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#1
16-10-2007, 09:57
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Hanoi fun ??
Any recomendations from BM's who've experienced Hanoi would be gladly appeciated.
Will be in Vietnam mid Dec, so am now gathering info on hotels, night-time activities .... like good bars, clubs & massage etc. Have been to Vietnam b4 but never up north to Hanoi ... this time shall travel nth west & down to Laos & further - but first a bit of r&r in the capital ..... Cheers  
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#2
16-10-2007, 10:05
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I will be in Hanoi, Vietnam on December 9-12 for a business trip (motorcycle spare parts)...It will be the first time for me...
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#3
16-10-2007, 13:33
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I have stayed at both the Melia and the Horison hotels and found both of them very vey good. Breakfast was good at both and rooms were of good size and clean. Would recommend them both. Nun are you up there on "monkey business"
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#4
16-10-2007, 14:33
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We are going to stay at Horison hotel.... Yes, if that "monkey business" is mean "Motorcycle business"......... 
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#5
16-10-2007, 15:25
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Thanks for the hotel recommendations - gives me somewhere to start.
I guess for a lot of Viet hotels the monkey's are best left where they are ....
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#6
17-10-2007, 06:47
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just be aware there is pretty much no P4P in Hanoi......well you can get some light relief at the odd hair salon etc......and there is also "Apocalypse now"
which is a dark + dingy bar/club which has P4P viet gals but that's not my style....any decent hotel won't let you bring back a viet gal even if you can find one..... I stayed at the Sofitel which is a nice hotel....
__________________
 ....but of course I was verey verey draaank at the taaame!!!
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#7
17-10-2007, 14:09
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Yeah no normal P4P from what I seen. But there is if you're prepared to go with a motorbike taxi guy... You also see guys driving around the old quarter late at night with a girl on the back of a bike offering you her services! The deal there is you get on with them, and the 3 of you go to some hotel (you pay ST for the hotel too) where the deal can be completed! I know, sounds crazy but it goes on... I myself declined these offers... Check out Bao Khanh Street which is just off Hoan Kiem Lake. Its a cool little st with lots of restaurants, beer bars, cafes etc, it stays open late too. The old quarter (and close to it) is where most of the nightlife action is, plenty of cheap and lively bars... As regards museums and such, there are many... My recommendations if you're only there for a short time. The Temple of Literature, which was the first university in Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum (you have to go early) The museum of the revolution.
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#8
21-11-2007, 11:57
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All good advice but the mausoleum is closed for renovation when I was there last week. The uncle Ho museum is hilarious, love the over sized fruit. shway
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#9
27-11-2007, 12:59
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Dear BMs....My trip back to Phuket was called off due to timing...but ws up in Hanoi last week for business and here are some insights from an Asian BM...
Firstly,Hanoi was a culture shock...lots and lots of motorbike...i mean literally millions on the road any time of the day...no traffic lights are seen...and according to locals there were some put up just for the Bush visit and after that theye were switched off!...Amazing city ...like back in time 10 years in some areas. Flowers everywhere during early hours of the day...it is a flower crazy city...trees are all over the streets and well sheltered.Homes lined the roads like boomed out shelters in some areas,let after the war,but quaint and "slim"..yes,slim...probably only 12-15 feet in width...i wonder why...but ususally three storeys and long at the back...most have open roof decks...they like to sun their laundry there and also to avoid floods it seems...some roads are nuilt on dykes...so tey are way above the house or shop front levels,maybe 20 feet up...notceably the one from the airport to the city... So much for the general view...now some insights on the hotel we stayed.It was in the old quarters,Trang An Hotel(pronounced Chan Un)...a mini hotel with 25 or so rooms...US$40 per nite...chosen by our business associates here...private,secure,clean and room big for three adults actually,but it is a 2 star rated hotel...i would say it is homely and nice furnishing as if a locals home...seen many locals(viets) females staying here for business...so it is not a sleazy hotel.Convenience?..Spot on...right outside are the streets of the old quarters,with each having a quaint character,selling similar but different things...my advise is check the whole street out first...a quick walk thru..then walk back and see the variety there are...each shop have different stocks of things..and yes do bargain at least 30% or 40% off...smile and be nice and you will end up with some great stuff...it is kind of hard to orientate at first but after a day you will find it easy...btw,there are several mini hotels along the roads in this area with a similar character and i am sure the quality and security as Trang An...from the exterior they may look small but inside they are surprises...most i believe are run by owners and have a personal touch . Trang An provided free internet and breakfast...good deal...the bf was prety good,compliments to a young Viet gal who is the chef...this hotel is not croded and reccomended for budget travellers..but it is not a backpackers joint though... One experince to tell fellow BM who are first time travellers to this part of the city is that beware of ladies carrying baskets selling bananas and and fruits...my guys were nearly fleezed by them...eventhough we were Asians,look like them,...they wanted a high price for the fruits but luckily we were right infront of one of these mini hotels and the owner happened to be standing outside...he screamed in Vietnamese to a local who was parking his bike to tell my guys not to pay the sellers the amount they wanted and just give them the right amount(forgot how much)...and asked the sellers to go off...hmm,quite a nice friendly touch by the locals...don't fleeze the tourists! Now down to some nite life scenarios..hope some Bms won't be offended...to those who want to know,read on...to those who are not into the night scene please skip..nevertheless it is for the benefit of first time travellers..esp. the guys... Second nite was just scouting the food and drinks joints..plenty but not as crazy as in Thailand...DID NOT HAVE TIME TO GO BEYOND THE OLD QUARTERS ...BUT FOOD IN SOME small quaint cafes and eateries all over this place are cheap and good!...western,local,and more...every one serve beers...most are quite and cozy...basically they cater to tourists cos the locals here eat simple...there are some very local eateries too,do pop in to savour the fare if your stomach has the resistance level...the seats in these small local shops are extremely low!....the tables too!..they are peculiar and foreigners kinda find it hard to sit and eat in these ground level stools...even some tea and coffee joints have these low plastic stools...Anyway,suggest you walk aroud and surely there are some eateries you will fancy...we tried many and each is good...name are hard to remember but just try whatever you fancy...Beer joints are visible but not many...around the lake are some multi storey beer bars,no girls i am afraid,just to drink...and watch the crazy traffic...on the last day we found a row of bars for locals just off the lake in a quite street two blocks behind the road in front of the hotel...some tourists ,mainly locals,...some girls...we passed by on Saturday during lunch and it was packed ...some having tea/coffee... After a beer at Legend Beer we hailed a cab to Sheraton Hotel's club called Nutz...happening scene for rich kids and locals ,hotel guests too..good music,dance floor small but techno inclined house music...lots of people !..Non stop in traffic ,no cover charge,many of the best looking gals seen in Hanoi ... visibly some gals are working gals and have farang guys with them,but many are also with locals...did not have time to stay to check out if there were FLs...my gut feeling was there are some ...being first timers,we did not pursue aggressively...at 2am the crowd was still coming in...just hang around outside the ladies and it was a sight...! We moved on to get a cab to a massge place..taxi driver was ok kinda guy and took us to a place that cater for just a rub down at this odd hour...no hanky panky..150 000 Dong and off we go to a boom boom house ...shall i continue?... It was this friendly 21 year old cab driver who took us there ,he could speak good English and understood what we wanted to end the nite...three gals for the three of us for US$100..inclusive of the i hour room...quite a deal that we couldn't refuse soberly...so we trusted him...he promised to come back to pick us up to our hotel in an hour(which he did!)...It was a ***** house,just across the flower wholesale market in a side street...not a hotel hotel...a normal shop lot along atypical street...not exactly super Dettol clean but ok...guy( about 23) lined up 5 gals and boom boom we went...seems secure and straight business...must be well connected with the athourities... On the first nite two of us had a bad experience with motorbile gals...we were late after work and went for a walk at 2am ...everytime was closed,street lights were even off!But we were just walking around and three gals on bike approached us for a good time...spoke not bad english,a guy on bike came and we said no...after a distance he came alone and asked us what we were inclined to...since now the gals were not around to be seen we thought he was working on his own..small sized guy,little englsih...he said he has a place for us ....then came the gals...same ones...urging us for a ride...indeed very friendly...so off we went,said 5 mins away..reached a place some three streets aay and they useher us to a shoplot...but there was no electrity inside!...candles everywhere!...we were apprehensive...decided to call it off...they were insistent...suggested another place...took us around ..got to another didngy looking street...we decided and insisted to head back to our hotel...still not satisfied,they took us to supposedly their own house...well,it was a dark place,we did not enter...declined ..so off we go back to the hotel...along all these rides(easily 20 minutes) the gals seated threesome...teasing all the way ,grouping at our pockets and croutch...finally,we reach the our hotel..they demanded 500 000 Dong just for the ride!...some way along the ride my guy lost his Dongs( 1 million) that was in his pocket...realising their scam,we wanted to just get away from these gals and the guy...after a long debate they realised that we were not that stupid...they took whatever was offered (that was left in my guys pocket ))and buzzed off...they were fast and smart...an afterthought made us realised that we we lucky to be back alive!...along the rides one of the gals asked me if i wanted marijuana...wow...i declined ...i can't imagine what would have happened if we had gone into a room in the first stop where there were not lights just candles and half way during the boom boom we could have been druged and dumped dead.!So,fellow guys who are BMs here...do be careful and be advised...don't forget,we are Asuians...and skin colour doen'nt mean any thing to these gals.. Will we return to Hanoi despite all these?..Yes, a city is great with all the good and bad...Hanoi is quaint,unusual ...but fast influx of tourists could change this character pretty fast...so see it while it last! Sorry for this long essay...happy reading ..
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#10
27-11-2007, 15:03
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Thanks for the heads up, appreciated. Good report.
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#11
27-11-2007, 18:12
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I'll second that DTP.
Some good advice & tips there dikman 
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#12
27-11-2007, 20:22
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Great report dikman... All sounded very familiar!
As you said Hanoi is a very interesting city but the people there were a lot more keen to get your money as fast as possible... Hanoi IMO was far more "full on" in this respect than Saigon (or anywhere else in Vietnam)... That said I had a great time there, but I'm glad it wasn't the first place I went to in Vietnam. It definitely does take a lot longer so suss out and is very different to other parts of the country...
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#13
28-11-2007, 00:24
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Good show.
dikman--
Excellent report! Glad you and your mates got through your "interesting night" with only neat stories to tell... no scars, missing bodyparts, &c.
__________________
Non illegitimi carborundum est. - Don't let the bastards grind you down.
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#14
28-11-2007, 05:55
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Yes - great report there Dikman ... thanks to you and all the other good BM's who have posted here, I now consider myself reasonably informed of the various going-ons in Hanoi and hopefully avoid some of the mentioned pitfalls ... don't think I'll go for a motorbike ride with girls !
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#15
28-11-2007, 07:14
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no mb gals for me either DGS......was offered a couple when walking back from clubs late at night but neither the quality of the gals or the stretch outside of my safety zone warranted it.......it was more a case of the fkn over you may get won't be worth the fkn you get....if you follow if you get a moto guy who you are happy with I'm sure he'll offer a trim + quim service for you after a ride around town.....after a while I just walked into some hairdresser places and said "do yo do massage"......and Low and behold....literally
__________________
....but of course I was verey verey draaank at the taaame!!!
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#16
29-11-2007, 13:11
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glad my FR was of help to you BMs...
To add to that,my advise would also include a simple measure....keep small US $ notes ($1/2 dollars notes) handly and plenty cos most traders and retailers love to quote in USD...the green buck still rules here...usually it starts off with negotiations in USD then when a figure is sort of agreed upon try ask how much in Dong and get a bargain on it cos they have a bad incling of the exchange rate...the result: a round-off figure in Dong,which is usually lower in exchange!...try it ...they value the USD but don't exactly know how much it is in Dong...so carry lots of small USD if the Dong thing doesn't work and quickly close a deal with small loose change....most retailers do not have USD in stock so when the price is say 1.5 USD they will give back the change in Dong and here's where the exchange rate is rounded way off...interesting.. btw ,there are two big casinos in Hanoi...open only to turists and foreigners such as expats...locals are not allowed.They are situated about 200m up the same row /road as the famed Fortuna Hotel...too bad did not have time to check both out... for those interested on the real estate side of the city...well,lots of local high rise condos/apartments in the so called new city area around the government complex or new senate building.Most are by local developers and quality is sub standard.The others are by Indonesian and Malaysian developers and are massive in comparison in terms of scope and pricing.The Manor,The Citputra(Indon dev.)...US$1,800 - 2,000 per sq.m...way above Bangkok price!..The Manor is a beautiful French style,Parisian complex..the Citputra is mixed condo and semi-d villas...next to a UN international College and unfortunately close to a local cemetary...part of it reclaimed for this project...!Nevertheless..impressive contrast to the landscape of Hanoi...I see more and more to come very soon...god time to do business now or invest..there is always the risk though...politically i mean...remember it is a socialist republic still... A word about the locals ...the act dumb !...but i guess they have thus cunning look that my gut feel says be careful..our local counterpart(Asian) are quite stern with the locals...ask and u might not get the message into their head,instead insist and they will comply...basically,i feel the locals are facing a culture shock too,i mean not knowing about how to deal with foreigners be it tourists from all over or business people...i have been told that even restaurants try often to add nonsense into customers' bills...especially places where business people eat..that will surely be a growing phenom in years to come... These are my thoughts...hope you like the assistance... Next trip,HCMC...and i hope a FR will follow..cheers fellow BM wherever you are..
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#17
01-12-2007, 02:43
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Yeah... I booked into a mini hotel in the old quarter and when I was checking in I was quoted $10 a night... When I was checking out after 4 nights the girl tried to charge 20% extra as a "room tax", (this was the first I heard of this after being in the country for 2 months) I told her, not a chance... She was insisting that I would have to pay, I told her I was only going to pay the quoted 10 dollars and if she had a problem with that she would have to call the Police to sort it out. As soon as I mentioned Police she caved in and said "Ok Ok You pay $10, no problem"... They are shit scared of the Police in general from what I seen... If you are looking for a Guest Friendly hotel in HCMC check out Hotel 97 on Bui Vien Street, district 1... Normally most of the hotels are very strict about bringing back guests... I look forward to your take on HCMC...
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#19
03-12-2007, 02:12
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I'm heading to HCMC and Nha Trang the end of January so I'll be looking forward to the trip report. have fun!
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#20
03-12-2007, 09:32
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nah trang is a pretty god seaside resort (well viet style) town to hang out in....but don't forget Hoi An near Danag....my favourite town in Viet
__________________
....but of course I was verey verey draaank at the taaame!!!
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#21
03-12-2007, 11:32
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Yeah - Hoi An is a great place, just the right size for me. Very old town with close proximity to the beach, heaps of good restaurants and amazing atmosphere in the evening with those lamp-lit streets. Some nice looking girls too!
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