Streetwise Hanoi

Streetwise Hanoi
Welcome to Hanoi! You’re in the political capital of Vietnam with a population of 7 million people. Like any big city, a tiny portion of those people are dodgy. Vietnam has vast cultural and legal differences to the west, that’s part of the reason why we love it. This means there’s some things us foreigners need to keep in mind. With decades of combined experience being backpackers who can’t seem to leave Vietnam, we’ve made a little list specific to Hanoi that we would like to share with you. We hope our experiences make yours even better & safer. Now don’t be worried, just be wary. Let’s get into it. North Vietnam tours

Crossing the street – Take a deep breath, look for a moment to commence and walk slowly and consistently across the street. They will go around you, have a bit of confidence and you’ll be a pro in no time.
Taxis - Some taxi drivers will try and take you for a ride. Hanoi Taxi Group (white, red & blue), Mai Linh (green) and ABC (white & pink) are most reputable. Ask our hostel to call you a taxi and write down the address for you.
Bia Hoi – Hanoi is legendary for it’s Bia Hoi, but be choosy. It’s home-brew made with varying levels of hygiene. There’s good Bia Hoi, and there’s bad Bia Hoi. The locals pay around 7,000vnd for a glass of good bia hoi. If you’re paying less than that, it’s probably not good. See our crew for some places to join the locals for some reputable Bia Hoi watering holes. Avoid cheap low quality product that could make you sick. Vietnam Halong bay tours
Cheap vodka – There is a reason why it is cheap, it can contain all sorts of nasties which can cause nausea, vomiting, drowsiness & dizziness without even having a big night out! We see this all the time. There is a big market for low quality and fake spirits in Vietnam. VBH serve only imported Smirnoff Vodka and genuine spirits. They are more expensive, but they are safe, and they taste better. If you drink irresponsibly, at least drink smart

Streetwise Hanoi

Disagreements with the locals – A rare circumstance usually involving boys and alcohol. There are 2 rules. Rule #1. – Never get involved in a fight with the Vietnamese. Rule #2 – If you’re drunk and a local does something you think deserves an act of aggression, immediately see rule #1. If a local really does do something wrong. Still see rule #1. The Vietnamese kicked China, France & the USA out of their town, you’re a small fry and they’ll treat you that way. In every circumstance, please please please see rule #1 and walk away. Peace. Vietnam Mekong river tours
Big nights out. All us backpackers understand that you never quite know when a massive night could come your way. We strongly advise that at some point during the build-up you take a moment to consider the location of your smartphone, passport, bankcards, and all your cash. If these things are in your possession when things escalate you run the risk of turning the night of your life into a nightmare. Please leave them somewhere safe before you get socially excited. There are security lockers in all rooms, and we have a safe to keep valuables in.
Getting home. Make sure you always have few a hostel cards to show your taxi or motorbike driver. Negotiate a price before you begin. Unfortunately it is rare to find a reputable motorbike or taxi driver after midnight. If you have problems, don’t make a scene, wait until you arrive at the hostel and ask night reception to assist you.
Cheap imitation tours. Be careful with Halong Bay especially. There are a number of dodgy companies that simply don’t care about your complaints after your shitty and sometimes unsafe experience. Many copycats pose shamelessly as long established reputable operators. For example there are currently 11 other places pretending to be our Castaways trip. There is only ONE real Castaways Island and it’s got a Red Buffalo. You really truly do get what you pay for. If it’s cheap, then it’s because the operator cuts corners. This means their boats can be any or all of the following: dirty, unseaworthy, environmentally disastrous, and most certainly have terrible decor. You may get lucky, but you may not. They will give you a great sales pitch and show you some great pictures, they’re experts. If you come back pissed off about your cheap shitty tour, we’ll do our best to help you, but aside from listening to you vent, giving you a cuddle and buying you a couple of beers to ease the pain, there’s not much more we can do. You’ve been warned!
Imitation hostels. Yes, you may get off a bus and a Vietnamese person with good English will tell you our hostel has closed down, or moved locations. They may even have one of our business cards. They may even get on the bus before it stops to give you some “advice”. Check online the location of our hostels, grab a card for each one, and only go to that address. If it doesn’t feel right, then it’s not. Simple.
Cash – The 500,000 note is a similar colour to the 20,000 notes! One is worth $24 the other is worth <$1. Don’t get them mixed up!
Be patient when communicating with the locals. Speak slowly, English is a very difficult language for the Vietnamese to pronounce, much harder than for Laotians, Cambodians and Thai’s. Their English is a lot better than your Vietnamese, so smile, laugh and enjoy the sign language! Even better, learn little language.
In the immortal words of Mr. T. “Don’t do drugs”. Penalties in Vietnam are so harsh we prefer not to talk about it. This is not California or the Caribbean. Weed is not ok, and harder drugs are even less ok. There is a large hemp growing industry in Vietnam and some locals will try and sell dope from these plants, but the joke is on you, you can still get done for possession, yet the plants are genetically engineered so that you don’t get you high. When it comes to drugs in Vietnam, please don’t be stoopid. As Mr. T also said “I pity the fool!”
Comply with the police. In the highly unlikely event you run into trouble, be polite, keep your cool and do what you can to remove yourself from the situation.
Vietnam is not the place to learn to ride a motorbike. If you are riding a motorbike, always wear a helmet. Pretty pretty please don’t get drunk and ride. We unfortunately have experienced a range of unfortunate circumstances pertaining to irresponsible motorbike behaviour, and because of this we would please insist you read this line again. :-)
Hope this helps and don’t hesitate to ask us anything. We’re all a bunch of backpackers who are still in love with Vietnam. We are here to help. If we don’t know, we’ll know someone who does.