Getting there: From Phnom Penh, we booked a ticket with the Capitol travel agency to get to Chau Doc by boat. The ride is painless and everything, including passing the border, is very well organized. We highly recommend this option.
What to do: Friends who have taken the 2-day tour on the Mekong with Sinh Cafe were enthuastic about it. My Tho and Ben Tre are worth a visit.
Where to stay: In Chau Doc, we stayed at Thuan Loi Hotel (18, Tran Hung Dao) with a view on the riverside. It was ok.
Where to eat: There are food stalls on the street. Just walk around and you will find! And exotic fruits from the market make a good desert.
HO CHI MINH CITY/SAIGON (VIETNAM)
Getting there: On our way to Ho Chi Minh City (that most local people still call Saigon), we took a local bus. It was not our best experience... We departed 3-hour late. The ticket controller was agressive. We were forced to keep our luggage on us even though there were many empty seats. The bus stopped everywhere. Locals were complaining about the vendors coming in and out, overpricing items and not giving back change. From that point, we decided to take a tourist bus.
Where to eat: Hard to say since we always mostly ate at relatives' places! But one place we would definitively recommend is Nam Giao, where you can find traditional food from central Vietnam (at 26/B13 + 14 Su Van Hanh nd, Quan 10, phone: 8621203 or at 136/15 Le Thanh Ton, Quan 1, phone: 8250261).
HOI AN (VIETNAM)
Getting there: We had a Sinh Cafe "open tour ticket". For 23 US$, you can get from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and stop at different places on the way. The buses (all A/C) are on time, there are stops at points of interest along the way, the service is professional, and the driving safe.
What to do: Visit the typical old houses of Hoi An, walk along the river, go to the Japanese bridge, walk in the market and get yourself new clothes! We went to My Dieu's shop (#14 in the Hoi An cloth market, tel.: 0510. 863252) and were very satisfied. The first day, we only ordered few things. But the following days, seeing the result, we bought a lot more.
We also had shoes made at Hung Vi (tel.: 0510. 910658), the shop next door. Don't forget to mention that you wear socks! Otherwise, they may make your shoes too tight. The final result really suits your foot, and it feels great!
Where to stay: We stayed at Vinh Huy Hotel, which we do not recommend. It is where the Sinh Cafe agency took us. The service is not professional, intrusive, and we had three different rooms during our stay. The first night, they wanted to charge us 10$ while we agreed that we would not pay more than 6$. So they moved us the second day in another room with a "suicidal shower" (electrical shocks when you shower). On the third night, we had a small room with no windows. It was humid, and noisy. However, we have to say that the place is spotless, cheap (when they agree on charging 6 US$!), and... they have satellite TV!
Where to eat: Bobo Cafe (on Le Loi St.) was ok for breakfast. The well-known Cafe des amis (on the riverside) is now relatively expensive (approx. 30 000 VND) for what you get. For the same price, we preferred Nhu Y restaurant, in front of the cloth market. Along the riverside, we recommend Rose restaurant, where we had a good cao lau.
HUE (VIETNAM)
What to do: A visit to the royal tombs is a must, particularly Minh Mang's and Tu Duc's tombs (entrance fees: 55 000 VND for each). We hired a driver with motorbike for the whole day (5 US$) who also drove us to the famous Thien Mu pagoda.
Where to stay: We were at Mimosa Hotel (46/6 Le Loi), which we do not highly recommend. The family is very friendly, but the rooms are so-so (8-12 US$).
Where to eat: For breakfast, try Minh and Coco Mini Restaurant's pancake (1 Hung Vuong). For dinner, we recommend La Carambole (19 Pham Ngu Lao). If you like photography, you can have a coffee at Mandarin Cafe on Hung Vuong where the owner, a photographer, exposes his work.
HANOI (VIETNAM)
What to do: The most interesting things to do are not in Hanoi itself, but depart from Hanoi. Visiting Ha Long Bay is a must, as well as going on a trip to Sapa (which we regret not having done, but heard amazing things about). For any of these activities, we highly recommend ODC travel agency, with which we had a great service. It may not be the cheapest agency (compared to Sinh cafe's rates, for example), but what you get is way superior to what other agencies offer. ODC travel's office can be found in several locations: 43 Hang Bo and 142 Hang Bac streets (phone: (84.4) 828 8729 or 824 3024). A note on shopping: if you ever want to buy a traditional Vietnamese instrument, have a look at Thanh Tuan shop at 1C Hang Manh (phone: (84.4) 824 7166).
Where to stay: We stayed at Anh Dao Hotel (37 Ma May street) in the Old Hanoi Quarter. It was fine. At the time, we paid 10 US$ for a two-bed room with bathroom. The price included the breakfast and free Internet access. It was not our cheapest room, but it was the end of the trip so we decided to splash it all out!
Where to eat: There are many little places to eat. We liked Little Hanoi (there are two on Pho Ta Hien, we liked the one upstairs, if my memory is good, the address was 18). The food is good, but you may see a lot of backpackers since the restaurant is listed in the Lonely Planet... For excellent and more expensive food, there is the Tamarind Cafe (80 Pho Ma May, phone: 926 0580). It is stylish, and the background music would be something like the soundtrack of "In the mood for love"... For culinary experiences, try all these shops on the street that sell "banh cuon" (a kind of pancake made with rice flour) or "pho" (the traditional Vietnamese soup), for example. If they don't have a menu in English, then, you are likely to be in a good spot!
Read more!
Secluded sandy caves are everywhere an in the summer months the warm waters of the bay are ideal for swimming, snorkeling or kayaking. History shows that Halong Bay has been the setting for local naval battles against Vietnams coastal neighbours. On three occasions in the labyrinth of channels in Bach Dang river near the islands the Vietnamese army stopped the Chinese from landing. In 1288 General Tran Hung Dao stopped Mongol ships from sailing up the nearby Bach Dang River by placing steel-tipped wooden stakes at high tide, sinking the Mongol Dubhai Khans fleet.
