grubby's profile
grubby's Posts
67 reviews or comments posted; 11 questions asked; 150 answers given.
Reviews / Comments (67) see all
Another good Old Quarter tobacco blender. This one is especially good in the Winter as it stays moist much longer than some other brands.
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posted about 1 week ago by grubby
about the event: Hanoi International Music Festival # 2 by Club for Arts and Music Appreciation (C.A.M.A.) @ American Club
Several explanations for the relative lack of success of this, the second Hanoi International Music Festivals were suggested:
1) sophomore slump
2) weekly big bashes at the American Club in November
3) Hanoi has become a cooler place since the first one
personally I think it's 1) or 2). For a start, the ticket pricing was way out of the reach of most local people, and it seemed that there were more local people working there than being festival-goers. The price seemed steep to me, too, considering the entertainment on offer. What do I know, though. I bet the costs for organizing something like this are high. Are they really 50% higher than last April, though?
[Edit: thanks for the correction and explanation of costs, Gunksta]
To my taste, the live entertainment on offer was decidedly meh, with the exception of a couple of acts:
"7 Days" - a vietnamese grunge / hardcore / math rock group with great chops, good influences, and a nice way of mixing it up.
"Kill Girl Kill" - a Beijing tri fronted by two women. These guys were my favorite act, and I think it was because they let loose; they jammed out on stuff instead of just playing songs.
oh, not to forget the Van Ho Ba, who played first for some odd reason, when they deserved a bigger audience. Loadsa fun.
Here's hoping that the 3rd HIMF is a charm, and will be able to draw the kind of crowds and energy that the first one did, as those two aspects were sorely missed last Saturday.
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An excellent clean bia joint conveniently located near to the heart of the old quarter.
We tried a dish of bò cuốn lá cải, and all the ingredients were fresh and tasty, and the beef was juicy and tender.
Additionally, if you're into it (and I have to say I was not until this occasion) there's a famous long lợn shop next door for all your pig intestine and blood sausage needs. Sounds awful, but the plate we had was not at all chewy, and the sausage more reminiscent of a good old black pudding. Color me converted.
I suppose that last paragraph belongs in a review of the pig innard shop, but you can order it in the bia joint and they run next door to get it for you.
The bia? Good quality. The service? Pretty good.
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A stronger blend found only in Dong Da. The tobacco is very black and moist, and delivers a potent punch, but the 1,000 dong packs are rather small.
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This tobacco, although good value in terms of volume, seems to have more sticks in it than in years past. All told it's a lighter blend, but still quite tasty.
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Questions (11)
How long can I stay in Vietnam without a visa
Where can I buy a tiny screwdriver to fix my laptop?
I have an XSat satellite TV box that requires a "smart card" - my current supplier is being flaky. Does anybody know of a good place to get these cards; how much are you paying?
I have an xsat satellite tv box and it's gotten unprogrammed. Is there anyone out there with the same box who could tell me the four different symbol rates necessary to get all the channels available in Vietnam from the Palapa Satellite? On my box this information is in menu->add channels
Can anyone recommend a good legal office / whatever that can help navigate the treacherous shores of registering a foreign-owned company in Vietnam?
Anyone know where I can buy a turkey?
Tried Big C already - no luck.
Thanks.
I'm looking for a PDA / Smartphone that will run Windows Mobile 6. Does anyone have any experience with a particular shop in Hanoi?
I've been to 3 separate supermarkets in recent weeks searching for Gillette shaving cream and been told be all that it's hết rồi (they're all out). Is there something sinister happening here? Is Vietnam going Islamic? If someone can tell me where I can get shaving cream (I'll take any brand at this point) I'll be very grateful.
I went to the Yamaha shop yesterday and they have a grand total of 3 guitar amps, all of which seem on the expensive side (the least expensive was a Peavey that they're selling for $900 - I had a pang of regret remembering that I sold my last Fender Princeton for $400).
Is the Yamaha shop the only game in town when it comes to guitar amps, or are there other choices?
I'm finally caving this year and not going to tough it out any more. I am in the market for an air conditioner and I'd like to ask the community if they have any brands that they recommend.
Can someone tell me where I can buy chunky plastic blocks for toddlers. You know, the kind that look look giant lego. I think one brand name is Duplo.
I've tried many places but I haven't been able to augment the small stash I got in Hong Kong.
Answers (150)
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Ah yes, the điếu cày ( farmer's pipe ).
A great tradition here in the North of Vietnam, you'll find even bigger ones out in the countryside, although that kind doesn't whistle like the city ones.
The guys you see smoking those things are smoking thuốc lào, or plain pure tobacco, nothing more sinister.
If you try a hit, though, you'll swear there was something stronger in there - it'll make your head spin at the least.
In response to the question: I've just arrived in Hanoi, and I'm finding some of the information in this forum very useful. Can I ask you guys - what are they smoking in those ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Thuoc Lao ( took lao ) is very much a part of tradition here, and predates cigarettes by many centuries.
Some people don't use the bamboo pipe, and prefer a ceramic bowl which they smoke with a wooden straw ( dieu bat ).
I like the fact that many old Hanoi neighbourhoods have their own blender of tobacco ( 8 Hang Ga and Hang Bo are perhaps the most famous, but my neighbourhood has Ngo Quynh tobacco, and many other streets have their own little tobacco shops ).
It's a shame to see that modernism rejects this tradition - cigarettes are everywhere in the world. Thuoc Lao is only here.
In response to the question: I've just arrived in Hanoi, and I'm finding some of the information in this forum very useful. Can I ask you guys - what are they smoking in those ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
It's on Dinh Liet St. in the old quarter, near the bottom ( don't know the number ).
I think his name is Hung.
In response to the question: Is there a Minsk-only shop in town? Do they sell new ones? Only used? ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Tailors are everywhere - just look for the sign saying "Nha May." Finding one who understands your language, and perhaps more importantly, Western proportions, is more difficult.
I don't have any particular suggestions, but there is an area of town to the West of Pho Hue, and South of Tran Nhan Tong, which is packed with clothing and fabric stores. You can buy ready to wear clothes, and I expect you might find some tailors.
This might be a place to go if you've got someone to translate for you. Otherwise stick to the Old Quarter.
In response to the question: Are there any tailoring areas in Hanoi along the lines of Hoi An. I know it just a big touist town down there, but it was ultra-easy to get shit made...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Hi, this is just outside Hai Ba Trung ( I think it's Dong Da ), but the Kim Lien hotel has a small-ish pool that is open to the public for (iirc) 20,000 D. It's a big government hotel near the junction of Dai Co Viet and Le Duan/Giai Phong.
HTH
In response to the question: Does anyone know of a swimming pool in the Hai Ba Trung area (other than the Army Hotel pool) that is open to the public and fairly cheap? Thanks...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
As for most things, there is a 'cardboard box street' in Hanoi. It consists of a couple of shops that sell re-purposed boxes of various sizes, brown paper, tape, and string.
I happen to have a receipt from one of them. The address is 6a Chả Cá, at the corner of Hàng Cá.
Good luck with the move.
Tom
In response to the question: I'm moving house soon. Anyone know a good place to get cardboard boxes for packing my stuff in?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
No particular recommendations on shops here, but it's definitely cheaper to buy electronics in North America, particularly if you go the Ebay route.
In response to the question: Laptop computers. Is there a reputable store that sells them in Hanoi if you aren't a registered business? Does anyone have any recommendations?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Hi ErinLee, and welcome!
As for many items, there are areas with concentrations of bike shops in Hanoi. Two that I know of are on Bà Triệu at the level of Thống Nhất Park, and at the junction of Láng Hạ and Thái Hà streets.
I think you can get a new, but very flimsy un-geared Vietnamese bike for ~500,000 VND. That seems to be close to the minimum.
I don't know - are chinese bikes reputed to be better or cheaper than VN bikes?
In response to the question: Just moved to Hanoi and I'm looking to buy a Chinese style bike, either new or used. Any recommendations on good places to buy one? And how much shou...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
The bottom end of Phố Huế (nearest Đại Cô Việt, up a few blocks) is pretty good for moto accessories of all kinds. I think you'll find a good spread of helmets there.
In response to the question: Does anybody know of a good place / area of town to buy motorbike helmets? Once again, I'm cluless as to where to begin looking. Thanks!...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
If you're coming from Australia you might already have a phone you can use here. Quad band GSM phones will work anywhere in the world, and if you have a GSM (sim) phone in AUS then it should work here.
As for carriers, they're mostly priced about the same for pre-pay ( I don't know about contracts ). I use Mobiphone, and it costs you under 100,000 Dong to get set up.
The other main national carriers are Vinaphone and Viettel. Viettel is better in provincial areas as it's run by the army and has some coverage almost everywhere. Mobiphone has the best service in Hanoi, and Vina is slightly cheaper. That's how they pan out - there's not much to choose from in the GSM market.
Tom
In response to the question: My wife and I are landing in Hanoi in about 4 weeks time, (from Adelaide, Australia) will be looking to buy a basic mobile phone each. Any hints on...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
There's a good dentist on Nguyen Du a couple of shops before Pho Hue. I get my teeth cleaned there all the time - they do it with a water pic - no scraping. Last time I was there it was 150,000 for a cleaning, and about the same for a filling.
They do have some English, but how useful that is when your mouth is full of implements I don't know.
In response to the question: Does anyone know a decent dentist in Hanoi. Would like to get a regular cleaning and check up rather soon. Thanks in advance, Steph...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
that dept store on Ba Trieu is called Vinatex. I'll second that opinion - great place for large mens shirts, and all kinds of other stuff.
In response to the question: Been in Hanoi a while now... but have still not found a huge range of western sized clothes or shoes, apart from tailored boutiques & Things of Substa...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I had a family member stay at Green Park and she was very impressed. It's on the expensive side ($50/night), but it's spitting distance from the trad med hospital
In response to the question: Hello, A group of us (7) will be in Hanoi for approximately a month to receive extra training in Trad Medicine. We were wondering if you could recomm...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I didn't know it was possible to fail the CELTA, short of not attending the course.
In response to the question: Hello all ELT teachers, Am planning to do the CELTA training here in Paris, how difficult is it to pass? Has been some time since I studied grammar, s...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Oh, so many!
Wait - do you mean a licensed copy?
If not, proceed with all due haste to either Lý Nam Đế street (just West of the OQ), or Lê Thanh Nghị ( south of and parallel to Đại Cô Việt at the bottom of Lenin Park). There will you find the treasure you seek.
In case it's not obvious, look for the dozens of shops with signs that say "CD ROM / DVD".
CDs run around 8,000 VND; DVDs 15 or so.
In response to the question: Can anyone recommend a computer program shop. I need to find a Microsoft Office Word program to replace a Thai version that was installed on my laptop...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Hi Jake, many of the CD ROM shops I mentioned also carry CDs with free software such as OpenOffice. Free and open source software is particularly common in the shops on le thanh nghi because that's where the students shop.
They are, however, often poorly labeled, and you need to know what version you want to buy or you'll end up with something old.
In response to the question: Can anyone recommend a computer program shop. I need to find a Microsoft Office Word program to replace a Thai version that was installed on my laptop...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Is the pope Catholic? Does a bear s**t in the woods?
There certainly will be, but I haven't heard what form they'll take yet. No doubt there'll be some music at the top of Hoan Kiem lake, but beyond that, maybe someone more clued in can help.
In response to the question: Does anyone know if there's any sort of celebrations in Hanoi for Victory Day on the 30th of April?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I'm curious, ben - what's a hotdesk? I have a feeling I'd like one if only I knew what it was.
In response to the question: Is anyone aware of a budget service that offers hotdesks for consultants?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Go to the Canon licensed repair shop on Ly Thuong Kiet ( you can find the address on Canon's website ). They totally rescued my ancient Canon elf for $20. Great service, low price.
In response to the question: Finally, i have a canon digital camera in need of repair. Where should i take it? Thanks for any help...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
dammit, it's not on their site. What happened is I went to some place on giang vo (their sales office) and they told me to go to this place on Ly Thuong Kiet. It's a store on the north side of the street quite near to the intersection with Da Tuong.
Sorry to be so vague, but I do recommend them. Feel free to get in touch via my email for further details if you need.
In response to the question: Finally, i have a canon digital camera in need of repair. Where should i take it? Thanks for any help...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
for medical supplies there's a big line of shops on Phuong Mai, which intersects Giai Phong just north of the French Hospital. They sell dentist's chairs, oxygen, all kinds of stuff. Might be worth checking out.
In response to the question: yep, that's right; I'm searching for it (3.5% dilution) for medicinal purposes. Does ANYONE have any idea? a serious 64 dollar question! thanks...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
1
In response to the question: (sorry for the double post all) What you lads and lasses think of getting us weirdos together for a drink sometime. Great to meet and put a face to t...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Not sure if it's possible to buy this leg separately, but China Airlines uses VN Airlines for this leg of its trans-pacific flights, and they're very reasonable. Again, it's quite possible they don't sell this leg by itself, but worth checking their website.
In response to the question: Does anybody know where to get the cheapest return air ticket to Hong Kong? I have searched high and low on the net and they are all in the vicinit...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
There's a pretty good outdoor swimming pool up by West Lake called Sao Mai. It's 15,000? VND or so to get in, and if you go at lunchtime you'll have the place to yourself.
Other times it can get pretty busy, and bear in mind that it's outdoors so bring plenty of sun screen.
To get there, go up Xuan Diệu and take a left down ngo 31. Go down pretty much to the end and take a left through some gates. The pool is at the end on the right.
If you think of it, why don't you take some pictures and add it to this site?
In response to the question: So I though it would be a good idea to come here for three weeks and learn Vietnamese with my 5 yr old daughter (adopted from Vietnam as a baby) The l...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I'll just chime in here with my 200 VND: OpenOffice is ready for prime time. It's always been a contender but there have been dramatic improvements made in the last year or so and imho it's a realistic alternative to MS Office now.
In response to the question: Anyone know where I can buy the Microsoft Office Suite for Macintosh. I have Powerbook G4 and really need this software....
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
there's a simple solution to your speed problems: ditch VNN.
While they were acceptable until this year, they've never been fast, and yours is far from the first complaint about VNN I've heard.
You're better off with FPT internet. It's more expensive, but it's anywhere from a little to a lot faster, and they have fewer outages than VNN.
I'm not sure what you mean by "the wifi connection" - can you describe your setup in more detail?
In response to the question: I have computer and internet problems. Since January this year, my internet access has slowed to the point where I can not use it. I have had the VNN ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
For any kind of "white goods" it's a good idea to check Hai Ba Trung near Quang Trung, but you know that already.
In response to the question: Standalone air conditioner? Anyone know where I an purchase one of these, either new or second hand?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Good points from cheapie and fidsteve re: things to check on the wifi routers.
Unless I'm missing something, though, I don't think you need to have two wireless routers at all.
Sounds like the Apple router has some configuration issues, but if you can get that one working right you should probably use it because I don't think the other one can do 802.11 n (the fastest protocol).
Either way, things would be a lot less confusing (for you and for your macbook) if you were only using 1 Wifi router.
In response to the question: I have computer and internet problems. Since January this year, my internet access has slowed to the point where I can not use it. I have had the VNN ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Have you looked at http://www.photo.vn/ ?
I'm not a member, but they seem to be quite active, and there is some level of English among the members.
In response to the question: Anyone know of a photography group in Hanoi? Or anyone interested in starting one?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Exciting news in that first article about a SE Asia - US cable, though.
Also, I'd heard about the cables being nicked but hadn't realized the idiotic back story, so thanks.
In response to the question: I have computer and internet problems. Since January this year, my internet access has slowed to the point where I can not use it. I have had the VNN ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
last minute is often expensive, and Vietnam airlines seems to always be expensive. You might be better off using a travel agent than doing it yourself.
I don't have anyone in particular to recommend, but perhaps someone else does.
In response to the question: Hello again Hanoians! I just found out that due to a personal emergency I am going to have to fly back home to Paris for a week or so. Wondering i...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Where ya goin' tubin'?
In response to the question: Does anyone know where I can get large tubes for floating in the pool? either proper inner tubes from truck tires or tubes actually designed for float...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I would only do that if you're not going to be in one place for very long - laptop dvd drives are notoriously short-lived, and expensive to replace when they die. I speak from experience.
If you want to you can pick up a chinese DVD player on Hai Ba Trung street for $30-$40 last time I checked.
In response to the question: I have been looking for an S-Video cable here in HaNoi with no success. Can anyone give me the name of a shop, and an address. I am wanting to connect...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
By most accounts, QiSheng players are the most forgiving of the cheap DVD boxes, although I have heard that there's a potential for extended use (at one sitting) causing problems as they use plastic lenses.
In response to the question: I have been looking for an S-Video cable here in HaNoi with no success. Can anyone give me the name of a shop, and an address. I am wanting to connect...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
There are many large shopping centers in Hanoi. You might start with Trang Tien plaza (Trang Tien st. and Hang Bai) or Vincom Towers (Ba Trieu street near Le Dai Hanh)
In response to the question: Is there any department store in Hanoi with many shop, good choice of fashion and brand name clothes?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
not quite sure what you mean by a visa approval, but there's almost never any need to leave the country to get a new visa.
It's perfectly possible to get a B3 visa having entered as a tourist, though.
Your best bet is to shop around the old quarter travel agents for who can get you the best price - it varies according to your nationality and their contacts.
In response to the question: Is it possible to "upgrade" the tourist visa to business visa if I have a visa approval? Or do I need to go out of the country and get a new visa at...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
or Le Thang Nghi - computer street for students.
In response to the question: I am in the market for three things: 1. PC Games 2. a semi-decent webcam 3. a Blue tooth dongle. Anyone out there that can help?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I've also seen it at citimart in vincom towers - both gold and black (in cans)
In response to the question: Hi, Can anyone tell me of a shop that sells Dai Viet Bia Den (black beer). Preferably bottles but I think it's available in cans as well. It's pr...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
with xsat you get a pretty good spread of english language channels from a philipino satellite:
BBC World, CNN, Discovery, Discover T&L, National Geographic, ESPN, Star sports, nickelodeon, animal planet, HBO, as well as some australian stuff and a few philipino channels.
On the plus side is, after the initial outlay for head and dish (~$80), you buy cards for 50,000 dong that can last up to 3 months.
On the down side is that the cards always seem to expire 5 minutes before a 2am Champions League match, and the can flick on and off unpredictably.
Cable in Hanoi is more reliable, but there are fewer channels and they tend to have vietnamese subtitles. Last I heard it was 50,000 Dong a month.
In short, Vietnam has a good variety of international tv options for not very much money. A lot of is bowdlerized for asian consumption, however.
In response to the question: Hi Again What, if any, English Language TV stations are available in Vietnam (Satellite or others) and what kind of programmes, series' etc do the...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
you might ask Thuy at Thuy's bia hoi:
http://www.newhanoian.com/details/venueid/107
She has big bottles of everything. I think even if you bought them retail from her they'd still work out cheap.
In response to the question: We used to order beer from a distributor over on Lo Duc. However, they no longer carry Tiger -- can anyone recommend a distributor that carries the b...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
alpha is correct that most of Dong Da is not particularly walkable, but part of it is very close to the two best places for walking in all of Hanoi - Lenin Park and the old French district. Dong Da is big, but if you're in the Eastern edge of it I'd highly recommend it (I live there).
In response to the question: Hi! I will be working in Dong Da when I come to Hanoi in September. I was wondering if this a good area to live in or if I should live in another ar...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I know there's a Yamaha shop on Nha Chung street (search for "La Restaurant" on the site - it's pretty much across the street from there). I don't remember if they have flutes or not, but it seems a reputable place.
In response to the question: Hi All Looking to have a piano tuned, any suggestions. I would also like to buy a flute, preferably a Yamaha in Hanoi, any suggestions as to where ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
In my (rather uninformed) opinion it comes down to supply and demand. The demand for rental housing in Hanoi has increased due to WTO accession, while the supply is constricted by the red tape and paperwork necessary to prepare a property for rental to foreigners. The agent bottleneck probably doesn't help - owners are forced to use expensive housing agents to access the foreign renters, and as a result raise their prices to compensate. I hear also that agents get a percentage of a month's rent, so higher rents are in their interest too.
I think there is probably some additional pressure on supply from the influx of vietnamese from the countryside, but mostly they're not competing for the same spaces.
In response to the question: Whats with these ridiculous rental prices? I think agents advertising apartments for $650 per month in places like Thang Long International Village...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
sliced up inner tubes make great lashings. You can get them at most moto-repair shops and places that specialize in fixing tires.
Not sure exactly how you would say it in vietnamese, but it's fairly easy to mime if there are old inner tubes lying around.
If you want to pay the extra for "real" bungies I bet they have some at Cuong's (1 Luong Ngoc Quyen).
In response to the question: bungee cords - where can I buy them in Hanoi? or need something I can use to strap a backpack onto the back of my bike. recommendations? thanks!...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
You might try http://www.ngocentre.org.vn/
as a lead on all things NGO in Hanoi. There are various mailing lists providing details on available jobs in iNGOs here.
In response to the question: Hi All, I'm thinking about spending a year in hanoi working in the development/ngo sector. Ive a degree in development and work experience as a pro...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
hi,
I've bought plastic dumbells for myself (7k) and my wife (1k) at a sports shop on Pham Ngoc Thach. They are absurdly cheap. If I remember correctly they're 7,000 Dong per kilo. Seems to be a pretty standard price wherever those blue plastic heavy-stuff-filled dumbells are found.
Sorry for the lack of precision. I should get the address and enter that venue on the site.
In response to the question: Hi, can anyone tell me where the best place in hanoi is to buy a digital camera? I want to buy either a canon eos 400d or 350d. I know there are lot...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
just a note from personal experience: whether you receive items at all depends somewhat on where you live. I have lived at obscure addresses in the alleys where less than 50% of all mail I was expecting would arrive. Even local mail was returned to sender because the postman couldn't find my house.
In response to the question: Has anyone bought anything on Amazon.com and what were the customs duties and procedures involved. Are there any benefits to a particular site. ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
If you can't find the real thing you could always buy a Matiz and cut the roof off.
In response to the question: I have been looking to buy a second hand quad bike without succes, I have also been looking for new ones, also without succes. Some of my newcomer fri...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Not a skater myself, but I often see skaters on the flat plaza at the top of the lake in old Lenin Park (Le Duan Street). Hope this helps.
In response to the question: Hi, Is there anyone who practice skateboard here?? I've just arrived and I would like to ride with someone if you fancy...?? See you...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
This one:
http://www.newhanoian.com/details/venueid/96
?
In response to the question: Hi! I would be very pleased if someone knows an email address of American International Collage. It's very important. Thanks for Your help. ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
To me it seems like every third shop is selling maternity clothes (vai bau), but there are especially heavy concentrations of shops on Ba Trieu and Pham Ngoc Thach, it seems.
The one my wife liked on Ba Trieu was a few blocks before Vincom, on the left. Sorry - should have got the address and posted it on the site.
Also, congratulations!
In response to the question: Does anyone know where can I buy maternity clothes in Hanoi? ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
vagabond - where do you need fast speeds to? Inside Vietnam things are going to be a lot faster than they are long haul (US, for example).
Also, do you mean kilobits (Kb) or kilobytes (KB)?
If it's the latter you're doing pretty well already, if the former, not so much.
In my experience, FPT is the best provider of ADSL and probably best overall ISP (though I only have indirect experience of that). That evaluation is subject to change, though as things are evolving fast.
On a regular home DSL account with them I get average 40 KB/s (320Kb/S), and their business accounts seem to do better (60KB/s).
I don't actually know how much better than that you can get by throwing more money at it - infrastructure here is a weak point for sure.
HTH,
Tom
In response to the question: Hellos, Anyone know the story on Internet speeds in Vietnam? What's the fastest REAL speed we can get here, meaning the connection to the outside...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Did someone call my name?
I have indeed ridden many a kilometre around the rounds of the North, paved and unpaved, always on a Minsk.
The "old buffalo" doesn't look like much, on paper or in person, but it's a bike with personality, and as alpha points out, parts and labor are ubiquitous up north.
The Minsk shares a design philosophy with the AK47: build simple, build tolerant. It's not sophisticated (the design hasn't changed much since the 1930s), but makes a virtue of that fact. People joke that you can repair one with a spoon, and I have actually repaired mine with the silver paper from a cigarette pack.
Your experience with one totally depends on the quality (personality) of the bike you rent, but this shouldn't be a problem if you get it from Cuong (http://www.newhanoian.com/details/venueid/1064)
or Hung and Dung, as hanoiRob suggested (these two shops are the Springfield and Shelbyville of the Minsk world in Hanoi, but they both have good bikes, and not just Minsks).
Whatever your two-wheeled conveyance, a trip around the northern mountains is about the most fun you can have without breaking any laws. Feel free to message me if you want more specifics.
Tom
In response to the question: Is it possible to rent a dirt bike or touring motorcycle for trips to the north? I know Minsks are the way most go, but I'd rather have something a ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
$135 is exactly what I was quoted at Ngoc Dung (http://www.newhanoian.com/details/venueid/961).
In the past I've seen a range of prices, so it's odd that we both got the same quote. Perhaps the market is stabilizing.
Anyway, this is the right ballpark for visas. Bear in mind that you can extend a B3 visa once for another 6 months. This time around that's costing me $105, but in the past I've had it as cheap as $45. The downside to the extension is that it becomes a single entry visa, so you'd lose it if you re-entered the country.
It would be nice to see a range of the prices that people are paying, for the record.
In response to the question: Hi, Anyone out there been out and about shopping for visa extension quotes recently? Got one saturday from tropical tours for a six month multiple ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
the lambada?
In response to the question: Ok.. this might sound reeeally strange,.. but could someone help me identify that "kem man" jingle? It's been running in my head for ages and was w...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Hi vicki,
to answer your question about the art scene in Hanoi first, there's a fair amount going on, and the local artists are often very keen to interact with foreigners, and especially foreign artists. Most of what goes on here is painting and installation art, as far as I can see.
Re: textiles, some of the best work I've seen here is done by the ethnic minorities of the Northern mountains, particulary the Black Hmong and the Red Dao. If you google "Black Hmong Textiles" you'll find some good stuff I think. They do heavily embroidered clothing that is quite mindblowing.
As for apprenticeships, if you want to learn from the Hmong or the Dao, go hang out in the market in Sapa. There are dozens of women there, old and young, and most of them know more than a few things about embroidery.
Hope this helps!
Tom
In response to the question: Hello, I am planning on coming to Hanoi in late November. I am a textile artist and having some trouble finding info on textile traditions in Vietnam....
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Hi Robin, and congratulations! My wife and I got married last year, and she is a vietnamese national, so I have an experience to recount. Not sure I can remember all the details as I tend to repress bureaucratic experiences.
Be warned - marriage in Vietnam is very much a provincial function, and provinces differ widely in their approach, amenability, and level of experience with marriage to foreigners.
We got married in Lao Cai province, and after hearing so many scare stories from people who had gone before us, we found the process to be relatively painless. Two factors that may have helped: we expected the worst, and I speak some Vietnamese.
The first thing you should do is enlist the help of your country's embassy. I went to the UK embassy and they were super helpful, providing a document listing the steps, and providing a bilingual explanation of UK law on marriage for the benefit of the local authorities.
You'll need to present a few documents to the provincial justice department (so tu phap). Among them are your birth certificate, your wife's family book and id card, and a 'certificate of no impediment' - some countries don't provide this (the UK included) and you'll need to get a letter explaining that, if so. It's essentially a document to say that you're not already married. If you have been married before you need the divorce certificate. All documents need to be translated into vietnamese. The local police in Lao Cai were able to do this for a small fee.
There will be some money involved - for us it was a million Dong or so. It's not clear how much of that is official fees and how much is grease for the wheels.
When all the paperwork is in your dossier they'll let you choose a date for the signing ceremony. That's when you're supposed to come to the justice department and sign documents, but they expect you to make a party of it. It's hard to feel festive in front of a plaster bust of Uncle Ho, but hey.
I realize I haven't produced much specific advice, but your embassy and the justice department should make it fairly clear what you need to do. My best recommendation to you is to bring your patience and your wallet, and expect the worst. You might be pleasantly surprised.
In response to the question: This is for all of the romantics out there. Myself and my partner (a thoroughly wonderful Vietnamese lady) are planning on getting married in the near...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
if you scroll down to the bottom of their front page there's an address and contact number. I expect you could call them and find out if they sell from their listed address.
HTH
In response to the question: I've seen a few posts that refer to the www.goodsmart.com.vn website. Does anyone know if this website has a physical store? Has anyone purchased ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
chipswithouts - sounds like you're an expert on this, and newhanoian.com needs you!
If you have a spare moment and feel like sharing your knowledge, please enter these salons by going to http://www.newhanoian.com/enter_biz_address
You can enter just the basics if you like, and we'll fill in the rest later, but if you have photos they would be appreciated.
The community will be glad of more beauty spots on this site, I'm sure.
In response to the question: Hi New Hanoians! Can anyone recommend a good hair salon and/or waxing place? Thank you...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
If you like to get your drink on cheaply while wifi-ing for free you can go to Bia Zin
http://www.newhanoian.com/details/venueid/963
Bia Hoi Ha Noi and free wifi.
In response to the question: Are there free wi-fi cafe's or other wi-fi public spaces where one can enjoy free internet access from their laptop/pda? Thanks...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
The "sorry, no change" routine is annoying, isn't it? Though I have to say it's usually for 2,000 dong rather than 20 with me.
As far as I can tell there are only three reputable taxi companies in Hanoi: Hanoi Taxi, Mai Linh, and Van Xuan. The first of these is a bit expensive, so I usually use Van Xuan, and I'm pretty happy with them overall.
There's also a third "strategy" that you've missed : "broken meter" - some private taxis and smaller companies have meters that use some exponential function to calculate the fare: it starts off fairly normal, but then starts ascending in leaps and bounds. I once had a 50,000 Dong fare for a few km before I noticed the meter and leapt out.
To answer your question, though: do what you would do anywhere else - take the driver's name or car number and complain to the company. Outside of the 3 companies I've mentioned you're probably not going to get much traction, though.
In response to the question: I've noticed two "strategies" used by taxi drivers: The fairly obvious one is when they take a long, roundabout route to inflate the meter. T...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Il y a aussi beaucoup de monde qui parle francais ici, sans parler des vrais francais / canadiens.
Je veux noter qu'on veut que tout le monde se sent chez lui au newhanoian.com, n'importe quelle langue il parle.
Pour l'instant l'interface de notre site n'est qu'en anglais, mais ca va bientot changer (dans 2 ou trois mois), et on peut se sentir libre a ecrire son avis dans sa langue maternelle, commme on a deja fait, d'ailleurs.
[I'd like to point out that everyone should feel at home here, no matter what language they speak.
For the moment, our interface is only in English, but that will soon change (2 or 3 months), and you can feel free to write your opinion in your mother tongue, as people have already been doing.]
In response to the question: Usually expats living abroad use English as their lingua franca, but I’m also sure some of them are native to other languages. I’m really curious ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Unless you want to use the character map you'll need vietnamese keyboard input software. The two common packages are Vietkey and Unikey. The latter is free software and is available for download from http://www.unikey.org (Windows and Linux, although there are better alternatives for Linux - SCIM being the preferred method).
Once you have one of these programs installed you can switch to vietnamese mode and then type vietnamese diacritics following this guide:
http://www.unikey.org/manual/ukmanual.htm#telex
It's in vietnamese, but play around with it a little and you'll soon get it.
In response to the question: Does anyone know how to type Vietnamese characters in Word? The Microsoft website is no help and I've googled for it and all I can find is reference ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
"wife wifi" - have i missed an element of 802.11[x] ?
In response to the question: I have an AirportExtreme for wifi connecting my MacBook to AppleTV well, plus acting as he wifi network for the occasionally PC or lap top. I want to...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
on a more serious note, I would think you can share anything over a mac wifi network that you can over a physical network. ie: make sure that sharing is allowed for the local resources you want to share.
[I don't have a mac, but macs tend to make sense]
In response to the question: I have an AirportExtreme for wifi connecting my MacBook to AppleTV well, plus acting as he wifi network for the occasionally PC or lap top. I want to...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Thanks for your rapid response, de2facon and calipxo - I will check out these suggestions.
In response to the question: Can anyone recommend a good legal office / whatever that can help navigate the treacherous shores of registering a foreign-owned company in Vietnam?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Most taxi companies have a flat rate airport return price which is rather cheaper than two single trips, and the driver will wait for you at the airport (in the parking lot for fear of reprisals from the Noi Bai taxi gangsters who have a monopoly at the airport).
I always use Van Xuan, which I've entered on this site (280,000 return, 3 hours and 70km limit); friends have recommended Airport taxi (number?) - 150,000 one way, not sure about the return.
Even Hanoi taxi is not that bad for an airport trip, I think.
In response to the question: I have a friend arriving on a flight at 10:30 pm in a few months. I'm going to meet him at the airport. What are the best transport options to/from...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Unless your wifi signal is super-low it shouldn't make a whole lot of difference when you're dealing with internet speeds (typically less than a few hundred kilobits per second), which are much slower than the potential of your wireless network (could be up to 54,000 kilobits per second).
To find out where the problem is I suggest you plug your computer directly into the DSL modem (I'm assuming you have DSL) and check the speed again.
If the speed at the modem is slow you can try power cycling it to see if you can pick up a better connection next time. If that doesn't work, try calling the DSL company to complain; if that doesn't work, try a different DSL company - some providers offer service speeds that compare unfavorably with dial-up.
HTH
In response to the question: Okay...can someone please clarify for me whether the strength of your WIFI signal has anything to do with the speed of your internet...because my new ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Yes! Just got back from Metro and they have tons of frozen turkeys imported from the US. Prices are around 50,000 / kg.
Happy Thanksgiving!
In response to the question: Anyone know where I can buy a turkey? Tried Big C already - no luck. Thanks....
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I can second billyt's opinion on FPT. They are acceptable but getting slower.
I was over a friend's house the other day and he was getting 115KB/S internationally with Viettel DSL.
Viettel are a newer player, and I don't know how much you can generalize from this one case, but I think I might give them a try.
In response to the question: I'm looking to get internet going in the house and I'm looking to get DSL and a wireless router. I've heard FPT are the fastest and I'm going to b...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
115KB/S is a lot better than the average 40KB/S I get with FPT, to be clear.
In response to the question: I'm looking to get internet going in the house and I'm looking to get DSL and a wireless router. I've heard FPT are the fastest and I'm going to b...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I just showed up with my passport and got a day pass - good for three people they said.
In response to the question: Do you need a card to shop at metro? Can you only shop there if you have a business? How does it work?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Following up on Tamvong's answer, I haven't been able to get Vietcombank's online banking system to work either. As far as I can get is showing my balance, but not any statement details.
The whole site looks like it was built by someone's nephew and doesn't inspire confidence in its security.
So my question is, among the local banks with good atm coverage, which of them have operable online banking systems?
In response to the question: How do US expats handle finances in Hanoi? Which banks provide the best services considering convenience, timeliness and fees? Does your US bankcard...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Kunzanna - you should go to the row of small electronics shops on Hai Ba Trưng, West of Quang Trung. I think they're all at the same street number, with different letters. Iirc I had good luck buying cards at "G".
The box you need is called Xsat and you need a dish, too. I got a setup for a bit over a million, with installation, and good cards these days cost 60,000, although you can probably get a 30,000 rebate for bringing back your old card.
Someone in one of those places can no doubt install it for you.
(probably zero English there, though)
Good Luck.
In response to the question: I've been living here for more than a year and a half, and have finally broken down and bought a TV. But because it's an LCD, I'm hoping to find fo...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
billyt: I think that's the going rate for delivery; I get a week's guarantee on the cards I buy on HBT, also.
Does your guy do installation / repair?
In response to the question: I've been living here for more than a year and a half, and have finally broken down and bought a TV. But because it's an LCD, I'm hoping to find fo...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
there's no real change in your situation once you're married. The only tangible benefit I've seen is that you're allowed to get a one year visa instead of 6 months. It's the same kind of visa, though, and that situation is not constant - it's sometimes on offer, sometimes not.
In response to the question: Can anyone tell me what the situation is for visas/work permits etc. if you get married to a Vietnamese person? ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
always back up your files if at all possible before giving your computer to a shop here. I've heard more than once of shops reformatting hard drives without asking, losing everything on the drive.
In response to the question: So, this morning I turn on my laptop and whaddya know, it doesn't boot up. Correction, at first it gets to the HP (pavilion dv1000) screen, there are...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I'd also like to know if anyone can find a dark room with enlargers.
If you can get hold of the chemicals and a tank you don't need a dark room for development, but I don't even know where you'd get those here.
You might try asking in the photography group here ( search groups ) or at http://www.photo.vn/
In response to the question: here is a toughy... I am looking for a place to develope black and white film, or a darkroom that i might use. anyone got any ideas??!!...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
There's a little cafe hidden in an alley off Trần Quốc Toản - last time I went there there was no music, and the surroundings are very peaceful - lots of subsidy-era museum pieces on display. It's not on the site, but if you go to Le Petit Bruxelles then head West about 50m it's in the alley on the same side of the street.
If you go there and find it, please enter it on the site as it's a great place.
In response to the question: I've been looking for somewhere quiet to write, a uncrowded cafe where there is no shitty piped music and where the chairs are comfortable and the t...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Not quite sure what I'd use this for - when I want to create vietnamese text I use SCIM for Linux; on Windows there is unikey (http://www.unikey.org/); both of these have the advantage of using a regular qwerty keyboard (you have to learn a half dozen extra key combinations to create all the diacritics and vowel marks.
Or am I missing something?
In response to the question: Came across an online keyboard at www.incks.com/en/vietnamese.html. As a student of the language, it looked pretty good to me. Recommend it to NH r...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
That would be ngõ Bảo Khánh, lcobb02, home to Fox Music and DVDs (who reputedly do their own copies, meaning they have a huge selection, but the quality of the media can be a let-down) and Hollywood video, which has good presentation and good quality, but fairly poor selection (so I hear).
This is all hearsay, of course, as I don't support the terrorists by buying stolen intellectual property.
In response to the question: Anyone have any favorite places to buy DVD movies and TV shows? Just moved here for a couple of years and need a touch of home....
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I've been there and it was a blast. We had a large party so we took taxis (it's not particularly far). It was a year or so ago and there was lots of drinking so I'm hazy on the details.
I'd recommend getting a group of people together - you'll want someone to take your picture as you scoff the still-beating heart of a reptile. Ideally you'd have a few drinks beforehand as it can be expensive over there and they've got the warm bottled beer thing going on. You don't need to speak vietnamese - just point at what you want to eat.
I wish I could remember the name of the place we went as it was excellent. Perhaps someone with a better memory has a recommendation?
In response to the question: Has anyone been to Le Mat (the snake village)? Is it cool? What's the best way to get there for a motorbikeless person? Would I need to hire a gui...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Xgame on Ba Trieu (about a block before Vincom on the right) has Xbox 360's for 7.8 million dong and Wii's for 3.5.
Not sure how outrageously expensive that is.
In response to the question: Where is a good place to get videogame equipment (i.e. Xbox 360, PS3)? I recently broke the AC adapter to my Xbox 360 and need another one....
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
You can use the flash test at
http://www.speedtest.net/
to get an idea of speed from your house to Hong Kong. For speeds inside Vietnam (which will be higher) just watch your browser as it downloads something large - it will tell you the download speed in Kb/s.
Not that some places measure in kb/s - kilobits per second, and some in Kb/s - kilobytes per second. To get the latter from the former, divide by 8.
Either way you slice it, broadband speeds from VN to the rest of the world are not great.
In response to the question: I'm looking to get internet going in the house and I'm looking to get DSL and a wireless router. I've heard FPT are the fastest and I'm going to b...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I guess markets differ then, because in mine eggs are between 1,200 and 1,400; tofu pieces are 500 (small) or 1000 (large) and bread has recently gone up to 1,500 from 1,000.
I read that supermarkets are generally 30% dearer than neighbourhood shops and markets, but for fruit and veg the difference seems bigger. For example pomelos at Unimart are 20-22,000 whereas they're 12-14,000 in the market.
I agree that it can be a pain bargaining for staples, but once your face is known you won't really have to beyond the basic 1-2,000 dong haggle for politeness.
One approach I've found useful is to ask 3 vendors the price of something when I have no clue. You can use their quotes to triangulate the right price, trying a steep bargain on the first, complete with walkaway to find how firm their refusal is, etc, etc.
For veg I think most things are under 5,000 / kg; most fruits are in the low 10's per kg. Meat prices are all over the place and tend to vary quite widely.
Sure it's nice to go to the supermarket sometimes, but the street market is often more convenient, fresher and is a great way to be part of your community.
HTH
In response to the question: I need help knowing the real local price of staple foods such as bread, eggs, vegetables, tofu etc. bought in the market (or a good grocery store not ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I've never had things not turn up when mailing outward from VN, but I don't have huge experience with it. If memory serves it takes 2 or 3 weeks to the US. Outward shipping seems much more reliable than inward for whatever reason.
To post any packages overseas you'll need to do it through the main post office East of HK lake (special foreigners branch on the corner).
In response to the question: Ugh, I didn't mean to...but the gifts keep coming and the price of tailoring has left me with TOO MUCH STUFF! Now that I am about to leave, I need t...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
howdy myan1999, I assume you were trying to post a job with a company that wasn't in the drop-down.
That case is now accounted for, and you should be good to go.
By all means let me know at tech@newhanoian.com (or here) if you still have problems.
In response to the question: I cannot post a job. Whenever I submit a job, it requires me to enter company name which I did. ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
The dentist on Nguyen Du near Pho Hue is not bad, and very inexpensive. Never had anything major done, but fillings and cleanings are efficient and professional.
In response to the question: I need a dentist.One of my front teeth is a crown and came loose when eating and I swallowed it so now I have a gap. Need a recommendation for a denti...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
for reference, there's a link in the footer: "Enter New Spot."
We really should have more and bigger links for adding spots. Any suggestions where the links should go?
In response to the question: At the risk of being black listed for entering this in the wrong place ... for the life of me I couldn't find how to add it to places. Border Polic...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I'm bumping this one back to the top of the list as Dream TV (the above-referenced philipino satellite company) is changing its set-top boxes and it looks like the current pirate tv racket may be nearing its end.
Since there's still the exciting parts of the Champions League and the EPL to watch I'd appreciate a rundown of all your solutions for watching EPL, CL (and of course HBO, BBC, etc.). The more specific the better - names, urls, phone numbers, price if poss.
Thanks!
In response to the question: I've been living here for more than a year and a half, and have finally broken down and bought a TV. But because it's an LCD, I'm hoping to find fo...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
"Flag street" is probably Hang Gai / Hang Bong. There are quite a few shops that make flags and pennants there. "Bamboo Pole Street" is Hàng Vải, especially at the corner of Hàng Gà.
I would imagine you could also inquire at a local printers / sign maker about banners if you want wording on them.
In response to the question: I want to look into getting some decorations made for an upcoming event.I would like banners made, like the vertical bali"banana" flags where the long...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
what you need is called a UPS (uninterruptible power supply). It's basically a battery that gives you time to shut down your computer gracefully if the lights go out. UPSs suitable for a pc+ monitor go for $30 something and are available at pretty much any computer store.
Seconding jag-rvu's opinion on Tran Anh, and raising him a Phuc Anh.
In response to the question: I just moved into my apt. only to find that the power goes out at least once a day. Before i set up my computer i'll need to protect it from these out...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Thanks gooddoer. Now, is there anyone in the Dong Da / Thong Nhat Park area who has a line on a supplier?
In response to the question: I've been to 3 separate supermarkets in recent weeks searching for Gillette shaving cream and been told be all that it's hết rồi (they're all out)...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
perhaps the depreciation of the US dollar comes into play - the dong is tied more or less to the USD, and hasn't the AUD appreciated against that?
100% price increase is not that far-fetched, even for non-imported items. The domestic rice we buy is up 35% over last year, pork is up more than that, and the bia hoi at IBHC is up 50% on the year, 100% over 18 months.
Talk about hitting the consumer in their beer gut...
In response to the question: Can anyone explain why the cost of Bega Cheese (Aus) has increased in all local stores, and a 2 kg block of Anchor (NZ)has DOUBLED since before TET!...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I've never tried it but I hear the Dao people use ashes from their fireplace and salt in a wash to fix dyes.
In response to the question: We bought a Hmong bed covering in Sapa, at the market. It really needs to be cleaned now, but I'm worried about the dye running. Does anyone know ho...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Also, Lê Thanh Nghị, an East-West street south of Reunification Park, in the student area of Bach Khoa. This is good for software aimed more at developers, and like elsewhere, it's as bent as a 3 bob note.
In response to the question: Where is the best place in Hanoi to buy software. ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Ouch. very sorry to hear that Alexis. It's never happened to me, but that possibility is one reason I keep my most important files backed up over the internet using subversion.
Not what you want to hear, I'm sure, but anyway good luck in retrieving your data.
In response to the question: Our two computers have been stolen in our house yesterday night (together with 3 cameras, an USB backup hard-drive and two bags). The two computer...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I remember seeing them recently on the street with all the motorbike seat coverings that comes off Hang Bong
In response to the question: Yes, i know they are every where but where did i see those striped red, white and blue plastic woven storage bags with the zip and handles? They open ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I have a daughter who's about to turn 1; if you set something up we'd come. Keep me posted by site mail. You might also want to set up a group on this site.
Of course if there's something going already I'd like to know about that too.
In response to the question: I have a daughter who is 13 months old and was wondering if there are any play groups near the Hoan Kiem area. We were even thinking of starting one,...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
the ones you can get from the pharmacy are called "hydrite" - they're the kind you dissolve in water. Most pharmacies should know what you mean if you tell them that or write it down for them.
In response to the question: Does anyone know the Vietnamese word for Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS)? I'm feeling a touch of cholera. Also where I can get this...thanks! ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
If you want an actual music shop, go to Hao Nam street, off De La Thanh - there are 4 or 5 music shops there catering to the nearby Hanoi Conservatory of Music. They have a large selection of guitars, mostly accoustic, and the price has to be right to suit students.
In response to the question: Where can i buy a used guitar or cheap new guitar?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
A: Oh god, yes. More than that, you only need to turn it on for 5-10 minutes before using it. A couple of years back a house I was living in reduced its monthly bill by $50 by switching off 3 small water heaters.
In response to the question: Just a quick one- Does anyone know if turning off the hot water switch at night is actually worth doing in order to save on electricity? I'm on the "b...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I've been curious about this too. Fwiw we slosh veggies about in cold salted water (using cheap large crystal salt) and that seems to be a common method among local people (our local bún chả lady does the same).
In response to the question: Does anyone know what Vegy wash actually does to ones fresh produce? I know it's supposed to clean the veggies so they are 'safe' to eat - what exactl...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Vietnam's in a funny position wrt organics; most parts are "modernized" enough that they've started using chemical pesticides and fertilizers, but not post-modern enough to have gotten "beyond" that; on the other hand if you venture further into the wilderness you can find areas where people don't use the nasties simply because they can't afford them. Many of the vegetables that Hmong farmers grow for themselves, for instance, have seen nothing more exotic than pig shit.
With large-scale crops like cotton I think it's a lot harder to find organic crops here.
Silk, though - I'm not sure where chemicals would come into that process. You wouldn't want to use pesticides since it's made by insects, and I can't see that there would be much use for fertilizers for the same reason. IANASF (I Am Not A Silk Farmer), though.
In response to the question: Does anyone know where I can find organic cotton or silk ? ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Definitely cheaper to DIY but be careful about the permits and guides.
I would recommend getting yourself to Sapa then hiring a guide and porters from one of the reputable hotels (Royal, Ninh Hong, Cat Cat). The hotel will take care of all the paperwork and make sure you get up and down in one piece..
In response to the question: Has anyone climbed to the top of Fansipan. I have plan to go there in the next July. I know that there are some open tours to go there but I think it ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Try Hào Nam street (off Đê La Thanh west of Tôn Dức Thắng) - there are a dozen musical instrument shops along that street and I noticed that many of them sell music books and such. I wasn't looking for sheet music so I can't tell you more than that.
If you find any good resources be sure to enter them on the site :)
In response to the question: Where can I buy sheet music? piano music? scores? music books? Thank you...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Thanks for your responses - I've just bought a panasonic 12,000 btu unit. Installed it cost around 6 million dong. I'm sitting here in relative comfort writing this.
In response to the question: I'm finally caving this year and not going to tough it out any more. I am in the market for an air conditioner and I'd like to ask the community if th...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Seems like it's standard practice with a taxi tải to either pay the driver extra for labor or grab one of the neighborhood laborers (one of the guys who you see hauling sand and bricks down the alleys) and pay him. 100,000 VND for an hour or two's work is very generous.
The downside to this arrangement is you have no recourse if something gets broken.
In response to the question: Was wondering if anyone here has used a Vietnamese removal company? I have had a look at Crown and JVK, but the prices way too high for us modest earn...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Ho Ba Mau (Lenin Park also, but West-side) represent!
In response to the question: I'll be moving to Hanoi in a couple months time and was wondering whether people could give me some feedback on the nice districts in Hanoi. I'm 28, m...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
You might try "computer street 2": Le Thanh Nghi (which cuts through Bach Khoa university parallel to Dai Co Viet) - they specialize in cheaper, older computers and may have what you need.
In response to the question: Hello, I’m looking for DDR computer notebook memory for my IBM ThinkPad T30. What I need is a 512MB PC2100 DDR module, I can find 512MB PC2700 modul...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
A quick note regarding housing posted in this site's 'housing' section:
any registered user is free to post whatever they like there, so this site offers no assurance of the quality of said dwellings or their landlords.
In the early days of the site we did discuss giving rental properties the same treatment as other businesses: ie, allowing them to be rated and reviewed, photographed, etc. On further consideration we concluded that there must be too many rental properties in Hanoi to make any kind of rating system meaningful.
This and other similar Aska threads has given us reason to reconsider that early conclusion; it might actually be appropriate to list rental houses as places to be rated and reviewed. People have feelings about their rental abode every bit as strong as they do about some pizza joint, it strikes me.
On the positive side of the equation it seems simple enough: you like a place, so you rate it positively; the next time it is listed for rent it should be snapped up.
On the negative side is where the problems sneak in. If a place has strong negative reviews, there is little to stop a landlord or agent from simply creating a new listing. The two of us who run this site certainly don't have time to physically verify every rental property.
It's not a simple problem, but it's something we will surely look more closely at in the coming weeks.
As always, your comments, criticisms and suggestions are invited, either here or to info@newhanoian.com (or by pm to alpha and grubby)
In response to the question: My rent contract is in USD but I pay in VND, I think this is pretty standard and wasnt a problem at all until last month. At that time my landlord...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
using same I made it a little over 1.5 miles going the long route (including the north end)
In response to the question: Does anybody know the distance around the lake in Lenin park? Just trying to work out how far i'm incapable of jogging.(http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/ve...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
all the burials that I know of happen at Van Dien, about 10km south of Hanoi on Giai Phong (the saigon road). These days I think it is exclusively cremation, and I didn't investigate the cemetery much, so I don't know if there are older / western burial plots there.
Incidentally, the location of this cemetery apparently gave rise to the Hanoi slang "Move South" for "Pass away"
In response to the question: Hey, ...so where are Hanois graveyards located? Particularly where the locals used to bury the Hanoians sometimes around 50-100 years ago? Im tryin...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
odd that this should come up now - we've been considering adding a link to show you who has positively reviewed your review or comment, but I didn't think it was wise to show who had panned you. Perhaps that's terribly undemocratic, but it does seem to have a lot of potential for stirring up trouble, and would deter people from using the "utter rubbish" button (and I think it does serve a purpose).
"Utter rubbish"can sound a bit extreme but we chose those words precisely because they are over-the-top, thinking that a bit of humor would soften the blow.
Anyway it's great to hear what you all think all of it is "Well-Written," "Funny," "Accurate," and definitely "Useful" so please carry on.
In response to the question: Can we do something about the utter rubbish section. It seems that there are some people who are playing with this click. I agree with all the others ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
it's not 'sillypeople' or 'fraud' as much as it is 'lazyadmins', I think. In the housing section there is no way to specify 'room for rent'. You have to choose apartment or house for rent or for sale.
This is not the case if you list housing in the classifieds section.
We're in the process of consolidating the housing ads sections and this annoyance will be fixed soon.
In response to the question: Why do people constantly list their rooms for rent with an APARTMENT or HOUSE for rent heading? It's annoying and a complete waste of time for thos...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
jaspa's in hanoi towers has plenty of screen real estate and tends to show the games.
I enjoyed some Champion's League games in there.
In response to the question: The new EPL season starts Saturday - any suggestions for a good venue to watch the games?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
How did you go about opening a case with the USPS?
I suppose the outside pressure can't hurt, and I'm feeling blue about 3 wonderful computer books I ordered from Amazon too long ago.
In response to the question: Hello there, I had some family members send me a box of books over 3 weeks ago using US priority mail. Still no word of the package... Anybody...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I've been reading and contributing to this thread and I was feeling very sorry for my loss until I saw the white envelope on my patio floor this afternoon. I was invited to my local post office (local is highly relative in this case) to pick up my already-mourned books.
I've just picked them up, and, although the package has been opened, and the shrink-wrap on the books has been stretched, the contents are present.
Is there anything better than an abandoned package showing up? It's like a free gift.
In response to the question: Hello there, I had some family members send me a box of books over 3 weeks ago using US priority mail. Still no word of the package... Anybody...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
you'll need more than a keyboard, monitor and mouse - each workstation would need at least a 'thin client' meaning a cpu with ram and a network card.
Some people do this in conjunction with a central server - all permanent storage is on the server, but this situation is still quite rare.
More common is to give everyone low-end PC's with their own permanent storage, but have all user documents stored on a central (higher-end, backed-up) file server. The advantage of this setup is that these kinds of pc's are easy to buy, and you get the added benefit of secure centralized backup.
In response to the question: Hi I hav ebeen trying to get a clear answer on the following: If I wish to have people in different offices and on different floors using a comput...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
1) I don't know of any detailed maps with all the minor roads, but you can get a reasonable vietnam map with provincial detail at any of the bookshops on Trang Tien I think.
2) Tram Ton Pass, and the windy descent towards Lai Chau, Hoang Su Phi in Ha Giang (much of Ha Giang is wild and beautiful)...
Actually, all of it. Everything apart from the larger towns is worth seeing, but be prepared to get lost. With 4 days you have time to loop from Sapa back to Hanoi through the North East or North West.
3) get your bike checked out before you go and take a few spare parts with you.
HTH
In response to the question: Hi all, I'm planning on heading up to Sapa for the long weekend for a motorbike trip for 3-4 days. I would love some advice on a few things: 1)...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Khumbu ơi - it's been on the list for a while - it'll come soon. Meanwhile I don't have any objections to seeing two tiger snouts in a row, although I hope you haven't morphed into a big cat out of anger...
In response to the question: Does anyone know HOW people are informed of planned power outages? Over the loud speaker? On the neighborhood chalkboards? etc. Would love to know cau...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
heh. Maybe you can't google it because nowhere in the page source code does it actually say UMA. The page title is "Untitled Document" and there are no plain text words of any sort (apart from source code) in the page, only images.
Still, at least it loads quickly...
In response to the question: does anyone know if there is a web site for UMA furniture at CT6 My Dinh Hanoi?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
You should see a big green button at the top right of the classifieds section labeled "Post a Listing." Click that and fill in the form (you need to be logged in, of course).
Hope this helps,
Tom
In response to the question: Can someone tell me how to post ads on the classified section, please?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I believe Minsks are still in production:
and I hear you can buy new ones in Hai Phong.
Another plus for the Minsk is that "you can fix it with a spoon" - I've fixed mine with the foil from a cigarette packet.
Locals in the mountains are increasingly turning to the Win 100, though, and I reckon it's a decent bike.
In response to the question: Hi everyone, I'm in the market for a motorbike and would like some advice. I'm going to be in northern Vietnam for about 5 months, and then sout...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I was in the Windmill the other night and noticed some weird-looking lobsters in a tank on the way out. I associated them with the "slipper lobster" I'd seen in the menu. Again, no price. Sorry.
In response to the question: Do they exist in Hanoi? Or do I have to go to a weird tank place and pay stupid prices?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Seems that lego has become the Gucci of children's stick-together blocks. I'm really looking for the larger ones for smaller kids, and my ambition is to accumulate tons of them (enough to build things with) same as I had as a kid before lego got trendy and started coming in no-imagination-needed, some-assembly-required packs.
That said, I should probably go see the lego store to see what the last 25 years have wrought...
In response to the question: Can someone tell me where I can buy chunky plastic blocks for toddlers. You know, the kind that look look giant lego. I think one brand name is Duplo....
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
for what it's worth, I have had some luck with 'refreshing' my DSL connection by running my modem's diagnostics. Apparently FPT is apt to drop you if you don't seem to be using the internet. So much for 'always-on internet.'
If you don't know how to access your modem's administration web server (usually 192.168.0.1 or somesuch), then this method is probably not for you.
In response to the question: Today the internet seemed very very slow at my hotel (still looking to rent an apt) and when I went out to a cafe by the lake, the same thing happened...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
My better half says she got some at Vinatex on Ba Trieu, but she had to ask for the larger sizes.
Good luck.
In response to the question: Hey everyone. Well I have been on the search for finding a place that sells size 36 jeans in Hanoi. I got nothing so far and the largest size i can fi...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
In other words, check the reviews. More generally, if you find yourself asking a newhanoian a question of the form "can you recommend ..." you should be aware that many people already have (recommended), and that their recommendations are to be found in their reviews and star ratings on this site.
I don't mean to be too harsh, but really, this whole site is an answer to the question "can you recommend?"
In response to the question: Hi. I'll be arriving in Hanoi soon and staying for an indefinite period of time. Can anyone recommend a good long-term hotel? James ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
We've thought about this quite a bit, believe me.
The original plan was to have a database of properties and allow the tenants to review them as they left. This depends on the pool of rental houses being mostly entered on TNH, which is not the case.
If we only allowed registered realtors to post on TNH, that could provide some accountability, but it would also exclude the very people we would like to have posting here: landlords and tenants.
It's a feedback loop that's hard to close, given the ephemeral nature of houses for rent.
If anyone has any more suggestions, though I'd like to hear them; currently we've kind of washed our hands of the housing section. I think it's still useful to some people, but I'm aware that it's also home to some very misleading advertising.
In response to the question: I am wondering if Tom/Elliot could allow users to review properties they have seen and agents they have dealt with. Quite a few people I work for have...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
schlepperex: vinatex is on the site already.
Also, mosquito nets are available in many places. For reference, the vietnamese word is "màn tuyn"
In response to the question: Can someone tell me where I can buy permethrin and a mosquito bed net please. Directions/address would help a lot too as I will be arriving in a few ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
a) glennoi, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the word 'blatt' entering into the annals of the New Hanoian
b) if other countries are any kind of predictor, in about 30 years Viet Nam will have a surge of regret for their previous rejection of anything 'old'
c) The Minsk is, by most measures, a shitty bike. That notwithstanding, it has character, and inspires in its owners a devotion unseen with the Wave and the Dream.
d) The Minsk is, actually, a great bike, a design classic. The design of the Minsk and its engine allegedly harks back to the first successful motorbike design, in the 1930's. After the Second World War, the Americans took the German rocket scientists (Werner Von Braun, et al), while the Soviets got the plan for what was to become the Minsk motorcycle, and the machine tools to make it.
So, in a way, Minsk, Belarus is the Cape Canaveral of the Soviet Union.
I'm done with my list, but I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to the people of Hanoi for having had too much oil in my gas for the past 10 days. My excuse is that my normal gas station charges more for their oil, and when I went to a different one and ordered the normal money value of oil I got 40% more than I wanted.
Believe me, I feel bad about the smoke I cause, but, like glennoi, I take the trouble to turn off my engine at traffic lights, and I let annoyed people pass me.
e) I love my motorcycle. It's different from the way I loved my 1972 Mercedes, and my 1984 BMW: this time it's personal. When was the last time you showed your bike a good time, got her some synthetic oil, or a good wash, took her out for the sheer pleasure of a ride?
In response to the question: The other day a Vietnamese friend and I watched some guy putter through Hanoi traffic on his Minsk, cutting a wake as other riders veered away from th...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
ask me or alpha. Although we're not likely to delete a question that has good, informational answers. Which one did you have in mind?
In response to the question: How do we delete a question? Answers, much appreciated!...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Traffic police: cream / tan
Regular cops: bright green
Assistant police or deputies: washed out green
I guess security guards can wear anything but I mostly see them in light blue with navy blue trim
In response to the question: Can anyone give me a run down on the identity of the various Hanoian law enforcement officials sporting a most impressive spectrum of uniform colours?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I'm thinking of the guys who tell people to get their motorbikes off the sidewalk, do most of the actual kidnapping of stools and motorbikes. Usually it's a handful of them with a small number of bright green police.
I'm not sure what their official title is, though.
In response to the question: Can anyone give me a run down on the identity of the various Hanoian law enforcement officials sporting a most impressive spectrum of uniform colours?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Khazaana shows cricket regularly:
http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/en/venue/show/165/Khazaana
In response to the question: Over the last 6 months I have seen several questions on TNH that are sport related, especially on places where you can watch live sport in Hanoi. How...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
what kind of curry? Thai or Indian, or ...?
In response to the question: Where can one find the best chicken curry in Hanoi?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Thai green chicken curry: my house. Chang cooks a mean one.
In response to the question: Where can one find the best chicken curry in Hanoi?...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
water morning glory: rau muống
spinach: rau bina (according to stardict)
In response to the question: I love spinach. I dont like Morning Glory. EVERY time I see "spinach" on a menu as a side dish, morning glory arrives at my table. So, I learned ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
I was just wondering that myself.
Perhaps Ms. Ferrari didn't know that she could form a topless Russian DJ group and post the event from the group.
In response to the question: Well?!...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Hang Điếu in the old quarter has a large number of mattress and bedding shops. They do tend to display them vertically, though.
In response to the question: Our mattress, while brand-new when we moved in, is in desperate need of a replacement (imagine sleeping directly on the coils). We've looked for a ne...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
seems like 'rau bina' would be the franco-vietnamese word for spinach (spinach is epinards in French, which would become 'bina'), but I'm not sure rau cải sa pa is actually spinach; rau cải is cabbage, so that would mean 'sapa cabbage,' and I'm told that it refers to a long kind of cabbage.
rau sống is another candidate for spinach, but without showing someone the leaf I can't be sure.
In response to the question: I love spinach. I dont like Morning Glory. EVERY time I see "spinach" on a menu as a side dish, morning glory arrives at my table. So, I learned ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
you can get a reasonable headset for use with Skype and the like for 60-80,000 VND. I don't know why you'd want to spend more considering the sound quality of VOIP.
These are readily available in any computer shop (Ly Nam De or Le Thanh Nghi).
In response to the question: I am looking for any recommendations on a voice over IP (VOIP) headset. I am looking to spend no more than arond $100. I would prefer a wired headse...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
get satellite tv. Get an xsat box and dish from a shop on Hai Ba Trung.
Then you will only be faced with Discovery Channel's annoying self-ads.
In response to the question: Wonder if anyone is as p..d! as we are .... for sometime now the cable TV channels switch to silly Vietnamese adds right in the middle of a programme ...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
the bottleneck is the amount of audio data you can transmit reliably over the internet.
You should invest in headphones for listening to music that you have on your computer; phone conversations are very low bit-rate, therefore it's a waste of money to buy any but the most basic headset that works.
In response to the question: I am looking for any recommendations on a voice over IP (VOIP) headset. I am looking to spend no more than arond $100. I would prefer a wired headse...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
likewise, in the US, you'll probably get cheaper tickets by going to your local Chinatown (if you have one) and trying the mom and pop travel agents there.
In response to the question: Hey there, My friend from the US wants to visit me here, and I was trying to find cheap flights from the US to Hanoi. Anyone have suggestions? We...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Seriously, now, the 'meh' button is the first in a proposed rotating series of 'disaffection' buttons.
You can use it when you feel 'eh,', 'meh,' 'feh,' or 'blah' about something.
If you really object to something and want to report it to the mods, please use our new and improved 'inappropriate' button, at the top of the comment / review.
We might change the name of it, but remember it's always there if you really want to 'wah!' about something, and wish it to be removed.
All sarcasm aside, we hope that you'll use it to alert us to shilling reviews and other offenses to the community.
In response to the question: The first person who whines about the "meh" button, that's who. STFU!...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
granteralus: your example would be a reason to use the "Inappropriate" flag.
In response to the question: The first person who whines about the "meh" button, that's who. STFU!...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
FTFY, Teddy. And, that's not green, it's avocado.
"Utter Rubbish" is feeling abused and is on sabbatical.
In response to the question: Well done guys, I applaud your addition of a less inflammatory button. I don't want to be a nit-picker or seem ungrateful but when it comes to this 'w...
Posted Thursday January 1st, 1970.
Not so, Anon. "Fail" is the new "Utter Rubbish" and preserves the Trash that came before.
In response to the question: The first person who whines about the "meh" button, that's who. STFU!...
Well-Written (23) Funny (39) Accurate (36) Useful (70)
Tom Lancaster
My Blog or Website Email In Hanoi SinceSaturday February 28th, 2004
New Hanoian Member SinceWednesday March 29th, 2006
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