Hanoi and Bangkok: Southeast Asian Titans (with a beach thrown in for good measure)

[giallo]

I visited Vietnam and Thailand during the Xmas holidays in 2019. Just before the world got flipped upside down.


Hanoi


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Ao Nang, Krabi Thailand

Nice area, but the hordes of tourists became the focal point.














































































Bangkok


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[homebucket]

🔥🔥🔥

[kool maudit]

What an incredible journey. Wonderful photos.

[homebucket]

Awesome photos as always! Great tour!

[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.

[bilbao58]

Fantastic photos!

[Build.It]

Amazing pictures!

[ColDayMan]

Love to see it!

[vetteking]

WOW thanks for sharing beautiful,modern citie like Montreal hope to visit one day

[Shawn]

Great pics giallo, thanks for sharing!

And goddamn I love Vietnam.

[mousquet]

This is my favorite skyscraper in this set.


reload by Andrew Rochfort, sur Flickr

I think it's easily the best showcased in this thread.

[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?

[EastSideHBG]

Wonderful!

[giallo]

Thanks, everyone.

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.

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.

[IluvATX]

Beautiful pics. I’m wondering about your choice/impression of Ao Nang. It is arguably the partiest of beach areas for foreigners. My old ass (still under 40 tho) opted for Railay and Koh Phi Phi instead. Either way the entire Krabi area is breathtaking and your pics give me nostalgia.

[Echoes]

I was in Hanoi in 2019 as well, and I enjoyed it, but I remember Ho Chi Minh more fondly. Thanks for taking me back there.

[hauntedheadnc]

Originally Posted by giallo

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".

How easy is it to get around Bangkok?

[giallo]

Originally Posted by hauntedheadnc

How easy is it to get around Bangkok?

We took the subway everywhere, and it was convenient and easy to use.

Originally Posted by IluvATX

Beautiful pics. I’m wondering about your choice/impression of Ao Nang. It is arguably the partiest of beach areas for foreigners. My old ass (still under 40 tho) opted for Railay and Koh Phi Phi instead. Either way the entire Krabi area is breathtaking and your pics give me nostalgia.

Interesting. I didn't get a party vibe at all from Ao Nang, but then we weren't looking for it. Most nights we were in bed by 10pm.

We went over to Railay as well. I had some of the best fried chicken and tom kha gai in my life there.

[niwell]

Originally Posted by giallo

Thanks, everyone.


We had the exact opposite impressions, actually.

Interesting to hear! Goes to show that even the best pictures of a place don't always convey the actual vibes on the ground very well. Which is something I've experienced in person on more than a few occasions.

Bangkok isn't often a place you hear about people visiting for more than a quick layover to more touristy destinations, so cool to hear your impressions of the place.