Trip Report To Hanoi

[Pearlgirl]

Just got back from Hanoi - so glad to be back to Thailand. What I have to say here sounds like we had a nasty time in Hanoi - we didn't, but it was exhausting and the city really has a lot to offer in the way of things to see, shopping, and the food - there are some e xcellent chefs and restaurants, even better than anything I've had here, especially the french cuisine (no offense to our fine french restaurants here but these chefs were mostly over-the-top inventive)

I've read and heard people say that the Vietnamese people are much friendlier and more apt to smile than the Thais - and they do, mostly, but they only do it when they want something from you and you will more easily find the Thai's that are friendly just for the sake of being friendly. Seriously, everyone, and I mean everyone in that city wants your money and they will do whatever it takes to get it. I read up on the scams before we left but that didn't prepare us nearly enough. Have you ever had a massage here where the girl point-blank asks for a tip then says the tip isn't enough (25% of the massage)? Have you been approached by shoe shine people at the rate of 10/hour here, or have you been continuously scammed by taxi/pedicab drivers, even when there's a meter running or you have an agreed-upon price? Now I know that the taxi scams are well-known and there are a lot of "legit" taxis there, but even those guys try to scam you in the end - take longer routes, ask for a tip, turning the meter off at destination then back on and asking you to pay the 10,000 VND because now he's responsible for the meter reading and he can't afford to pay it? It was 6 days of non-stop scamming. It got very tiring after a few days. Even outside the city in places like HaLong Bay - I could go on and on, but as I said it was tiring.

Now mind you the City and surrounding areas are very pleasant to site-see in, as long as you can keep your driver away from those tourist traps that sell everything from marble statutes to embrodiered pictures where the prices are way way overboard, you'll enjoy it. Its very different than here, they even wear helmuts! And if you're going to hire a travel company to take you to different places, be aware that a lot of them are either fakes and give you bargain priced rides/accommodations, etc. when you pay top dollar for it.

And, don't take Thai Baht thinking you can exchange it for VNDong - definitely can't do it at the airport and there's only one Bank in Hanoi that "might" exchange it if they have any (that's turning the VND back into Thai Baht). We arrived thinking the airport would exchange the Baht to VND - definitely not. So the next morning, after our higher-end hotel refused to exchange the currency for us, we found a bank that would but you had to sign away your life. We ended up using the ATM for money although half wouldn't let us access our account in America and each transaction cost anywhere from $5 US to $10 US. You're better off taking US dollars and either using them there or exchanging them at a bank or your hotel. When shopping, more than half the stores post their prices in US dollars. Its definitely a tourist city.

And then there's Bangkok's airport - what a mess. As a friend of mine said, its like having to go through your elbow to get to your backside. $15 US dollars for 2 burgers and fries - seriously (only had the burgers because it looked like the fastest option and even with 3 hours at the airport, barely had enough time to eat and find a smoking room? Asking directions from airport staff there to help you and being sent in the wrong direction?

So, beware - you've been warned but its a city and part of the country you really do want to go and see

[gdk]

I have been to Hanoi-Hue-Hanoi- Dien ben Phu round trip, but arrenget whit a tour co that I trust in Laos, my plan whas to see where the french lost there war, whent there by road and returne by plane to hanoi, nice senery on the way the only thing that I have seen is a French Km post.

Being with a good travel agency whe had NO problems what so ever whit tourist traps or any scams.

I found a good and nice Belgian restaurant in a smal street next to the kathedral in Hanoi (le petit Belgique) the owner is Belgian and he have 2 restaurents there, he ride a motorcycle because the traffic there is terrible.

Habout excange money we had no trouble with Euro, no Thai Bhat they do not take there Euro or dollars

[lazygourmet]

... I found a good and nice Belgian restaurant in a smal street next to the kathedral in Hanoi (le petit Belgique) the owner is Belgian and he have 2 restaurents there, he ride a motorcycle because the traffic there is terrible....

Actually it's called Le Petit Bruxelles

[PattayaParent]

Wow, you must be a magnet for hustlers, I've never had any experiences like that in 10 years of travelling to Ha Noi.

Have had the shoe shine hasslers in Bangkok and Pattaya all the time though.

[Pearlgirl]

A magnet for hustlers - not really. We are fairly seasoned travellers and did our research before we left, but when you get scammed by legit taxis with legit meters because they take you the long route, or y ou take a tour with a legit tour company and their "new" guide turns out to be a little scammer too - its pretty hard to avoid. As for the shoe shine guys - they are totally a nuisance and are on you all the time, even if you're wearing cheap plastic flip flops. Living in Chiang Mai we seem to be immune to all these scams - you can at least bargain with the taxis and I've never seen shoe shine guys downtown and if you buy something here, you can at least bargain for it without a huge hassel. And as for the smiles - they only smile at you when they want to sell you something, otherwise they are not very friendly at all. But, as I said, travelling to Vietnam is defintely worth the experience, just be prepared for a lot of noise and lots of scams - otherwise its a great place to visit

[edwinclapham]

Wow, you must be a magnet for hustlers, I've never had any experiences like that in 10 years of travelling to Ha Noi.

Have had the shoe shine hasslers in Bangkok and Pattaya all the time though.

+1

I do a fair amount of work in Hanoi, and hardly experience any problems at all.

Of course there will be hustlers and scammers, as there are in many countries, but I find the Vietnamese very nice to deal with.

Vietnam is definately one of my favourite countries and Hanoi ticks many boxes for me.

[Pacificperson]

My experience in Ha Noi was that the people were quite friendly and no scams, but they were quicker to tell me when I was being a cheapscape than in other parts of Asia.

[Ulysses G.]

A lot of travelers have these kind of experiences in Vietnam. Persoanlly, I like it, but I have been going there for many years and am aware of a lot of the scams.

[PattayaParent]

A lot of travelers have these kind of experiences in Vietnam. Persoanlly, I like it, but I have been going there for many years and am aware of a lot of the scams.

Can't say I'm aware of any scams. Not like the taxi drivers in Bangkok telling you that the Grand Palace is closed, or not knowing the way to anywhere. Or want to take you to a massage parlour or gem shop. Or the taxi drivers in Pattaya that refuse to use the meter.

I have encountered 1 fake taxi in Ha Noi but they are obvious as the decals are magnetic and not stickers.

The young lads around Hoan Kiem Lake selling books and postcards are generally fun to chat with.

And like in Thailand, when anyone gives you a price for anything just offer 10% of what they ask.

And I don't even speak any Vietnamese after 10 years.

[gdk]

... I found a good and nice Belgian restaurant in a smal street next to the kathedral in Hanoi (le petit Belgique) the owner is Belgian and he have 2 restaurents there, he ride a motorcycle because the traffic there is terrible....

Actually it's called Le Petit Bruxelles

sorry , you are correct, my brain getting older every day

[Ulysses G.]

A lot of travelers have these kind of experiences in Vietnam. Persoanlly, I like it, but I have been going there for many years and am aware of a lot of the scams.

Can't say I'm aware of any scams.

I haven't visited for a while, but last time I was there, I asked a cyclo to bring me home, we agreed on a rather expensive price and then he demanded much more when we got there. I have never had such problems in Thailand and I meet travelers pretty often who complain about this kind of thing in Vietnam.

[Pearlgirl]

I guess it depends on the area you stay in - we stayed in a high density tourist area. BTW, the taxi scammers I'm talking about had genuine decals and what looked like genuine meters. As it turns out, after some advice from a couple of restaurant owners, there are certain groups of taxis to look for and ones to avoid. I'm assuming that PattayaParent goes to Vietnam for other reasons than we did so therefore doesn't encounter the tourist traps that we would have. Of course, that's just an assumption because I find it extremely hard to believe that anyone could go there and not be scammed at least once.

[PattayaParent]

^maybe I've just been lucky but I've never had a problem with a taxi in VN. But I gernerally know where I'm going and how to get there.

As for pedicabs the VN don't use them for transport, around Hoan Kiem Lake they are just a quaint tourist transport novelty (much like tuk tuks have become in Bangkok) around the lake and through the old quarter, for which there is a free buggy service provided anyway.

[edwinclapham]

I have been scammed in small ways in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia.

Most it was my fault due to lack to research.

We wont talk about the min cab drivers in London!

The Tuk Tuks will still try and scam me from our home in Nong Khai to Tesco Lotus, silly because they know I am a regular lol.

Its par for the course being a tourist on many occasions and Hanoi is no exception as is Thailand etc etc.

[PattayaParent]

^true, I'm sure there must be some scams going on, same as every country, but I just haven't encountered any.