Hanoi..... any recommendations or advice?

19lottie82

going to be flying in to Hanoi for 5 days as part of my honeymoon in July. My OH and I are reasonably young, so would like to be "in the middle of the action", so to speak.

From what I can gather the Old Quarter would be the best part to stay?

We would be looking at £60 a night tops for a hotel, so I presume that will get us somewhere quite decent? Ideally I'd like a pool but it doens't have to be a definite.

Any reccomendations? And also areas for nightlife? Thanks!

totallybored

I stayed at the Hanoi Elegance Ruby hotel that someone on here recommended. It was very nice and staff were excellent. They arranged my Halong Bay trip for me and sorted out my train tickets. No pool but I think only the big chain hotels in Hanoi have them.

As for nightlife I wouldn't say Hanoi was the best place for this. Bars are cheap though. I went to the water puppets one night. I


Are you sure you want 5 days there? A Halong Bay trip overnight would be good if you have that much time. Also, it's rainy season. I went in July and spent most of my time dodging the rain wearing a stupid plastic poncho!

19lottie82

Hi totallybored yeah we r planning a trip to halong bay and I have already ordered the plastic ponchos!

I did read that most of the bars shut at twelve. We won't be out clubbing every night but it would be good to have an option of two if we want to carry on drinking a bit later.

Thanks for the reply and ill look at that hotel just now.

totallybored

No need to take ponchos, everyone sells them as soon as the rain starts and you can then just bin them. They do make the humidity even worse wandering around in them.

I only did a 1 night Halong Bay trip as I was on my own but if hubby had been with me I'd probably have done 2 nights. The boats have bars and some are louder than others. If you go to the amazing cave on the boat trip wear walking type sandals and not flip flops! The cave involves lots of slippery steps. Take water too as you'll be ripped off at the top of the cave!

If you like shoes there is what I called 'shoe street' in Hanoi that sells fake converse, toms and trainers. Hanoi is also very good for pretty wooden bowls.

How are you arriving and leaving Hanoi? If you arrive at the airport it's worth getting the hotel to pick you up so you don't have the hassle of the taxi scams (I met several people while travelling who'd been ripped off getting from the airport). If you're getting a train make sure you buy silk sleeping bag liners in Hanoi too.

agrinnall

I spent around 5 days in Hanoi, although with trips to Sapa and Halong Bay splitting it up into 3 chunks. The water puppets are definitely worth a visit, as is the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. Put aside some time for drinking Bia Hoi (Day Beer) which is drunk shortly after it's been brewed, it's weak but extremely cheap. You can usually find groups of Vietnamese and Westerners sitting on plastic chairs on the pavement outside of makeshift bars, it's a great social event. I also went to a fantastic restaurant serving a huge range of Vietnamese food, including delicacies such as roast swan - unfortunately I can't remember what it's called and my guide books are packed in preparation for moving house.

wonderingwhy

Was in Hanoi in February you must do a cyclo ride around the Old Town great fun in the completely mad traffic. Stayed at the Pullman Hotel which was fine, but would sooner have been in the Old Town. We ate at Quan An Ngon which served every sort of street food, was cheap and good. Loved Halong Bay and overnight stay on a junk.

Sergio1982

You can get a nice room in a boutique hotel for a lot less than £60/night. We stayed at Hanoi Elite in 2011 for £35 and that was for an upgraded room.

For a great insight you should try hanoikids.org. They were fantastic; in return for giving them an opportunity to practice English they will take you on a city tour tailored to you. You pay for food, drinks, entrance fees and any transport. Highly recommend this for your first day as it will help you get your bearings.

Have a great time.

El_Torro

Halong Bay is a must see, it's good that you're going there.

In Hanoi itself I'd suggest seeing Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body at the mausoleum. You could say it's not a lot to see (like visiting a waxwork) but it's a piece of history.

If you're interested in the Vietnam War then Hoa Lo Prison is worth a visit too.

19lottie82

Wow thanks everyone! Some great tips here to get me started! I was thinking of booking a car to collect us from the airport. Can anyone recommend a firm with a website?

littlereddevil

There is a good forum on TA

alisonofagun

I second a tour with HanoiKids! My suitcase was delayed in transit so the girl that met me helped me go shopping to buy essentials as part of my tour! Make sure you go to the egg coffee cafe with them

I've stayed at the Melia a couple of times, they have a pool - not sure if you would get it in budget though. If you're wanting a pool to sunbathe, I've been to Hanoi 4 times at various points in the year and only ever had one afternoon which was proper 'sunbathing weather' - unlike HCMC which I find has much sunnier weather.

I've also stayed at Hanoi Royal Palace 2 - right in the middle of the Old Quarter. It was nice for the price paid, but very very very noisy. The staff were great and they were probably the only reason I didn't move hotel to somewhere quieter (I was there for business - it would've been great for a holiday)