We receive a small commission if you click on the ads selected by Google , or if you link to a product recommended by us. Several friends have recommended Vietnam - the people are nice, they like Americans almost no reference to the "American War" of 50 years ago , the scenery is pretty, and the prices are cheap.
We went, had a great time, and found the recommendations to be true. Hanoi has 7 million people fun chaos , Saigon has 20 million and reportedly more pollution, so we like having ended up in Hanoi. Visiting Vietnam is not like a casual trip to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and Louvre, or even a trip to Singapore to see their fantastic zoos and shopping centers. It is an exploration of a different culture with wonderful people and history. It is not a visit to what you have seen in school books.
It probably should not be your first international trip, but we highly recommend it for experienced travelers. Travel: No question that it is a long way - about 9, miles from Austin, less than a 2 hour flight west of Hong Kong.
Our usual 1 hour flight from Austin to Dallas-Fort Worth, was followed by a We left Thursday morning, and with the help of the date line arrived at midnight Friday night, after 21 hours in the air. Hotel: Hanoi City Palace hotel is a boutique hotel, which usually means a small hotel.
This is certainly small easy to miss if walking by with only 18 guest rooms. Lots of marble, carved wood - their lobby picture is not an exaggeration. WiFi throughout the hotel, including a free laptop to use in our room I had brought my own, so didn't check it out.
