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Vietnam
We all know Skype is the cheapest way to ring home from abroad, but if like me you're stuck without access and need to make an important call, you won't find better value than this call centre in Hanoi's old quarter.
Calls to most countries cost an incredible 1,500 dong a minute (compared with about 5,000 from Vietnamese SIM cards and 20,000 from travel agencies), and to ring the US or Canada it's even cheaper.
Be warned though, the owner doesn't keep too strictly to the advertised 8am-10pm opening hours. I was caught out as early as 6.30pm as he'd obviously decided to knock off early.
But if you catch it open, you'll be able to natter to your heart's content without your call costing the earth.
3 Ta Hien, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi's old quarter
Down a smallish alley between Hang Buom and Hang Bac.
Google map: bit.ly/gnarE3
Get a different perspective on this enigmatic, colourful country and its charming people with a train journey from Hanoi, perhaps to Dong Hoi, Danang, or even for those with stamina, the 1000 miles to Ho Chi Minh City. This is a great chance to talk to local travellers, have a drink with your carriage guard,and reflect on the passing rural scene.
The name Reunification Express is about as dated as the train itself, as most people in this vibrant country are younger than the unified state. Only the 'express' bit remains purely a longer term ambition with a possible Shinkansen style train designed by Japanese rail engineers.
Right from the experience of trying to buy a ticket as a foreigner to the moment you get off, this is a true journey. You'll be bombarded by sellers, so won't be short of food or drink, but you might like to take a few blue cheese baguettes and a bottle of wine from a stall in Hanoi if you think you'll tire of rice, beer and fruit.
Buy the soft sleeper for overnights for some comfort, and expect to share with a local or soldier if you are less than four. Let life unfold at a leisurely pace for a day or two, and avoid the typical, could be anywhere airport frustrations.
Hanoi Station, monument to the French past.
Lots of info at seat61,
www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm
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
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!
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
iViVu is the only travel website in Vietnam offering a flight search and booking facility at a great price. It also provides you with travel information on Vietnam.
Hanoi is a beautiful city and I had a fantastic - if soggy - time there. If it wasn't raining then the air was thick with damp mist, and my clothes never quite dried properly. However, I found the perfect start to these wet days: breakfast at the Kangaroo Cafe. They serve up the biggest and hottest breakfasts - the perfect way to set yourself up for a wet day exploring the city.
18 Pho Bao Khanh, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Bia Hoi is the ultimate Vietnamese drinking experience. It's basically a keg of beer outside someone's house or shop or whatever, and you go and help yourself to local "brew".
It costs around 1,500 dong a glass (about 7 pence) and you end up drinking with all sorts of colourful locals.
Anywhere in Hanoi, or the rest of Vietnam.
Is this your business?Search Been there
