Vietnam Sharing Thread

[surrephoto]

Dear all, I hope my thread doesn't clash with the previous Vietnam thread.

As I have been to the country 15 times, almost all for holidays, I would like to help answer some questions about travelling in Vietnam.

Vietnam is a highly misunderstood travelling destination, partly due to it being too confusing, & also too difficult a language to learn. Those angmoh backpackers describe it as a Marmite Country.

I've been to Saigon too many times, Hanoi many times, Đà Lạt as many times, Vũng Tàu twice & Cần Thơ, Huế, Đà Nẵng, Hội An, Sa Pa, Cao Bằng, Hà Giang, Ninh Bình once. Of course, i've been Hạ Long Bay a few times too.

Just to clarify this is not my show-off thread, and I'm all out to share. In my early days travelling there with my friends, many of them were sorely disappointed due to bad itinerary, language barrier and other issues, and I want to help to reduce such occurances.

To start off, here are my recommendations for food in the old quarters of Hanoi... pictures taken in recent trip;

Chả Cá Thăng Long Restaurant

Address: 19 - 21 - 31, Đường Thành, Hoàn Kiếm - Hà Nội

Do not be confused by the numerous lots they have along Duong Thanh street... that's because they are immensely successful and popular. Infact, I dined at number 25 (or was it 24) since they ran out of space at the other lots, one of the boys told me they have 5 (i think) spots now along the same street. Current price is 120.000 VND per head.

Side-note: My advise is to not go to the ultra-famous Chả cá Lã Vọng on Chả cá street... they are charging at least 160.000 VND now and the portions are small... how i describe in Hokkien; "niao chiak eh".

Bún Chả 34 Hàng Than

Address: 34 Hàng Than

This one is a no brainer... only 30.000 VND (without nem ran spring rolls, which you should add). I am not an ultra-fan of Bún Chả, but the hit-rate of liking Bún Chả, has been close to 99%. My friend who hates pork loves Bún Chả. Pork is never an issue in Hanoi because pork taste much better in VN compared to singapore... sweeter and no stench. The lady will ask you something like... "ăn tỏi không" which means "you eat garlic?", just say yes, yah. I tried putting more of the pickled garlic into the dipping sauce, but seems like not much effect. But if you hate garlic you can say no.

I'll add a few more later, but these 2 are must eats. Pho is over-rated i feel.

Feel free to ask any questions.

 

[Delsamor]

Great sharing! Do share more about Hanoi as I plan to go there solo backpacking. I do have a few questions that might be unnecessary, but I still want to know more for assurance.

1. Does Vietnamese know how to speak simple english like the Thais? Viet language, whether is it spoken or written, seems confusing for me. All the "trang bua nguyen" almost every food/street name/person name has them!

2. Is it weird or inconvenient for solo person to do Halong Bay? Do u recommend cheap or mid range boat?

3. Most important, need recommendation for coffee! Im a sucker for coffee! I heard there's egg coffee there, worth hunting for it?

 

[surrephoto]

Great sharing! Do share more about Hanoi as I plan to go there solo backpacking. I do have a few questions that might be unnecessary, but I still want to know more for assurance.

1. Does Vietnamese know how to speak simple english like the Thais? Viet language, whether is it spoken or written, seems confusing for me. All the "trang bua nguyen" almost every food/street name/person name has them!

2. Is it weird or inconvenient for solo person to do Halong Bay? Do u recommend cheap or mid range boat?

3. Most important, need recommendation for coffee! Im a sucker for coffee! I heard there's egg coffee there, worth hunting for it?

1. Yes well, they can speak enough english, sometimes even slightly better than thais. If you are in desperate need or help, turn to the youngest vietnamese around you, the younger gen tend to speak very decent english and many of them don't like seeing foreigners getting scammed. In the earlier days when I could not speak vietnamese, I would fear being chop carrot when eating at roadside stalls, so I would ask the nicest looking chap/gal sitting beside me how much the dish cost, either in broken vietnamese or english. Needless to say those in the tourism line speak good english, but most vietnamese have trouble understand nuances and complicated inquiries, since it is not their native language.

Vietnamese writing, on the other hand, is far easier than thai. So reading menus, if you know basic food vocab, is super easy. Don't just eat pho, please!

2. If you are travelling solo, I recommend you to go on a standard tour with Sinh Tourist or other reputable tour agencies. They offer 1 or 2 day packages, but I would say Ha Long bay is pretty boring for a 2 day trip. A day trip that brings you to the bay and either Sung Sot or Thien Cung cave is recommended. Titov island (highest point) in Ha Long bay is highly recommended for photographers, but often you will need to do a 2-day tour to see that. Visit Sung Sot cave if possible, since it is bigger than Thien Cung cave.

3. I must admit I do not like Egg Coffee because It's rather sweet and more like a dessert than real coffee. Nevertheless many people enjoy it, and the most famous of cafes offering this is situated along Nguyễn Hữu Huân street (pronounced as Ngu-when Hew Hoo-uhn). Cafe Giảng 39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân seems to be the most famous place for it. These famous cafes are all traditional low seating places, which I still find uncomfortable after these years. On a side-note, although many cafes along this street is good, not all offer Egg Coffee (Cà phê trứng, approx. pronounced as Ca Fei Chewng).

 

[surrephoto]

Additional tip about coffee...

True vietnamese style coffee is not for everyone, it's often too black, too strong, and many traditional places serve vietnamese style roast which utilizes corn and other fillers during the roasting process to blacken and thicken the resultant brew. Mind you, my vietnamese friends tell me penang coffee taste bad, so the coffee preference there is hell lot different from nanyang style.

Go to a trip-advisor type of reputable western style place which uses vietnamese beans (especially from dalat or daklak region), and sure no disappointment. The beans are inherently very good, but I find the vietnamese brew process rather crude, slow, and inconsistent.

If you must have traditional style, go to Highlands coffee and order the iced black. Super consistent and no disappointment.

 

[Delsamor]

1. Yes well, they can speak enough english, sometimes even slightly better than thais. If you are in desperate need or help, turn to the youngest vietnamese around you, the younger gen tend to speak very decent english and many of them don't like seeing foreigners getting scammed. In the earlier days when I could not speak vietnamese, I would fear being chop carrot when eating at roadside stalls, so I would ask the nicest looking chap/gal sitting beside me how much the dish cost, either in broken vietnamese or english. Needless to say those in the tourism line speak good english, but most vietnamese have trouble understand nuances and complicated inquiries, since it is not their native language.

Vietnamese writing, on the other hand, is far easier than thai. So reading menus, if you know basic food vocab, is super easy. Don't just eat pho, please!

2. If you are travelling solo, I recommend you to go on a standard tour with Sinh Tourist or other reputable tour agencies. They offer 1 or 2 day packages, but I would say Ha Long bay is pretty boring for a 2 day trip. A day trip that brings you to the bay and either Sung Sot or Thien Cung cave is recommended. Titov island (highest point) in Ha Long bay is highly recommended for photographers, but often you will need to do a 2-day tour to see that. Visit Sung Sot cave if possible, since it is bigger than Thien Cung cave.

3. I must admit I do not like Egg Coffee because It's rather sweet and more like a dessert than real coffee. Nevertheless many people enjoy it, and the most famous of cafes offering this is situated along Nguyễn Hữu Huân street (pronounced as Ngu-when Hew Hoo-uhn). Cafe Giảng 39 Nguyễn Hữu Huân seems to be the most famous place for it. These famous cafes are all traditional low seating places, which I still find uncomfortable after these years. On a side-note, although many cafes along this street is good, not all offer Egg Coffee (Cà phê trứng, approx. pronounced as Ca Fei Chewng).

Wow thanks for the lesson on vietnamese culture and language! You certainly are a viet guru Thanks for the knowledge sharing on coffee too. I often go have the viet drip coffee in MBS and Liang court and even bought the tin filter and coffee powders. So I am very interested in trying all kinds of authentic coffee there.

Awaiting for more of your sharing!

 

[surrephoto]

Wow thanks for the lesson on vietnamese culture and language! You certainly are a viet guru Thanks for the knowledge sharing on coffee too. I often go have the viet drip coffee in MBS and Liang court and even bought the tin filter and coffee powders. So I am very interested in trying all kinds of authentic coffee there.

Awaiting for more of your sharing!

Consistency at Liang Court, which is near my place, was quite bad. Expect much better in VN of course. Go to Highlands Coffee there if possible, they brew using large drippers and in large quantities, so much more consistent. Btw, not sure if you know Liang Court Trung Nguyen has closed down. Not popular enough, and not enough crowd in the first place.

 

[Delsamor]

Consistency at Liang Court, which is near my place, was quite bad. Expect much better in VN of course. Go to Highlands Coffee there if possible, they brew using large drippers and in large quantities, so much more consistent. Btw, not sure if you know Liang Court Trung Nguyen has closed down. Not popular enough, and not enough crowd in the first place.

Really?? The last time I went was few months ago. Sadded have to go to the MBS one which is quite far from my workplace.

 

[surrephoto]

Probably one of the most under-rated locations in Northern Vietnam, Perfume Pagoda, known as Chùa Hương in Vietnamese. This pictures are from earlier last month, before the lunar new year rush. For those who like temples, I've been told that this is one of the most sacred & "ling" temples in Vietnam. It involves an hour plus ride from Hanoi, followed by an almost one hour boat ride. It was 13 degrees celcius and raining moderately, not the best experience I had.

What you see here is the main "temple" (Chùa Hương is really alot of temples in one complex shaped into the side of a mountain), called Hương Tích cave.

 

[feralslash]

aiya, should have seen your thread earlier. i went on 26 feb to hanoi. but was just stopping over on the way to sapa. while waiting for the night train, simply walked around the old quarters. stumbled upon Chả cá Lã Vọng on Chả cá street. price is 170k now.... couldnt find giang, so went to another coffee place, from the roof top can view the lake. 40k for the egg coffee.
on the last day back, went to banh cuon gia truyen for steam rolled rice pancake (35k-50k depending on filling). super nice! similar to hk style chee chong fan. then had pho at gia truyen. 50k for a bowl. popular with locals. heng my group came early. after us a long queue started forming out onto the streets.

 

[surrephoto]

aiya, should have seen your thread earlier. i went on 26 feb to hanoi. but was just stopping over on the way to sapa. while waiting for the night train, simply walked around the old quarters. stumbled upon Chả cá Lã Vọng on Chả cá street. price is 170k now.... couldnt find giang, so went to another coffee place, from the roof top can view the lake. 40k for the egg coffee.
on the last day back, went to banh cuon gia truyen for steam rolled rice pancake (35k-50k depending on filling). super nice! similar to hk style chee chong fan. then had pho at gia truyen. 50k for a bowl. popular with locals. heng my group came early. after us a long queue started forming out onto the streets.

Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền is indeed a good place for Bánh Cuốn. They have on the menu entire Cà Cuống (giant water bug) for 50.000 VND. Giant water bug essence is a famous flavouring for the fish sauce used in Bánh Cuốn, but to sell the entire beetle, cut it up and serve right infront of you is another experience altogether. For those who are curious, it gives a tingling sensation on the tip of the tongue and kind of smells like tropical flowers.

 

[lesley82]

Any sharing on HCM? Food? Coffee? Places of interest?

 

[surrephoto]

Any sharing on HCM? Food? Coffee? Places of interest?

Hi Lesley, if this is the first time in HCMC, I recommend you to try either Phở Hòa at Pasteur Street or Phở Lệ on Nguyễn Trãi. The former is more northern and later is more southern. Personal I like Hoa but It is a little over-rated & touristy, yes... but it is still quite good and not overly sweet or salty like the other popular Pho restaurants... The funny thing is that Pho is from Northern Vietnam, but HCMC did not get the type of "Anthony Bourdain" style promotion on other types of dishes to overtake Pho's sacred position...

Phở Hòa

Address: 260C Pasteur, Quận 3.

The price should at least be 55.000 VND now (might even be more!!!) for a basic bowl. I wouldn't say it's over-priced since all the famous Pho places are at least 50.000 VND. Youtiao is add as much as you wish so long you pay.

I do have another recommendation which I don't have quality pictures for... linked from my fb photos;

Cơm Tấm Chả Cua - Nguyễn Phi Khanh

Address: 113 Nguyễn Phi Khanh, P. Tân Định, Quận 1, TP. HCM

Cơm Tấm or broken is probably the specialty Saigon, if am forced to declare only one dish as the specialty (there are others worth mentioning, but maybe next time). If you ever had Comnam at city hall, please, please, please delete that memory because it is simply unfair to vietnamese food to represent broken rice with the rubbish that is served at Comnam.

The meatball in the picture is a Chả Cua, or crab cake... that piece of roasted meat is sweet and grilled usually on charcoal fire, tasting like a cross between bakkwa & charsiew.

113 Nguyen Phi Khanh is not the best, nor on the tourist radar, but it is the most accessible & relatively famous local venue. The store itself is very, very small... at most 4 x 5 m and not suitable for large groups, but people often tabao or eat quickly.

 

[Kacangputehman]

Hey Bro/Sis Surrephoto,
Also please recommend local "die-die-must try" food/beverages in Hanoi that are popular with locals too. Not so much of those tourist graded ones.

Your write up on the food background is very useful and informative. I also understand some local joints (Streets stalls) have prices for locals and tourist. So its best to have viet-speaking/locals to do the ordering/payment. however, the price diff is marginal +5k dong i think.

Cheers
p.s. Viet baguette (Banh Mi) is understand they put pate in it. Is it liver pate or just meat?

 

[surrephoto]

Hey Bro/Sis Surrephoto,
Also please recommend local "die-die-must try" food/beverages in Hanoi that are popular with locals too. Not so much of those tourist graded ones.

Your write up on the food background is very useful and informative. I also understand some local joints (Streets stalls) have prices for locals and tourist. So its best to have viet-speaking/locals to do the ordering/payment. however, the price diff is marginal +5k dong i think.

Cheers
p.s. Viet baguette (Banh Mi) is understand they put pate in it. Is it liver pate or just meat?

Regarding pate, It's almost always pork liver pate. To be honest I might be wrong and that could be a sweeping statement, because i have heard of people using non-pork liver pate. But it is always liver in VN.

If you are really afriad of being overcharged, first rule is not to attempt to speak in vietnamese unless you are super-confident. You can try, but the southern vietnamese e.g. from HCM who speak with a southern accent get overcharged the most. Reason is simple, because there are some aggressive tourists especially angmohs who hate being overcharged and will make a huge fuss over a few thousand VND.

You could also try asking for the prices before hand... but that doesn't guarantee a local price. You might walk a few streets being touted and not eat anything because everyone is over-quoting simply because you are a foreigner asking for prices. It's not so bad nowadays though.

If you are really concerned about the slight over-charging, ask the other local customers around you.

The most popular places have menus or prices written explicitly on the walls. These are the places you should be visiting, not a hit-&-miss street food place. There is often very little difference between street-food and lower end eatery prices in the old quarters. The lines are blurred for many establishments, where they operate from their homes, and eating areas are really the pavements, where the operator rents the "shopfront" from the store or home owner.

Miến lươn Đông Thịnh

Address: 87 Hàng Điếu , Cửa Đông, Quận Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội

Apologies for the picture not being clear (I was too lazy to stir ). Basically Miến lươn is a deep-fried eel tung hoon dish, served either dry or soup. The dry one is kind of sweet, like a salad... if you like korean food, it's something like japchae. Current prices should be 35.000 VND for either types. Prices are written in the shop. It's not the usual food that foreigners go for, but it is wildly popular with the locals.

The general consensus over the years is that southern vietnamese food is sweeter and uses more fish sauce & MSG, and northern end uses salt & not much sugar; tastes bland. Might be true for the provinces closer to China, coupled with the cold weather, things do taste bland. But however, I feel flavours have been somewhat normalized in HCM & Hanoi due to inter-migration. In essence this dish tastes sweeter and has more MSG compared to 3 years ago.

It is still very nice, since the main star of the show is the fried eel. The eel in question is not a sea eel/anago, it is a paddyfield eel that is known as 鳝鱼 (Shan4 Yu2) locally.

If you read my previous posts you might have noticed something called Chả Cua, crab cake. Here at the eel place, they have Chả Lươn, same concept, different animal. The eel cake is a must try.

 

[Kacangputehman]

Thanks for the info Surrephoto!!!

For the Banh Mi, i ask the sellers and they would say "meat" pate (probably due to lost in translation), But I guess as much its liver pate,

Getting "chop" happens everywhere in the world. Just be mindful that its not too big an amount esp if you are ordering multiple dishes.

I'm the sort who go for non-commercial food places and where my nose takes me. I enjoy eating with the locals and "squat" by the road with them and point at what ever they are eating.

Besides the regular tourist favorites, have you tried any others that u would recommend?

p.s. thanks for recommending Miến lươn Đông Thịnh and keep posting more about Vietnam! btw nice pics.

 

[surrephoto]

Thanks for the info Surrephoto!!!

For the Banh Mi, i ask the sellers and they would say "meat" pate (probably due to lost in translation), But I guess as much its liver pate,

Getting "chop" happens everywhere in the world. Just be mindful that its not too big an amount esp if you are ordering multiple dishes.

I'm the sort who go for non-commercial food places and where my nose takes me. I enjoy eating with the locals and "squat" by the road with them and point at what ever they are eating.

Besides the regular tourist favorites, have you tried any others that u would recommend?

p.s. thanks for recommending Miến lươn Đông Thịnh and keep posting more about Vietnam! btw nice pics.

You are one adventurous guy mr kacangputeh... sooner or later I will arrive at my favourite food, which I am sure 95% of singaporeans will not eat. It is said to be so fragrant that even the chinese gods were moved beyond their thrones... haha... but that aside, here is my favourite street snack which I am quite sure most singaporeans have never heard about before;

Nộm thịt bò khô "Hải Sinh"

Address: 53 Hồ Hoàn Kiếm, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội

On the north of Hoan Kiem lake, you will find Cầu Gỗ street, and one of the perpendicular streets connecting Cầu Gỗ street to the lake itself is conveniently called Hồ Hoàn Kiếm Street... which means Hoan Kiem Lake Street.

This street is a battleground for vendors of Nộm bò, short for Nộm thịt bò khô (pronounced something like... nom teet bore co, nom as is om-nom-nom, and co, as in co-op). This really means a northern vietnamese salad, Nộm, served with bò khô (beef jerky/bakkwa). It is somewhat like a very light version of thai mango/papaya salad, not spicy, and the sauce far more watery and easy on the palate.

As said, this street is a battlefield for beef jerky salad, there are at least 5 stalls/stores vying for potential customers, but I always go to Hải Sinh. You will find Hải Sinh when you see this auntie (right of photo);

Her place is always pack at night as compared to the other vendors. Prices should be 30.000 VND, i think, for a plate for hearty salad. They also have Nem Cuốn and Bánh Bột Lọc, salad roll and tapioca dumpling respectively, for sale... should be 5000 VND for one (i think! sorry I don't keep track of prices too well!)

This one is a must try if you are really hardcore into vietnamese salads.

 

[amberlight]

I am considering a budget trip to Ho Chi Minh, can you recommend an itinerary for a 4d3n for 1st timer? What is the expected budget for 2pax for a 4d3n trip in terms of prices for hotel, food and transport?

Hote: Would appreciate if you could share some hotels which are good, in terms of both location, wallet friendly and overall pleasantness. Say a 4star hotel in bangkok is around $80, how about Vietnam's rates?

Food: An average price per meal for simple restaurant, foodcourt and decent hygienic food stalls? My stomach is quite weak for street food due to bad experience in bkk

Transport: Is it pricey to travel around the city shopping malls and attractions?

 

[nikomesh]

I am considering a budget trip to Ho Chi Minh, can you recommend an itinerary for a 4d3n for 1st timer? What is the expected budget for 2pax for a 4d3n trip in terms of prices for hotel, food and transport?

Hote: Would appreciate if you could share some hotels which are good, in terms of both location, wallet friendly and overall pleasantness. Say a 4star hotel in bangkok is around $80, how about Vietnam's rates?

Food: An average price per meal for simple restaurant, foodcourt and decent hygienic food stalls? My stomach is quite weak for street food due to bad experience in bkk

Transport: Is it pricey to travel around the city shopping malls and attractions?

Ho chi minh is a nice city to explore, especially for first time goers.

Hotel wise, I tried Liberty Central Saigon the other time when I stayed. It was recommended by my friend and for the price, I say the experience is awesome. The hotel itself is new, and has good location. They even has a nice pool area (see pic. Gal not provided ) and nice view from the room. I personally like to go for boutique hotels or new hotels as they are much cleaner..

 

[dhhpdhhp]

is hanoi tourist-friendly like hcmc? i mean like, for e.g. in hcmc, most rstnt/eatery menus have english translation for tourists

 

[wikiwonders]

Ho chi minh is a nice city to explore, especially for first time goers.

Hotel wise, I tried Liberty Central Saigon the other time when I stayed. It was recommended by my friend and for the price, I say the experience is awesome. The hotel itself is new, and has good location. They even has a nice pool area (see pic. Gal not provided ) and nice view from the room. I personally like to go for boutique hotels or new hotels as they are much cleaner..

I stayed at the same place before.. nice place because it is new.. Ho chi minh is quite a city place...so 1st time goers will like it..