Korean Job Discussion Forums

[the eye]

Hanoi:

Try to stay in the old quarter, near the lake. I REALLY recommend the GiaBao Hotel.
It just opened a year ago. Buffet breakie and internet is included in the rate. Plenty of thick cushy soft towels and a nice strong shower with a full size tub. They offer all the complimentary toiletries you can imagine. Rooms have clean air conditioner, cable TV and a very comfortable bed. The rooms start at $25, but if you stay for a few days they will discount. I stayed there for $20/night and they took off the tax as well. They are quite willing to negotiate prices and the service is excellent.
Other good hotels that I saw...
Camelia, Prince, Sunshine.

A great tour you should take out of Hanoi, is to the Perfume Pagoda. It was really cool in sight and history, and involves a full day bus, boat and foot trek. Kangaroo Cafe does a great tour there.

Also in Hanoi:
One Pillar Pagoda, and nearby HoChiMinh's stilt house.
The Temple of Literature was interesting, and the Museaum Of Ethnology was great.


HoChiMinh:

Stay in the Phan Ngu Lao district for economy hotels with good value.
Lots of historical points of interest.
-War Museum was excellent.
-The Reunification Palace (Imperial Palace) was great...however, IF you go to the Reunification Palace, you SHOULD let a guide take you through it. The guide is free with admission to the palace, but you have to wait a few minutes until enough people join in.
-Cu Chi Tunnels. From HoChiMinh City, organize a half day tour to Cu Chi tunnels. Do not do the full day tour that includes the temple visit. Just do a half day tunnel tour. I recommend Kim's Travel agency inthe Pham Ngu Lau district. It's in the Lonely Planet book.
-Mekong Delta Tour. A must must must see, is the Mekong Delta. At minimum, do a 2 day tour. One day is mainly tourist markets. 2 or 3 days is really gorgeous stuff. Make sure you have DEET based mosquito repellant.


Mui Ne:
http://www.muinebeach.net/

I really liked this beach town for it's LACK of tourism. Good place to really chill. There's no garbage floating around you when you go swimming as was the problem in Na Trang and Denang. It was quite disgusting to be treading plastic bags and foam food containers in NaTrang.
Mui Ne has great windsurfing facilities, and lessons. There are also a varienty of levels of accomodation from basic places to 5-star resorts.
I stayed at The Sailing Club for 40$/night which was actually a great value.
However, there is a string of great, cheaper places up the road about 5km. I stayed at one of those places for 15$/night. My room practically opened up to the beach. I can't remember the name of the place, though.
Rent a scooter and ride up to the Sand Dunes. It was freaky. There was a mini dessert there. Towering sand dunes as far as you could see. It was like a mirage out of nowhere. Tons of kids will mob you there to go sliding with them down the dunes. They will try to get you to pay as much as they can for an escort and slide.
A good rule of thumb is to try to get them to settle at half their initiial price.

[the saint]

[confucian]

[brickabrack]

"Mui Ne:
http://www.muinebeach.net/

I really liked this beach town for it's LACK of tourism. Good place to really chill. There's no garbage floating around you when you go swimming as was the problem in Na Trang and Denang. It was quite disgusting to be treading plastic bags and foam food containers in NaTrang.
Mui Ne has great windsurfing facilities, and lessons. There are also a varienty of levels of accomodation from basic places to 5-star resorts.
I stayed at The Sailing Club for 40$/night which was actually a great value.
However, there is a string of great, cheaper places up the road about 5km. I stayed at one of those places for 15$/night. My room practically opened up to the beach. I can't remember the name of the place, though.
Rent a scooter and ride up to the Sand Dunes. It was freaky. There was a mini dessert there. Towering sand dunes as far as you could see. It was like a mirage out of nowhere. Tons of kids will mob you there to go sliding with them down the dunes. They will try to get you to pay as much as they can for an escort and slide.
A good rule of thumb is to try to get them to settle at half their initiial price. "

During high season (January), I stayed in a place across the main road from the beach for $6/night. There are a few of them.
Great place to be. The town of Phan Thiet is also quite lively and non-touristy. Super friendly VT folks down south.

[Caffeinated]

[Don Mario]

I recommend Dien Bien Phu. First off, the place is
infamous for the great big battle that took place
in 1954 for 56 days. Second, it is not on the main
tourist trap route. You may see one or two European
tourists in a few days, and that is a relief in itself.
Last, the people are local (some from Hanoi) and
they will treat you like a person, not a tourist.
Have fun! Oh, the bus to Laos leaves at 5 AM!
Too early!

[Kurtz]

NINH BIN!!!!

Awesome place. Make sure you spend a few days and rent a motorbike and go on some day trips. You can go to an ancient capital (bit of a tourist trap), ride around some karst landscapes (it's called the Halong Bay of the rice paddies), go to a Viet/Euro style cathedral (the trip there is a real highlight, passing small towns with canals), or just enjoy the area in general. You'll come across picture postcard Vietnam, complete with verdant rice fields, farmers wearing conical hats, and fields being ploughed by buffalo.

Go there before the masses and crass development ruin it.