Job Discussion Forums

[gjan45]

Is anyone in HANOI???? I have been here two days in Vietnam, Hanoi. It seems to be the high season for tourist now. There is heavy traffic but I imagine Saigon has a lot more given it's a bigger city. So far I like what I see and the ppl have been really nice. I'm staying at a guest house called Manh Dung not bad for 8 USD but I hope to move from there soon to Thun Giang which it seems to be the best. I have already started looking for work, have contacted schools like VATC and SITC. I'm giving 2-3 week to Hanoi if nothing comes up here I'll most likely go South. i hope top hear from some of you..

[OzBurn]

Saigon has more traffic, more people, more shops, more money -- more, more, more of everything, except for quiet, relatively clean air, and low-rise buildings. I would say the weather is more pleasant there than in Hanoi, which is too hot and too humid for me. People seem very nice in both places, but those in Hanoi were in my experience more frightened of the government, either because of more years of communism or because the govt even now is more oppressive. It seems clear that people in the south are much more relaxed, at least about politics, and feel freer to speak their minds.

The Crown Hotel seemed like a better deal to me than the guest houses. I got a spacious, well-appointed and very clean room for 10 USD a night. My guest house, the first one listed in the LP, was filthy and depressing, and the beds were just awful.

[gjan45]

[desultude]

I spent about a week in both Saigon and Hanoi this month, and I found that I liked Saigon much more. That isn't enough time to get a full impression, true. But I liked the vitality of Saigon, and I also think the weather was better. The people seemed friendlier and more open. The big public markets (one of my favorite places to go in any city) are packed and lively in Saigon, in Hanoi they were dark, dank, empty and downright depressing.