A Guide to Sài Gòn and Hà Nội
I've been asked on quite a few occasions, which place to go to in Vietnam, Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City, or Hanoi. It all depends on your preference. Do you prefer the more cultural, historic and sleepy city of the capital Hanoi in the North? Or the frenetic energy, intense traffic, more capitalistic, hip and happening big city of the South?
Let's compare, and then you can decide for yourself. But first, here's some explanation on the 2 cities:
Saigon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saigon &
http://wikitravel.org/en/Ho_Chi_MinhHanoi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi &
http://wikitravel.org/en/HanoiCity Scape
There are definitely more tall buildings in Saigon. The tallest is Saigon Trade Centre, also known as Prudential Tower. Very modern, with high end offices, it is 33 storeys high. Visitors can go to the 32nd floor restaurant, and view from there (set lunches are worth it), or pay US$2 to view from the 33rd floor cafe. Or have drinks there.
Saigon City Scape - Taken from Sheraton Saigon
This has got to be the tallest hotel in Saigon... and the whole of Vietnam for now. I think they can be considered a hotel of truly international standards.
Definitely more tall buildings, as can be seen from this rooftop view.
Hanoi City Scape - Taken from Sheraton Hanoi
I prefered the Sheraton Saigon though, service, ambience and location cannot be topped!
Hanoi is famous for her lakes, and there are many to be found within the city centre. The lakes and colonial buildings (and light rain and colder weather in Winter) impart a dreamy romantic quality to Hanoi.
There are fewer old buildings in Saigon, largely due to the Vietnam-American War. With the Đổi mới (renovation) / economic reforms initiated by the Viet government in the mid 1980s, the spirit of capitalism is well and alive, translating into bigger, taller, newer buildings - hotels, offices, government buildings etc.
In contrast, Hanoi has preserved its past very well. The French influences in architecture can be seen in many colonial buildings. Ancient Chinese influences are also present in some parts of the city, and I like the Temple of Literature for this. Some of my friends commented that it is a little like old Paris, if they close their ears (to ignore the traffic sounds), they can imagine themselves to be in some part of France!People
I'm still trying to figure out if there is a 'typical' Vietnamese appearance. On the whole, the people of the South are more tanned, and those in the North where there is Winter, have a more fair complexion. The weather of the South can be really hot, while in the North, it is similar to Hong Kong's weather (which means it is ultra hot and humid in Summer, more hot than even in Saigon at times!).
The Saigonese look more Thai Cambodian to my untrained eye, though quite a few look quite Chinese. The Chinese in Saigon's Chinatown (Chợ Lớn) don't really look that Chinese, possibly because of the weather? As for Hanoi, the people there look more Chinese or Thai Chinese, and they are generally taller than their fellow Viets down South.
People on Motorbikes, SaigonGot this from another website, "You Know You're Vietnamese If..."
"After you come from the beach with a tan, they say that you look Cambodian.""Guys: You sit on your butt all day.
Girls: You do everything while your man sits on his butt."
Heh, from what I observed, in both Saigon & Hanoi, it seems quite true, women really do have to take care of the men!
Couple on Motorbike, HanoiThey look like a very charming and photogenic couple, don't they?
This pic was taken in Winter, which accounts for the warmer fashion they have on.
I can't quite figure out their 'look'... I mean, it is an Asian look, but can we easily classify people into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Malay etc races?
If a person is distinctively from a certain race, then yes. Other than that, it is not easy to tell. Hence the fun in guessing :)
Here's a close up of the pic, so that you can see their features more clearly.This post from a forum says it all:
"I think the term 'Asian' is being banded about too easily in this thread. Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indonesian, and Taiwanese people have differences in build, skin tone, and facial features much like Scottish, French, German, and Greeks, and Spaniards of Moorish decent have differences. Save Japan, they also different ethnicities within their countries."
ClimateThe weather in Saigon is hot and humid all 
year round (seems to average around 30°C or more), although from November to February, 
the rainy, monsoon season makes it a little cooler to visit. Hanoi is more or less like Hong Kong in terms of weather. Summer is really hot and humid, while Autumn and Winter is really pleasant and cool (15 to 20°C, can go to 10°C and below). Although it means that shops in Hanoi sell wooly or thicker Winter clothes in the November to February period, while it's light and summery clothes all year round in Saigon!
Though strangely enough, there is a little shop in the Ngô Dúc Kê road near to main shopping area of Ðồng Khởi, which sells only ultra thick winter wear. The joke is that it is for the Vietnamese who are going to Russia. No other way to explain why the Saigonese would need such thick hot clothes in the hot humid weather!ShoppingSaigon has a more developed shopping scene than in Hanoi, but Hanoi does seem to have more charming, specialised hand embroidery products. Here's what their main shopping streets look like.
Shopping Street, SaigonThis is at 135 Ðồng Khởi in Saigon. Ðồng Khởi is the most famous shopping street in this city. It is synonymous with high end (for Vietnam) shopping, and the top hotels are located here. Gucci and Louis Vuitton would be opening soon... Yes, in Vietnam!
This picture was taken pre-2007, and that Café/Restaurant on the left is now replaced by a Gloria Jean's Coffee. There are new developments all the time in Saigon, and shops that you used to frequent may not be there, the next time you visit!
Shopping Street, SaigonThis picture was taken near the end of Ðồng Khởi. Walk around a little bit more, and you will see the Malaysian-owned Parkson Department Store.
Parkson is an upmarket shopping destination (as is Diamond Hill Shopping Centre) in Saigon. I like the food court on the top floor. The small supermarket is nice for browsing, but I prefer to shop at the supermarket located at the nearby Tax Department Store (more down-market, but better prices and a much wider variety of goods).
Shopping Street, HanoiThis is in Hanoi's Old Quarter. Hàng Gai is the street that's known for silk shopping.
The tube houses translate into very narrow shops, even more narrow than the ones in Saigon.
Shopping Street, Hanoi
This is another shopping street in Hanoi's Old Quarters. Western brand names aplenty in Vietnam. Genuine goods or not, your guess is as good as mine!
