We recently travelled to Vietnam and enjoyed every minute of it. It is an amazing country to visit;the people were very nice and the food was delicious. We had pre-booked the hotels and the local tours using a local travel agency. They provided a private car with an English speaking guide. the stay in Hanoi was very nice - we stayed at the Sofitel Metropole in the middle of the Old Quarter. It was close to many shops and restaurants, a short walk to the lake. The hotel is a beautiful property where many celebrities have stayed in the past - there is a bar named "Angelina" - it had exotic drinks at reasonable prices. one of the hallways has photographs with historical outlines showing the hotel's history and how it was a shelter during the bombings. The guide picked us up at hotel and we visited Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Vietnam Museum, several old temples and pagodas with a stop for lunch at a local restaurant where the local "pho" was delicious.
