Thinking of spending a few days in Hanoi, anyone been recently? Experiences good and bad. I have been to Saigon a couple of times, how different is Hanoi?

Depending on the time of year you may need an overcoat there, unlike Saigon.

walk around the lake and see if you can spot the big turtle.

last was there one major difference is that you can indeed walk around without the constant pestering by sellers etc that happens in SAIGON.

Too late. It died last month.

Too late. It died last month.

awe shucks. still a pleasant stroll there anyways

Hanoi's Old Quarter is absolutely fascinating. I spent a total of four days there on my way to and from Sapa last November. I felt like I could have spent a couple of weeks there without running out of things to explore. Not many places like it in the world. I live in Saigon now, and Hanoi is infinitely more interesting.

As others have commented, it's a little cool there at this time of the year. I just checked the weather forecast, though, and it's expected to warm up considerably in just one week, so it depends on exactly when you are planning to go.

Thanks all for the info. Maybe I'll delay the trip a few weeks until the weather warms up there.

Beer Hoi - cheep as chips !