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last goodbye
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
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 Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:20 pm Post subject: Who knows some cool places in Vietnam |
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| Who's been? Where's a cool place to stay in Saigon to meet other travellers? places to go ...NOT to go.... whatever..... |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Travel forum will get you more replies. |
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Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:39 am Post subject: |
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Hanoi is great (but everyone tries to rip off whitey).
Ha Long Bay is great.
Ninh Binh is great.
Go eat snake just east of Hanoi, drink it's blood and venom while you are at it. |
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movybuf
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Location: Mokdong
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:51 am Post subject: |
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| Bibbitybop wrote: |
Hanoi is great (but everyone tries to rip off whitey).
Ha Long Bay is great.
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Yes! My friend and I ended up paying something like US$30 for a meal that should have cost us around US$2 becasue the old lady who ran the place took the money out of my friend's hand when he was counting it and wouldn't give it back. She just kind of ran away. It was annoying at the time, but to her US$30 is half a years wages! To us it is a few hours of working.
And there are people trying to sell foreigners everything on the street, and they follow you around and talk even when you said you are not interested. Some guy physically stopped me from moving so he could shine my shoes, but I was wearing sneakers. So, I threw him a few thousand Dong and got away.
Ha Long bay is quite beautiful. We went there and a foggy day and the atmosphere was great. We had a boat for a 3 hour trip(?) for about US$20. |
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Binch Lover
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 1:02 am Post subject: |
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| If you go to Dalat in the highlands, take an Easy Rider motorbike tour. It might seem a bit pricey but it was one of the most memorable things I did in Vietnam. It's a personalised guided trip on the back of a motorbike in the hills around the town. Each driver has his own route and places he brings people so they're not overrun with tourists. Highly recommended. |
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Butterfly
Joined: 02 Mar 2003
Location: Kuwait
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 1:59 am Post subject: |
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| Hang out in Pham Ngu Lao for a couple of days, loads of cheap hotels and loads of backpackers, you meet people really easily there. |
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spliff
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 2:21 am Post subject: |
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| Bibbitybop wrote: |
Hanoi is great (but everyone tries to rip off whitey).
Ha Long Bay is great.
Ninh Binh is great.
Go eat snake just east of Hanoi, drink it's blood and venom while you are at it. |
Wouldn't suggest that as that blood can play host to many diseases. Nah Trang is a nice quit seaside resort. Hui is nice for sightseeing. Watch out for knocks on your door and ugly looking hos clutching condoms in their hands. Plan a trip to sleep in a mountain village just south of Hanoi...good fun partying w/ the local Hmong. Don't fall for any "I know where a former US soldier is living" There aren't any. Bring plenty of 1$ notes as you'lll be surprised what one can get you.  |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 3:17 am Post subject: |
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| I didn't like Halong Bay or HoChiMinh at all. I quiet liked HoiAn though, but in general Vietnam was my least favorite of the former french-indochina colonies. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 4:09 am Post subject: Vietnam |
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I liked Sapa, Halong Bay (the Cave of Stakes was incredible!), Hanoi, Hoi An & Hue.
I didn't like HCMC , Dalat or Nha Trang. Generally the northern part was nicer overall than the south.
I have been to VN twice. |
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the saint
Joined: 09 Dec 2003
Location: not there yet...
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Binch Lover wrote: |
| If you go to Dalat in the highlands, take an Easy Rider motorbike tour. It might seem a bit pricey but it was one of the most memorable things I did in Vietnam. It's a personalised guided trip on the back of a motorbike in the hills around the town. Each driver has his own route and places he brings people so they're not overrun with tourists. Highly recommended. |
an alternative if you can ride a bike is to rent your own. It isn't hard to find all your looking for with the LP maps.
I'd recommend Da Lat. Ha Long Bay was good too but you go for the scenery not the boat so don't bother splashing out on an anything like a Handspan tour - an overpriced ripoff. |
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b_canadian_eh
Joined: 21 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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A spot that no one has mentioned yet and is a bit off the beaten track is the island of Phu Quoc. Not a ton there but laid back vibes, quiet beach, a bit of snorkelling.
We rented a motorbike and cruised around the red dirt roads, went and found some secluded beaches where you can just chill and grab an iced coffee. Caught the most amazing sunset. If you're into laidback, even for a bit, this is the place to be.
Hoi An was a neat place to visit, great place to get custom clothes.
Ha Long bay was spectacular - kayak if you get the chance. |
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ajgeddes
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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| the saint wrote: |
| Ha Long Bay was good too but you go for the scenery not the boat so don't bother splashing out on an anything like a Handspan tour - an overpriced ripoff. |
I disagree. Splurge and go with Handspan and have a much better tour. If you like nice things, go with them. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:06 am Post subject: Vietnam |
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I paid about $25 US in 2001, for an all inclusive weekend trip to Ha Long Bay / Cat Ba Island. (Return bus, boat, accom & food). The food was good, but became monotonous by day 3. (Sunday). Fish & fruit every day.
You can pick up these weekend trips departing Friday, at many of the guesthouses in the Old 1/4 of Hanoi. There was also a shorter & cheaper 1.5 day trip available. |
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the saint
Joined: 09 Dec 2003
Location: not there yet...
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| Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 7:12 am Post subject: |
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| ajgeddes wrote: |
| the saint wrote: |
| Ha Long Bay was good too but you go for the scenery not the boat so don't bother splashing out on an anything like a Handspan tour - an overpriced ripoff. |
I disagree. Splurge and go with Handspan and have a much better tour. If you like nice things, go with them. |
Have you done them and any other agency?
I guess I'd better qualify my advice. Our guide for Handspan was next to useless. Boat showing signs of wear and tear. Cabin was noisy at night cos of crew directly under us and generators from other boats moored around us at night. We were promised sails up on the junk but they never did it - it was obvious that they were beyond repair. No kayaking offered despite assurances that we'd have a chance. Nowhere like a lounge to sit and relax except on deck so if you go in high season it can be bl**dy freezing even when the sun is out.
On that tour, you pay mostly for the food which is really ostentatious - I won't say it's good - it's just flashy. I don't need to pay someone to make me a miniature junk out of fruit. If you're a vegetarian, you really aren't catered for. They just remove meat/fish from the plate and give you sad alternatives which are obviously afterthoughts.
The scenery and the cave are stunning and you can see them from any boat. You can rough it on any boat for a night to see that scenery. If this doesn't put you off, by all means splash out $100 a person for a night. |
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ajgeddes
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan
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| Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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| the saint wrote: |
| ajgeddes wrote: |
| the saint wrote: |
| Ha Long Bay was good too but you go for the scenery not the boat so don't bother splashing out on an anything like a Handspan tour - an overpriced ripoff. |
I disagree. Splurge and go with Handspan and have a much better tour. If you like nice things, go with them. |
Have you done them and any other agency?
I guess I'd better qualify my advice. Our guide for Handspan was next to useless. Boat showing signs of wear and tear. Cabin was noisy at night cos of crew directly under us and generators from other boats moored around us at night. We were promised sails up on the junk but they never did it - it was obvious that they were beyond repair. No kayaking offered despite assurances that we'd have a chance. Nowhere like a lounge to sit and relax except on deck so if you go in high season it can be bl**dy freezing even when the sun is out.
On that tour, you pay mostly for the food which is really ostentatious - I won't say it's good - it's just flashy. I don't need to pay someone to make me a miniature junk out of fruit. If you're a vegetarian, you really aren't catered for. They just remove meat/fish from the plate and give you sad alternatives which are obviously afterthoughts.
The scenery and the cave are stunning and you can see them from any boat. You can rough it on any boat for a night to see that scenery. If this doesn't put you off, by all means splash out $100 a person for a night. |
I would have to say my tour was nothing like that. |
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