mattvietnam's Posts

2 reviews or comments posted; no questions asked; 1 answers given.

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posted about 5 months ago by mattvietnam
about the venue: Song Huong

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This restaurant recently opened in Hanoi. I really like Hue food and found the food at Song Huong to be very good and relatively cheap. The restaurant has air conditioning and is very comfortable with good service. I don't know of any other restaurants in Hanoi that sell Hue food so I think it is a good find.

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posted about 5 months ago by mattvietnam
about the venue: Red River Gallery

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Before I proceed, I must say that I am close with the owners of the gallery.

However, I can honestly say that Red River is a trustworthy dealer of authentic Vietnamese art. They were one of the first, if not the very first art gallery in Hanoi originally located in Yet Kieu St and subsequently in the Metropole hotel.

They offer the very best pieces from most of the famous contemporary Vietnamese artists. Their aim is to also promote young and upcoming Vietnamese artists.

If you are looking for an original piece of Vietnamese art, their staff will be helpful in assisting you in your search whether you buy there or not.

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• Posted Thursday July 10th, 2008.

  My advice:

  - Choose a taxi affiliated with a company: 8222888, 8535353, 8262626, 8616161, 2525252 are numbers that come to mind.

  - Note, there are unaffiliated taxis that paint incorrect numbers on the side in order to overcome this problem. Be wary.

  - If you are willing to wait a few minutes (e.g. 8222888 will usually take less than 5 minutes) or can plan your trip, you can call and guarantee that you will get a reliable taxi.

  - A taxi affiliated with a company should have a laminated white piece of paper on the front windscreen

  - An affiliated taxi should have a CB radio.

  - Keep an eye on the meter. If it starts increasing quickly ask the driver to stop and get out ASAP. You might be asked to pay the full fee but you should try to pay what you deem to be the fair fee (see #1 rule below however).

  - I always avoid the little green taxis with whom I have always had bad experiences.

  - Try to carry spare change. If they don't have change, take your money and only pay what you can LESS THAN the amount (see #1 rule below however).

  - #1 rule that is never to be ignored: if it appears that any sort of physical abuse may occur then pay and walk away.

  - To those who can go by motorbike taxi (Xe Om) choose older looking drivers. If you can smell alcohol you should probably avoid them. By the way, those of us with families or those who do not wish to take the risk on the extremely dangerous roads can not afford this luxury so this is not always a valid option.

  - Push Bikes are no good in summer if you are riding to work.

  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...

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