Is It Worth Visiting Hanoi (2-3 Days)?

[mike111]

I'm planning a visit to Thailand, and have about 12 days in total for my trip. I'm flying out from Hanoi (HAN), so I was thinking of maybe visiting the capital for a short time, since I've never been there.

The two options I have are:

1) spend all 12 in Thailand, or

2) spend 9 days Thailand + 3 days in Hanoi.

If I'll be staying in Hanoi, I'm not planning on doing extensive excursions, just staying in and around the capital.

So, are there any unique attractions in Hanoi worth the time and money, or is it going to be another BKK?.

TIA,

Mike

[Xangsamhua]

I'm not aware of anything special to see in Hanoi. Most people I know like it, but my wife and I found it disappointing.

We were driven around the Stalinesque official districts and then off to Halong Bay, which was dull and grey and unimpressive - not at all like the posters. We went to the central market, which was like any other market though with the most primitive toilet facilities for the ladies; Mrs Xangsamhua couldn't believe it. We wandered around the downtown area, which was pretty average, and drank coffee by the lake (that was pleasant). We discovered a little street full of shoe shops, which made my wife happy for a while.

I think it's a good idea to stay in a hotel in the heart of the business/shopping district. We stayed at a good hotel, but it was a bit away from the centre and in a really uninspiring part of town. I must repeat, though, that our experience doesn't seem to match that of our friends, who liked Hanoi. We preferred Saigon.

[bangkokburning]

It's sad to say but I think Asia has pretty much run its course if you are looking for an adventure. You really have to dig deep, create your own. take time and get really far off the tourist trail. The hopping off the plane and being awestruck was finished 15 years ago - its only got worse.

It's great for people to modernize, but it really sucks for the adventurer. Who are we to hold them back?

I would spend a few days and at least see Hanoi, Hue. Bangkok is really nothing but sprawl. You could see what BKK has to offer in two days easy, as for the rest of the country, I consider it trampled by tourism. I don't know what you are after but I'd just get out to a nice beach if you have the time.

Temples - Cambodia

Tribes - Myanmar, Lao, (Vietnam)

Mountains - Myanmar, Lao, Vietnam

Food - THAILAND!

Food (weird) - Cambodia

You of course have your sights on going to CM and Phuket in a very hurried manner.

Thailand is a great place to live but it's WOW factor died decades ago.

Edited January 27, 2012 by bangkokburning

[PattayaParent]

There's a few things to see in Ha Noi.

The Water Puppet Show (don't miss this)

The Temple of Literature

The One Pillar Pagoda

The Ho Chi Minh Museum

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (if he's home and you don't mind standing in long queues)

Ho Chi Minh's House

The Museum of Ethnology

The War Museum

The Musee Des Beaux Artes

Hoan Kiem Lake

West Lake

The Old Quarter - you can get a free golf buggie at the lake to take you round

Everywhere there's old French colonial buildings.

The Catholic Cathederal

Enough to keep you going for a few days at a relaxed pace.

It's a greener, more charming city than Bangkok and the traffic is chaotic, but it seems to work in a weird way.

There's good local food places and international food available.

Try to get a hotel near Hoan Kiem lake.

There's a couple of good local nightclubs (one right on Hoan Kiem Lake) and a couple of P4P available western nightclubs.

When will you be going to Ha Noi because it's cold and drizzly there at the moment?

Edited January 27, 2012 by PattayaParent

[PattayaParent]

There's a few things to see in Ha Noi.

The Water Puppet Show (don't miss this)

The Temple of Literature

The One Pillar Pagoda

The Ho Chi Minh Museum

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (if he's home and you don't mind standing in long queues)

Ho Chi Minh's House

The Museum of Ethnology

The War Museum

The Musee Des Beaux Artes

Hoan Kiem Lake

West Lake

The Old Quarter - you can get a free golf buggie at the lake to take you round

Everywhere there's old French colonial buildings.

The Catholic Cathederal

Enough to keep you going for a few days at a relaxed pace.

It's a greener, more charming city than Bangkok and the traffic is chaotic, but it seems to work in a weird way.

There's good local food places and international food available.

Try to get a hotel near Hoan Kiem lake.

There's a couple of good local nightclubs (one right on Hoan Kiem Lake) and a couple of P4P available western nightclubs.

When will you be going to Ha Noi because it's cold and drizzly there at the moment?

How could I forget?

The infamous Ha Noi Hilton prison

The Opera House, Soffitel and President's Guest House, French Art Nouveau architecture.

Several excellent German and Czech brew pubs

[mike111]

Thanks all for the replies.

I'm thinking of visiting there in late March/early April.

What's the cost for a room in a decent hotel/motel? I'm not looking for a Hilton presidential suite, but cheap charlie guesthouses as well.

[IMA_FARANG]

No it's not like Bangkok.

I would personally reccomend you get out of Hanoi as quickly as possible.

Ho Chi Minh city...formerly Saigon...would be a better choice.

If you have the time and funds my choice would be to take the hydrofoil trip from Ho Chi Minh city down to Vung Tau...what the French called Cap St. Jacques when they were there before the Americans got there.

The hydrofoil is 30 plus years old now...but it is still a "tourist attraction" and well-maintained but aging.

Vung Tau still has some good beaches....although there are still a lot of Russians there too.

Also some long established and still good restaurants in Vung Tau too, where you can still get decent French style food and fresh seafood. I remember good tall Gin and Tonics with fresh lemon slices to squeeze into them, Sea Bass in Wine Sauce, Parsley Potatoes, peas & carrots....and Mango and Pinapple slices for dessert. But that was many years ago and probably not available now.

But nothing like the nightlife in Bangkok or in (ugh) Pattaya.

In my opinion...the southerners in Vietnam are much friendlier and easy-going than the stuffed shirt pr--ks up north.

But that's just my opinion.

Edited January 27, 2012 by IMA_FARANG

[PattayaParent]

http://www.agoda.com...archResult.aspx

Some places around the lake.

I usually escape there for songkran.

Edited January 27, 2012 by PattayaParent

[bangkokburning]

Vietnam used to be quite expensive, but my gf tells me you can sleep cheap these days. If you are looking for a real hotel...US20+ a GH, US9+ is my hunch. I never pre-book anything personally.

Hanoi looks like a lovely place for a few days. If I were not tied down, I'd be looking at it for a relo.

Mar/April weather should be great. BTW - try notto land in BKK April12-17 unless you know where you are headed and what you are doing. Songkran.

I could not disagree with imafarnag more. First - VungTao!?! What a crap hole. Second - HCMC over Hanoi? Never. Many years ago I had very bad experiences in the money grubbing South. As if I had a target on my back.

Edited January 27, 2012 by bangkokburning

[PattayaParent]

http://www.agoda.com...archResult.aspx

Some places around the lake.

I usually escape there for songkran.

OOPS, that link didn't work.

I entered Ha Noi as the destination city and chose Hoan Kiem Lake as the preferred area to be in and there were a couple of pages of places from US$19 to US$90

[AyG]

Hanoi is definitely not another Bangkok. The traffic and the noise can be quite overwhelming at times. However, the food can be stunningly good. And I'll second PattayaParent on the Water Puppets. Absolutely charming. (I've seen the performance three times now over the years.) Just don't sit in the front rows as you'll get soaked.

[PattayaParent]

There's a few things to see in Ha Noi.

The Water Puppet Show (don't miss this)

The Temple of Literature

The One Pillar Pagoda

The Ho Chi Minh Museum

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (if he's home and you don't mind standing in long queues)

Ho Chi Minh's House

The Museum of Ethnology

The War Museum

The Musee Des Beaux Artes

Hoan Kiem Lake

West Lake

The Old Quarter - you can get a free golf buggie at the lake to take you round

Everywhere there's old French colonial buildings.

The Catholic Cathederal

Enough to keep you going for a few days at a relaxed pace.

It's a greener, more charming city than Bangkok and the traffic is chaotic, but it seems to work in a weird way.

There's good local food places and international food available.

Try to get a hotel near Hoan Kiem lake.

There's a couple of good local nightclubs (one right on Hoan Kiem Lake) and a couple of P4P available western nightclubs.

When will you be going to Ha Noi because it's cold and drizzly there at the moment?

How could I forget?

The infamous Ha Noi Hilton prison

The Opera House, Soffitel and President's Guest House, French Art Nouveau architecture.

Several excellent German and Czech brew pubs

More things I forgot

The B52 Lake containing the visible remains of a B52 shot down during the war

Long Bien Bridge - bombed during the day and rebuilt at night

Longest mural in the world (you'll see this entering and leaving to the airport)

Snake village where you can eat snake meat and drink snake wine

Dog restaurant street where you can eat dog meat

http://www.asiarooms...anoi/index.html

http://hanoikids.org/index/

http://www.lonelypla...am/hanoi/sights

Edited January 27, 2012 by PattayaParent

[theoldgit]

I have booked a trip with the Hanoi Kids, quite looking forward to that after I read the reviews. I did notice a couple of spoof sites though.

[tutsiwarrior]

I've lived in both Hanoi and HCMC and my vote is for the former...quite a charming place; get a hotel near the Hoan Kiem lake and just wander around...you won't be disappointed or dissatisfied...easy to imagine that yer in colonial indochina...but with tons of motorbikes and crazy traffic...

Edited January 27, 2012 by tutsiwarrior

[spidermike007]

Been to Hanoi twice, and Saigon once. Hanoi itself is OK. Has a bit of charm. Saigon was far more interesting. If you go to Hanoi, the highlight for many is Halong Bay. Takes a couple of days to see. I much, much prefer Thailand. Mostly it is about the people. The Vietnamese people for the most part are very similar to the Chinese people. Not very warm. Not very pleasant to deal with. They are OK, but not friendly, like the Thais. Both my girlfriend, and myself felt that way. I have also been there on my own, and felt the same way. A couple of people in the tourist trade, I felt like slapping around, as they were that dismissive. Good chance I will never return to Vietnam, and will not miss it. Thailand on the other hand is wonderful. Delightful people, where ever you go. Helpful and kind. You can contact me directly at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Mark

[spidermike007]

It's sad to say but I think Asia has pretty much run its course if you are looking for an adventure. You really have to dig deep, create your own. take time and get really far off the tourist trail. The hopping off the plane and being awestruck was finished 15 years ago - its only got worse.

It's great for people to modernize, but it really sucks for the adventurer. Who are we to hold them back?

I would spend a few days and at least see Hanoi, Hue. Bangkok is really nothing but sprawl. You could see what BKK has to offer in two days easy, as for the rest of the country, I consider it trampled by tourism. I don't know what you are after but I'd just get out to a nice beach if you have the time.

Temples - Cambodia

Tribes - Myanmar, Lao, (Vietnam)

Mountains - Myanmar, Lao, Vietnam

Food - THAILAND!

Food (weird) - Cambodia

You of course have your sights on going to CM and Phuket in a very hurried manner.

Thailand is a great place to live but it's WOW factor died decades ago.

Who cares about the wow factor. If you want a wow, go to Anghor Wat, or Bagan. Otherwise, it is a delightful place to visit. I can think of one hundred fantastic places to see in Asia. You sound extremely jaded. Would recommend leaving Asia for a year, then let's see how you feel.

[BwindiBoy]

Vietnam used to be quite expensive, but my gf tells me you can sleep cheap these days. If you are looking for a real hotel...US20+ a GH, US9+ is my hunch. I never pre-book anything personally.

Hanoi looks like a lovely place for a few days. If I were not tied down, I'd be looking at it for a relo.

Mar/April weather should be great. BTW - try notto land in BKK April12-17 unless you know where you are headed and what you are doing. Songkran.

I could not disagree with imafarnag more. First - VungTao!?! What a crap hole. Second - HCMC over Hanoi? Never. Many years ago I had very bad experiences in the money grubbing South. As if I had a target on my back.

Here here, I found Hanoi a lovely place and far nicer than HCMC.

[mike111]

Thanks for the replies.

how much is a taxi from HAN airport to the city?.

Also, is there a departure tax for HAN airport, as in BKK?.

[theoldgit]

how much is a taxi from HAN airport to the city?. We have been quoted US$18 from a pick up from the airport to the city, I think that there are metered taxis at the airport and that they are marginally cheaper.

Also, is there a departure tax for HAN airport, as in BKK?. Our ticket, for a couple of weeks time shows a fee of 640 Baht for Airport Tax and other charges included in the ticket price, they used to charge you at the airport but no longer do so.

[folium]

Did a similar trip same time last year.

Suggestion

2 nights Bangkok (unwind and eat)

fly to Luang Prabang 3 nights (might coincide with their Songkran equivalent)

fly to Hanoi 1 night in any of the excellent Elegance hotels (particularly like newest one Hanoi Essence)

2 nights Halong Bay; only go direct with Indochina Junk (great junks and they have the monopoly to Bai Tu Long, NE part of the bay and you will not see another junk all day).

1 night back in Hanoi (it's quite a slog Hanoi-Halong but well worth it)

2 nights either in Sapa for some scenery/trekking or Hue for the old city, imperial tombs etc. Either fly or take the overnight Reunification Express (quite a fun train trip)

last night Hanoi and depart.

Busy trip and not the cheapest, but you will get to see 2 spectacular places (Luang Prabang and the last corner of Halong) that could well be ruined in the next 5 years, plus spend some time in Bangkok and Hanoi.

[PattayaParent]

how much is a taxi from HAN airport to the city?. We have been quoted US$18 from a pick up from the airport to the city, I think that there are metered taxis at the airport and that they are marginally cheaper.

Also, is there a departure tax for HAN airport, as in BKK?. Our ticket, for a couple of weeks time shows a fee of 640 Baht for Airport Tax and other charges included in the ticket price, they used to charge you at the airport but no longer do so.

There is a fixed price airport taxi service from the airport to the city. Last time I went it was 250,000 Vietnamese Dong. Look for Noii Bai Airport Taxi to the right when you come out of arrivals and cross the small service road, the fare is clearly displayed.

I think there is a Vietnamese Airline bus that runs from the airport to their office in the city centre, that is a further walk to the right to the end of the terminal. I've no idea of the schedule or the costs.

The airport tax is now included in the ticket costs and no need to pay more.

Edited January 31, 2012 by PattayaParent

[Ulysses G.]

Here here, I found Hanoi a lovely place and far nicer than HCMC.

Me too and I much prefered Sapa to Halong Bay, but it has been a while.

[Pearlgirl]

how much is a taxi from HAN airport to the city?. We have been quoted US$18 from a pick up from the airport to the city, I think that there are metered taxis at the airport and that they are marginally cheaper. There are metered taxis but be prepared to be hit upon by taxis who will quote you a price far in excess of what the real going rate is (upwards of 900,000 VND)

Also, is there a departure tax for HAN airport, as in BKK?. Our ticket, for a couple of weeks time shows a fee of 640 Baht for Airport Tax and other charges included in the ticket price, they used to charge you at the airport but no longer do so.