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deessell2
Joined: 11 Jun 2005
Posts: 132
Location: Under the sun
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 Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:23 pm Post subject: Re: HCMC is better for nightlife |
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| thomas123 wrote: |
| I have spent a total of about 8 months in Vietnam, north and south. Hanoi is fun for a few days but has no lightlife. In fact, in recent months the authorities in Hanoi have imposed a 12pm curfew on drinking. The only good club, the New Century Club, has been closed down. |
Well, whether New Century is/was a good club is highly debatable. It was closed down because of drugs and criminal activities. But you are correct when you say that Hanoi has no nightlife. Some people seem to forget that Vietnam is still a communist country. It is much more conservative here in Hanoi. Hanoians are savers and Saigonese are spenders. It�s also not as 'flashy' here, it�s much more European. Old money. 
I actually like that about the place. As a woman living in Asia it�s nice not to see blatant sex tourism. Hanoi attracts a different kind of expat, and I guess a different kind of teacher. I have met some really interesting and smart people here. I can�t say that about my time teaching in Korea.
I think the nightlife was better in 2003-2005 than now. There was Fredo�s great club Phuc Tan. It was also a time when the expats had control of their bars, clubs and restaurants. Things went downhill fast when the local partners got the businesses. And you are right about the police cracking down a lot. I�m not a boozer this time around so it doesn�t bother me that it�s not a 24 hour city. I also start in the morning so 11-12pm is late enough.
The salaries in Hanoi are higher because the standards are higher here. The students have high expectations; they pay a lot of money to study and want to see some value. They ask a lot of grammar questions, so you need to prepare for your lessons. It�s a small town and �chancers� and �cowboys� will find it harder here.
�So yes Hanoi is not for everyone. On a good day it�s beautiful, on a bad day it�s chaos theory in action. But, there is something very magical about the place. |
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SCHUBERT
Joined: 01 Oct 2006
Posts: 71
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| Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:53 am Post subject: |
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I understand what deessell2 means by 'Hanoi attracting a different kind of ex-pat'. I spent my first year in HCM and, like Thomas123, took an apartment in Disctirct 7. A lot more variety and people to meet. And year round hot, angry sun. Not sure why - but 1 year of that was enough.
I looked for change in Hanoi. It is definitely a more intimate town. I liked being able to head for those alpine mountains to Sapa, sitting in old cafe shops with old men who spoke French and 4 seasons in the year made it a more homely place - even the ballfreezing winter. And 1 year of that was enough.
I got tired of people forever hammering some room into shape next door .. wherever i happened to be staying North or South V'nam - and not being ever able to really meet the native on any mutual ground - but thats just me.
I often wonder if i had been working for some large business in Vnam or even riding one of those NGO tickets, would my experience of Vnam have been entirely different (less 'whingey like  )? - i mean if i'd been working at some meaningful, well-paid enterprise other than teaching English.
.. meanwhile if ever i pay a flying visit to Nam, Hanoi will be my stopover point |
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feemtwo
Joined: 13 Dec 2007
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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This post is a great contrast of the 2 cities.
I'm just a little confused. A few times in this post Hanoi's winters have been characterized as very cold. However, I found this page of weather averages on MSN which indicates that the average low in January is 59F/15C, which to me doesn't seem that cold.
http://weather.msn.com/monthly_averages.aspx?wealocations=wc:VMXX0006
Can anyone let me know if this information is in line with their experience in Hanoi? Thanks! |
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