- Joined
- Mar 25, 2009
- Messages
- 14,785
- Reaction score
- 9
My ha long bay boat driver drove with his feet. Lol
P
Pugilistic
Guest
So far so good. Hanoi is a really colorful vibrant city. It's hectic as hell though so it seems like a great place to be if you like partying. I stayed at a hostel in old quarter and there are tons of tourists here too.
Vietnamese people so far seem nice and less greedy than some other developing SEA countries. I expected to be scammed at every turn but it wasn't so bad. In a couple instances I got a bit more free of charge.
Food is great and cheap. My first bowl of legit pho blew me away. Drinks are cheap for the most part. Although some bars in the old quarter overcharged.
The architecture is really nice. Hanoi in some areas is a really pretty city.
Women are cute. Although English seems to be a problem. I met a girl from southern Vietnam last night with decent English and I will hang out with her again later this week.
Right now I'm in Cat Ba. Cat ba town so far is meh. It is surprisingly chilly here. I have to rent a mototcycle to get anywhere so it's been a trip because this was my first time driving one. Luckily I didn't hit anyone yet.
Tomorrow I will explore the caves and go kayaking.
Vietnamese people so far seem nice and less greedy than some other developing SEA countries. I expected to be scammed at every turn but it wasn't so bad. In a couple instances I got a bit more free of charge.
Food is great and cheap. My first bowl of legit pho blew me away. Drinks are cheap for the most part. Although some bars in the old quarter overcharged.
The architecture is really nice. Hanoi in some areas is a really pretty city.
Women are cute. Although English seems to be a problem. I met a girl from southern Vietnam last night with decent English and I will hang out with her again later this week.
Right now I'm in Cat Ba. Cat ba town so far is meh. It is surprisingly chilly here. I have to rent a mototcycle to get anywhere so it's been a trip because this was my first time driving one. Luckily I didn't hit anyone yet.
Tomorrow I will explore the caves and go kayaking.
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2007
- Messages
- 54,529
- Reaction score
- 18,345
Landscape wise I think Halong bay is definitely the highlight of the country so enjoy that.
Further south I'm sure people have recommended Hoi An, very hassle free relaxing backpacker town by the beach.
I'd agree with you on food, don't think I'v ever been anywhere with the same quality for price.
Further south I'm sure people have recommended Hoi An, very hassle free relaxing backpacker town by the beach.
I'd agree with you on food, don't think I'v ever been anywhere with the same quality for price.
P
Pugilistic
Guest
Update
I came back home today from Hanoi and I have to say Hanoi is a really cool place. So far Vietnam is my second favorite place I've traveled after Japan. Considering how cheap it is there and how expensive it is in Japan, Vietnam might be better in some ways. My friend and I stayed at a hostel in Hanoi for 2 days then stayed at Cat Ba island for four, then went back to Hanoi and stayed at the same hostel two more days. In Hanoi, we mostly explored museums and parks, tried to eat as many different things as possible, and at night we went out to drink and talk to people. The focus was on food though.
At Cat Ba, we did the package tour on a boat around Lan Ha Bay. Went to Monkey Island, Kayaking, etc. On the Island I mostly had fun driving a motorcycle and exploring. This was my first time driving a motorcycle so that was cool. Cat Ba doesn't have a whole lot to do it seems though. The food wasn't as great as Hanoi and it was a bit more touristy. The place we stayed at was a bit lacking in facilities so the stay was a bit uncomfortable and the weather was cloudy and chilly at times, but overall I had a good time. We met some cool people at the hostel and we ended up partying with them back in Hanoi last night.
My overall impression is that Vietnam is way more chill, less money hungry, and "harmonious" than some of the other poorer developing countries I've been to. Instead of having a cut throat mentality of trying to scam every tourist and trying to milk as money as they can out of everything, things seemed by the book for the most part. I worried about being scammed or having extra "secret" charges put on top of things but nothing like that happened. The worst thing that happened was that this lady at Cat Ba charged people 5000 VDN to use the bathroom but that's like 25 cents so I just paid her. Another guy tried to charge us to chill at the beach so we just went to another beach that was free. In a few cases people gave us free stuff. Because it was the Lunar New Year holiday, people were eating this rice cake thing and a couple times people just offered them to us. It was pretty good too. I had a foot massage my first night in Hanoi and the guy threw in a bit of a shoulder massage and cracked my back for free too. Compared to the last country, the Philippines, it was quite nice.
Despite being "poor" and underdeveloped, I didn't see poverty or struggle like one expects from such a country. I barely saw any homeless people. Everybody seemed to be doing alright in terms of surviving even if it meant they didn't have modern comforts. People seemed happy and content. Barring the few homeless people, nobody looked like they were starving.
Vietnam felt much safer too. People warned me about pickpockets so I was vigilant but nothing out of the ordinary happened. This one shifty looking dude kept eyeing my wallet as I took it out to pay for something but that was about it. On my last night out in Hanoi, I was approached by this guy who kept trying to get me to follow him to a brothel, telling me that the women are pretty and that I wouldn't have to pay if I didn't like any of them. Even showed me photos of a few of them. I kept turning him down and he changed his pitch to weed lol. That tempted me a bit but I couldn't trust the guy and I felt vulnerable being so drunk and high (balloons). I heard a horror story of a guy who followed a girl back to her place only find a bunch of guys waiting for him so they can extort money out of him. Better safe than sorry I guess.
Night life in Hanoi is quite lively and maybe even crazier than Seoul. It seems constantly busy and a bit too much for me. Balloons with some sort of gas seem popular there which I tried and it messed me up. The women are attractive although I still think Korean women are hotter. Viet women are definitely more attractive than Filipinos and seem much more conservative. I met a couple girls but I didn't get laid due to schedule conflicts or perhaps my weak ass game. It also seems like a good place to meet western backpackers as well. I haven't seen so many white women in a while. Another good thing about Vietnam is that people are overall smaller so I didn't feel like such a manlet around the locals.
The best part was the food. From what I hear, it's even better in other places of the country but I was nonetheless blown away. On top of that it's so cheap. The most memorable thing for me was Bun Cha and Sen Buffet. Thanks to @Jake the Muss for that recommendation. I tried croc and sparrow meat for the first time at the buffet as well. To live up to my sherdog gimmick, I wanted to try Vietnamese pigeon, but the restaurant I went to ran out of it when I went. I could've eaten it at another time but I was always too full from something else.
So yeah, Hanoi is chill. I remember one poster said Hanoi is just like any other city but I really liked it. I would like to check out other places in Vietnam now though. One week wasn't enough. I would recommend Vietnam and Hanoi to anybody interested in traveling.
I came back home today from Hanoi and I have to say Hanoi is a really cool place. So far Vietnam is my second favorite place I've traveled after Japan. Considering how cheap it is there and how expensive it is in Japan, Vietnam might be better in some ways. My friend and I stayed at a hostel in Hanoi for 2 days then stayed at Cat Ba island for four, then went back to Hanoi and stayed at the same hostel two more days. In Hanoi, we mostly explored museums and parks, tried to eat as many different things as possible, and at night we went out to drink and talk to people. The focus was on food though.
At Cat Ba, we did the package tour on a boat around Lan Ha Bay. Went to Monkey Island, Kayaking, etc. On the Island I mostly had fun driving a motorcycle and exploring. This was my first time driving a motorcycle so that was cool. Cat Ba doesn't have a whole lot to do it seems though. The food wasn't as great as Hanoi and it was a bit more touristy. The place we stayed at was a bit lacking in facilities so the stay was a bit uncomfortable and the weather was cloudy and chilly at times, but overall I had a good time. We met some cool people at the hostel and we ended up partying with them back in Hanoi last night.
My overall impression is that Vietnam is way more chill, less money hungry, and "harmonious" than some of the other poorer developing countries I've been to. Instead of having a cut throat mentality of trying to scam every tourist and trying to milk as money as they can out of everything, things seemed by the book for the most part. I worried about being scammed or having extra "secret" charges put on top of things but nothing like that happened. The worst thing that happened was that this lady at Cat Ba charged people 5000 VDN to use the bathroom but that's like 25 cents so I just paid her. Another guy tried to charge us to chill at the beach so we just went to another beach that was free. In a few cases people gave us free stuff. Because it was the Lunar New Year holiday, people were eating this rice cake thing and a couple times people just offered them to us. It was pretty good too. I had a foot massage my first night in Hanoi and the guy threw in a bit of a shoulder massage and cracked my back for free too. Compared to the last country, the Philippines, it was quite nice.
Despite being "poor" and underdeveloped, I didn't see poverty or struggle like one expects from such a country. I barely saw any homeless people. Everybody seemed to be doing alright in terms of surviving even if it meant they didn't have modern comforts. People seemed happy and content. Barring the few homeless people, nobody looked like they were starving.
Vietnam felt much safer too. People warned me about pickpockets so I was vigilant but nothing out of the ordinary happened. This one shifty looking dude kept eyeing my wallet as I took it out to pay for something but that was about it. On my last night out in Hanoi, I was approached by this guy who kept trying to get me to follow him to a brothel, telling me that the women are pretty and that I wouldn't have to pay if I didn't like any of them. Even showed me photos of a few of them. I kept turning him down and he changed his pitch to weed lol. That tempted me a bit but I couldn't trust the guy and I felt vulnerable being so drunk and high (balloons). I heard a horror story of a guy who followed a girl back to her place only find a bunch of guys waiting for him so they can extort money out of him. Better safe than sorry I guess.
Night life in Hanoi is quite lively and maybe even crazier than Seoul. It seems constantly busy and a bit too much for me. Balloons with some sort of gas seem popular there which I tried and it messed me up. The women are attractive although I still think Korean women are hotter. Viet women are definitely more attractive than Filipinos and seem much more conservative. I met a couple girls but I didn't get laid due to schedule conflicts or perhaps my weak ass game. It also seems like a good place to meet western backpackers as well. I haven't seen so many white women in a while. Another good thing about Vietnam is that people are overall smaller so I didn't feel like such a manlet around the locals.
The best part was the food. From what I hear, it's even better in other places of the country but I was nonetheless blown away. On top of that it's so cheap. The most memorable thing for me was Bun Cha and Sen Buffet. Thanks to @Jake the Muss for that recommendation. I tried croc and sparrow meat for the first time at the buffet as well. To live up to my sherdog gimmick, I wanted to try Vietnamese pigeon, but the restaurant I went to ran out of it when I went. I could've eaten it at another time but I was always too full from something else.
So yeah, Hanoi is chill. I remember one poster said Hanoi is just like any other city but I really liked it. I would like to check out other places in Vietnam now though. One week wasn't enough. I would recommend Vietnam and Hanoi to anybody interested in traveling.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2011
- Messages
- 35,945
- Reaction score
- 4,933
You are now becoming the official Sherdog travel sexpert!
Where would you go next in South East Asia? Cambodia? Phuket? What about South Asia in Mumbai?
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2007
- Messages
- 54,529
- Reaction score
- 18,345
One thing I remember in Vietnam is the one place where you start to wish the dong in your pants was a quarter the size, I ended up using dollars quite a lot not because the locals were demanding them but simply because I could fit them in my wallet.
Hannoi is definitely underrated in itself I'd agree, I found it significantly nicer than Saigon/HCM City that lacks the colonial grace and is generally more overcrowded. This is back in 2004 but I'd agree the mentality was nice, certainly way better than China where your constantly trying to be ripped off(although to be fair not actually robbed) although India in my experience isn't actually that bad outside of a few tourist traps.
I have to admit though I simply don't get involved with women in developing countries, theres simply too much potential for trouble on both sides IMHO, it was hard in Vietnam with café/hotel owners bringing out very attractive daughters as potential wives though.
Hannoi is definitely underrated in itself I'd agree, I found it significantly nicer than Saigon/HCM City that lacks the colonial grace and is generally more overcrowded. This is back in 2004 but I'd agree the mentality was nice, certainly way better than China where your constantly trying to be ripped off(although to be fair not actually robbed) although India in my experience isn't actually that bad outside of a few tourist traps.
I have to admit though I simply don't get involved with women in developing countries, theres simply too much potential for trouble on both sides IMHO, it was hard in Vietnam with café/hotel owners bringing out very attractive daughters as potential wives though.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2007
- Messages
- 54,529
- Reaction score
- 18,345
In India I would recommend Sikkim/Darjeeling personally, amazing landscape and because its not on the typical US/European tourist route a lot less hassle, most of the tourists are middle class Indians from Kolkata.
You need a predone visa for Sikkim though to get though military checkpoints as its so close to China.
P
Pugilistic
Guest
I would need more experience to be an expert. I think some of the other posters would have more experience. Personally I would like to go back to Japan or travel in Iran for awhile. In SEA, I might go to Thailand again since I didn't do much actual traveling when I went there.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2017
- Messages
- 2,394
- Reaction score
- 2
How were the hostels you stayed at? I've always wanted to go backpacking and stay in hostels, but I've heard sketchy stories of bedbugs and other shit. I know it comes with the territory though.
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2010
- Messages
- 35,538
- Reaction score
- 4,983
Vietnam just opened up. They haven't developed their hustle yet.
P
Pugilistic
Guest
Here are some pics
One of the best things I've had and I don't even remember what it's called. That is fried fish in some sort of dill flavored broth. The white vegetable thing on the bottom is the inside of a banana tree, which is also really good.
American equipment captured during the Vietnam War. This is at the War Museum and they seem to love showing off how they beat the US.
Night out in old quarter. Don't why this pic is bigger and why that couple is staring back at me.
Bun Cha. So good
View from the guest house in Cat Ba. They had a small "mountain" with a pool and car at the top. Would've been better if the weather was clearer.
Monkey Island. The monkeys were dicks. There was a dutch couple with a baby and one of the monkeys tried to attack the baby. There was also a hike to the top but it was more like rock climbing. I had on sandals so it was extra challenging. There was one chick from Latvia who was petrified in fear due to the height so her boyfriend had to basically carry her down.
Peak of Cat Ba National Park. I'm not a fan of hiking but this was worth it. View was amazing.
American equipment captured during the Vietnam War. This is at the War Museum and they seem to love showing off how they beat the US.
Night out in old quarter. Don't why this pic is bigger and why that couple is staring back at me.
Bun Cha. So good
View from the guest house in Cat Ba. They had a small "mountain" with a pool and car at the top. Would've been better if the weather was clearer.
Monkey Island. The monkeys were dicks. There was a dutch couple with a baby and one of the monkeys tried to attack the baby. There was also a hike to the top but it was more like rock climbing. I had on sandals so it was extra challenging. There was one chick from Latvia who was petrified in fear due to the height so her boyfriend had to basically carry her down.
Peak of Cat Ba National Park. I'm not a fan of hiking but this was worth it. View was amazing.
P
Pugilistic
Guest
I stayed in Cocoon Inn in Hanoi which I recommend. It's clean and secure. Lot of room to put stuff around your bed as well. I have the same concern but this place was great. It has a bar so it's good to meet people and stuff but it's not a big party hostel so you don't have to worry about noise. Some of the other hostels looked like you wouldn't get any sleep, but you'd probably get laid. At my place you're not even allowed to take guests to your room probably due to security reasons.
The place I stayed on Cat Ba island was a bit...lacking in terms of facilities. My room didn't have hot water because the heater was broken, there were ants, and I swear there was also a rat that kept stealing my soap because at least 4 bars of soap disappeared. My room was also kind of cold. I didn't enjoy being in my room at all. But the staff was extremely nice and accommodating. They were helpful with tips and offered services like motorcycle rentals and tours. The guy at reception taught me how to ride the bike as well. This dutch couple with a baby and they were extremely accommodating to them like fetching them fruit if the baby needed to eat. They also gave us free food just so we can try it.
That makes sense. A lot of people didn't speak English. They also seemed way more honest than I expected. But then again, I saw tons of tourists. Perhaps way more than Cebu and definitely more than Korea or Japan. Like Cat Ba seems to run on tourism. I hope they don't lose their charm and turn into everywhere else.
Lot of restaurants in Cat Ba seemed to try to cater more towards westerns by selling western food which didn't make much sense to me. Why would you have western food in Vietnam, and it probably sucks anyway. Although I have to say the pancakes my hostel served me was surprisingly good.
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2005
- Messages
- 7,513
- Reaction score
- 2,397
@Pugilistic can you list all the stuff you ate/drank (including SEN buffet)? Give descriptions if you can't remember the name.
Which SEN did you go to? Did the waiters bring meats to your table?
When I was there the waiters brought around roasted pineapple, lobster, etc. The atmosphere was lively and celebratory.
Did you get chance to check out Quan An Ngon/Nha Hang Ngon?
Which SEN did you go to? Did the waiters bring meats to your table?
When I was there the waiters brought around roasted pineapple, lobster, etc. The atmosphere was lively and celebratory.
Did you get chance to check out Quan An Ngon/Nha Hang Ngon?
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2011
- Messages
- 35,945
- Reaction score
- 4,933
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2010
- Messages
- 35,538
- Reaction score
- 4,983
with all the shit vietnam went through, it's one of the goat when it comes to cuisine. SEA goat food region and being colonized by the french. What could go wrong?
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
- Messages
- 18,464
- Reaction score
- 1,361
Yeah, 'The Lunch Lady' is highly overrated. There's much better street vendors out and about. She, her husband, and her employees pull the same scam over and over (bring you food you didn't order, try and make you pay for it when you're done...even if it's uneaten lol). Her Pho is rad...but go elsewhere, imo.
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
- Messages
- 18,464
- Reaction score
- 1,361
Oh, for sure...Vietnamese cuisine is top 3 GOAT, no doubt.
ThulsaDooom
Black Belt
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2010
- Messages
- 5,192
- Reaction score
- 1,826
Dude, one of the best sandwiches I ever had was from some street cart in Hoi An selling hot baguettes with some ham and cheese.
It was also kind of funny going from watching Cambodians struggle with a French tourist's thick as fuck accent the previous year to a Vietnamese hotel clerk speaking fluent French. Fascinating country all around.
P
Pugilistic
Guest
Most of the signs weren't in English so I have no idea what I ate half of the time. I went to Maison Sen. I remember there being some kind of meat on a stick that was good but I couldn't tell what kind of meat it was. I had "snail paste" which seemed like snails ground up in a paste and cooked in seaweed. Was good. Fried Crocodile was good. Viet style fried chicken which they labeled "boxing " chicken. The Bun Cha was also really fucking good. Other than that, bacon wrapped Okra, roasted sparrow, pork which seemed similar to lechon, viet style rice cake, oyster cooked with cheese, and a bunch of fruit. Yeah they also brought out lobster, garlic bread, and salmon sushi to our table. And it all cost less than 20 bucks! I didn't like how i had to pay for drinks though. Seemed like where all the rich viets go. Totally different type of people than I've seen in Old Quarter.
I didn't get to try Quan An Ngon/Nha Hang Ngon due to time. I was constantly eating and trying out different things so I was never hungry enough. I went to Sen on the last day and I basically starved myself that day before dinner lol.
I haven't but I wanted to check out Singapore to see what it's like.
I noticed that despite it being cheap and "a poor country," the quality of ingredients were really good. Probably one of the reasons why things tasted so good kind of like how it is in Japan. Definitely better than Korea in that regard. It's also probably why Koreans can never get vietnamese food right. Viet food in Korea is terrible and I never liked pho until I went to Hanoi.
