Ha Noi Kids…
by Greggor58
Ha Noi Kids is an association of students that provides an “escort” or “companion” service for tourists visiting Ha Noi. This is NOT a guiding service but if you arrange it with them they will accompany you for the day, participating in your daily activities related to tourism in Ha Noi.
I found them on the internet while searching for information about Ha Noi. I made inquiries through they’re website and arranged for they’re representatives to meet us at an agreed upon address at a predetermined time. There is an application process to be completed and they determine your suitability for the program.
I organized this entirely through they’re website exchanging various emails and then decided on the date. They showed up exactly ON TIME and exactly where we had planned without ANY complication.
The intent of Ha Noi Kids is multi purpose, it provides students with some exposure to foreigners, it provides an environment that enables the students to practice they’re second language skills, and for someone that might be a little uncomfortable exploring a new and large city on they’re own it provides the tourist a mechanism to orient themselves into the pace of life and surroundings here in Ha Noi.
We were quite lucky…the organization sent two students to accompany us for the day…
I determined the day’s itinerary and they accompanied us until the late afternoon. You choose the day’s events or itinerary and they make sure that it happens. They facilitate communication with taxis or help you through the bus system, they do they’re best to explain some of the sights that you are seeing but acting as a GUIDE is NOT they’re function so its likely a good idea to prepare yourselves with some background information about what you want to see or do. We spent the morning exploring Ngoc Son Pagoda and walking the streets of the Old Quarter. They suggested a great place to have lunch and then we spent a part of the afternoon exploring the Museum of Ethnology. There is an architectural attraction in the Old Quarter at 87 May May Street where there is a calligrapher working…LouAn provided translation and I had quite an interesting conversation with the gentleman. You can catch a glimpse of this conversation on one of the attached videos here if you might be interested.
This is a FREE service however we picked up the tab for drinks throughout the day as well as the cost of lunch and taxis…
If the rest of the “kids” are as polite and helpful as Loan (pronounced LouAn) and Tai (I called him “T” ) then you really cant go wrong..
The website is down at the moment but it seems to me if I remember correctly the organization has been around for a few years and the number of students participating is about 150…so I don’t think that scheduling would be an issue
I'm happy that I took advantage if this service, I got to meet some really interesting young people who had spent they’re entire lives living and growing up in Ha Noi.
I would highly recommend you take advantage of this service for tourists!
You can contact them at this email address if you would like more information.
info@hanoikidstours.com or when it becomes available again...http://www.hanoikidstours.com/
Les amoureux des bancs publics
by kokoryko
No, it is not voyeurism! In Hanoi, you may be surprised by the number of young couples, walking hand in hand, sitting on benches, kissing as if nobody is around. . . refreshing view to me, optimism, just beauty of life! Nothing more, and it remembers me an old song from Georges Brassens, an anarchist poet and singer, famous in France in the sixty-seventies. . . listen to Les amoureux qui se bécotent sur les bancs publics, which mocks people scandalized by what they see on public benches. . . . I blurred the faces of the protagonists, when it is possible to recognize them, I do not want to trigger possible conjugal problems!
Is it not refreshing?
Don't Let the Dress Fool You
by neurochic
The Black Hmong girls are some of the most intelligent young women I have ever met. Do not make the assumption that just because they dress in indiginous garb that they are not brilliant. Too many ignorant travelers have made this assumption on too many a tribal people over time just because their culture or customs may be different. These girls are savvy business women who can talk any tourist into buying their wares with their impeccable English and one-liners, while still maintaing house and home with their babies in slings around their shoulders. I met this Hmong girl who had an e-mail address and could tell me any US capital of any state I could think of. Heck her geography of my country was better than my own. Furthermore if you take the time to travel to Sapa, make sure that you take the time out to talk to these girls about their lives because its such a wonderful opportunity for two very different cultures to exchange ideas to get to know each other better.
Souvenier
by imstress about Souvenier
There are some souveniers that you can consider brining home to your friends or to decorate your home.
So take your time to pick the products.
Be sure to check your goods before you purchase them.
I brought a handphone sling pouch, but the string attached to it has snapped.
Ha Noi Train Station…Ga Ha Noi..
by Greggor58
We used the train to travel from here to Lao Cai..to get ourselves to Sa Pa. Our experience was limited though to “showing up” at the appointed time previous to our departure and picking up our pre-arranged tickets and getting onto the train.
We arrived straight from the airport upon our arrival from Da Nang. With some time to kill before our departure we FOUND and USED luggage LOCKERS that were found on the extreme left hand side of the facility. To get to them you must pass by the ticket purchasing area and keep on going to the end of the building. It’s not a large facility at all so you should have no issues finding these lockers..
Before I left Canada I had some difficulty determining that there were actually lockers here at all…so in fact now I know and share with you that this service is available for a nominal fee. There is an attendant and a guard present at a desk beside the lockers so security wouldn’t be an issue I would think. You get a locker assigned to you and the attendant gives you a receipt and the ticket for the assigned locker. When you return to collect your things you present her with the receipt and you are allowed to open the locker.
The train station is located in the downtown core about a fifteen minute drive from the Old Quarter, depending when you are transiting. I would think during busy traffic you can expect a longer transit than what I experienced.
There is plenty of seating and because we were traveling with Livitrans we were waiting in a separate area from the general public and we boarded through a separate doorway out onto the rail yards. We walked across a few sets of train tracks in the dark to arrive at our train. No modern “Western” conveniences of covered and manicured walkways here Im afraid and at times the concrete was rough and broken…you NEED to PAY ATTENTION walking to your train.
There were people looking to help with backpacks and luggage for a small fee so if you’re limited or challenged physically you will be able to find some help carrying your luggage to your coach.
We tried to find schedules via the internet but the website for Vietnam Railways was of no use at all…the English version links were not working, and just checking again now they still don’t work. The hotel we booked on with in Sa Pa offers a booking service with Livitrans as do a lot of the hotels in Sa Pa…so this became the easy solution to arranging our train transport between Sa Pa and Ha Noi.
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Thu Giang Guest House
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
a willing eager owner of the cyclo
Flood of Morning Sunlight Bridge (The Huc)
