Hoi An Trade Union Hotel, Hoi An

Advantages: Quaint, cheap tailors, fabulous food
Disadvantages: none

...A bit of history: In 1999, the old town was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, whose buildings display a unique blend of local and foreign influences. Because of this the government have stopped any building that is not in keeping with this old town so there are no ugly high rise buildings. Today, Hoi An is still a small city, you can easily walk around the whole town and you do have to walk as cars are banned in the main town centre which makes it much easier though no less crowded as motor bikes are not banned and go quite fast round the little streets. There are a fair number of tourists but somehow they do not dominate the place. The tourist take on the attitude and atmosphere of Hoi An rather than Hoi An becoming a tawdry outpost... Read review

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Advantages: Good for sight seeing.
Disadvantages: traffic

...We first arrived in Hanoi from Moscow after a 2 day delay. We picked an expensive hotel at $25 for a room for 2 but it had a great balcony on the third floor that overlooked the old quarter. You could do worse than treat yourself on arrival. One thing that stuck on arrival was the bicycle and motorbike traffic. There is an art to crossing the road. The best way to just to walk slowly across and the riders weave in and out of pedestrians. This does not work with larger vehicles as they only deviate for larger vehicles! The main sites to see that I would recommend are situated in two areas; around the central lake and north Hoi Chi Minh’s mausoleum. Around the lake are general places to eat and drink which makes it a good place to start. The pagoda in the centre of the lake is well worth a visit, as is the water puppets nearby... Read review

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Advantages: China Beech
Disadvantages: Crime

...On a month in Vietnam and cambodia I spent 3 days in Nha Trang including Christmas Eve. This was a good city but lacked the charm of Hoi An - the next city to the north. One place I would recommend is the Sailing Club. This is along the beech to the east and cant be missed. I found crime to be more rife than most coastal towns, perhaps it was just Christmas but I got my wallet pickpocketed. My advise is to only take out what you will spend or can afford to loose. I would spend have spent a day here if it wasn't for the long bus journey and the time of year. Hoi An has much more culture and attractions.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful