Asia - Hanoi or Bangkok?

I curently have a flight in to HAN arriving at 10PM on a Fri night and departing at 11:55PM on Monday. My plan is to get a Vietnam Air flight out on Sat morning at 10 over to Bangkok and return back to Hanoi on Mon early afternoon.

I'm now starting to doubt that a bit and considering just staying in Hanoi for Sat/Sun/Mon. Is there enough stuff to do and see in Hanoi to fill up that time? I just have the feeling that Bangkok will be a bit more entertaining although I've never been to either of them.

Is there a hotel close to or at the Hanoi airport to make it easy to do my Sat morning flight if I do keep on that plan?

You are probably right that Bangkok is more exciting and has more to do.

However I would not want to waste the equivalent of an entire day travelling/flying between the 2 cities considering you only have an extended weekend. You can probably cover the main city sights in Hanoi in a day, and then do an overnight trip to Halong Bay (which would take up 2 full days)

While I believe there is a hotel near Noi Bai Airport, its probably not the sort of place you would like to stay. It usually takes me just a little more than half an hour to get from my hotel in the West Lake area to Noi Bai Airport, allow an additional 15min if you are staying in the Old Quarter.

Your plan is not very good. Stay in the Hanoi area and pass on Bangkok this time. Bangkok is fine but a completely different city in size, feel, and economic development. Hanoi has plenty to keep you occupied.

Hanoi has some decent sights to see, and it's also quite interesting just to wander the old city and around Hoan Kiam Lake. There's plenty to do in the day and it's not an entertainment wasteland--internet search for some expat forums and you can hone in on some possibilities. Stay in town. I also advise an overnight Halong Bay cruise--Handspan does a good one with decent cabins and good food, though it's a bit more expensive. If you go Sunday morning, they'll get you back around sundown on Monday, plenty of time to get to the airport. You won't need a hotel room if you stay on the boat, but you should be able to leave excess luggage and pick up once back in town.

If you do decide to go to Bangkok, make sure you get a double-entry visa so you can get back in to Vietnam on the return.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll listen to it and stick to Hanoi.

I looked up Handspan but couldn't find just a single night cruise. They seem to do 3 night cruises. Anyone know of a reputable place for a single night cruise?

Oh, and since I'll be staying in Hanoi, any rec's on hotels? Looking at Sheraton Hanoi or the Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake. Leaning towards the IC as the pics on the web site look cooler :)

There are hundreds of boats in the bay, mostly doing overnight cruises. While Handspan is one of the more reputable operators, you are also paying a hefty premium by going with them. Generally I feel the higher end junks are way overpriced, the Vietnamese have learnt to charge first world prices but have no idea what service is all about.

You are correct the IC is nicer than the Sheraton. They are both practically next to each other and located in the West Lake area which is 10-15min away from the Old Quarter. While I enjoy the serenity of the West Lake, you may get a better feel of Hanoi by staying in the Old Quarter instead.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll listen to it and stick to Hanoi.

I looked up Handspan but couldn't find just a single night cruise. They seem to do 3 night cruises. Anyone know of a reputable place for a single night cruise?

Oh, and since I'll be staying in Hanoi, any rec's on hotels? Looking at Sheraton Hanoi or the Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake. Leaning towards the IC as the pics on the web site look cooler :)

Assuming you got to the right website, you might have missed pages 2 and 3 of the Halong Bay offerings. Try this:
http://www.handspan.com/tour/search/NiwsRW50ZXIgeW91ciBrZXl3b3Jk/3.html
You probably want the "2 day Aloha Junk cruise" which includes the pickup day, the overnight, the drop off second day. This looks similar to the one I took with them, although that was in 2004. I had nothing except a great experience with them, and I liked that we had a good congenial mix of people ranging from 20's to 50's, so it wasn't a seniors cruise nor a fraternity party. I was travelling solo and it wasn't awkward, like some Noah's Ark boats can be. Here's another option--ODC Travel--which also has a good reputation but a little less expensive. http://www.odctravel.com.vn/

Handspan is more expensive than many of the other local/backpacker players but I've never heard of complaints about them. I've often heard of issues with others (dirty cabin, poor food, bad service, etc.) and especially the cheaper ones. Certainly they're nothing close to the price of an Emeraude cruise! You can also wait and check out various travel agents' offerings on your first full day in Hanoi, but be warned that Hanoi is full of semi-dodgy agents that overpromise and underdeliver.

I wouldn't stay out in West Lake, I'd stay closer to Old Quarter or Opera House area.

Hilton has a pleasant hotel in the Opera Quarter. It's easy to walk to the lake, as well as to a must see - the Water Puppets show.

This is not hard to answer.

If you were going to be in Bangkok for 72 hours I would say don't fly to Hanoi.

As you have 72 hours in Hanoi, don't fly to Bangkok.

PS: Our Handspan cruise on Halong Bay was really great . . .
. . . except for the part where they didn't pick us up from the dock when we returned. After I called, they sent a regular size bus to pick us (2) up.

Then the bus went by another dock to pick up another forgotten customer.

NBD. We laughed about it, and Handspan bought us drinks back on Ma May Street.

The boat was Lagoon Explorer from Tropical Sails (http://www.tropical-sails.com/), one of the boats Handspan will hook you up with depending on your budget. It was expensive, but very nice. Four couples.

Where is the Sofitel Metropole located relative to the other hotels and touristy things?

How would you all rank the Sheraton, IC, Sofitel, and Hilton, in terms of rooms, service, and location?

How is the art scene in Hanoi these days? It got a lot of press five or six years ago as THE place to go for art, but I haven't heard as much about it recently. What about shopping--how does Hanoi stack up to Saigon for shopping?

Mr. Megatop and I are planning a trip to Vietnam for May 2010. We spent four days in Saigon in 2003. I want to split this trip between Saigon and someplace else, possibly Hanoi or a beach resort. Currently thinking about five days more or less in Vietnam total, with the time span dictated by Air France flight connections to/from Bangkok.

MegatopLover, I know that you like beautiful hotels. I suggest the Nam Hai as your mid point hotel. Fly into Danang; it is about 45 minutes south and just 10 minutes north of Hoi An, a delightful world heritage village. Check the luxury hotel forum for reviews on the Nam Hai. I stayed there and it is stunning.

Thanks, SanDiego1k. We're considering the Nam Hai. We really like GHM hotels, and it looks beautiful. The concern is that the prices shown on their website are really high, putting the resort in league with amans and Banyan Trees. Since it's not aman-branded, I wonder about the value proposition. Thoughts?

I've gotten direct mail from them with discounted rates in the last month or two. When I stayed, I had the great fortune to stumble on a heavily discounted rate thru a hotel booking site, bookinhotels.com.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/9969015-post23.html

I've never seen such an outstanding rate since, but it is worth checking some of the hotel booking sites.

Where is the Sofitel Metropole located relative to the other hotels and touristy things?


Its on the other side of the Opera House nearer to Old Quarter (Hilton is on one side of Opera House). Never stayed there before, this hotel is too snobbish for me. Do note that there is another Sofitel in Hanoi (former Meritus West Lake)

I am not a fan of the Hilton either. While the service is good, the rooms are dark (small windows) and the decor too garish for my taste.

Sheraton is by the West Lake which is 10-15min from the Old Quarter. Again good service but outdated decor (even though the hotel is relatively new). Nice view from higher floors.

IC next door is very nice (and new) and built entirely over the lake. Apparent they have mosquitoe problems during the summer months (since the hotel is on a lake) but I am not sure how well they managed to resolve this problem. If you like modern asian decor in a resort like setting (but only 10min from town), this is perhaps your best bet.

If you decide to do the Bangkok side trip, please be aware that you need either a multiple entry visa for Vietnam or two single entry ones. Without these options, unless you are on a passport that allows visa-less entry, you will be denied entry back into HAN for your ongoing trip.

I vote for the Metropole too - much more Vietnamese and an excellent location - you want to be near Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter. I suggest contacting the students at Hanoikids for their free tours of Hanoi. They do this in exchange for English practice - I've done it for both of my 2 trips. Hanoi is a total blast - Bangkok is too damn big and Western for me. See http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/en/venue/top for the lists of the best in town. I'll be back for a third trip in late October (sure hope it cools down a bit by then?)

http://www.hanoikidsclub.org

I vote for the Metropole too - much more Vietnamese

I am not sure I can agree with that, probably more colonial .....