Travelog - A travel guide to Vietnam

In Hanoi, the main travellers’ cafés include Love Planet Café, Red River Café, Queen Café and the Green Bamboo (this last is slightly more upmarket). Kangaroo Café is a newcomer to the scene and gets good reviews. For higher quality, tailor-made tours try Buffalo Tours or Vidotour.

The two main travellers’ cafés in HCMC are Sinh and Kim. Among the agents, try Cam On Tours or Fiditourist at the cheaper end, or the more upmarket Ann’s Tourist, Vidotour and Exotissimo.

NB. The travellers’ cafés also provide ticketing and visa services, dispense all sorts of advice, serve cheap food and drinks, and are great places to meet people and pick up the latest information.

Quang Nam is located in the middle of Central Vietnam and is surrounded by Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Ngai, and Kon Tum provinces. The Truong Son Mountains, Laos, and the East Sea also border the province.Quang Nam has various of mountains and hills (covers 72% its surface) with many high mountains such as Lum Heo Mountain of 2,045m, Tion Mountain of 2,032m, Gole – Lang Mountain of 1,855m… Main rivers run from Truong Son Range to East Sea as Vu Gia , Thu Bon, Tam Ky rivers.

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Of all Vietnamese cities, this is the one I enjoy most. It’s an easygoing, peaceful place with lakes and canals, tree-lined boulevards and a certain refinement thanks to its imperial past. Hué also has great cuisine and wonderful restaurants - not to mention all its historical sights. Unfortunately, many sights will have been damaged in the 1999 floods, though to what degree is not yet certain.

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Larger and more cosmopolitan than its northern rival, Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon as most locals still call it) is a fury of sights and sounds. It can be bewildering at first, but it’s never dull. Just find a sidewalk café and watch the world go by.

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Hanoi has changed enormously over the last few years, but I still find it a beguiling city. The Old Quarter is as captivating as ever, while some of the revamped colonial buildings are just stunning.

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Tipping is not expected in Vietnam, but will be greatly appreciated. Smart hotels and restaurants nowadays add a 10-15% service charge (which should be indicated on the bill) but elsewhere it’s up to you. In most cases, a small of tip of a few thousand dong will be sufficient.

It’s a good idea to tip guides, drivers and anyone else who has provided good service. Usually one or two dollars will be enough. When deciding how much to give, bear in mind that the average income in Vietnam is around $250-300 per year (not per month).

I strongly recommend you try the small local restaurants, especially the street kitchens which consist of a few tables and a stove in an open-fronted dining area. They usually specialise in one type of food (often com and pho - rice dishes or noodle soups respectively). Sometimes there will be a range of prepared dishes on display like a buffet, called com binh dan (people’s meals), where you just point at what you want. Often the quality is extremely good, the food is cheap (under $1 for a good plateful) and it’s a great experience.

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HCMC’s Tan Son Nhat airport lies about 7km northwest of the city centre. The best way to get into the city is to take a taxi. Ignore the expensive airport taxi booking desk and pick up a metered taxi outside the terminal (you might have to insist they use the meter; if not agree a price with the driver before setting off). The journey should cost around $7-10. I gather that there’s also an airport bus ($2), but that it only runs between the airport and the Vietnam Airlines office on Nguyen Hué. Note that some of the more expensive hotels provide airport pick ups, so ask about this when booking your room.

Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport is 35km north of the city. A taxi into town should cost around $15-20. You can either pay at the taxi booking desk inside the airport building (make it clear your paying for a taxi and not the minibus), or find your own taxi outside. A cheaper option is the Vietnam Airlines minibus ($4), which drops you outside their office at the south end of Hoan Kiem Lake, though they may take you to your hotel for an extra $1. Tickets are sold inside the terminal building.

Cash advances on credit cards are available at the central Vietcombank in Hanoi, HCMC and other major cities, for which you will be charged around 4%.
Hanoi and HCMC also boast 24hr ATMs where you can withdraw cash on MasterCard, Visa and other cards in the Cirrus/Plus networks.

In Hanoi, go to the ANZ Bank beside Hoan Kiem Lake;
In HCMC both ANZ Bank and HKSB have ATMs;

Incombank, Vietcombank, Agribank also have 24hr ATMs

Major credit cards (Visa, American Express, JCB, MasterCard) are gradually becoming more widely accepted in Vietnam, particularly in Hanoi and HCMC.

All top level and many mid-level hotels accept them, as do a growing number of restaurants and upmarket shops catering to the tourist trade. But watch out for the extra taxes they wap on when using a credit card - these can amount to an additional 5 percent. Outside the major cities you will have to rely on cash and travellers’ cheques.