Vietnam Cities - which is north and which is south? Where to go and why?

Halong Bay, Vietname.

The city in the south is the capital, renamed Ho Chi Minh city, named after the revolutionary leader.

Seventy per cent of the visitors to the country go to the capital first. My family had already been there, so we went to Hanoi.

I like Hanoi. I was delighted by our side trip to romantic Halong Bay which has green mountains like monument valley on land and most excitingly reflected in the blue sea..

I would have liked to have seen both major cities. But they were not nearby.

The city in the south was previously called Saigon and that name has gone, yet some people still use it. The name Saigon has various suggested origins, one of which is the kapok tree. The word Saigon is two syllables, one meaning wood, the other meaning pole, forest. 

The capital city, renamed Ho Chi Minh city, has memories of the Vietnam war and Ho Chi Minh and the tunnels called Cho Chi - the word Chi again. 

Ho is a family name. Chi means will. 

The northern city, Hanoi has Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. You pass it on the open top hop on hop off bus tour. Hanoi's landscape feature is the two adjacent lakes, one of which is next to the old town and you walk around it. During festivities and holidays, such as Christmas and New Year when we were there, the area is pedestrianised. 

I enjoyed Hanoi but the potholes in the pavements (USA sidewalks) and zig-zagging scooters hooting when you cross the roads, make it scary for the nervous or elderly.

Highlight of my trip to Hanoi was a side trip to Halong Bay, overnight on a cruise ship. Photos often show just one boat amid the majestic scenery. I think that is supposed to be more romantic.

I was afraid that you would be lost in the remote seas, far from any other boats or people, stranded alone like the Titanic. 

Far from it. Rows of boats of all sizes are along the quayside, shops selling clothes and hats. As you sail, you pass other boats. 

Even when you are in a small motorboat going through the caves, lots of other tourists are in boats ahead and in front.

I found seeing lots of other tourists reassuring.   

Author

Angela Lansbury

See my other posts on Vietnam. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Note Cafe In Hanoi, Level 2

Note Coffee cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

See a previous post for photo of exterior.

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-note-coffee-bar-in-hanoi-vietnam.html

Another Note Coffee is in Ho Chi Minh city (previously called Saigon).

https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Restaurant_Review-g293925-d12338492-Reviews-The_Note_Coffee-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html

Travel information
The Note Coffee, Gui Tu 64 Lurong Van Can, Ha Noi, Vietnam.

Nearby Restaurants
Avalon BBQ (opposite).
www.hungryhanoi.com

For hotels
booking.com
Comparison site:
https://www.clicktripz.com/rates/search/index
For airlines
travelok.com
vietJetair.com (Comprehensive list of budget airlines in Wikivoyage.)
For transport
https://www.grab.com/vn/en/

Language
Duolingo.com 
(Remember to click on the sound symbol to hear how words are pronounced.) 

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Absolute beginner guide to Vietnam

Problem
Where to start?

Answer
The country is in three sections, north, middle and south.

North and Hanoi
In the North is the capital, Hanoi.

South and Saigon
In the South is the alliterative Saigon. The city of Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh city after the hugely popular leader who fought to gain independence from the French.

Vietnamese names start with the surname, like Chinese names. So Ho is a common surname. As in Chinese, the personal or given names reflect good qualities. Chi means will. Minh means bright.

Language
The language is similar to Chinese, with some French and English vocabulary. Fortunately it is written in what looks like the Roman / Latin alphabet which we use in English. However, they add a few accents above, or below, (called diacritics) to help you with intonation and pronunciation. Like the French accents, your voice rises or falls or falls and rises again.

Months
The months of the year are simply the numbers one to twelve with the word month added.  So, if you learn the numbers one to twelve, you will also recognize the months of the year.

Photo in public domain from Wikipedia.

Ho Chi Minh
The major character to know is Ho Chi Minh. His mausoleum and adjacent museum are in Hanoi, featured on the two hop on hop off bus tours (red and blue) and maps of the city (from your hotel or a tour agency shop). Also see his statue in Ho Chi Minh city, named after him, other Communist countries and several other cities of the world.

Ho Chi Minh lived all over the world and changed his name several times. If you find the account of his life on Wikipedia too long and complicated, try simple wiki.

Hanoi and Halong Bay
From Hanoi a major day trip is to Halong Bay, which I recommend.

Start Learning the Language
Wikipedia gives an overview of the Vietnamese language.

Viet Nam (Add the pointed hat symbol, called the circumflex in French, above the e to show you that you pronounce the e.) 
Mo to, for motor  auto or car - the hats are added above both letters o show the oh pronounciation.

You can also learn Vietnamese on Duolingo. The pronunciation used is that or the north, Hanoi, according to the comments from people living in the USA and elsewhere who are learning Vietnamese to talk to their family in Vietnam.

Places To Visit
1 Hanoi - the capital, in the north. Many boutique hotels in the old quarter.
2 Side trips to Halong Bay.
3 Central region includes the coast and Crazy House, a museum cum hotel with only ten rooms and walls at all angles, like Gaudi's buildings in Barcelona.
4 Saigon, also called Ho Chi Minh city, in the south.
5 Major attraction is the Vietcong's Cu Chi tunnels.

Useful Websites
Travel Tips
For reviews
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City#Museums_and_art_galleries
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g293925-d4542125-r195747380-A_O_Show_Lune_Production-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html
For hotels
booking.com
Comparison site:
https://www.clicktripz.com/rates/search/index
For airlines
travelok.com
vietJetair.com (Comprehensive list of budget airlines in Wikivoyage.)
For transport
https://www.grab.com/vn/en/

Language
Duolingo.com 
(Remember to click on the sound symbol to hear how words are pronounced.) 

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
Please share links to your favourite posts. I have several more on Hanoi, Halong Bay and Vietnam.

What To See In Vietnam - planning far in advance

I saw a stunning waterfall on Facebook.
I translated this through Google translate and got: ban - you; g i o c - descent; c a o - high bang - state. I must put this place on my list. But where is it? Can I travel there easily, quickly, affordably. Would I only get that view from a helicopter, not from the ground in rainy season?

Story
Friends of mine recently told me that they went on their honeymoon a couple of years ago to Cambodia where I recently had a wonderful trip. I was delighted to learn from them that the sunrise trip to see Ankor Wat, which I had missed, not wanting to ruin my holiday my making myself tired, was,in their opinion, not necessary, in fact a waste of time and effort. They said too many people got in the way of photographs. It was bad weather and the sunrise was not good.

Problems
How do you decide what to see in Vietnam? What is the layout of the land? How do you remember which place is where?

Answer
It's a long thin country, the reverse of Chile (which is a long coast down the west of South America). Vietnam is long north to south down the ease coast, so lots of beaches. Historically, Americans and British movie goers will be familiar with the Vietnam war, the names Hanoi and Saigon, and the Vietcong tunnels.

You have to choose whether to take a trip to one area or all three, south, middle and north, and if so, which season.

Simple way to remember what's where:
In the South is Saigon - now known as Ho Chi Minh city.
Up north is Hanoi.

Answers
1 Read the tourist board sites and pick your favourite places.
2 Check cheap last minute deals to the capital or another city. Check out the hop on hop of buses or cheapest guided tours and list your top ten attractions, or three per day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, one in the evening.
3 See TripAdvisor for their top ten attractions.
4 Compromise with your fellow travellers, both pick one attraction per day, and one nearby which both of you would like to visit.
5 Whoever is paying and booking the trip decides after buying a guide book such as Lonely Planet.
6 Pick the cheapest hotel within your budget and ask the concierge to book a tour.
7 Ask your friends.
8 Ask people who live in the country. (But their trips home might only involve seeing granny and relatives.)
9 Travel with a local who speaks the language who can bargain for better prices and spot scams and dangers.
10 Pick up maps and leaflets at the airport on entering, local leaflets at hotels and nearby shops, look for and select coupons and discounts.
11 Make one sight your reason for going and treat everything else as a bonus.
12 Pick beauty spots featured on the internet.

Warnings
The featured beauty spot may depend on weather and your tolerance of isolation or crowds. I don't like big crowds but nor do I like to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a driver who is a complete stranger.

My lists:

Vietnam Sightseeing
North: Capital Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, world Heritage Site. Ha Long bay has those dramatic isolated rocks which look like double height sugar cubes.
Take two buses and a motorbike taxi to
Ban Gioc Waterfall, Cao Bang, Vietnam. See the nearby cave.
Hanoi Museums: Vietnam Women's Museum (first in TripAdvisor); Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology (second); Vietnam Military History Museum; Ho Chi Minh Museum; Hanoi Police Museum.

Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), biggest city.
Cu Chi guerillas' tunnels. French Notre Dame cathedral. Museums include: Southern Women's Museum; Ho Chi Minh Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Museum, 3D art museum.

Activities and Workshops
Kite-making or
Pottery.

Shopping
From Wikipedia:
'The áo dài is a Vietnamese national costume, now most commonly worn by women but can also be worn by men. In its current form, it is a tight-fitting silk tunic worn over pants. The word is pronounced [ʔǎːw zâːj] in the North and [ʔǎːw jâːj] in the South. Áo classifies as shirt.[1] Dài means "long".'

Also look at the simplified Wikipedia. Elsewhere I read that Ao means clothing. The man's version is called Ao gam. You can also buy these from websites.

Tips and Trips on Websites
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attractions-g293924-Activities-c49-Hanoi.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hạ_Long_Bay
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Tourism-g293921-Vietnam-Vacations.html
https://www.viator.com/tours/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/Cu-Chi-Tunnels-and-Countryside-Tour-by-Luxury-Speedboat/d352-6765SGNCCCSSPEED (Trip promising speeding down the Saigon river to the war memorial park and see the entrance to the labyrinth of tunnels; riverside lunch and stop at cricket farm to try eating a cricket, and on to see rice paper being made.

Reading and re-reading and film/movie list:
Good Morning Vietnam.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, speaker.