Tall narrow houses
by ValbyDK
Many houses in Hanoi are built very tall, but also very narrow. It used to be that taxes were paid by the width of the frontage of the house, and this led to the long and thin “tube” houses of Hanoi.
Today, the land in Hanoi is so expensive that new houses are still built tall and narrow. Amazing to see some of the constructions – many houses rises 7 or 8 floors.
Cat Ba Island - Cat Co Beaches
by munapong
Cat Co beaches - there are 3 beaches. Was told that a storm destroyed part of the beaches and re-construction continues. The sea view is also nice and people wake up at 5 am to exercise and jog at the beaches.
You have to walk up a steep road before reaching the beaches.
There is a long platform connecting the beaches, take a walk and enjoy the cool breeze....you can to see local ladies posing for pictures too :)
Art pieces - Original or Copy, Prints & Galleries
by myspices about Small shops in Old Quarters area
Lots and lots of shops selling art pieces or prints in Old Quarters area. Every shop has its distinctivness. You can see the artists doing replicas and they are very good at it. You can either buy the framed pictures or have them unframed for easy carry as hand luggage. Usually when you bargain, have a price in mind, start with the bottom and slowly up the price. Sellers are polite and will somehow close a deal with you. Art pieces - replicas or originals and prints Unframed and framed ones do not differ much in price. Usually about USD25 a piece
Meter taxi
by chirpy383
Getting around in Hanoi is easy. You either take a Taxi or ride a Cyclo. However, Cyclo can only accomodate ONE person. if you cant take the heat, taxi is preferred choice as all taxis are air conditioned.
Just to caution travellers that meter cab are driven by time/ duration rather than solely distance. On different days, we took taxi to one same place. However, one is more expensive than the other.
In Hanoi, you will get the impression that everybody is rushing. Honking and speeding. But this particular driver was driving VERY extremely SLOWLY at one point. 30km/hr perhaps! And when we reach our destination, we realise it costs 8000VND more than our 1st trip! It is then we realised the meter is going by the seconds!
So my advice to save cost is - drive faster! haha!
Cheap, friendly and delicious
by exitnotebook about King Cafe
I guess it's basically the same as many other Vietnamese restaurants, but the family working there was very friendly, the portions were big and the food was great for a great price. I actually came here right after going to a place a little ways down the street called the Culi cafe. They sold me a meat pie, that cost around $2 and ended up being the size of a cookie. I was so hungry after that I went to the King Cafe, and for $2, I got a large plate of chicken, vegetables and rice