SE Asia Trip
Mar 11th, 2008, 10:46 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 224
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
SE Asia Trip
We returned from our SE Asia trip three weeks ago. Sorry for not posting sooner but you all know how busy you are after being away for o month.
First, thanks to all who provided help putting this trip together. You tips and ideas made this a wonderful rxperience.
We spent 4 1/2 days in Hanoi. Stayed at the Sofitel Metropole which is an outstanding hotel. Their staff is fantastic, they could not do enough for us. We were in the Opera section on the second floor of rooms, we would call that the third floor, facing the main street. With all the car and scotter traffic it did get noisy at times. I would reccommend facing the garden/pool area although we did not see these newly renovated rooms. I think this is the best hotel to stay at based on service, price and location. We booked through Vietnamstay.
We ate at the following restaurants;
Bobby Chin which was only fair and would not reccommend. Pho 24 for soup is good idea for lunch or dinner. Two bowls of Pho plus tea, less than $4. Biennbo, 2B Trang Thi, just past Bobby Chin is a seafood restaurant where no one spoke English. We met a couple who helped us order. A wonderful seafood hot pot plus beer was $11. We found a great place called Le Tonkin Vietnamese Restaurant, 14 Ngo Van So, also in the Hoan Kiem district. We ate there twice. Dinner with beer $19. These prices are for two people. We also had lunch at a Sen, a buffet, which was $10. Sen gave us a chance to taste things that we might not order in a regular place. Sen is near West Lake.
Our guide, Huong, was recommended by friends who recently traveled with her in Hanoi. She translates ancient texts at the Temple of Literature. Her e-mail is [email protected]. She is a very interesting lady who will not only show you the tourist places but has several places that she likes to visit. Be sure she takes you to the home and studio of her friend, Bui Mai Hien, one of the foremost lacquer artists in Vietnam.
From Hanoi we went to HaLong Bay and spent one night on the Ginger Junk. I think that you will enjoy this first class experience. We booked through dreamvietnamtravel.com. This boat is more costly than most of the others but you get what you pay for.
We than flew to Hue where we spent two nights at the La Residence Hotel & Spa which is a very nice hotel on the river. We ate dinner at the hotel which was very good. We did a city tour with exotissimo.com. This one day tour showed us most of the usual tourist sites. I will say that the Old Imperial City was a bit if a disappointment as it has not been redeveloped after the war. I may have been expecting something different after seeing the Forbidden City in Bejing last April. We did have lunch, which was included in the tour, at Y Thao Garden restaurant, 3 Thach Han St, which was lovely. Hotel was booked through Vietnamstay.
The weather in both Hanoi and Hue in late January was 45-50 degrees and rainy.
We next visited Saigon for three days which was wonderful. We stayed at the one year old Park Hyatt, located behind the opera house and near city hall. This is truly a five star property. We did Saigon on our own but took a half day tour, through the hotel, which took us to several places that we probably would not have visited on our own. Saigon is an easy city to walk as most of the things to see are relatively close to each other.
The most expensive dinner on our whole trip was at an outstanding restaurant behind the Hyatt called Nam Phan, 64 Le Than St. They serve a fixed menu. Dinner with beer was $75 and was fantastic. Another place for dinner was Quan An Ngon, 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia (NKKN), which is near the Reunification Palace. You would not believe the number of people who were there that night. Dinner for two was $6.
We visited the standard tourist sites in Saigon. Weather in late January was hot and humid just like home.
A few general statements about Vietnam. The people are very nice, the food was good, we did not eat street food, but tried to eat where the locals eat and, for the most, part the sites we visited were interesting. Because it is a poor country the museums, we feel, were not very well done. People are not happy about the education and health care situation and we saw evidence of coruption on the streets of Saigon and on the river in Hue which people are also not happy about. Also, it appeard to us that the country has few traditions and little culture of its own which is probably due to having been controlled by many other countries in its history. In 2010 Hanoi will celebrate its 1000 year anniversary. We recommend visiting Vietnam.
Next installment, Bangkok, Siem Reap and Hong Konk.
First, thanks to all who provided help putting this trip together. You tips and ideas made this a wonderful rxperience.
We spent 4 1/2 days in Hanoi. Stayed at the Sofitel Metropole which is an outstanding hotel. Their staff is fantastic, they could not do enough for us. We were in the Opera section on the second floor of rooms, we would call that the third floor, facing the main street. With all the car and scotter traffic it did get noisy at times. I would reccommend facing the garden/pool area although we did not see these newly renovated rooms. I think this is the best hotel to stay at based on service, price and location. We booked through Vietnamstay.
We ate at the following restaurants;
Bobby Chin which was only fair and would not reccommend. Pho 24 for soup is good idea for lunch or dinner. Two bowls of Pho plus tea, less than $4. Biennbo, 2B Trang Thi, just past Bobby Chin is a seafood restaurant where no one spoke English. We met a couple who helped us order. A wonderful seafood hot pot plus beer was $11. We found a great place called Le Tonkin Vietnamese Restaurant, 14 Ngo Van So, also in the Hoan Kiem district. We ate there twice. Dinner with beer $19. These prices are for two people. We also had lunch at a Sen, a buffet, which was $10. Sen gave us a chance to taste things that we might not order in a regular place. Sen is near West Lake.
Our guide, Huong, was recommended by friends who recently traveled with her in Hanoi. She translates ancient texts at the Temple of Literature. Her e-mail is [email protected]. She is a very interesting lady who will not only show you the tourist places but has several places that she likes to visit. Be sure she takes you to the home and studio of her friend, Bui Mai Hien, one of the foremost lacquer artists in Vietnam.
From Hanoi we went to HaLong Bay and spent one night on the Ginger Junk. I think that you will enjoy this first class experience. We booked through dreamvietnamtravel.com. This boat is more costly than most of the others but you get what you pay for.
We than flew to Hue where we spent two nights at the La Residence Hotel & Spa which is a very nice hotel on the river. We ate dinner at the hotel which was very good. We did a city tour with exotissimo.com. This one day tour showed us most of the usual tourist sites. I will say that the Old Imperial City was a bit if a disappointment as it has not been redeveloped after the war. I may have been expecting something different after seeing the Forbidden City in Bejing last April. We did have lunch, which was included in the tour, at Y Thao Garden restaurant, 3 Thach Han St, which was lovely. Hotel was booked through Vietnamstay.
The weather in both Hanoi and Hue in late January was 45-50 degrees and rainy.
We next visited Saigon for three days which was wonderful. We stayed at the one year old Park Hyatt, located behind the opera house and near city hall. This is truly a five star property. We did Saigon on our own but took a half day tour, through the hotel, which took us to several places that we probably would not have visited on our own. Saigon is an easy city to walk as most of the things to see are relatively close to each other.
The most expensive dinner on our whole trip was at an outstanding restaurant behind the Hyatt called Nam Phan, 64 Le Than St. They serve a fixed menu. Dinner with beer was $75 and was fantastic. Another place for dinner was Quan An Ngon, 138 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia (NKKN), which is near the Reunification Palace. You would not believe the number of people who were there that night. Dinner for two was $6.
We visited the standard tourist sites in Saigon. Weather in late January was hot and humid just like home.
A few general statements about Vietnam. The people are very nice, the food was good, we did not eat street food, but tried to eat where the locals eat and, for the most, part the sites we visited were interesting. Because it is a poor country the museums, we feel, were not very well done. People are not happy about the education and health care situation and we saw evidence of coruption on the streets of Saigon and on the river in Hue which people are also not happy about. Also, it appeard to us that the country has few traditions and little culture of its own which is probably due to having been controlled by many other countries in its history. In 2010 Hanoi will celebrate its 1000 year anniversary. We recommend visiting Vietnam.
Next installment, Bangkok, Siem Reap and Hong Konk.
Mar 11th, 2008, 11:46 AM
#4
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 23,341
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for posting! I was there more or less at the same time and was very interested to read your comments. Agree about Bobby Chinn! Not good at all. And the Park Hyatt was splendid!
We can compare experiences; I am working on my report..slowly..
We can compare experiences; I am working on my report..slowly..
Mar 11th, 2008, 07:53 PM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 224
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We visited the Imperial Tombs and they were very impressive.
If you wish I can give you more details as what we actually did and saw in Vietnam.
Again, if looking for a guide in Hanoi do contact Huong.
If you wish I can give you more details as what we actually did and saw in Vietnam.
Again, if looking for a guide in Hanoi do contact Huong.
Mar 11th, 2008, 08:03 PM
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 224
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sorry, I forgot this information. We used Vietnamstay.com to book the hotels in Hanoi and Hue. They also booked our three flights within VN on Vietnam Airlines and they made airport pick up arrangements in Hue and Saigon. Everything went very smoothly, from working with them on the net to pre payment of half, again on line, to going to their office to make final payment. They answered all questions in a timely manner with complete explanations of charges, etc. I caution you to shop around for the best prices as they do mot always have the best price. That is why I did HaLong Bay and the Park Hyatt with other companies.
