Excellent! Looking forward to more.

Wow, this is a great report Mr. Go! I love the pictures.
I like the way you have catagorized the report. It makes it easy to read through.

Loving the report! So glad you enjoyed the Elegance hotel. I've spoken with people who rave about the Metropole Hotel, but can't imagine it being as wonderful as our experience at the Elegance at a fraction of the cost. What a treasure to be able to travel with your teen aged daughter (who wants to be with you at that age!) and to build such wonderful memories. Wish we would have visited the Perfume Pagoda after reading your report. Hanoi does ROCK!

Great start! We also enjoyed Hanoi and spent a week there, though that was a lot of years ago now, so I'm eager to hear your experiences.

Thanks to all. I should point out that this trip report, and all the photos, are a collaborative effort with ms_go. Just like on all of our other trip reports, we work as a team.

I'm working on the Ha Long Bay recap right now, and I hope to have something posted this afternoon.

I'm really enjoying reading your "so-far" report. As you know, we just got back from SEA, and loved Hanoi (and the Elegance chain of hotels), so it's fun to relive through your eyes!

ABOUT THE ONLY OTHER CITY WE’VE BEEN TO THAT COMPARES TO HANOI
…is Naples. They’re both huge cities with long histories and a gritty character. Both are notable for their chaotic traffic, narrow streets, vibrant street culture, flavorful but unpretentious cuisine, architectural diversity, warm climate… and a seemingly endless supply of motorbikes. They aren’t necessarily immediately grand and appealing like, say, Paris, but the more time you spend in both of them, the more you appreciate them and the more they grow on you.

ABOUT OUR OVERNIGHT EXCURSION TO HA LONG BAY (ACTUALLY, BAI TU LONG BAY)
We also booked this side-trip through our hotel, and it’s yet another thing they got exactly right. Some folks choose to make this a daytrip, which is do-able but (IMHO) not really advisable. It’s a boring 4-hour bus ride out to Ha Long City from Hanoi and 4 hours back, including the obligatory shopping (or toilet) stop, and then the most scenic and interesting places on the bay take a while for the boat to reach. So an overnight on the boat really is your best bet.

There are many cruise options for all budgets. We cruised aboard the Red Dragon (one of a small fleet owned by Indochina Junks), which is a small but well-run ship, and our triple-room was much larger and more comfy than I’d expected on such a craft. We enjoyed three meals on board, and they were all terrific. Joining us were a Chinese-Australian mom and her 24-year-old daughter (both from Sydney), a 30-something gay French male couple (who we met again on our Perfume Pagoda trip), and an older French couple celebrating their 40th anniversary. Allie relished the opportunity to fully engage her French language skills with our fellow travelers, calling this the “most intensive” French practice she’s ever had (including travel to France)..

Most cruises go to Ha Long Bay. The Indochina Junks (IJ) fleet, on the other hand, goes to the lesser traveled but equally spectacular Bai Tu Long Bay, which is also part of the World Heritage area. The scenery here is unlike any other we’ve encountered, anywhere. Thousands of small, steep islands and rocks jut out of the water everywhere, creating an otherworldly appearance. The strange seascape was accentuated by a persistent misty overcast much of the time. (Pix to come, eventually.) While we’ve heard the landscape in Ha Long Bay can get pretty crowded with boats, the area to which we went included just a small handful of IJ boats, which are all on the smaller side; one of them has just one cabin (the honeymoon boat!).

After lunch on the first day, we set out for a nearby island with a nice, sandy beach and a large, well-lit cave with interesting rock formations. There were also gorgeous views of the bay from this island, and we both almost sprained our trigger fingers from all the shots we snapped. Afterward, we climbed into kayaks and had a blast following our guide around some of the local islets. Just about everyone participated in the fun — and some of us got wetter than others (ms_go pretty much required a full change of clothes afterward)!

Back aboard the Red Dragon, we were treated to a delicious, multi-course supper. They were thoughtful enough to cook up some alternative dishes for Allie (who does not like seafood and is allergic to nuts) and the Aussie girl (who’s allergic to shellfish). Ms_go and I splurged on a decent bottle of wine, as drinks were the only thing not included in the excursion price. After an enjoyable evening of conversation, we all retired to bed and rested reasonably well.

The next morning, we set out for the Vung Vieng fishing village located on another island deep in the heart of the bay (Indochina Junks has been working with this village over a few years to improve its infrastructure and strengthen its livelihood). We interacted with the locals there, through our guide/cruise director, and listened while the adorable children recited their lessons in the little one-room village schoolhouse. If you’re going with Red Dragon or one of the other Indochina Junks ships, you might consider taking along some small school supplies such as pencils and pens (we forgot). But soon it was time to return to the boat and head back to Ha Long City, where our bus awaited. We made it back to Hanoi in time for a nice stroll and some dinner.

Interested to hear about your Halong Bay trip - I'll keep that in mind if I do it again. Enjoying your report - always nice to find another person who loves Hanoi.

...always nice to find another person who loves Hanoi

All three of us did, actually. Especially Allie.

We both loved Hanoi!

Nice report I LOVE Hanoi too!

Best description I've read of a Halong Bay cruise. And great info about Indochina Junks taking a different route than other boats.

Great report, pix too - I am also a big Hanoi fan...

We also loved Hanoi. Fabulous city!

We loved Hanoi too when we were there in January. Such a fun, vibrant city - cheap too!!

Good reading. We'll be doing the cruise with Indochina Junks (same boat, I think) in November. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. We debated extending the Halong Bay visit two 2 nights, but it sounds like you were happy with just the overnight, which is what we finally decided. Thanks for the tip about bringing supplies for the school--I'll tuck a box or two of pens into my carry-on.

thanks for the report....pics are nice...i want the boat ride without the 2 hour motor ride each way and without the caves

My favorite photo is the one of the two women lounging in the boat with one chatting on her cell phone. It seems so anachronistic; a real statement of the times.

I've posted some photos from our Bai Tu Long (Ha Long) Bay cruise:

http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p117716538

I haven't done much to caption these, but I'll work on this eventually. They look pretty "grey," but that's the way it was.

Here is the link to the Indochina Junks site:
http://www.indochina-junk.com/

We booked through our hotel (all handled months ago) at a cost of $165 p/p for a triple cabin. I probably paid a bit of a mark up, but the convenience was welcome.

aprillilacs, one night was enough for us, but that was partly due to the weather. As you can see in the photos, it was mostly cloudy, and we had a few raindrops here and there. It was also a little on the cool side (maybe 60ish F), so we really didn't want to spend a lot of time on activities that involved getting wet. Our cruise guide/director (or whatever his title was; he was very good by the way) said that was pretty much the norm for this time of year but the coming months would be sunnier and warmer.

Excellent report and wonderful pictures mr & ms_go and Allie. Adding to my SEA itinerary for next year.

jdc

Wow, stunningly beautiful pictures from Bai Tu Long Bay. Definitely worth adding to my itinerary.

BTW, were those two dogs strays or did they belong to a family? The kayaking looked like a lot of fun.

jdc

Thanks jdc26. The kayaking was fun--and would have been even more fun if it was just a few degrees warmer. The puppies were on that little island with the kayaks (you can see it in a different photo) and the cave. I guess they must live there with whoever keeps up the equipment. They're just babies; they were still nursing from the mother.

I want to add that no still shots of Ha Long or Bai Tu Long Bay are going to do it justice. That's because the panoramic effect of having these massive karst monoliths all around you is the really breathtaking part of the experience. We were both even commenting on that fact while we were snapping those shots, "you know, this isn't really capturing the view, but what can you do?"

Trust me, being there is far better.

Lovely, lovely photos! Thanks.

Very nice photos and enjoying the report, too. Glad to hear of all family members fully enjoying the same trip. And it does sound like a value, too.

Gorgeous photos, just breathtaking, can't wait to go. Is this the end or are you continuing your TR?

Thanks!

Shanghainese, we're working on more of the trip report, and I haven't even begun to look at all of the photos that we took in the city. We'll get to some of that in the next couple of days--work has kind of been in the way (and taxes).

OK, I'm wrapping up my work week and leaving the office. But before I do, here's little more trip report. Have a nice weekend, everyone... and thanks so much for all your kind words!

ABOUT THE MUSEUMS IN HANOI
They’re better than you might expect, actually. We visited three of them: The so-called “Hanoi Hilton” (Hoa Lo) prison, the aforementioned Museum of Ethnology, and the Museum of History.

I wasn’t necessarily dying to see the notorious torture-prison, but it did have a few things going for it. First, it was within walking distance of the hotel (although, ironically, we forgot our map and still managed to get within a half block of the museum before having to stop and ask for directions). Secondly, it was one of the very few tourist attractions open on Monday. And lastly, it doesn’t cost much… so what hey. Turns out, the place is fairly interesting and they’ve done a good job of presenting the awful conditions of the place without being too heavy-handed with the agony and squalor. Many westerners (especially Americans) may not realize it, but this prison was a dreaded place long before the war. It was originally built by the French, and the vast majority of its inmates and detainees over the years have been Vietnamese locals. Over 90% of the museum focuses on this reality, with just a couple of small rooms dedicated to the American War. And yes, there’s a picture or two of John McCain in there.

It’s worth noting that much of the original prison was demolished years ago to make room for development. As you stand in the solemn memorial courtyard in the back of the place today, you hear the laughter of wealthy foreign children playing in the daycare center several stories up in the posh high-rise adjacent to it.

The Museum of Ethnology would be better called The Museum of Odd Housing Structures Built by Ethnic Minorities. It’s a pretty cool place, and (we gathered) fairly authentic. It really makes you think about the amazing ethnic diversity in this area of the world, and it’s a good thing that they’ve chosen to honor and celebrate that diversity. (It’s a bit of a cab ride away from the Old Quarter, but cabs are cheap… no worries). While we were there, we saw dozens of young, pretty Vietnamese girls in brightly colored “prom” dresses hanging out with their boyfriends and taking pictures of each other. Apparently, it’s a graduation tradition. Some fun-loving bearded Irishman in a Motorhead t-shirt became part of their photo shoot; we struck up a conversation with him, and then with his buddy who lives in Hanoi (and it was he who recommended the Perfume Pagoda to us). There’s a fairly decent little café on the grounds, run by the Hoa Sua school, which trains disadvantaged street kids (similar to the better known KOTO) where we enjoyed a quick, light lunch.

The History Museum is terrific, and very smartly laid out. It was probably my favorite of the three. The natural sequence of rooms takes you from the very earliest pre-history in the region right through to the modern day, with all important periods of Vietnamese civilization represented. The artifacts and displays are well-ordered and aesthetically pleasing overall, and some of the individual pieces are stunningly beautiful. In many ways, it’s the perfect melding of an art museum and a good history lesson. It stimulates the mind and pleases the eye. It’s also a very striking old colonial building near the opera house, with a nice sculpture garden in the courtyard.

Wonderful report,Go family. I have been to Ho Chi Minh City briefly and want to visit Hanoi too. Definitely want to go now!

<<<While we were there, we saw dozens of young, pretty Vietnamese girls in brightly colored “prom” dresses hanging out with their boyfriends and taking pictures of each other. Apparently, it’s a graduation tradition>>>

We saw them, too, but never did figure out who/what they were, so thanks for the explanation.

<<<(It’s a bit of a cab ride away from the Old Quarter, but cabs are cheap… no worries)>>>

$6.00, but if you're like us, you'll walk back the 5 miles or so to the Old Quarter(despite the fact that the girl at the front desk AND our taxi driver laughed when we told them we planned to do that!)

Great selection of photos, and good info on the museums. Thanks!

I'm planning our visit to Hanoi and your trip report is so helpful.
Do you have contact information for your airport pickup and for the tour company that arranged your trip to the Pearl Pagoda? Thanks. I'm eager to read your next posting!

Hi HappyTrvlr, we booked everything through our hotel, the Elegance Ruby...airport transfers (it was the hotel chain's car and driver) and Red Dragon cruise, and they also made the arrangements for our trip to the Perfume Pagoda (that was decided and done just the evening before). The latter was with a private guide who is an independent contractor and who is a personal contact of the hotel manager. I don't have the guide's info, unfortunately, but he was very good.

sf7307, on a good day we could have walked back from the Ethnology museum (we like to walk, too), but we passed...partly to save some time and partly because DD wasn't feeling 100%.

We'll try to get some more of this done by the first of the week.

We also used the hotel's airport transfer seevive (we stayed at the Hanoi Elegance Diamond). We were picked up by a taxi they sent for us, but were driven back in their own shuttle- not sure why.

Great report and fabulous pics---as usual from the Go Family.
I am so happy you did it so i will not have to go. Just too far for me.

Thanks for directing attention over this way. Loved the report, loved the pics. VN's been very high on my wish list forever, and seems justifiably so.

Really enjoyed your report & photos!

I am toying with a visit to the Perfume Pagoda for a day trip from Hanoi later this year. (I am a believer in 'it's all in the journey'!) Any additional details would be most welcome.

Thanks for sharing your trip!

ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE HANOI KIDS (AND WEASEL POOP?)
Hanoi Kids is a remarkable program that gives local students an opportunity to practice their English skills with visitors, and gives visitors a chance to explore the city and its unique treasures with young local guides. The only costs to visitors are cab fares, admission tickets, lunch and other refreshments. Arrangements are made in advance online, and it simply could not have been any easier. We scheduled our guides for the afternoon of our first full day Hanoi. It wasn’t completely necessary for us to have a guide; Hanoi is quite navigable on our own. But we wanted to acclimate as quickly as possible, and we also thought it would be an interesting experience for Allie to have a few hours of interaction with local college students.

Two bright, personable young men showed up at the hotel lobby right on time, and off we went! Both of them spoke fairly decent English, although we did have to listen closely at times. Our first stop was a local restaurant (Quan An Ngon) for some late lunch, and it was a real treat. We trusted them to order a variety of local dishes for us, and they were more than happy to show us how to go about eating them. Most notable were tasty roll-ups involving thin rice paper, tiny rice noodles, assorted greens, chunks of meat and an amazingly delicious dipping sauce. More about this remarkable restaurant later…

Properly fortified, we took a quick taxi to one of Hanoi’s premier tourist destinations, the Temple of Literature. This elaborate temple complex served as a prestigious university of higher learning for centuries, and is now truly well preserved. It is beautiful, fascinating, and an excellent reminder of the importance of education in Vietnamese culture. The names and academic accomplishments of its greatest scholars through the years are memorialized on tablets in specially designated areas. Our guides were very informative and knowledgeable, and both were eager to make sure we got as much from the experience as we could

After the temple, we asked them to return with us to the Old Quarter and just walk around showing us some of their favorite spots. Following them through the rabbit-warren of little streets was, by itself, an invaluable education in the subtle art of navigating and crossing the streets… it’s nearly effortless for a local to do it! Eventually, they asked us if we liked coffee, and we eagerly accepted their invitation to try some top-notch local coffee at their favorite coffee house. The place is so narrow that we all had to sit in single-file along a wall while they prepared our Vietnamese-style coffee. We ordered their finest kind, the Ca Phe Chon, also known as “weasel coffee.” This is because the coffee beans are (supposedly) first eaten by weasels, whose stomach enzymes mellow out the taste, and then excreted. The resulting beans are then used to prepare an impossibly rich and delicious coffee which is then blended with sweetened-condensed milk and served hot and fresh. Now, I don’t know for sure that the bizarre “processing” of this coffee is 100% on the level, but I can honestly say that it was one of the best-tasting coffee beverages I’ve ever enjoyed and I even bought a small bag to bring home. It is, quite possibly, the only expensive thing in all of Vietnam.

Our afternoon adventure with the Hanoi Kids was soon over, and we bid them a fond farewell. I doubt if they got half as much from the experience as we did, but it was definitely a positive experience and we would have no problem recommending this excellent program to anyone visiting Hanoi for the first time. Their web site: http://hanoikids.org/

ABOUT THE WATER PUPPET SHOW
Any destination guide on Hanoi that you read will make mention of the famous Thang Long water-puppet show near Hoan Kiem Lake. It’s a long-standing tradition, and everyone does it… no matter how kitschy it may sound at first blush.

Well it’s even cheesier than it sounds, but I still recommend doing it anyway. It doesn’t take very long (less than an hour), it doesn’t cost much, and the live traditional music isn’t bad. Just remember to book the show reservation in advance, because it’s pretty popular. Imagine that.

Did you end up bringing gifts from home for the Hanoi Kids guides? It sounds like they gave you a great introduction to the city.

Yes, we took Chicago Bulls hats!

We did, HT. They both got red Chicago Bulls hats from us.

Bob, plenty more pix where those came from. As you well know. Stay tuned...

Clifton, I think you'd like it there... and it's certainly a shorter trip for you than for us.

m_b: If you have time for it, we thought it was well worth the trip.

ABOUT THE MORE PROSAIC STUFF
For us (Americans), there are a couple of different ways to do the Vietnamese visa—the visa on arrival (which still requires some paperwork up front, I believe) or actually getting the visa in your passport in advance. We chose the latter, and it was really easy and quick. We overnighted a package—passports, applications with photos, money order for fee ($70 p/p for single entry visa), and a pre-paid FedEx return slip—on a Monday to the Vietnamese embassy in Washington, D.C., and received the passports back that Friday.

All the relevant info here:
http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/consular_services/visa_info/

Immigration was pretty painless, too. Our flight landed at about 10:30 pm and was one of two arriving at that time. We managed to get down to the checkpoint quickly and we were through in about 10 minutes. Can’t say, though, what it was like if one was at the back of that line.

To continue the theme of being about the journey and not just the destination, getting there and back certainly took a good percentage of our time on this trip—so much so that we really had to consider it part of the trip. We purchased economy tickets from Chicago-San Francisco-Seoul-Hanoi and the same in reverse—Chicago-Seoul on United and Seoul-Hanoi on Asiana. Then, we used miles and a co-pay to upgrade the United flights to business class. Importantly, the upgrades for the transpacific flights were available and confirmed when we booked this last year (otherwise, we may not have chosen to do this at all). The San Francisco-Chicago flight later cleared but Chicago-San Francisco never did (no big deal—we had some of our favorite Economy Plus seats). The Asiana flights were in economy.

The trip over was about 30 hours door to door, and the trip back took about 37 hours (longer layover in Seoul; more on that later). All six flights were right on time. Having flat bed business seats for the longest segments made a huge difference, particularly for a short trip like this, and we even caught up somewhat on some movies (Black Swan, True Grit, The King’s Speech…).

The Asiana flights were on what is probably one of its least comfortable planes, 763s with 32-inch pitch (ouch! after being in United’s “new” business) and overhead screens. The food wasn’t very good. Flight attendants were great, though, particularly on the return. The Hanoi-Seoul flight is a four-hour red-eye flight, and that’s a pretty rough way to start the long journey home. To make matters worse, our seats were about three rows from the very back and we were surrounded by a very large tour group of Korean women. Just before departure, one of the flight attendants came back to our row and said, “I know how these ladies can be, so you might want to use these”—and then handed us some eye masks and ear plugs.

And just in case wally is reading and taking notes, Asiana’s use of the seatbelt sign was pretty comparable to United’s, and there were extended announcements (including when the seatbelt sign was turned on) in two languages.

The real highlight of the trips over and back, though, was the Asiana lounge(s) at Incheon airport—and particularly the showers. We told Allie not to get too used to THAT, but I’m afraid she’s spoiled for life.

Oh, and our checked luggage (three bags on the way over, four on the way back) made it with us—unlike last year’s spring break, when Turkish Airlines decided that our bags needed a three-week extended vacation in the bowels of the airport in Istanbul.

ABOUT THE WEATHER, AND PACKING
As mentioned above, weather was a consideration in choosing our destination for this trip. After a long, miserable Chicago winter, we were ready for something a little warmer—within reason. Some of Southeast Asia’s steamier locations probably would have been too much of a shock to the system at this point in the year.

So, the weather was about what we expected—overcast and in the 60s (F) early in the trip and through our excursion to Bai Tu Long Bay. Still, we were out and about in lightweight clothing, while the locals were all bundled up in jackets and scarves. One of our Hanoi Kids guides had gloves on and complained about how cold it was. About half way through the week, there was a noticeable change—a sunny day and temps that seemed about 10 degrees warmer.

It rained a few times, but only lightly, and that never interfered with our activities (well, maybe briefly on the boat when we had to come inside for a bit).

Although we saw far more clouds than sun (only a problem for photography), I think all of us agree that this timing was preferable to a few months down the road, when it is warmer and more humid. As it was, we never felt compelled to seek an indoor location just because of the weather (fatigue and tired feet…well, that’s a different story).

We weren’t quite sure how to pack for this trip. We knew we probably wouldn’t do any higher end dining, so we were able to keep it fairly casual. Light layers worked pretty well—with one heavier item on reserve for our last day in Seoul, which has a completely different climate. If you like to get around on foot like we do, comfortable walking shoes are a must, as you’ll be on and off of curbs continuously.

<<<For us (Americans), there are a couple of different ways to do the Vietnamese visa—the visa on arrival (which still requires some paperwork up front, I believe) or actually getting the visa in your passport in advance. We chose the latter, and it was really easy and quick. We overnighted a package—passports, applications with photos, money order for fee ($70 p/p for single entry visa), and a pre-paid FedEx return slip—on a Monday to the Vietnamese embassy in Washington, D.C., and received the passports back that Friday.>>>

FYI, for those of you who live in a city where there is a Vietnam consulate, you can do this in person -- we did it "on the spot" in San Francisco.

<<<Then, we used miles and a co-pay to upgrade the United flights to business class.>>>

We used 125,000 miles each to fly business class (SFO-Seoul-Hanoi,returning Hong Kong-Tokyo-SFO). The outbound flights were on United/Asiana,and the return flights were on ANA. Would you mind sharing how much you paid for your flights -- In particular, how many miles and the amount of the co-pay to upgrade? Do you have to have a particular kind of economy ticket to be able to use miles and a co-pay to upgrade to business class? We've never done that, but business class on this incredibly long flight was so great, that we're thinking it would be the way to go in the future. We flew to Cairo in economy a few years ago, and fun it ain't!!

Would you mind sharing how much you paid for your flights -- In particular, how many miles and the amount of the co-pay to upgrade? Do you have to have a particular kind of economy ticket to be able to use miles and a co-pay to upgrade to business class?

Sure. Our economy tickets were about $1375. On United, all fare classes are now upgradeable--the co-pay will vary though depending on the fare paid. Here is the chart:
http://www.united.com/ual/asset/MUA_Chart_eff_before_6_15.pdf

Our fare basis was "S" one way and "V" the other, so $500 co-pay on the outbound and $400 on the return; 25k miles each way.

Is it better to do this or use more miles for award tickets? That all depends on needs and preferences. We prefer to purchase tickets and upgrade (as opposed to using miles for award tickets) in order to accrue elite qualifying miles and maintain at least some level of status (with at least one Star Alliance Gold member)--and this trip contributed quite a bit toward that goal.

There are, of course, other factors. When we booked, there were confirmed upgrades available but not award tickets on a similar itinerary. And even if we could have found three business class award seats together, we didn't have enough miles at that particular point in time.

This was a nice splurge; we don't always do this--but we try to for our longer trips when we can. The fact that the rest of the trip was relatively inexpensive helped.

One final note: the fact that we were able to confirm the upgrades at time of booking was key. Going on the waitlist could have been problematic, with the potential for one person clearing and the others not.

Thanks, that's really helpful.

One small but important point to add to my LW's cost analysis...

When you look at the cost of the flight plus the upgrade co-pay and multiply times 3 travelers, that really does seem like a lot of money. Especially on a trip this short. But the overall cost of the trip was significantly limited by the incredible value of nearly everything else we enjoyed during our stay. By all rights, the cost of our accommodation alone should have cost 3 times what it did. Maybe more. And by my loose estimate, the amount we spent per day on food and beverages was about one-sixth of what we were spending last year in Norway.

It all comes out even in the end.

<<<By all rights, the cost of our accommodation alone should have cost 3 times what it did>>>

I totally agree with that. We stayed at the Elegance Diamond, and it was fabulous, with a fantastic breakfast included (see my other post about the french toast!). We paid $99 a night for a middle-size room (what they call a "junior suite", but even the regular room at $75 would have been terrific.

I didn't have the french toast, but someone (Allie??) did. We also liked the hotel's really thin banana pancakes. Tried to replicate that at home last weekend--not quite there, but one more try might get close.

On that note, I think mr_go is writing about food next. And if I make some progress with my "real" work today (on which you can see I'm procrastinating, as I'm checking Fodors), I'll try to get some more photos up this evening.

Just got back from a client meeting... not sure if I can squeeze in more TR time today, but I will try!

<<<We also liked the hotel's really thin banana pancakes>>>

My DH had those every day!

Hi Family _Go_, still enjoying your report.

jdc

ABOUT THE FOOD
Some great cities are a feast for the eyes; Hanoi is a feast for the nose. As you walk down any street, you run face-first into a symphony of smells coming from restaurants, sidewalk “kitchens,” street vendors, tea shops, bakeries and produce markets. All are offering goods that are impossibly fresh and inviting, and astoundingly inexpensive.

Our tongues were tantalized from the moment of our arrival, as the hotel served us sweet, refreshing fresh-squeezed OJ in the lobby while our bags were carried to the room. The feast continued the next morning, first with the complimentary fruit bowl in our room and then with the made-to-order breakfast of savory omelets, flaky croissants, the aforementioned banana pancakes, quality coffee and a fresh-sliced plate of watermelon, pineapple and bananas.

As hearty as these breakfasts were, we always made a point to save room for lunch and dinner… most of which were excellent. Some highlights:

Quan An Ngon – A huge and wonderful place, it’s comprised of a large central courtyard with individual stalls around the perimeter cooking local specialties, all surrounded by interconnected buildings. There is a huge seating area with tables in the courtyard, plus even more tables set up inside the buildings. Despite the high volume of seating, there are lines to get in the place during lunchtime and dinner… undoubtedly due to the vast menu, tasty offerings and dirt-cheap prices. We ate here twice, once for lunch with the Hanoi Kids and once for dinner on our own. And I’m fairly confident that you could order randomly from their Tolstoy-esque menu and be satisfied. Quite possibly the best sheer value of any restaurant we’ve ever been to… ms_go, correct me if I’m misstating the case.

New Day – The only other place where we ate twice, this busy three-story restaurant sits directly across the street from the Hanoi Elegance Emerald hotel in the Old Quarter (about a 15-minute walk from our hotel). The service staff is friendly and not shy if you ask for a recommendation, the food is fresh and flavorful, the beer is cold and the price is right. The marinated barbeque pork and Shanghai-style sea bass were memorable dishes. Two appetizers, three mains, drinks & tax… about $15 total.

Bun Cha Dac Kim – This place is definitely nothing fancy, but what an experience! This is a very popular lunch spot, and it’s about 40 yards away from our hotel’s front door. They serve exactly two dishes, bun cha and fried springrolls (nem), and you don’t actually order… they point you to a table and just start bringing you food soon after you sit. You get a massive bowl of grilled pork in a tasty broth, an even more massive plate of fresh greens (including thai basil, cilantro, lettuce, etc.), fresh rice noodles (which they cut up with scissors for you), a bowl of zesty dipping sauce for the nem, a bowl of chopped red-hot chilies and garlic, and an empty bowl for each person to mix stuff up in. How you choose to eat it all depends on your chopstick skills. It’s all delicious, far more food than we could possibly eat, and cost less than $9 for the three of us (plus drinks).

Bun Bo Nam Bo – Two or three short blocks away from our hotel was another notable lunch spot, which serves just bun bo… which is a big, savory bowl with thin rice noodles topped with marinated beef slices, cooked torn lettuce, basil, cilantro, lettuce and peanuts. Small pitchers of spicy peanut sauce are also provided (and recommended, btw). You just sit down at a communal table, tell them how many bowls and what drinks you want, and it appears a minute later. Mix it all up with your chopsticks, and dig in! It’s not quite as well known among tourists as the bun cha place mentioned above, but the value and deliciousness are pretty much equal.

In general, everywhere we ate, the food was not only tasty and interestingly prepared and served… it was fresh. Fresher than fresh. And while the portions were tremendous and our appetites hearty, we never really had that sluggish, unpleasant feeling you get sometimes after over-indulging. It was all very good, and probably good for you.

It is worth noting that were very careful about not drinking the local tap water, nor any drinks with ice in them. I’m happy to say that none of us experienced any digestive distress during our stay, as some other unlucky travelers have been known to encounter.

I'm so pleased to hear that you got to Bun Bo Nam Bo - my favorite restaurant in Hanoi. I was unable to eat at Bun Cha Dac Kim as my husband does not eat pork and there were no alternatives for him there. How I miss the Vietnamese food!

mr_go,

So I'm guessing as a non-pork eater like myself, I will have to skip Bun Cha Dac Kim. Are the nem (spring rolls) also made with pork?

jdc

Great report. Bring back delicious memories.
jdc26, Pork is very much of the Vietnamese diet. I suggest you have someone write something in Vietnamese to show to the restaurants that you don't eat pork. You can ask the front desk people in the hotel to do it for you.

Yeah, jdc, I'd say that if pork isn't your thing, there are several thousand better alternatives to Dac Kim in town. And Bun Bo Nam Bo is just a stone's throw away.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that we missed out on a whole bunch of places and tastes that we researched and planned to check out but never got around to. More upscale places like Indochine, French/Asian fusion places like Green Tangerine, a 'cook-it-yourself' hotpot place we read about, etc. Our guidebook even mentioned a little place that only serves fresh-grilled steaks with a schmear of pate' on top.

This report just keeps getting better and better! I feel like running to our local Vietnamese restaurant right now.

Thanks, HappyTrvlr. I wish we had a good local Vietnamese restaurant out here in the far western Chicago 'burbs. There are some in the city on the north side, but that is a trip, in itself, for us.

I'm sure you're right Mr (Ms) G. Hanoi would be right up our alley. (we've even got a discount airline that goes there via Kuala Lumpur). Someday, near the top of the list.

Lovin' this food stuff! I liiiiive for VN food. Wish I'd timed this better, I could have read over last night's take away pho from the neighborhood here (although, as good as it was, probably would pale in comparison to eating in Hanoi. But I feel lucky to have it nearby. Never had anything like this in St Louis).

The routine at Bun Cha Dac Kim sounds fantastic! I think one of the first eatery recommendations I actually wrote down from a TR. Don't want to miss that one.

Great report mr. & ms. go! I was in Hanoi at the beginning of March and stayed at the Elegance Diamond...I can only echo your comments about the Elegance hotel chain...they are GREAT!

I too had lunch (there were 4 of us) at Dac Kim and for $12 (total!) it was a fantastic experience...climbing the stairs to the 3rd floor was not for the faint of heart, but the food was oh, so worth it!

I believe the hotpot place you mentioned is Highway 4, we went there for dinner one night and had the snakefish hotpot, it was a fun experience, but the food wasn't stellar, maybe it was the cooks (us!) However, the springrolls there were terrific!

Now I need to check out your photos. I've been home 4 weeks and have just sorted through all mine (2400...but I was traveling for 3 weeks, Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand). After reading your trip great trip report, I'm reluctant to write one of my own!

Thanks, Clifton and LowCountryIslander. LCI, looking forward to your trip report and photos!

I'm going very slowly in the photo department (work and taxes have something to do with that, I guess). But in case anyone is hungry, here are a few bun cha photos from Dac Kim. I'll eventually add some more to this (and other) albums):

http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p578530885

Fascinating report - really readable and lots of useful links etc. Looking forward to more! Great that you have included a photo of the outside of a restaurant - must do that myself.

Presume you were there the very end of March / early April. Do you know if it warms up quickly during April?

CarrieAnn... I would say so, especially since the predicted high temp for this Saturday is 90 degrees (F)!

Incidentally, ms_go has posted a mini trip report about the 12-hour layover we spent in Seoul on the way back home from Hanoi. You can read it here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/experiencing-a-little-seoul-during-a-long-incheon-icn-layover.cfm

Our Seoul photos can be seen here:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p132604610

We felt it made sense to post that TR as a separate thread with a 'Korea' tag.

Lovely pictures of Seoul. We had planned on a day in Seoul several years ago when going to Thailand, but realized before we left that unlike the steamy temps in Thailand, it would be the middle of Korea's winter. We nixed that idea when considering the extra clothing that would be necessary. After seeing your pictures I realize we'll have to add this in another time.

Did you have the Global Entry to reneter the US? If so, how was it? I am wondering whether to get it myself.

HappyTrvlr, we do have Global Entry. It was very quick at SFO; we were each through in about a minute (there were two machines). To be honest, it didn't save us that much this time around, as we got off the plane quickly and the lines were just starting to form at the immigration booths when we got there. But, I can think of plenty of occasions when it would have saved us a lot of time (this was our first time using it)--particularly at ORD, which is where we usually enter.

If you live in proximity to one of the CBP offices, it is pretty easy to do. I registered online, got the notice the next day to schedule my appointment, and then went in a week later for the interview/fingerprinting (could have done it sooner but was waiting for a day when Allie was off school so that she could complete it at the same time).

It took me a while to get to this and then a while to catch up to you. But I'm so glad I did. Fantastic report! You two are very good at this! Not only did I really enjoy it, I learned a lot. Thanks so much for sharing this experience.

Thanks CAPH52, glad you enjoyed it!

In the interest of wrapping this up, here is a link with some of our many, many photos from Hanoi. I'm still working on this as I get the chance (and I haven't even downloaded photos from Allie's camera or either of our iPhones yet), so it may evolve a bit:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p210707711

Thanks again for shairing your trip..It has been very very helpful to me as I plan our time in Hanoi.Photos are terrific too!

Loved the pix (especially as a "remembrance" of our recent trip".

Take a peek at this one -- it really shows the wiring issue --

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KA4J72S-VrDr64XuYHlhkYhvq74z5lTEiH9s6GxQEKI?feat=directlink

Also, did you happen to note the price of tickets for the Backstreet Boys concert? They went to over $100USD per ticket. Somehow, I don't think they were catering to the local population!

THAT’S ABOUT IT
I’d like to put a coda on this report by summarizing our impressions of the place, and about the all-too-brief time we spent here.

If you’ve never been to this part of the world, it really is hard to put into words what you can expect. And whatever it is that you do expect already… you’re probably way off. I doubt that our extensive album of photos is going to remedy that because, by definition, still images are the very antithesis of what Hanoi is about. This town is its own peculiar form of perpetual motion, an endless ballet of kinetic flux.

We’ve already told you about the sites, the food, the excursions, the accommodations and the logistics of our trip. But we haven’t really talked about the people… and they might be the most compelling reason to visit. So many of the people we met in North Vietnam were truly warm, helpful, friendly and easygoing. And I have to say it: meeting them made me feel badly about what happened between our two nations 40-50 years ago. Even if it doesn’t matter much to them anymore.

I started this report by saying that I had almost named it “What Would Anthony Bourdain Do?” In point of fact, I actually said that phrase out loud more than once during our trip, and it seemed fitting. See, this isn’t necessarily a place for relaxing in the lap of luxury, or for lolling in the sun & sand, or for immersing yourself in highbrow culture (although you could if you chose to). It really is a place meant for exploring, and you really never know what’s around the next corner. An Anthony Bourdain sort of place. It’s the kind of place that you dive into and drink in as much experience as you can, and where satisfying your appetite for new flavors only leaves you hungry for more.

But for all that motion and energy going on in Hanoi… it’s not really going anywhere. So there’s always time to pause and reflect, to kick back in a public park and people-watch, to grab a cold one and soak it all in before rejoining the dance.

So what would Tony Bourdain do? He’d order another tall Bia Ha Noi and a plate of nem, and chill his (bleep) out. That’s what he’d do.

AND LASTLY…
Our many thanks to those who have gone before us and posted their experiences here on this forum and elsewhere. Our trip would have been a far lesser experience without this valuable information, and we are genuinely grateful. I’ve said it many times before, but we can never really pay back the debt of thanks we owe to the men and women who have written so extensively and so well about this part of the world. So instead of paying them all back, the best we can do is “pay it forward” by posting our own report and our photos, and by answering your questions as best we can. And I hope we have done just that.

And finally, thanks to each of you for your kind words in this thread. We genuinely appreciate it.

Next stop... Tuscany in autumn.

Bravo mr. & ms. go! You have so eloquantly put into words my same thoughts about Hanoi...this trip report is a treasure! Thank you for taking the time to write and post it here on Fodors.

What a nice ending to a great report!

I really enjoyed your report! It brought back so much of my experience of Hanoi!

Thanks for contributing a wonderful report. Hanoi does indeed rock!

What more can I say...you did a fabulous job reporting back to us. Thanks.

Getting to come back and catch up on the rest of the report has been a treat - as was the Seoul report as well. Thanks to both of you for doing such a great job.

btw, I think what Anthony Bourdain did was move there for awhile!

Clifton: I think what Anthony Bourdain did was move there for awhile!

I actually caught that episode of No Reservations on the flight back home. It's a good one. (I gotta say, the on-demand entertainment systems in biz class on newer UA 747s are a real treat... perfect for those of us who can't sleep.)

Anyway, thanks again for your kind words. And be sure to check out our Hanoi & Seoul photos if you haven't already.

Very nice report. I am finally going to be visiting Viet Nam for two weeks next January and it will be quite helpful. I was last there 43 years ago, but obviously not in the north. While the circumstances were quite different, I do remember it being a beautiful country. Thanks again.

Family_go,
I always love your photos! Thanks for another great trip report.

Thank you SO much for posting this! My boyfriend and I will be making our way to Vietnam in a couple weeks. I am even more excited now than I was before, especially about our Halong Bay cruise (we also booked via IJ). Thanks!

Thanks a lot ET, sassy & Lindsey. It is a very beautiful place. Just remember, when/if you go there, to expect the unexpected!

Thanks very much for your great writings. I love it very much. Feel like I'm traveling with you. Thanks again.

Feel like I'm traveling with you.

I hope so! Thank you very much for your kind words.

LOVE your photos of Hanoi, I wish mine had captured the city as well as yours did........

Thanks Smeagol, but I think we had an unfair advantage: two shooters. Three, if you count Allie and her smart-phone.

Your word pictures carried me right back; Hanoi is a great city! I really enjoyed the Perfume Pagoda boat ride, too--that scenery is gorgeous. True, the cave itself is somewhat anti-climatic, but the journey is amazing. Thanks for the great details.

Thanks so much, Amy! As I mentioned up-thread, our next trip (and report) will be from Tuscany... but we will be returning to SE Asia in early '12. Specifically, Siem Reap/Angkor, Luang Prabang (Laos), and BKK. Stay tuned.

You're going back already??? Lucky you!

sf7303--this evolved (very quickly) out of a discussion about taking a weekend trip to Toronto. Don't ask!

Actually, when we realized Allie's university doesn't start second semester until later in January, we decided to jump on a rare opportunity (for us) to travel after the holidays...and this was high on our wish list and seemed like a logical choice for that time of year.

Lucky, crazy, loaded with FF miles, and always hungry for more adventure.

OK, my wife's response was better than mine.

Hi there
Thank you so much for such great possitive travel report, i do hope will have more travel post great travel report like this on here

What a great report! We live in San Francisco and have a great selection of Vietnamese restaurants, but the way you describe the food in Hanoi makes me want to jump on the next plane! Thanks again.

Thanks!

auntlisey, I'm ready to jump on the next plane, too! Actually, I'll happily take recommendations for Vietnamese restaurants in San Francisco. Allie and I will be there for 4-5 days next month for Outside Lands and were hoping to find one--not that we won't have plenty of food choices at the festival, itself.

Tu Lan, a total dive on 6th Street just south of Market, is pretty darn good.

We leave for Hanoi on June,2012. Thank you so much for your trip info. I appreciate the visa advice but knowing now the situation at arrival, would you wait and get your visa at the airport? Would you recommend 1 or 2 nights to Halong Bay? I am susceptable to motion sickness so my concern is a rocking boat at night. We are also going to Thailand and Cambodia, where did you stay in Bangkok? Thank you!!!

nokomis, I'm glad it was helpful.

Others here can comment on the visa on arrival process, but I was happy to have done it in advance (one less thing to deal with when arriving jet lagged)--and it was very easy.

One or two nights on Ha Long Bay? At the time of year we went, one was sufficient for us due to the weather and temps. June may be different, and I think there are some more kayaking opportunities, etc., with a two-night trip--but I'd probably make the decision more on how much time you have relative to other things on your agenda. Our daughter has had issues with motion sickness in the past, but she had no issues here. It was pretty still.

We stayed at the Peninsula in Bangkok in '09 (it was a 20th anniversary trip). Of course we loved it--so much that I've talked the family into splurging for one night there on our upcoming trip in January

sf7307, thanks! That sounds perfect. And not too far from where we're staying.

Just to add to this--I am a motion sickness queen (not that anybody would want that title) and I LOVED the HaLong Bay boat. It was the best night's sleep I've ever had.

Two days/one night worked out well for me for HaLong Bay, as well.

ms_go,

I have a co-worker from Vietnam who highly recommends Pagolac. It's in the Tenderloin area and only open for dinner. Other good Vietnamese restaurants are Kim Thanh (for their famous salt baked crab)and Slanted Door in the Ferry Building at the Embarcadero (this is a very popular restaurant in a good area). The San Francisco Shopping Centre (home of Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom's) has a great international food court on the lower level that has Out the Door which is the sister to Slanted Door. Between the two, I'd definitely go to Slanted Door. Tu Lan at 6th & Market has some pretty good dishes at great prices (yes it's a dive)! I absolutely love their lemon beef salad and fried ginger fish!

Just to add, Slanted Door is to Tu Lan as, for ex., La Badiane is to Bun Bo Nam Ho, to use a Hanoi reference.

There's an Out the Door in the Ferry Building, too.

I'll put Pagolac on my list to try ( also Turtle Tower).

We tried another upscale Vietnamese place the other day - Three Seasons - and were disappointed.

Excellent! Thanks auntlisey and sf7307. We had lunch at Slanted Door a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. We'll probably stay a bit more casual and less "planned" (no reservations) on this trip, but I'd love to go back there sometime. I was in the city for the day about a month ago and had take-out lunch from Out the Door at the Ferry Building--and apparently "sold" the pork and vegetarian buns so well that now I have to take Allie there at some point. I've put Pagolac and Tu Lan on my list. Did a search on both and they look great--exactly the sort of thing we're looking for. We're staying just off Union Square, so both are in striking distance, and we're not concerned about the neighborhood or the "dive" factor.

ms_go,

Glad you were able to go to the Slanted Door. Do try the food court in SF Centre shopping mall - there's an Out the Door takeout and restaurant on the lower level. I can tell you more about Tu Lan and another resto at Union Square - please e-mail me at Kobe500@yahoo.com .

sf7307 - would love to have a private discussion about SF restaurants! Please e-mail me if you get a chance.

Apologies for not following up on the post above. Right after that exchange, we found out friends from New York City also would be in the bay area on our one free night, so our plans were up in the air until the very last minute--literally until we were all standing in Union Square deciding where to go for dinner.

Ultimately, we did decide go to Tu Lan and it was perfect for what we wanted that evening. I'm certainly no authority on "authentic" Vietnamese food after only a week in Hanoi, but the whole experience and the food reminded Allie and I a lot of what we encountered there--even the prices to some extent. We spent just over $100 for eight people and ended up with WAY too much food (including a couple entire orders of summer rolls that no one had room to touch). The fried fish with ginger sauce was was great--and all the rolls ,especially the imperial rolls! Don't recall what everyone else had, but our friends eat Vietnamese food fairly often in NYC, and they also thought the food was good here. So thanks to both of you for the recommendations!

Aside from breakfast in Oakland with a Fodorite and a couple of snacks at the Ferry Building--including, yes, pork and vegetarian buns from Out the Door--all the rest of our dining consisted of sampling restaurants that were at Outside Lands (now I could also talk about the spicy Homeroom mac 'n cheese....).

Great report-thank you. I understand you can purchase really good art there at a reasonable price. Did you see many galleries and did you find it to be well priced? Thank you.

Hi, southeastern. Our time in Hanoi was very limited, and unfortunately so was our luggage space. We were able to find a lot of amazingly priced gift items for family and friends (e.g. scarves, small apparel items, jewelry, etc.) but to be honest, we didn't really explore the galleries. On our trip out to HaLong Bay, the bus stopped at a very large gift shop that included an impressive selection of carvings, sculptures and the like. But none of us was interested in carrying anything, and we were content to just hang out and get snacks.

Mr_Go... I'm curious, did you to a trip report on Bangkok? I am enjoying your writing style. I'd love to 'see BKK' thru your eyes, on that short short short trip to my favorite city.

We sure did, simpson. Thanks for your kind words.

Here's the version we posted to our travel blog, with pictures and everything...
http://www.onelittleworld.com/bangkok_1.html

(Note: ms_go and I write these things as a team. The "style" is sort of an amalgam of our respective voices. The versions we post to our own site, therefore, use the third person and we refer to ourselves by name instead "I did this" or "she did that".)

Of course, we did post a version of that trip report here first...

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/who-says-you-cant-travel-all-the-way-to-bangkok-for-just-five-days-trip-report-by-mrms-go.cfm

Thanks so much for the link to your BKK report. As I re-read that thread, it was sounding familiar... and then, aha, there was a posting from me in the middle of it, so I really did read along with that report as it was being typed a couple of years or so ago. Anyway, a great re-read. Thanks for the link.

DS is leaving for BKK tomorrow (I'm dropping him off at ORD about 10:15ish for that long haul to NRT... and a quick shower in the Red Carpet Club... have you done that??? what a great pick-me-up!!) and then on to BKK. Wish I was going, but, alas, I was just there in April and again in July, and am going back again in October and then again in December/January for about 3 weeks, over the holidays. I will have my fill of BKK in 2011. Although... one can never get their fill of such a fantastic city, can they?

I am starting to venture further afield from Thailand, having gone to Hong Kong in April, Singapore in July, and will do Penang Malaysia in October. I must put Hanoi on my list of places to visit sometime soon, thanks to this "Hanoi Rocks" trip report.

BTW, I was not surprised at all by your comparison of crossing the streets in Hanoi and...... Naples! Been there, done that (very carefully). haha

If you are in BKK during January 2-3-4 on your next trip, it would be great to have a beer or coffee or glass of wine... whatever, and connect yet another fodorite name/face. We return from Hua Hin, back to Sukhumvit soi 8 (Adelphi Suites) on January 2nd, middle of the afternoon most probably, for a few more days, heading home to blustery cold Illinois on Jan 5th.

If it would work out, that'd be great! Anyway, thanks for that link, and thanks for the great report on Hanoi!

Carol

Thanks, Carol! Yes, do visit Hanoi sometime. I think you'll like it.

Haven't used the showers at NRT, but we have elsewhere, including the Asiana lounges in Seoul enroute to/from Hanoi.

Unfortunately, our schedules won't cross in January. We're not leaving here until a little after you get home...so maybe a future trip. Or, if you're ever passing by the western 'burbs on your way to Chicago/ORD, we are in the Fox Valley just off I-88, and we have a pretty good Thai restaurant here--maybe a good alternative place for a GTG sometime