visiting hanoi, vietnam for a week

Never been, but I heard that if you like to eat seafood, Vietnam is an incredible place to visit.

 

The bread and coffee are the best in the world. I've been to france, and yes, the baguettes are better than real French bread, so the sammiches are tasty. Make sure you get fresh ones, they get freshly made every half hour or so during peak hours. Don't forget to try the pho as well.

I was there for about 5 days, which I thought was more than enough, this was back in 1999, though, so much has probably changed. English is pretty common there, you will get swamped by street kids trying to sell you stuff. Food is great and there are some excellent jazz clubs if you are in to that. The place was very touristy then, i can imagine its much more now.

The things I remember seeing was ho chi minhs body, and a vietnam war history museum which was really interesting, a little biased, but not much more biased than our side of the picture. Its worth it just to see the tanks and the different death traps the vietnamese made, being in the jungle at that time was not a safe period at all.

 

Negotiate on everything. Be nice and walk away if they are too high. The street vendors can be very aggressive.

It's best to walk with company or friends. That won't always work, either. Keep an eye on them street kids hands. My sister told a little 8 yr old girl, "no", and the girl stuck her hand down my sister's pocket while standing in front. My sister had no cash in her pockets, though. There was a crowd of us there too!

Be sure to buy some some coffee to bring back.

 

i haven't been up north, so i can't advise on it much.

but i've been to south vietnam quite a bit. the exchange rate should be abould 15,800 dong for each dollar. A decent meal should not cost you more than $2 tops.

now the advice given to you above mine is to negoitate. i say that if it's cheaper than a dollar, just pay it. they need the money more than you - that's what i figure.

do keep your money in a private place like around your waist in a pouch. don't carry more than $50 US at a time (you won't need it... and if you go to an expensive restaurant, they'll take credit cards anyhow). most hotels have safes, make use of them.

 

You have heard correctly. The food in Vietnam is very underrated and I don't know why it isn't talked about more.

fba34, you MUST go on a boat ride in Ha Long Bay. Only about 10-15 people per boat. They will cook you a couple of awesome seafood dishes you won't forget and will take you inside a mountain where you will see incredible stalagmites and stalagtites. If you don't have a digital VCR, buy one or borrow one.

I forget the name of the area I visited to view some of the Vietnam War booby traps and stuff. It gave me chill bumps. Some of you that know what I'm talking about please mention where this is. I can't remember if it was outside Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. I saw both cities and the surrounding areas when I went.

IMO, Ho Chi Minh was more interesting overall than Hanoi.