Vietnam (Hanoi & vicinity)

[Bob]

I'm heading to Hanoi in a few weeks with the CM boss (bf) and wondering if anybody might have
been there in the last year or two and might want to recommend a particular thing to see or do
there. We're going to go up to Hailong Bay for a day or more, we'll check out the Perfume
Pagoda (most famous buddhist site in Vietnam), and I'm sure we'll see most of the places in
Hanoi proper.

Any tips/ideas? Would appreciate any comments from people who've been there. Thanks.

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[adman5000]

I was very turned off by the frequency of scams in VN. Have your guard up at all times and turned on HIGH - Taxi drivers, vendors, Hotel, Cyclo Drivers, and any boys who express a wish to go back to your hotel or offer to take you somewhere as you are walking around the lake. I experienced more attempted scams in a few days than in all of my 15+ years of travelling to Thailand. Under each supposed act of friendship was a scam and I suspect some of them could have been violent including instances where a private taxi driver had arranged for his customers to be robbed once outside the city.

In one instance a young man who offered to come give me a sexy massage didn't mention that the most enjoyable part was three times the massage price. When I offered him two times the massage price he pulled a dirty needle on me so I had to disarm him, subdue him, and threaten to kick him out of the room without his clothes and call the police to get him to leave.

I had a hotel tour to Halong Bay and I was glad I did versus going on my own. I tipped the guide well as he did a great job and was honest. I was amazed that none of the other tourists tipped him.

This was mostly Hanoi and HCMC. In some other areas I had no problems. I won't spend any tourist dollars in VN again.

[Bob]

Thanks for the tips, guys.
There have been many postings and publications warning of the scams so hopefully we'll avoid those. And we're going to go with a recommended travel office for the tour to Halong Bay, Perfume Pagoda, etc. I'm looking forward to the excursion as most reports are its a great area to see and that the Vietnamese people are as friendly as the Thais.

I'm curious: the incident when a massage boy pulled a needle on you, did that happen in Hanoi or Saigon (HCMC) ? I have visited Viet Nam many times and never had any such terrible experience. I'm sorry about what happened and hope that, in the future, somehow destiny will bring you back to VN for an enjoyable trip There are very good people there too.

[adman5000]

It was Hanoi and one of the boys who trolls around the lake. In fairness, some university students I chatted with in HCMC were very nice and the highlight of some of the discussions I had on my trip. In fact, several years later I still maintain chats with them as casual friends.

[dephanrang-old]

As a Vietnamese gay who live in US and traveled back to Vietnam several times, I would ADVISE you this one. If you want sex massage, Thailand is a place. If u want to be a victim of a scam, Hanoi or Saigon is place for you. Run FAST

[dephanrang-old]

Not partly true, it's whole true. You can come to VN for other things as culture, food, sight seeing etc... but gay sex. You just set up yourself for a SCAM. I have seen one of white traveler was out of "short term" motel with an only UNDERWEAR on his body. The owner of the motel prented they knew nothing about it.. U got the picture.

You can come to VN for other things as culture, food, sight seeing etc..

Food???? Apart from the few remaining boulangeries there is nothing memorable (or at least that you would want to remember) about Vietnamese food!

With the exception of a very few places, such as Halong Bay, and a few largely crumbling colonial buildings, I found virtually nothing available in Vietnam that was not available, far more readily and far cheaper in Thailand (including temples and scenery).