know what you enjoyed, and how your trip was when you return.

 

Yeah! Feel free to email me for stuff if ya'll are going to Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, India, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, or New Zealand cause I was in those places extensively. I'm sure S. Fisher has thoughts too. I love being on the road.