My wife and I are planning to travel to Asia for 3 weeks. We were planning on going to Vietnam for 4 days or so, but didn't know whether to go to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Any advice or suggestions here?

Having been to Saigon 3 times and Hanoi 2 I think Hanoi is the most interesting city. The large lake in the center makes it easy to walk. email me for other info you would like.

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I agree Hanoi is the more interesting city. At this pont, HCMC is a large modern, Asian city but does not have the character of Hanoi. If you do a search on this board, you'll find this question gets asked with some frequency and you can read the comments of many people. Searching on Hanoi will get you recommendations for restaurants and musems, daytrips and hotels.

another vote for hanoi..you time allotment is perfect to get a good handle on this small city

Thanks for the responses. Wow 3-0 for Hanoi. I had always by default assumed that Ho Chi Minh City would have been the better place to visit without actually doing any research on it, but reading everyone's travel reports etc, it seems Hanoi must have something going for it...

Hanoi is the more charming city by a fair margin, I think. The Ancient Quarter is not to be missed, and is easily reached on foot. The central tourist area isn't not free of touts, but my suggestion is to get up very early one morning and take a stroll around the lake before the pests are up and about and while people are still engaged in tai chi, badminton etc. You could finish with a coffee at the Cafe au Lac, opposite the Sofitel. (That's another great thing about Vietnam - the French legacy of good coffee and pastries.)