Thanks, everyone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by niwell
Amazing pics! While busy Hanoi looks to have a kind of comfy vibe - very appealing to me. Bangkok looks kinda hectic and impersonal in comparison. No idea if this is the case in reality though.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin
Awesome. This one is pretty much my urban heaven: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6ac00541_h.jpg
I agree with Niwell that Hanoi generally looks like the way cooler city. Bangkok doesn't appeal to me much, but it's still interesting to see. I'd be curious to know what you thought of each place? |
We had the exact opposite impressions, actually.
Hanoi was loud, the roads were dangerous (most dangerous street crossings I've ever done in my life), the people were not very friendly, and the city was kinda dirty. It reminded me of what Shanghai was probably like in 1995.
The Vietnamese we've talked to since the trip all seem to feel the same about Hanoi. They were shocked we didn't go to Saigon (HCMC) or Da Nang during our trip. I guess it's a lot more fun, and people are a lot nicer down there. They consider Hanoi to be the stuffy, boring capital city.
I didn't mind it that much (besides the relentless, aggressive traffic), but my wife didn't enjoy her time there.
Bangkok, on the other hand, was amazing. The people were fantastic, there was so much to see and do, and despite being this huge mega city with really bad traffic, everyone seemed to be so chill. No pushing or shoving to get on and off the train, no horns honking, no one budging into the queue while you're waiting in line. Just a zen-like existent in a very busy city. Both of us were like, "We could live here".
I'm thinking my musical choices might have played into the vibes that one was chill while the other was crazy.
i recommend visiting both, but I definitely wouldn't limit myself to just Hanoi while visiting Vietnam.
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