Hanoi or HCMC?

1. It's colder - temperate zone - which is refreshing - in Dec-Feb. The biggest hassle is that many medium-older buildings have no heat and you know the price of electricity. Insulation is unheard of. They  sell clothing that makes you look like a Yak herder, but ii warm and cheap;
2. Many people seem to target Foreigners as an easy mark, pick-pocket victim. Perhaps it is payback time for years of American bombs;
3. The people appear less friendly, harder to penetrate. Kids less spontaneously friendly than SaiGon. Spontaneous street fights are common;
4. Seems that SaiGon does as much business in one day as Ha Noi does in a week ... possibly a month;
5, Accommodation is cheaper;
6. Food less sweet than south - better for your waistline;
7. Police more strict about traffic infractions. Be aware that chunks of the city are closed - pols living in the area;
8. Ha Noi preserves it's historic buildings, SaiGon knocks them down;
9. Massive areas are subject to seasonal flooding. Getting drowned inside accommodation is not uncommon;
10. Good bus transit system, new overhead rail system being built;
11. Has the boulevard feel of Paris;
12. Much cooler in Jan-Feb but as hot has SGN in the summer;
13. There were, last time I counted, over 56 knock off Sinh Cafe. There is only one real one - now called Sinh Tourist.
14. Most elements of the travel business are riddled with corruption from the pirate taxi's at the airport (use the VietNam Airlines shuttle bus);  crooked taxi operators (always get their plate and logo numbers and their driver operator info - and let them see you doing it); never ride a taxi where the meter isn't on the TOP of the dash;
15. Travel agents are required by law to get a bond from VNAT for $15,000 - most don't have one. Tour guides are supposed to wear genuine licences - most don't. Price fixing cartels were perfected in Ha Noi;
16. Travel agents frequently change their names (although not addresses) to get a fresh start in business;

I'm from Canada and Ha Noi is like Ottawa (or Washington, DC) they are political. There are plenty of places to explore and get to know the north better.

My experiences were gained in 14 months of living there in 3 lengthy periods over three years. Most of the taxi drivers are crooks, many merchants know your name (Sucker).

I definitely enjoyed my later stays as I knew the city and the nicer people.

Your pay increase makes it worth it - you can't beat a lazy coffee at Hoan Kiem Lake first thing in the morning. There again, if the job offer is with your present employer, it might be worth finding out why you are so much valuable up there!

The NEW HANOIAN web site < http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/en/ > has a current view of what's happening.

P.S. Saying you prefer Ha Noi to SaiGon will get you a lot of good will!

Heck. I surely will offend a lot of Hanoians but here is the consensus which even the Hanoians would admit but only to close friends:

A lot of Hanoians would love to move to Saigon.
Not a lot of Saigonians would do the other way.

A Saigon friend of mine was told this during a job interview for a similar job: 'Would not make it in Hanoi. You are too nice'.
Nuf said.

Hi Jaitch/ Anatta,

Thanks for your reply.

The hastle I had setting up was in finding an apartment and the right area to live in. We looked at so many rubbish places and really wanted something central that was in a nice neighbourhood.

My preference was to live in more of a Vietnamese area and not just an expat area (like D7 in Saigon).

Are there any areas of Hanoi that you would recomend living in?

I'll have an office in the old quarter, but will be travelling around the city a fair bit.

The job is in the travel industry which is what I lived in before I packed it in to be an english teacher.

I have heard that Hanoians are not as friendly as those down South, people seem to have a different opinion on this and I am not sure how accurate this is.

Regarding Vietnamese wanting to move down South I have spoken to a few people in HCMC that have done this and the main reason people want to do this is because there is more oppurtunity here. It is the economic capital of the country. Considering I have a potential job offer, I am not sure what the other reasons are to consider why people would rather live in the south (other than the weather)

Thanks for your advise. Any more tips would be much appreciated.

Ben

Sorry, never ever seriously consider moving to Hanoi to ever spend time to study the town for the purpose of living there.

bawdseyben wrote:

I have heard that Hanoians are not as friendly as those down South, people seem to have a different opinion on this and I am not sure how accurate this is.

Ben

well, you would soon find out, wouldn't u . Anyway, it is not about being friendly or not. It is more about compatibility, way of thinking, life attitude,.. the softer side.
Put it in another way: why are you so picky about the neighborhood, but not so picky about the city. What is a city or neighborhood but a collection of people living there? What make up the life of a city but the behavior of its citizen?

Besides the pragmatic considerations of living space & costs & climatic preferences, I think it is significant how one defines the two cities.
HANOI: Historical, cultural & political soul of Vietnam. Its people proud of their identity. Capital city & base of International agencies. A vibrant, close knit expatriate community.
SAIGON: International business hub, sprawling, frenetic & dense city. Much of its people drawn from rural provinces across Vietnam. Rebellious undercurrents. Diffuse expatriate community.
I would love to have others state brief definitions.