invisible

If you have a suggestion for a site/experience which would be considered as interesting and not well-known/touristy for Luang Prabang and Hanoi, would you mind to share, please? It could be museums, parks/nature/sites, dining places, etc.

In Saigon for example there is FITO Museum which was excellent. There is Hell Garden in Da Lat, Hue also has interesting places, I'm sure Hanoi and Luang Prabang would have something as well.

Thanks.

rjh

LP:

• Phousi Hill in the early morning starting from the passage off Sisavangvong, through the wat grounds. It's near Google Maps Maolin Tavern site.
• Rent a bike and take the ferry across the river and ride NorthWest. I think this is described in the Travelfish LP guide. I think you can rent bikes across the river, though I didn't see an obvious rental shop earlier this month.
• Take ferry and walk East. Don't bother with the overhyped cave, but hilltop temple is ok. Boatman who hangs around Wat Long Koon will take you back to a landing by Wat Xiengthong. Caution not for mobility impaired at either side of river.
• Kouangsi Falls I hesitate to include this since, in recent years, it's become overtouristed, but this guide on how to get to the upper pools might be of use.
• There are a couple of other waterfalls on the map, but I've never been.

Hanoi:

• food passage starting here heading north
• little passages around Hanoi Food Culture. Don't walk into someone's home by mistake.
• Den Quan De Temple
• Old Town Garden Cafe rooftop. Enter through unrelated shop on ground floor, work your way to the back, order, then go upstairs.
• "Modern" egg coffee from Dream Beans Coffee. Have to ask for it.
• Maybe not in this category, but don't miss Temple of Literature or somewhat remote Ho Chi Minh Trail museum
• Trade Shop 37 restaurant

Travelfish has a bunch of obscure, but interesting sights for each of these.

889

The Bat Trang pottery village on the outskirts of Hanoi is fun: most of the potteries are small operations where you can wander in and watch the process. Many shops, too.

invisible

Great, thank you very much, please share more if you have.

CrazyInteg

Regarding Luang Prabang
I've heard mixed reviews about taking a ferry over to the other side. Many reviews mentioned that the residents really hound you for money or to buy things. Just not friendly at all. Other reviews mention that there's really nothing worthwhile to see over there.

Thoughts on that?

rjh

I was there a couple of weeks ago. Absolutely no hassle with vendors/touts. (This was my second (?) crossing.) You're approached at the temples for donation, but generally you can decline except when going past Wat Long Koon. Fee there is like US$1 or something.

It's a pleasant way to spend some time. I've "done" all the tourist things in LP several times, so it's better than fighting tour groups wherever they go now.

Daawgon

At the north of Hanoi's West Lake the - very nice

Sen Tay Ho - 614 Lạc Long Quân, Tay Ho, Ha Noi

invisible

For those of us who can't speak Vietnamese, could you describe what is this about?

invisible

Regarding Luang Prabang. Wikivoyage says following



Also was told that all ATMs charge $4 per withdrawal. Is this the case?

rjh

Not my experience in several visits. YMMV
It varies by ATM provider. Sometimes there are 3 ATMs in a row with different fees, but, yes, you pay to withdraw. $4 sounds right for maybe a US$100 withdrawal. Both Chase and Fidelity rebated fees. Same as Thailand.

Interesting currency conversion note: in Luang Prabang USD was bought for 9000LAK, sometimes 9050, while conversion rate online was around 8850, which was the rate in Vientiane. I even exchanged a US$20 with an ink marking (!), though I got scolded by the exchanger. She said she'd sell it to an American.

Diplomatico

Self-edit.

Amelorn

Luang Prabang was an interesting place. There are both excellent places and some truly underwhelming ones. I spent two weeks there. Joma and Saffron Coffee were my cafe go-tos. Joma had pretty solid Western breakfasts, while I adored the coffee at Saffron.\

I enjoyed a small riverside restaurant along Khem Khong just a few steps northeast of this hot pot/bbq set up. It was one of the less ornate restaurants, where you descend a few steps to a wooden balcony where some plain tables give you a magnificent view of the Mekong. They served solid food, cold cheap (9k big bottle) Beer Lao, and the best mango sticky rice I have ever had (I've spent months in total in Thailand). It's not one the the more polished-looking outfits with nicer tablecloths or awnings, but the people who run it are great.

Zurich bread bakery is a small chain, but the bread/breakfast was a treat for someone who hadn't had good bread in 6 months.

The main road, Sisavangvong has a few places that will scream "gap year/graduation group trip" with heavily Westernized menus. Don't bother eating at these sort of places. I tried a couple when I wanted a livelier atmosphere, and I wasn't impressed by the (local) food. Skip it or just have a drink.

Do explore the smaller temples. While they don't offer more than 15 minutes of architecture/art to see, they're incredibly peaceful places to relax, read, or meditate. They are a brilliant respite from the hawking and traffic noise.

The tasting menu at Dyen Sabai is a great sampling of Lao food. It's a premium priced place for tourists, but it's very well executed, imo.

Utopia Bar is a solid night spot for 20s to 30-somethings.

Cafe Sinouk, Three Nagas (part of the MGallery hotel), and the Cafe de Laos (all on the main road) would be my top picks for anyone looking for a French Colonial/Indochinese vibe or a more sedate "glass of wine, light music" chill out spot.

Erin_Nt

Luang Prabang:
- Weaving Village. this village is only 2km by tuk-tuk from the South of Luang Prabang city center. Ock Pop Tok is Luang Prabang’s best textile supplier, which is run by Laos’ women. You can visit this small and lovely village to see beautiful traditional textile products and how artisans make these.
- Nahm Dong Adventure Park: It is an eco-tourism oasis outside Luang Prabang city. It is located in Ban Xiengmouak, just 10km from Luang Prabang’s city center. The Park connects people with nature with stunning scenery of lush vegetation, spectacular waterfalls, as well as an enjoyable adventure game in nature. If you wanna enjoy a back-to-nature day, this place will be an ideal spot. There are also amazing outdoor activities in the park that you should try such as zip-lining, camping, cooking class...
- Chom Phet: a small town located on a different side of the Mekong Riverwhich is not familiar to visitors. To explore this area, you can rent a motorbike, ride passing the broad rice fields and reach Wat Jom Phet, Sakkarin Cave, and Wat Long Khoun. Highlights of this place are homely and local houses and an empty ancient temple.

invisible

Thank you very much for such useful conversation and information provided.

Question about getting around in the town and outside - what are running rates for tuk-tuks, like going about mentioned Waving village or Nahm Dong?

In Siem Reap we had good time renting electric scooters and going around Angkor around them. Is there such king of rental at Luang Prabang?

Erin_Nt

Actually, it's been 5 years since my last visit in Luang Prabang, so I'm not very aware of current rates of tuk tuk. By the time I was there, the rates for tuk tuk were rather reasonable and not expensive at all.

Concerning electric scooters, I'm not sure about this. I remember I rent normal scooter (with yellow license plate) to go around the town. But if you want to go to Kuang Si waterfalls, take tuk tuk or a van because the road condition is bad.