Hanoi
This is a beautiful and vibrant city. I enjoyed ten days basing in and out of here on my way to such places as Mai Chau and also Halong Bay.
The city is organized chaos with people coming at you everywhere on bikes and cars which makes for sometimes a very frustrating experience if you are walking along the streets as a tourist. However you must walk with a purpose in order to get to a place and not make eye contact with moving vehicles.
The Old Quarters is the central part of the city, with many restaurants and bars for locals and tourists alike. There is place known by the westerners as “Beer Corner”, in which they put many stools outside and you just order beers and finger foods. When the police show up, they just move all of the stools inside and everyone stands and drinks.
The link below will enable you to meet up with a local university student. They have different types of tours and are all free of charge. A great way to see the city with a little bit of history. The two tours I did was just walking around to the HCM Mausoleum and then a street food tour on a scooter, which gave me a taste of the crazy life of a scooter.
Free walking or motorbike tours done by university students
Where to stay? Eclipse Legend Hotel
A great tour company to use while staying in Hanoi is Evan Journey:
It is owned by a girl named Mien who I met while staying at the hotel below. Her command of English is excellent and will always work to find you the best deals on different tours you can take. They can accommodate your whole trip in any part of Vietnam and will always be happy to assist you with a friendly smile. If you are pushed for time while staying in Vietnam or just do not feel like booking stuff yourself, please feel free to click on the above links and you will be helped with anything your heart desires!!!!!
My review of Eclipse Legend Hotel on Booking and Trip Advisor:
I have stayed in probably hundreds of hotels, hostels, guesthouses, etc during my time traveling and I must say this is among one of the most impressive hotels I have ever been too.
The Cleanliness is beyond great. Location is beyond better as it is a short walk to the lake and the Old Quarter Restaurant and Bar area. The breakfast is small but sufficient and gives you 10-12 different options from local to American Breakfasts. The cook is terrific and everything comes out in a timely manner, no matter what type of rush you are in. You wiill also enjoy fresh fruit and fresh fruit juices depending on the season.
The best part about this hotel that made it what it was, was the staff of Mein, Jenny, Tu, Frank, Anna, Lala(and I am sure I am missing some, but that is the point, everyone did such a great job). They made sure our stay was a comfortable one. My visa was not approved for the 1 month it said on my letter as the immigration made a mistake so they graciously offered to get it extended for me so I do not waste my vacation time and asked for nothing in return and apologized profusely for the mistake by their government. They will book you any excursion you want to go on (Mai Chau and Halong Bay was ours) and will give you different options from budget to luxurious and will not try to bait you into taking the more expensive option. The rooms were always cleaned each day perfectly and even if you spent longer time in the hotel, they would wait for you.
Overall for the price and the quality, this hotel really ranks up their in the world for any type of traveler. I am even booking extra nights there just for the relaxation and proximity to locations. If you want your stay in this hotel to be a pleasant one, then this hotel would be the way for you to go. They will make sure everything is PERFECT for your stay and will go the extra mile to make sure you enjoy your Hanoi Experience
Bravo Legend Eclipse Hotel. Thank You!
Jump to:
- Mai Chau
- Ha Long Bay
- Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
- Viet Cong Cu Chi Tunnels
- Hue
- DMZ and HCM trail by motorbike
- Hoi An
- The Vietnamese Motorbike Diaries and people
- The food