Vietnam Travel Tips

Here are a few of my tips on travel in Vietnam.

Hanoi

Need cash? Head to the ANZ bank & ATM on the edge of the lake in the centre of Hanoi.

For tours in and around Hanoi go to Handspan Travel. To find Handspan go to 80 Ma May Street or email them at info@handspan.com Why do I recommend them? Well, Mike and I bought 2 tours with Handspan, the first a sea kayaking trip to Halong Bay and the second an overnight trip to the mountain tribes in Sapa. The first trip was great! We swam in the buoyant waters, kayaked together and ate some great Vietnamese food (the variety was tastily impressive!). Unfortunately Mike developed a migraine on the way back to Hanoi and he was not in shape to go anywhere. So even though it was less than an hour until the tour left (by the time we made the decision), we were given a 75% refund and they assisted us with making our plans for the next day - by which time Mike managed to recover :) So we were thrilled that they helped us out when we would expect to receive no refund in Australia.
Also of note is the Handspan cafe - very tasty, if memory serves!
If I were to go back to Halong Bay, I'd recommend a 1 or 2 day trip because while it's lovely, you see all there is to see in 1 day. Though there is something to be said for knocking back a few beers on a junk at sunset.

Hanoi is a lovely city, the cafés are delicious and so cheap, you can't go wrong just walking around.

There are many interesting and worthwhile museums to visit but don't miss out on seeing Ho Chi Minh's preserved corpse in the Mausoleum. It's a strange experience - you have to surrender your camera seperately to your bag, then it's into the super cold air to gaze upon the old man himself. I really thought it looked like he was about to wake up and say "Chau!". I'm not sure how you can check ahead of time but I do know that Uncle Ho makes a regular trip to Russia for re-preserving.



Between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

There are many beautiful cities to explore and while the train is an option -it's very slow. The buses are very regular and cheap. If you've got less time than money then a couple of flights are a good way to cover a bit of ground.

Another option is hiring an Easy Rider - they are easiest to find in cool Dalat. They aren't the cheapest way to get around but these guys speak good english and will take you wherever you want to go for as long as you want to go. Mike and I did a 3 day easy rider trip and it was a real highlight of our trip to Vietnam. They took us to fantastic places for food and rarely did we pay anything over $US10 for the four of us - including the beers! These guys pack ponchos so no need to worry about the weather! Worried about the size of your backpack? Don't be - the normal thing is to strap in on the bike and make a back rest for you.

Ho Chi Minh City

Whereas Hanoi is beautiful, boulvardy, leafy and tranquil (so long as you foget the traffic), Ho Chi Minh City is not! This is the big city - here you get the polution, worse traffic than Hanoi, beggars and a faster pace of life. The markets in HCMC are impressive and well worth the wander and think twice about that "reproduction" watch!

Vietnam

Most importantly when catching a taxi in from the airport to anywhere centre always say that you have a reservation at a hotel (even if you don't) and have an address you want to be taken to. We have been caught out even though we know better and there are some strange parts of Hanoi, that are very inconvenient to be dumped in. Previously we'd stayed in the French quarter and it's a really good choice.

Don't forget your bug spray - the mozzies or sandflies are particularly nasty and hungry! Don't forget your sunscreen!! There is little choice in the supermarkets as to what you can buy if you forget it.

The chemist's are pretty helpful and will sell drugs to you over the counter - it's best if you know what you need.

Other than that relax and enjoy yourself - I promise it won't be hard to do!