Re: Vietnam
 

i have heard that a Vietnamese place has opened up in Goldcrest Executive in JLT, imaginatively called Hanoi. I'll try and check it out soon.

Re: Vietnam
 

After serious effort, flights are now booked. Flying with Qatar Airways via Doha (obviously). Total cost is half that of direct with Emirates. Also rather helpfully we fly into HCM and out of Hanoi. Touch.

Any hotel recommendations or areas to stay in HCM?

Cheers

Re: Vietnam
 

Caravelle Hotel mate, http://www.caravellehotel.com/.

We stayed there two years ago on our first night in HCM and it was very surreal. We were in the cocktail lounge (8th floor I think) listening to 60s music played reasonably well and looking over the city at a Vietnamese flag which looks very communist. Felt exactly like a scene out of Good Morning Vietnam. Set the trip up perfectly.

Careful if you are there on a Sunday morning as a band struck up about 7am on the Sunday on the steps of the Opera house, as loud as anything I ever heard and definitely an unusual alarm clock

Hope it helps

Re: Vietnam
 

Brilliant place--when I lived in AD was a favourite with my family when they came out. Cheap, cheerful and great food.

Re: Vietnam
 

They have a little outlet in Dragon Mart, in their grotty food little food court. Strange place to pick and they were supposed to be opening another place on the Palm, but I don't think that has happened yet.

Re: Vietnam
 

Thanks mate.

You don't do things on the cheap do you?

Re: Vietnam
 

Did not check prices before I posted, but dont remember it being that expensive :-S It was around my usual per night budget when on Holiday when I was last there.

Re: Vietnam
 

Hahaha, only kidding.

I have just been searching and there are loads that are well recommended for 30-60 bucks a night.

Named hotels seem to still be the usual 150-400 a night which is just a waste for me....I won't be in it apart from sleeping / nailing the mrs.

That being said, a hostel / hovel / shitpit is not on the target list.

Re: Vietnam
 

HCMC hotels are substantially more expensive than Hanoi ones, overall.

Have to say, I prefer the brand hotels all told... At the $30 level you might get a window, the shower will probably be one of those that floods the bathroom, and it could well be noisy. $60 a night gets you a decent enough place.

In HCMC, for a reasonable price I like the Novotel. In District 3 but it might as well be in District 1. (For an unreasonable price I love the Hyatt, but it's massively overpriced.)

Never been a fan of the Caravelle (except the bar), the Rex or the Continental, despite their war heritages. True the Caravelle is the best of the three but you pay accordingly. The Grand hotel isn't at all bad though.

The VIP rooms at the A&EM chain hotels are usually pretty decent.


In Hanoi, things are a bit more complicated because you've got the centre, West Lake which on a bad day is 40 mins in a taxi away, and the airport which is 40 mins from West Lake and over an hour from the centre.

You can't beat the Metropole for style but if you thought the Hyatt in HCMC was overpriced, hoo boy. There's an MGallery round the corner that I stay in if someone important is in the Metropole. However, I prefer to be by West Lake (it's a bit of an expat area), and for that I nearly always stay at the Sheraton, but mainly because of having status. The Intercontinental next door is nice too, the Sofitel a little into town isn't bad, etc.

Cheaper for chain hotels, the Mercure gets decent reviews but I've not stayed there; the Crowne Plaza West Hanoi is a lovely cheap hotel but quite a way from the action.


Personally, I'd always try to stay in a chain hotel in Vietnam if I could, simply because in my experience the non-chains have really terrible beds.

Re: Vietnam
 

Thanks mate.

I'm leaning towards the better end of hotels...I'm not completely tight, but everyone wants a deal.

Especially because there are 3 overnight train journeys too.

Re: Vietnam
 

Judging from what you have told us about Mrs Scamp, I think we can guess those places would not be acceptable...

Re: Vietnam
 

I hope (really, really hope) you've plumped for the private train carriages.

There are loads if you're going up to Sapa but just one on the Hanoi-Danang route - Livitrans, and just one on the Nha Trang-HCMC route, Golden Trains.

If you haven't, I REALLY hope you've got a 4-bunk soft sleeper.

Re: Vietnam
 

Do I need to book these well in advance?

Re: Vietnam
 

I must have given the wrong impression.

She'd slum it. I refuse to. But I also refuse to pay over $100ish a night in a third-world country.

Re: Vietnam
 

Usually not, but the sooner the better.

The advantage of the "luxury" trains (apart from toilets you can actually stand to be in, and the guarantee you won't be sharing with a Vietnamese family sleeping 3 to the bunk) is that you won't find yourself scammed - booking the four bunk soft sleeper, it's unfortunately common that travel agents actually book a cheaper, more crowded and less comfortable 6-bunk hard sleeper but still pocket the difference. (This has happened to me - luckily I was able to demand a refund...)

http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm has detailed info.