Travel to Vietnam
 

I have become fascinated with Vietnam and am thinking of visiting it in April (Only interested in visiting Northern Vietnam because I like being outside and dislike being in the sweltering heat.) I have made many visits to China and a couple to the Philippines, so I am a reasonably experienced world traveler. I am probably visiting Shanghai in April and am thinking of taking a side trip of 5-7 days in Vietnam. I am an American with Italian dual citizenship. I potentially have 1 or 2 friends in Vietnam through work done for me on Freelancer. I am just wondering how practical it is for me to go to Vietnam for the first time without many connections. Looking back on my Philippine visits, the Philippines are really easy because of Grab being in English and the many motels being in good locations.

Hanoi, Halong Bay and Ninh Binh in North of Vietnam fits in your 5-7 day trip.

Thanks for the tip.

Stay in Hanoi's old quarter, it is within reach of many walkable sights and shopping plus some of the best cheap street food and coffeshops. Use Grab not the hail taxis and you’ll be fine getting around.

Vietnam is much easier to navigate than China for foreigners. It's less developed but that's part of the charm. If you stay near Old Quarters in Hanoi like the poster above suggests, you may never need Grab save to/from the airport. I walked everywhere.

Is Grab in English? I used it in the Philippines and it was very good. Also, what would a somewhat typical 2 mile ride cost? I am assuming not too much. Great tip about Hanoi. Thanks.

You can change settings language. Grab is what I use around Southeast Asia, especially in Singapore or Manila where I often stay away from Melbourne. I don’t know current costs, but I do remember Grab in Hanoi to be competitive with taxis when I was booking rides a few years ago.

Grab is cheap as chips in Hanoi and you can also set it to pay cash to the driver or through a credit card.
Just be aware and for of storm or rain event in Hanoi plan accordingly for grab and taxis, availability drops to almost zero. We ended up in almost knee deep water one evening trying to get a taxi in traffic as demand skyrocketed.

Easy and cheap to travel in VN. Grab is cheap. Hanoi is a snooze. HCMC is much more interesting and English goes farther.

Agree with using Grab instead of Vinasun/ Mai Linh taxi in Vietnam, cheaper.

Most of the time, but not always. During holidays and peak hours, Vinasun/Mai Linh are less than Grab surge pricing.
Also, one can't count on Grab's availability all over the country. I found it quite limited it Nha Trang, where Xanh SM (VinFast's EV taxi) was far more prevalent. In Ninh Binh, Mai Linh was much cheaper and showed up fast, whereas Grab would take 10+ mins. Even in some parts of Hanoi, I've found it virtually impossible to get a Grab car (but no problems getting Grab Bike). One thing's for sure, the luxury one has in Ho Chi Minh City of a Grab car showing up within 3-5mins of booking is not so much the case in other parts of VN.

To answer this directly and clearly - if you are a remotely seasoned traveller (and you clearly are at least that) it is dead easy to visit Vietnam without any local connections. Some good advice - IMO - already offered in this thread. Vietnam probably sits closer to the Philippines on some metrics and closer to China on others but all in all I think it is a very easy and safe country to visit - as well as charming, cheap, interesting and fun.

One recent tip - Grab is now selling tourist packs that include discount vouchers for various kinds of rides. The pack pays for itself if you use it on one airport ride.

I am a bit curious. I was in Vietnam 29 years ago for about a month. In Hanoi, stayed in Old Town. Walked to many places. Rented bikes also. Are bikes still available for rent? Came across a high school age student at (If memory serves) the One Pillar Pagoda. He wanted to practice his English. This was a fabulous contact. I asked him to be our guide to Ha Long Bay. Had to go to his school to meet his professors for their permission. This led to one of the most memorable unscheduled trips I've taken, educational, and a good story.
Is Hanoi touristy and is it still possible/easy to make it up as you go?

Hanoi is very tourist-friendly, though walking and grab are probably best. The streets are very crowded and not particularly bike friendly. I imagine the city is much more tourist-filled than your last stay. Food tours are very popular to help navigate the plethora of options; most of the museums, monuments, etc., are easy to self-navigate. We were just there for 4 nights with a full day on Halong Bay (there is now a highway that makes the trip much quicker), and did two tours - one a street food tour, and one a history of the old Black Market area- both booked on Airbnb,