Pixie's Tips for Vietnam
I've compiled a listing of places to stay, eat and visit while in Vietnam.
BORDER CROSSING
If you are going to cross the border by road from Cambodia (Moc Bai) into Vietnam, make sure you try to do it as early as possible. The bureaucracy when you hit the Vietnam border is ridiculous. If you don't grease the right palms and keep your paperwork moving, you can get stuck at the border for hours. There are some women who change money (USD into VD) at a pretty good rate at the border.
HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON)
STAY:
Lucy and I stayed at the Majestic Hotel which is right on the Saigon River in the Dong Khoi district. It's walking distance to a lot of nice shops and restaurants. It's about 15 minutes brisk walk to Ben Tranh Market. You can probably find comparable places to stay for cheaper. Staying in the back-packers district (Pham Ngu Lao) is economical and there's lots of places for very cheap. You get what you pay for so make sure you check out the room before checking in.
EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Pho 40 - great "local" feel to the restaurant. The sign on the front "no delicious, no pay" says it all.
Pho 2000 - President Clinton ate here. The pho is awesome here.
Lemongrass Restaurant - upscale restaurant with very good Vietnamese dishes. Located in the Dong Khoi district walking distance to all places below
Shadow Bar - an awesome bar in the Dong Khoi district. Great service and walking distance to
Rainforest Discotheque - a two storey club with great music and very energenic patrons. Watch out for those door prizes :)
DO:
Mekong Delta - worth a trip out just to see the area. It's a long bus-ride so make sure you try to go with a good tour company. There are two options for this trip, one to Can Tho and one to My Tho. The one to Can Tho actually takes you through the cool floating markets. The one ot My Tho is closer and takes you on a variety of stops and is described in "Mekong Delta - The Ultimate Jungle Cruise".
Cu Chi Tunnels - an awesome trip. This can be done in half a day. If you get a good guide, you can learn a lot. Definitely crawl through the tunnels - it gives you an incredible perspective of the lengths the Viet Cong went through in the war. Also I highly recommend the shooting range. It was a blast.
MUI NE (Beach Town)
It's about 3.5-4 hours drive from Saigon to Mui Ne. You can take a private car for about $60 or jump on a shuttle bus for $8. Buses go thorugh Mui Ne on the way to Nha Trang and further up the coast. You can get a good deal if you book through one of the travel shops all over Pham Ngu Lao.
STAY:
There are lots of great places to stay - most right on the beach.
Full Moon Resort - a nice, quiet retreat. A double room with two big beds, large private bathroom and A/C for $45 per night. They were constructing a new wing and a swimming pool when we visited and likely will spruce up the place by winter.
Mui Ne Sailing Club - Aussie owned and a wonderful place located near the southern most end of the beach. Pure luxury for a good price. You can get a double room with private bath and A/C for $45. If you want a private bungalow, you'll pay up to $95 depending on how close to the beach you want to be. Gorgeous pool and a really nice lounge/restaurant. Very upscale digs with a laid-back atmosphere. I'd consider staying here the next time I visit.
CoCo's Beach Resort - A nice upscale place at the middle of the beach. It's yellow umbrellas are inviting and you can "crash" here and use all their amenities for US$6/day. They also offer massages on the beach (under a nice white canvas pavillion).
EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
There are some great restaurants along the main street through Mui Ne. Most are located on the opposite side of the road as the beachside resorts. They seem quite busy when the sun goes down and provide an alternative to eating at the beach resorts.
Mui Ne Sailing Club - Excellent food! Highly recommend you check it out. The desserts are also very good and you can enjoy them (and a drink) at the beachside lounge.
Jibes - Great food and drinks. Extremely friendly staff. They are the home of the weekly beach BBQs and parties. Quiet when we were in town but I'm sure a very lively place during tourist season.
DO:
There really isn't a ton to do but relax on the beach and enjoy some water sports. Most resorts offer water toys (fins, boogie boards, etc.) for a cheap price. Windsurfers, kitesurfers and surfers are abound. The wind picks up around 1pm so you can take a walk along the beach and swim in the morning and then get out on the water in the afternoon. Two places are recommended for ger - Mui Ne Sailing Club (www.sailingclubvietnam.com) and Jibes (www.windsurf-vietnam.com).
Definitely find time to check out the sand dunes. They're a great site and for a short while you can imagine you're walking through the Sahara. You can rent motorbikes (if you know how to drive them) or get a motorbike taxi to take you up there (return trip is about 45,000 VD). Although it may seem ridiculous, oblige the youngsters and take a turn on a sandboard. They're great kids and some often supplement their parents' meager income with their earnings here. You'll make a friend for the day.
HOI AN
Not only is it an incredibly picturesque town, it's friendly locals, nearby beach and awesome shopping make Hoi An a highly recommended stop in Vietnam. You can get here by bus, train or plane. If you fly (~$50 ticket from Saigon), you need to fly into Danang and take a 45 minute ride into Hoi An.
STAY:
Thuy Duong 3 - there are three hotels with the same name. This is the newest and most centrally located (though nothing is really far in Hoi An). You can get a very nice double room with private bath, AC and a lovely pool, for $25/night. Single rooms go for as low as $15 with some bargaining.
EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Banana Leaf - excellent food. Get a table upstairs if you can. It offers a nice view of the river.
The Cargo Club - excellent food. If dining in the evening, get a table upstairs and eat al fresco.
Mermaid Restaurant - a little farther out of the central core (close to the big market), but worth the trip. Excellent local dishes as well as sandwiches.
Treats Bar (1 and 2) - there are two bars owned by the same folks. Treats 1 is downtown and a place of much merriment. Ask for Hoang, the bartender - he'll treat you right. This is a favorite haunt of JP so if you drop his name, you'll get great service. Treats 2 is on the busy main street through town (close to the Thuy Duong 3), same menu and a very nice place to sit outside and watch the town go by.
Tam Tam Cafe & Bar - popular with tourists, this is a busy club with loud music and a lively atmosphere. It's right across from the Cargo Club which makes it an easy stop after dinner.
DO:
This can be summarized in one word - SHOP! At every corner you can get clothes handmade. Local art is everywhere - from paintings and lacquer-work, to silk lanterns and wood carvings. Of course to carry all of this, you will find great deals on luggage too! Some particular places to stop (good quality places):
Yaly Silk Shop (47 Nguyen Thai Hoc) - a wonderful shop with very helpful girls. Their clothes are a bit more expensive but they are well done. Most shops actually have websites or offer email so you can contact them again and get more clothes done. The Yaly girls are great in helping you choose styles and colors that suit you. They can help you find materials and do a great job measuring you too. They can usually turn around clothes in one day with minor alterations required.
Vu Phong Art Gallery (78 Nguyen Thai Hoc) - all art in this shop is original, painted by the son or the father. The father offers a more traditional style while the son, Vu Phong, paints more modern stylized works. Gorgeous and reasonably priced. The daughter, Van, is often manning the shop and is delightful girl.
Anh Thy Shoe Shop (112 Tran Phu) - handmade shoes of silk and leather. This is a great place to get unique footwear. They trace your feet and will do adjustments if at first the fit is not perfect.
HANOI
The captial city is accessible from pretty much everywhere. It's a gorgous place that has a unique flavor that is significantly different from the South.
STAY:
Hanoi Opera Hilton - I had to stay at the "Hanoi Hilton" just for kicks. It's a lovely hotel on the south-east cusp of town. It's about 15 minutes walk to the Old Quarter or a 2 minute motorbike ride. Rooms are huge and luxurious. A single room with breakfast was $65 on a discount website, $90 on the high-side. The bummer was that you can't really negotiate a good price for a motorbike taxi to and from the Old Quarter - hard to bargain when you're staying somewhere posh. I ended up going around the corner across from the real Opera House to catch a ride for about $1.
EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Brother's Cafe - a converted monastery just outside of downtown Hanoi. They have a Vietnamese buffet that is quite good. Dinner is about $11/person.
Cyclo Bar & Restaurant - excellent food. Vietnamese/French delights. The atmosphere is fabulous as every table is adorned with real cyclos as chairs. Reasonable prices too.
Little Hanoi - cheap eats. Local foods and sandwiches. Great for on the go.
69 Bar-Restaurant - great food, awesome service and a laid-back atmosphere. My favorite hang out in Hanoi. Centrally located to catch all the street action.
Cha Ca La Vong - interesting place offering the famous fish dish. See "A Fanfare of Tasty Things" for a complete write-up of my experience
Fanny Ice Cream - an excellent place on the southwest corner of Hoan Kiem Lake to chill out - literally! Smooth ice creams in a multitude of flavors. Have it on a cone or go for a full sundae delight.
Trung Nguyen - the Starbucks of Vietnam. There's one in the Old Quarter and one outdoor cafe located at the southwest corner of Hoan Kiem Lake across from Fanny's.
Red Mask - this is JP's bar on Ta Hien alley. Small, quaint, dark. Cheap drinks, free pool and an interesting cast of visitors - what else do you need?
DO:
There's so much to do in Hanoi where do I begin? Here are just a few highlights. The Lonely Planet will describe everything else :)
Halong Bay - worth a trip to see this World Heritage site. Would recommend you do a 2 day (overnight) trip to save you from a very long day of travel
Dong Xuan Market - crazy flea market atmosphere where you can buy pretty much everything. Good deals on luggage and if you need to stock up on toiletries.
Ho Chi Minh Complex - you can't miss this. It's an incredible experience and you learn a lot about the country's history and the man who shaped it. Definitely go to the Mausoleum - the line is intimidating but goes fast (as the crowd is encouarged along by the guards). The Ho Chi Minh Museum is also excellent. You can get a full description of this in "Hanoi City Highlights"
Temple of Literature - Vietnam's first University, this is also a great way to learn about the history of the country and the influence of the Chinese
Museum of Ethnology - excellent museum! Highly recommend taking the short trip out of the city to see this. Again, it's covered in "Hanoi City Highlights".
Municipal Water Puppet Theater - I missed this, but from what I've heard worth $2
Sapa - I missed this, but have been told it's an incredible experience
BORDER CROSSING
If you are going to cross the border by road from Cambodia (Moc Bai) into Vietnam, make sure you try to do it as early as possible. The bureaucracy when you hit the Vietnam border is ridiculous. If you don't grease the right palms and keep your paperwork moving, you can get stuck at the border for hours. There are some women who change money (USD into VD) at a pretty good rate at the border.
HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON)
STAY:
Lucy and I stayed at the Majestic Hotel which is right on the Saigon River in the Dong Khoi district. It's walking distance to a lot of nice shops and restaurants. It's about 15 minutes brisk walk to Ben Tranh Market. You can probably find comparable places to stay for cheaper. Staying in the back-packers district (Pham Ngu Lao) is economical and there's lots of places for very cheap. You get what you pay for so make sure you check out the room before checking in.
EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Pho 40 - great "local" feel to the restaurant. The sign on the front "no delicious, no pay" says it all.
Pho 2000 - President Clinton ate here. The pho is awesome here.
Lemongrass Restaurant - upscale restaurant with very good Vietnamese dishes. Located in the Dong Khoi district walking distance to all places below
Shadow Bar - an awesome bar in the Dong Khoi district. Great service and walking distance to
Rainforest Discotheque - a two storey club with great music and very energenic patrons. Watch out for those door prizes :)
DO:
Mekong Delta - worth a trip out just to see the area. It's a long bus-ride so make sure you try to go with a good tour company. There are two options for this trip, one to Can Tho and one to My Tho. The one to Can Tho actually takes you through the cool floating markets. The one ot My Tho is closer and takes you on a variety of stops and is described in "Mekong Delta - The Ultimate Jungle Cruise".
Cu Chi Tunnels - an awesome trip. This can be done in half a day. If you get a good guide, you can learn a lot. Definitely crawl through the tunnels - it gives you an incredible perspective of the lengths the Viet Cong went through in the war. Also I highly recommend the shooting range. It was a blast.
MUI NE (Beach Town)
It's about 3.5-4 hours drive from Saigon to Mui Ne. You can take a private car for about $60 or jump on a shuttle bus for $8. Buses go thorugh Mui Ne on the way to Nha Trang and further up the coast. You can get a good deal if you book through one of the travel shops all over Pham Ngu Lao.
STAY:
There are lots of great places to stay - most right on the beach.
Full Moon Resort - a nice, quiet retreat. A double room with two big beds, large private bathroom and A/C for $45 per night. They were constructing a new wing and a swimming pool when we visited and likely will spruce up the place by winter.
Mui Ne Sailing Club - Aussie owned and a wonderful place located near the southern most end of the beach. Pure luxury for a good price. You can get a double room with private bath and A/C for $45. If you want a private bungalow, you'll pay up to $95 depending on how close to the beach you want to be. Gorgeous pool and a really nice lounge/restaurant. Very upscale digs with a laid-back atmosphere. I'd consider staying here the next time I visit.
CoCo's Beach Resort - A nice upscale place at the middle of the beach. It's yellow umbrellas are inviting and you can "crash" here and use all their amenities for US$6/day. They also offer massages on the beach (under a nice white canvas pavillion).
EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
There are some great restaurants along the main street through Mui Ne. Most are located on the opposite side of the road as the beachside resorts. They seem quite busy when the sun goes down and provide an alternative to eating at the beach resorts.
Mui Ne Sailing Club - Excellent food! Highly recommend you check it out. The desserts are also very good and you can enjoy them (and a drink) at the beachside lounge.
Jibes - Great food and drinks. Extremely friendly staff. They are the home of the weekly beach BBQs and parties. Quiet when we were in town but I'm sure a very lively place during tourist season.
DO:
There really isn't a ton to do but relax on the beach and enjoy some water sports. Most resorts offer water toys (fins, boogie boards, etc.) for a cheap price. Windsurfers, kitesurfers and surfers are abound. The wind picks up around 1pm so you can take a walk along the beach and swim in the morning and then get out on the water in the afternoon. Two places are recommended for ger - Mui Ne Sailing Club (www.sailingclubvietnam.com) and Jibes (www.windsurf-vietnam.com).
Definitely find time to check out the sand dunes. They're a great site and for a short while you can imagine you're walking through the Sahara. You can rent motorbikes (if you know how to drive them) or get a motorbike taxi to take you up there (return trip is about 45,000 VD). Although it may seem ridiculous, oblige the youngsters and take a turn on a sandboard. They're great kids and some often supplement their parents' meager income with their earnings here. You'll make a friend for the day.
HOI AN
Not only is it an incredibly picturesque town, it's friendly locals, nearby beach and awesome shopping make Hoi An a highly recommended stop in Vietnam. You can get here by bus, train or plane. If you fly (~$50 ticket from Saigon), you need to fly into Danang and take a 45 minute ride into Hoi An.
STAY:
Thuy Duong 3 - there are three hotels with the same name. This is the newest and most centrally located (though nothing is really far in Hoi An). You can get a very nice double room with private bath, AC and a lovely pool, for $25/night. Single rooms go for as low as $15 with some bargaining.
EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Banana Leaf - excellent food. Get a table upstairs if you can. It offers a nice view of the river.
The Cargo Club - excellent food. If dining in the evening, get a table upstairs and eat al fresco.
Mermaid Restaurant - a little farther out of the central core (close to the big market), but worth the trip. Excellent local dishes as well as sandwiches.
Treats Bar (1 and 2) - there are two bars owned by the same folks. Treats 1 is downtown and a place of much merriment. Ask for Hoang, the bartender - he'll treat you right. This is a favorite haunt of JP so if you drop his name, you'll get great service. Treats 2 is on the busy main street through town (close to the Thuy Duong 3), same menu and a very nice place to sit outside and watch the town go by.
Tam Tam Cafe & Bar - popular with tourists, this is a busy club with loud music and a lively atmosphere. It's right across from the Cargo Club which makes it an easy stop after dinner.
DO:
This can be summarized in one word - SHOP! At every corner you can get clothes handmade. Local art is everywhere - from paintings and lacquer-work, to silk lanterns and wood carvings. Of course to carry all of this, you will find great deals on luggage too! Some particular places to stop (good quality places):
Yaly Silk Shop (47 Nguyen Thai Hoc) - a wonderful shop with very helpful girls. Their clothes are a bit more expensive but they are well done. Most shops actually have websites or offer email so you can contact them again and get more clothes done. The Yaly girls are great in helping you choose styles and colors that suit you. They can help you find materials and do a great job measuring you too. They can usually turn around clothes in one day with minor alterations required.
Vu Phong Art Gallery (78 Nguyen Thai Hoc) - all art in this shop is original, painted by the son or the father. The father offers a more traditional style while the son, Vu Phong, paints more modern stylized works. Gorgeous and reasonably priced. The daughter, Van, is often manning the shop and is delightful girl.
Anh Thy Shoe Shop (112 Tran Phu) - handmade shoes of silk and leather. This is a great place to get unique footwear. They trace your feet and will do adjustments if at first the fit is not perfect.
HANOI
The captial city is accessible from pretty much everywhere. It's a gorgous place that has a unique flavor that is significantly different from the South.
STAY:
Hanoi Opera Hilton - I had to stay at the "Hanoi Hilton" just for kicks. It's a lovely hotel on the south-east cusp of town. It's about 15 minutes walk to the Old Quarter or a 2 minute motorbike ride. Rooms are huge and luxurious. A single room with breakfast was $65 on a discount website, $90 on the high-side. The bummer was that you can't really negotiate a good price for a motorbike taxi to and from the Old Quarter - hard to bargain when you're staying somewhere posh. I ended up going around the corner across from the real Opera House to catch a ride for about $1.
EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Brother's Cafe - a converted monastery just outside of downtown Hanoi. They have a Vietnamese buffet that is quite good. Dinner is about $11/person.
Cyclo Bar & Restaurant - excellent food. Vietnamese/French delights. The atmosphere is fabulous as every table is adorned with real cyclos as chairs. Reasonable prices too.
Little Hanoi - cheap eats. Local foods and sandwiches. Great for on the go.
69 Bar-Restaurant - great food, awesome service and a laid-back atmosphere. My favorite hang out in Hanoi. Centrally located to catch all the street action.
Cha Ca La Vong - interesting place offering the famous fish dish. See "A Fanfare of Tasty Things" for a complete write-up of my experience
Fanny Ice Cream - an excellent place on the southwest corner of Hoan Kiem Lake to chill out - literally! Smooth ice creams in a multitude of flavors. Have it on a cone or go for a full sundae delight.
Trung Nguyen - the Starbucks of Vietnam. There's one in the Old Quarter and one outdoor cafe located at the southwest corner of Hoan Kiem Lake across from Fanny's.
Red Mask - this is JP's bar on Ta Hien alley. Small, quaint, dark. Cheap drinks, free pool and an interesting cast of visitors - what else do you need?
DO:
There's so much to do in Hanoi where do I begin? Here are just a few highlights. The Lonely Planet will describe everything else :)
Halong Bay - worth a trip to see this World Heritage site. Would recommend you do a 2 day (overnight) trip to save you from a very long day of travel
Dong Xuan Market - crazy flea market atmosphere where you can buy pretty much everything. Good deals on luggage and if you need to stock up on toiletries.
Ho Chi Minh Complex - you can't miss this. It's an incredible experience and you learn a lot about the country's history and the man who shaped it. Definitely go to the Mausoleum - the line is intimidating but goes fast (as the crowd is encouarged along by the guards). The Ho Chi Minh Museum is also excellent. You can get a full description of this in "Hanoi City Highlights"
Temple of Literature - Vietnam's first University, this is also a great way to learn about the history of the country and the influence of the Chinese
Museum of Ethnology - excellent museum! Highly recommend taking the short trip out of the city to see this. Again, it's covered in "Hanoi City Highlights".
Municipal Water Puppet Theater - I missed this, but from what I've heard worth $2
Sapa - I missed this, but have been told it's an incredible experience
posted by SnowPixie at 1:00 PM
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