I would be based in Bangkok, is Hanoi worth an early morning flight in for a day trip,
returning that evening?

I would rather go back to Ho Chi Minh City...I love that place!

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MRKEY

I really enjoyed my first visit to Hanoi in January. I recommend visiting it; of course, am not sure how many hours you'd have flying in and out from BKK in one day. The center of the city is around the opera, adjacent to the Hanoi Hilton Hotel. On just a day trip, you probably don't have time to see the water puppets - a great shame, because it's definitely a unique Vietnamese art form. There's a great cultural museum on the outskirts of Hanoi; I really enjoyed learning about the many cultural groups of Vietnam.

From downtown BKK, I would wager that a RT to Hanoi would have to occupy about 6-7 hours. Given all that there is to do in even just downtown Hanoi, you'd find it quite frustrating to just have a few hours. I would recommend at least one night.

I've seen the water puppets, and it is unique (I think that the best part of the show is the live music), but to be honest, I found it hard to stay awake after the first couple of acts.

The Hanoi Hilton (not the curved modern building I believe SanDiego1K is referring to, but the one with Sen. John McCain's pictures on the wall upstairs from the guillotine, is a worthwhile visit. I've spent hours walking around the shopping district (within several blocks of the lake in the center of the city, where the puppet theatre is located) and getting some great buys and unique products.

The hassle of getting a visa alone would probably stop me from doing it for a day. Two or three, maybe.

As others have said, you're going to spend a lot of time in transit. Also, getting around Hanoi isn't all that easy...not exactly a taxi type of town (more a cyclo kind of town). The Ho Chi Minh masoleum and museum, seeing the countryside (pottery village etc), some of the temples, all worth it...but probably would take more than a day.

Agree with checking out Uncle Ho, but make sure that he's in residence. Apparently, they send him back to Russia for periodic maintenance... something like once a year in the fall as I recall. The mausoleum isn't available for perusal. They just march you through in a line, up the stairs, through the halls, past Ho, and then out the back into the gardens. In front of the mausoleum is a massive parade area with a huge field behind. Great for wandering, reflection, photography, etc.

ka9taw, what did you think of the pottery villiage? I found it to be a bit over-rated. The workmanship didn't seem all that great, and most was rather 'kitschy' (if that is a word). Since the 'villiage' was really only one block long, it was easy to walk out into the countryside and get a good look-see, which was very enjoyable and informative.

I always get my Vietnam visas in Bangkok in one day. The embassy is on Wireless Rd (Thanon Wittayu) just north of the US Embassy. As you drop off your PP and application, request an 'express visa.' You will pay a bit extra, but it will be available for pickup in the afternoon.

I understand that some people do "day trips" to a city sometimes because they have a free stopover (I do this all the time when connecting through London), but I don't see the point in a day trip to Hanoi. A weekend would be much better.

UAL Traveller:

You're right, the pottery village was a bit kitschy. Our guide only took us in a few of the stores, saying that the rest were wholesale only. And the actual place where they demonstrate making pottery was flooded out, so we only got the shopping experience. We did buy a bunch of stuff including some cool bowls painted with red dyes (instead of the normal "blueware" we tend to get in the Orient). I thought it was interesting that almost none of the pottery indicated it was made in Vietnam -- wondering whether some of it actually might not have been? Also wondering whether this is a relic of the days when US citizens couldn't buy any Vietnamese products?

We had been scheduled to do the Perfume Pagoda that day (last day of our trip) but we couldn't handle another multi-hour excursion with our private car/driver. So they took us to the pottery village and another temple or two instead. We also got to see quite a bit of the countryside, and I got great pictures of lush green rice paddies. So, not a bad day.

ka9taw, well I'm glad I got the adjective right I recall noticing the same thing: no country-of-origin markings. I think that they probably ship a lot of that stuff to nearby countries, where it is stamped as originating in, say, Thailand, where the labor rates are higher.

As usual, the feedback has been just what I was looking for. I'll wait to see Hanoi until I have more time. My "Border's trip" to view Vietnam materials also confirmed the need for more time.

thanks again for the feedback.