- Hanoi
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Vietnam
Vietnam Airlines, the state-owned airline, is the major carrier in Vietnam for domestic flights. A second domestic airline, Pacific Airlines, which is owned by Vietnam Airlines, also offers flights between Hanoi, HCMC and Danang.
Fares for domestic flights are fixed and determined by distance, although there are some discount fares for advance purchase (with restrictions), late night flights, and student and senior fares. Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines both offer similar levels of quality and safety, with Pacific Airlines offering slightly cheaper fares.
Neither Vietnam Airlines nor Pacific Airlines currently offer e-ticketing or online booking, although Vietnam Airlines has announced plans to start e-ticketing in early 2007.
A few tips for booking internal flights - book flights only once you are in Vietnam for cheaper prices, book online with Vietnam Airlines website, or their agents for savings.
Useful websites:
www.vietnamairlines.com.vn
www.guidevietnam.com/flight/vietnam-airlines/vietnam-domestic-flights.html
www.smiletravelvietnam.com/travelvietnam/vietnam-airlines.aspx
Paradissa Travel specializes in adventure tour and luxury travel packages in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Ground Floor, 166 Tran Quang Khai Street
Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi , Vietnam
Tel: 844 926 3509; Fax: 844 926 3508
Email: info@paradissa.com
www.paradissa.com
Smile Travel Vietnam is an online travel company based in Hanoi which offers a full range of service from visa to hotel reservations. They are receiving good comments from travel forums like Thorn Tree or Tripadvisor.
Address: No. 92, 81/24/47 Lane, Lac Long Quan Street - City: Hanoi, VIETNAM
www.smiletravelvietnam.com/
For great, traditional and some unusual Vietnamese food, try Highway 4. The actual Highway 4 crosses the mountains and hill tribes (and ethnic minorities) of northern Vietnam, and this defines the cuisine (and the great fruit, herbal or medicinal flavored rice wine) of Highway 4 in Hanoi as well. All this can be had at reasonable prices, in a pleasant environment that evokes the highlands.
Recommended dishes: Nem Cá, or famous Highway 4 spring rolls with fried catfish and wasabi soy dipping sauce. But tell them to go light on the mayo inside the rolls.
Grilled chicken with lemon leaves (Gà Nương Lá Chanh) and the Bò Xào Dưa Chua (beef sautéed with local pickled mustard greens—translated as sauerkraut but it’s quite different).
A unique and wonderfully textured green that’s only available seasonally is Hoa Thien Lý Xào (sautéed Thien Ly vegetable/flower).
For seafood, try the soft shell crab roasted with Tamarind or Salt (Cua Dong Rang Me/Muoi) and Ca Kho To (fish simmered in clay pot). Also good: Green mango (Xoài Xanh) marinated with salt and chili; and for the pork lover—Thịt Kho Tộ (pork carmelized in clay pot with coconut—tourist places tend to use lean sliced pork, while more traditional places like Hwy 4 will use pork belly). Try the sampler set of their Son Tinh liquor.
5 Hang Tre, just east of the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake. For more restaurant recommendations (and travel itineraries and other great tips) go to www.savourasia.com - they really throw themselves into eating in Asia, and especially Hanoi!
This is a quiet oasis right in the heart of busy and often hectic Hanoi. It is also one of the few remaining examples of ancient Vietnamese architecture and is considered perhaps the city’s greatest cultural sight. Founded in 1070, it became the country’s first university in 1076 to educate the sons of mandarins. A stelae naming the birth places and achievements of those receiving their doctorate here is one of the temple’s highlights. There are five separate courtyards and the complex is quite large so allow ample time to enjoy its contemplative grounds. Admission is 20,000 dong ($1.25) and open 8am-5pm daily.
www.easyvietnamtravel.com
www.traveltolao.com
www.bienngoccruise.com
www.dulichnoidia.com
www.dulichnuocngoai.biz
www.easyvietnamtravel.com
www.easyvietnamadventures.com
We joined a tour with Hanoi Street Foods which was a great introduction to the local grub and took us places we wouldn't have dared go ourselves.
When we got more confident we sampled the local 'bia hois' where a glass of beer is available for less than 10p!
Also recommended is Highway4 restaurant where we were either ultra-confident or drunk on their rice wine and tucked into local scorpions, bugs, ostrich and crocodile!
I love Vietnamese food but after three months on the road in south east Asia, this place was a dream come true!
The most delicious ice cream, and the biggest variety of flavours I've ever had!
There is one near the lake in Hanoi, and also one in Ho Chi Minh City.
Need a break from restaurants? Simply stroll around, look for a street vendor selling a noodle dish or two, pull up a child-size plastic chair and enjoy a quick meal with the locals, cheaply.
Find by accident when hungry
A much-appreciated break from the busy streets of Hanoi, the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, is one of the best examples of traditional architecture left in Vietnam.
Founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, the temple is a great place to while away a couple of hours strolling through beautiful courtyards and grand halls.
Who knows, you might catch a traditional music recital and get inexplicably involved in a silly hat wearing photo opportunity as I was.
Pho Quoc Tu Giam, about 2km west of Hoan Kiem Lake.
If you really want to experience Vietnam and all of its beauty and glory, I recommend doing it on a motorbike.
I have made three such journeys (I'm 61 years old) and look forward to yet another tour with this group.
While on the surface it appears to be a bit pricey, when you consider that the tour is all-inclusive it makes really good sense.
The guides are all extremely well acquainted with the country and its people. You will see a Vietnam seldom experienced by the routine traveller. The food, rooms, equipment and companionship are incredible.
Trips ranges from just a couple of days to 21 days depending on where you want to go. The northern part of the country should not be missed.
From easy riding to the adventuresome rough roads, there is something for all levels of riders (my wife journeyed down the Ho Chi Minh Trail with me last year).
It's a trip you will remember the rest of your life.
Most towns have their own varieties of noodles, entrees and beer. We spent a marvellous month sampling the local food and some great brews.
One food seller noticed our apprehension of the local dish and after her comments we couldn't refuse trying them: "Don't try, don't know".
All areas (not just Hanoi)
Beautiful beaches, it's where a Bond film was made. Just hope the weather holds.
Lovely food in a beautiful atmosphere prepared and served by street kids learning the skills for their own futures. Right over the street from the Temple of Literature, and a good 20 minutes' walk from the centre of the old town.
OK, so Bill Clinton's been here, but it's really very down to earth.
KOTO on Van Mieu
59 Van Mieu Street, (opposite the Temple of Literature)
www.streetvoices.com.au/koto_restaurant.asp
Wait until you get to Vietnam to book internal flights. It's much cheaper than booking in the UK. I flew from Hanoi to Hue for £200. I flew from Dalat to Ho Chi Minh City for £30.
There are lots of Vietnam Airlines offices in major cities.
A great initiative to train young people up as chefs, waiters and bakers.
The restaurant serves French-accented Indochine cuisine in a lovely garden courtyard.
Seemed popular with diplomats when we were there.
Food is excellent and we felt very very full when we left, but very virtuous as we had helped people just by eating!
They also have a cafe and bakery called Baguette et Chocolat
www.hoasuaschool.com/index.php228a Ha Hoi (it is down a couple of side streets so you may need to look carefully for the signposts - or bring a map).
Tel: 4 942 4448
Baguette et Chocolat:
11 Pho Cha Ca
Tel: 04 923 1500
Okay, it is a chain and you are possibly subsidising Paris's hair extensions, but I thought that this was a really nice contrast to the great guesthouse we stayed at in Hoi An.
The (dis)advantage is that you are out of the hurly burly of the frenzied old town, which is where most tourists stay. For that you get a rooftop pool, gym, flawless service, huge breakfasts and a really peaceful night's sleep. You also get Americans on business travel shouting at the staff, but nowhere's perfect.
The hotel is next to the Opera House, five minutes' walk to the lake and another five to the edge of the old town.
It was less than $100/night (averaged it out with super cheap Hoi An guest house, so it did not feel too extravagant!)
www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/HANHITW-Hilton-Hanoi-Opera-hotel/index.do
This group provides Vietnam adventure travel guides, biking, kayaking, hiking, trekking, motorcycling, overland and family travel guides. Green guides for resposible travel.
[Disclosure: this is a website that I help to run.]
TNH is a community reviews site for Hanoi. You can use it to find the best-rated restaurants, bars, shops and hotels in Hanoi, or just to read the often-entertaining reviews posted by people like you.
The New Hanoian can be a good companion to your guidebook, as the information is kept up to date by the community.
Only citizens of certain countries can visit Vietnam without an entry visa (valid for 30 days). Those countries include: most Asean countries, Korea, Japan & Scandinavia (2005). All other citizens are required to get an entry visa before departure (visa issued prior to departure by Vietnamese consulates or embassies) or a pre-approved entry visa (visa is issued on arrival at Vietnam’s international airports) supplied before arrival in Vietnam.
You may consult more information about Vietnam visa at:
www.guidevietnam.com/travel/vietnam-visa-passport.html
Pho (rice noodle soup, pronounced “phur”) is a traditional meal in northern Vietnam, particularly in Hanoi, dating back thousands of years.
Pho looks like a simple dish, but it actually takes a lot of skill and experience to prepare properly. A good bowl of pho calls for sweet and pure bouillon, soft rice noodles that are soaked in boiling water for just the right duration, and of course, tender and fragrant meat (chicken or beef).
Pho Bo is noodles with sliced beef while Pho Ga is noodles with shredded chicken.
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