Ever been to Vietnam??
May 16th 2006, 12:28 pm
#16
.
Joined: Nov 2002
Location: Where bad things rarely happen in movies
Posts: 8,933
Re: Ever been to Vietnam??
Originally Posted by ScousePete
I went to the tunnels at Cu Chi, which was an hour or two outside Saigon. It was there that you could shoot a few rounds out of an AK47.
May 16th 2006, 11:37 pm
#17
strangely floppy..
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ohio - originally London
Posts: 1,719
Re: Ever been to Vietnam??
Originally Posted by Yorkieabroad
Hanoi's a great city - lots to do...just walking around is an experience. Deoends what you're in to - Try a trip out to the tunnels - well worth it to see what the GI's had to face, and how ingenious the VC were. A few places you can shoot off an AK47 if that lights your candle. We stayed in the Hanoi Hilton - which actually is...a Hilton Hotel... shame. Ho Chi Minhs Mausoleum.. HCM's Museum.......lots of old temples and pagodas...the Fine Art Museum, or for a bit of a change, the temple of literature and art (or something like that) which is a gallery in an old mansion and its gardens....ask the Concierge where to go for an afternoon tea dance - you dont have to dance - in fact you wont want to when you see the standard of the locals, unless you're very good - but its worth it just to see and experience something our parents or more likely grandparents may have gone to! Aif you fancy a massage, you'll get a very good one for a few dollars outside the hotel, and it'll be a real one rather than an introduction to something else. All of it is central apart from the tunnels that are a bit of a trek outside the city. In fact, got me thinking now, maybe the tunnels are outside Saigon/HCMC..hmmm...memory not so good................
You should be able to pick up a tourist map in the hotel and it'll have most of this marked...or you oculd take a lonely planet which are pretty good on asia - problem is if you get caught with it you'll lose it as they are supposedly banned in Vietnam for calling the water off the coast of Vietnam the South China Sea rather than the East Vietnam Sea. We never had any trouble there - never felt uncomfortable - I don't know what the crime stats are but we read that the police come down hard on anyone hassling tourists as they want the income..doesn't stop them trying to rip you off in the markets, but at least you're not likely to get mugged
Have fun - I'm jealous!!
You should be able to pick up a tourist map in the hotel and it'll have most of this marked...or you oculd take a lonely planet which are pretty good on asia - problem is if you get caught with it you'll lose it as they are supposedly banned in Vietnam for calling the water off the coast of Vietnam the South China Sea rather than the East Vietnam Sea. We never had any trouble there - never felt uncomfortable - I don't know what the crime stats are but we read that the police come down hard on anyone hassling tourists as they want the income..doesn't stop them trying to rip you off in the markets, but at least you're not likely to get mugged
Have fun - I'm jealous!!
May 16th 2006, 11:39 pm
#18
strangely floppy..
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ohio - originally London
Posts: 1,719
Re: Ever been to Vietnam??
Originally Posted by gruffbrown
They beat the French, gotta like 'em 
May 19th 2006, 1:47 pm
#19
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 409
Re: Ever been to Vietnam??
Yep. About 5 years ago, spent about a week in Hanoi. As has been previously mentioned, Cu chi is worth going to, but it's down south, near Saigon.
Hanoi is quieter and more sedate than Saigon. It's very enjoyable to walk around tho. If walking's not your thing, hiring a moped is a pretty nice way to get around, but be careful, the viets are nutters on the road.
There are a good few museums around, the Hanoi Hilton, and some military one whose name escapes me. Ho Chi Minhs mausoleum is well worth it, you can see the old boy looking a bit wax worky. If you're stuck for something to do of an evening, I recommend goingt o see the water puppet show, pretty cool.
Hanoi is quieter and more sedate than Saigon. It's very enjoyable to walk around tho. If walking's not your thing, hiring a moped is a pretty nice way to get around, but be careful, the viets are nutters on the road.
There are a good few museums around, the Hanoi Hilton, and some military one whose name escapes me. Ho Chi Minhs mausoleum is well worth it, you can see the old boy looking a bit wax worky. If you're stuck for something to do of an evening, I recommend goingt o see the water puppet show, pretty cool.
