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It is often hard to know whats right and whats wrong. The good news is the when you travel in Vietnam, you really have to try hard to upset the locals. Vietnamese are so forgiving, it's almost rediculous!

To make sure you travel respectfully, try and remember these little pointers, the local will love you for it!

1. Dress modestly when visiting Pagoda's, Church's, Hisotrical sites or a local's house. Modestly generally means shoulders covered and pants (or shorts down to the knees)

2. Ask before you take photographs of people. Thinks about it, if you when in your front yard pruning your roses or enjoy a coffee with a friend and bus load of tourist got and started taking your photo, would you throw your shovel/coffee mug at them? I would! So ask first!

3. Leave you valuables in the hotel safe. Most hotels have a safe at reception and they'll issue you with a reciept for stuff left. If you're heading to the local market to photo's or the local Bia Hoi for a drinking session, do you really need your plane tickets, credit card, passport, excess cash etc? Leave it behind!

4. Do not whistle or point at other people, it is considered rude.  

5. He who invites pays. In Vietnam, if you "invite" someone for drinks or dinner, it is common practice that the person who initated the invite pays the bill!

6. Agree on a price before catching a Cyclo or Xe Om (motor bike taxi). It's best for both you and  the driver to know the agreed price befor heading off.  

7. Carry a hotel business card everywhere you go! It's so easy to get lost in a new city, yet so hard to say "Take me to ABC Hotel" to a local cyclo/taxi driver that doesn't speak English! This business card can save your life!

The food in Vietnam is wide and varied, dispite popular believe, it is not just rice! 

Many dishes have a noodle called Vermicelli (bun in Vietnamese) in them and can eaten either dry or in the form of a soup. Here are a few popular bun dishes from North Vietnam

Bun Thang

• A specialty of Hanoi, Bu Thang has chicken, fried egg and thinly sliced pieces of pork.

Bun Moc

• This dish using a broth made from the bones of pigs, has small meat pies placed into the broth and served with Vermicelli. In certain areas, you'll also get the bones when served!

Bun Mang Vit

• With bamboo shoots and thinly sliced duck meat, this soup uses the duck bones to flavor the broth.

Bun Gia Cay

• The Vietnamese name for this dish is "fake dog meat". It's popular in the North. Despite the name, the meat is actually pork and no dog meat is involved!

The above dishes are found in Hanoi and the North of Vietnam. Vermicelli is also found in the central and southern parts of Vietnam, however it is usally served in different ways.

Keep an eye out for more dishes that can be found the South and Centre of this wicked country!!

Enjoy!

Last Friday, 25 April, saw Australians and New Zealanders remember those who had died whilst serving their country during times of War and those who didn't return from the battle at Gallipoli, Turkey during WW1, the beginning of the ANZAC tradition.

May 1st is Labor Day and in Vietnam, the 30th April is Ngay Giai Phong Mien Nam or Liberation Day, the day in 1975 that the North Vietnamese liberated the South.

North Vietnamese tanks busted down the gates of what is now known as the Reunification Palace, the then home of the South Vietnamese Government. The North finally won and took control of Vietnam as a whole.

The day is celebrated Nation wide with parades and festivals along with ceremonies' remembering those who fought.

Ngay Giai Phong Mien Nam is a public holiday in Vietnam. Whilst it doesn't really affect travelers to much, many Vietnamese take the week off work as the the 1st of May is Labor Day. Many cities around Vietnam are flooded with domestic travelers, so if your here, book early!

Enjoy Vietnam - It's hard not to!

When you visit Hanoi everyones says visit Uncle Ho, see the Temple of Literature or wlk around Hoan Kiem 3 times!

Well there's more to Hanoi and here's 3 idea's for you to try!

Thuoc Lao 

Basically these look like your traditional Bong. However local guys smoke them reguraly with tabacco (only) through out the day especially when hanging out with mates at a local tea stall on the street.  

The tabacoo is rough, the smell not so good and but definately worth a go! Make sure you have a cup of tea at the ready!

Thuoc Lao's can be found on many street corners around Hanoi.

Karaoke 

The first thing that must be established here, is I total and utterly dislike Karaoke! But when your with friends and the night is wearing on, it can be a laugh!!

English song choices can be limited to such hits as "Hello", "Dancing Queen" or perhaps you could try some other wonderful tried and tested love hit from the 60's! 

The rooms are generally sound proof and come with old, crusty "leather" sofa's. Most places charge around 60,000vnd per hour and drinks are available.

Beer is highly recommended!

(Note - Some Karaoke Bars are not good places to hang out, ask your hotel staff or a trusted local for advice if unsure!)

Cross The Bridge 

Hanoi is located near the banks of the Red River, and while many travelers explore the Old Quarter, French Quarter or even the West Lake area, very few venture arcoss the River! 

Do yourself a favor and hire a bicyle and make the journey arcoss Long Bien Bridge to Gia Liam District. Once over you will see parts of Hanoi that are rarely visited by westeners.

Immediately over the bridge is a small park and market, when you came to the first intersection, go right to follow the river. You can actually ride right around to Thanh Long Bridge (the massive bridge coming in from the airport), this ride will take several hours.

Go left and you'll end up back in the thick of things near main highway heading to the North of Vietnam.

Always remember, the locals in Hanoi are great people, so don't be scared to turn down a lane way or off getting lost! Just make sure you have a hotel business card so you can get home!

Coming up soon, June 3 to June 11 to be exact, is the Hue Festival 2008. While this has nothing what so ever to do with Hanoi - today I thought I would share some info about it!

In it's fifth year, the Hue Festival 2008 is running under the theme of "Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development".

Planned for this years celebrations are 31 special performances, conprising of artists from some 27 countries! (Including European, Asian, Australian and American). Many of the shows take place at the historical sites that are scattered through out Hue City and the surrounding area, with nightly performances held at the Hue Citadel. 

If your in Hue during the Festival, besure to book hotels, travel tickets etc early. The Festival is popular with locals and travelers and the City will be full!

To get to Hue, you can:

1. Fly with Vietnam Airlines from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.

2. Catch the Reunification Express Train service which stops in Hue City, visit the Vietnam Rail Website for details.  

3. Many operators also provide daily bus services from Hanoi or Hoi An and these are a great option if you're on a budget!

Sinh Cafe and An Phu are two great companies with clean buses and good drivers.

To find out more information about the Hue Festival or just to read more about Hue in general, visit the offical Thua-Thien Hue Provincal Website.

Sometimes when heading to a new destination it can be hard shopping for the basic's as you never really know what you should be paying.

In Vietnam many shops and markets will require you to bargain or negotiate the price. Some people are good at this, others are not!

So here's a sample of basic everyday items and there approximate cost, hopefully helping you to negotiate your way around the market.

• Chicken/Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Ga/Bo) - 15,000VND
• Shoe shine - 5,000VND pair
• Hair cut on the street - 10,000VND
• Bananas - 1,000VND ea
• Baguette - 2,000VND (plain)
• Baguette with salad/meat - 8,000VND
• Public Bus - 3,000VND
• Xe Om (motor bike taxi) - 3,000-5,000VND per km.
• Plastic Poncho - 5,000VND
• Bia Hoi on the street (Fresh Beer) - 3,000VND per glass.
• Can of Tiger Beer (Supermarket) - 8,000VND
• Bottled Water - Small - 5,000VND. Big - 10,000VND
• Basic Guesthouse - 8 - 20USD
• Mobile Phone - from 879,000VND

Exchange Rates (approx and rounded up/down!)

1USD = 16,000VND
1GBP = 34,000VND
1EUR = 19,000VND
1AUD = 15,000VND

For current exchange rates visit http://xe.com

Now, you're probably thinking "5 Star hotels! You're crazy; it will cost me an arm and a leg!" Well not always! This month the Nikko Hanoi Hotel is running a few promo's and for between $19 and $26USD per person you can have a ripper of a night or pig out big time at lunch.

But wait there's more..........keep reading!

From April 1st - 29th the Nikko has a double combo lunch buffet and the best of beef steak. High quality cuts of imported beef, cooked to your liking with a huge array of sauces and a bigger collection of noodles and broths. Plus, the price includes free flow draught beer and soft drinks!  

There is also a Weekend International Relax Buffet with an extensive buffet on offer! This one is priced at $22USD per person including free flow draught beer and soft drinks.

Also coming up is Reunification Day (30th April) and Labor Day (1st May) and to celebrate the Nikko is putting on a Seafood Buffet. Lunch will be $22USD and Dinner $26USD. Again, you will also have to suffer free flow beer and soft drink!

Cheers, bottoms up!!

Nikko Hanoi Hotel - 84 Tran Nhan Tong Street, Hanoi.

Reservations: (04) 822 3535