The initial taxi ride in from the bus station to Hanoi ended a bit abruptly when our taxi driver refused to take us to our hostel and dropped us by the lake (though we did initially say the lake). He tried to charge $5 USD more than he agreed (initially trying to charge $10 USD more than what was fair). He would not initially open up the trunk to let us get our bags. This quite bothered me so I just began taking it from the backseat, and then he opened it up.
On a separate occasion, A Vietnamese girl came up to talk to me (the first yet)...so I was receptive to her. She asked where I was going (seeing my map in hand) and proceeded to say she had a few relations in the USA. Once she mentioned that she was a "student" a bell went off in my head, and sure enough out came the card, with some well-crafted words about Red Cross. I gave her the "I'm not an idiot" gesture and walked away.
Another time, some French folks and I were whirled around the tourist lake and the meter zinged up an incredible amount, when the actual location was quite close.
Fast forward to the bar I went to my last night in Hanoi. I thought the taxi driver was trying to trick us, but he legitimately got lost. Got to the bar, they tried to charge us more than three times the already overpriced amount...that did NOT happen.
My overall advice for Vietnam (in main cities primarily): DO NOT TAKE TAXIS UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO. IF YOU MUST, SECURE A LEGITIMATE ONE WITH YOUR HOTEL. AVOID MOTO TAXIS. IF YOU GET A BAD FEELING, FAKE FLIRTING, TOO NICE, ETC. AT A NIGHTCLUB OR BAR, JUST LEAVE.
So, now I am in Hoi An, a BEAUTIFUL little town in the middle of Vietnam's coastline! The old part of the city reminds me a LOT of Lijiang in China, with all of the beautifully lit-up lanterns and bright and fancy-looking lights! Next stop should be Nha Trang, a beach town on Vietnam's Southeastern Coast, before heading down to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
On a separate occasion, A Vietnamese girl came up to talk to me (the first yet)...so I was receptive to her. She asked where I was going (seeing my map in hand) and proceeded to say she had a few relations in the USA. Once she mentioned that she was a "student" a bell went off in my head, and sure enough out came the card, with some well-crafted words about Red Cross. I gave her the "I'm not an idiot" gesture and walked away.
Another time, some French folks and I were whirled around the tourist lake and the meter zinged up an incredible amount, when the actual location was quite close.
Fast forward to the bar I went to my last night in Hanoi. I thought the taxi driver was trying to trick us, but he legitimately got lost. Got to the bar, they tried to charge us more than three times the already overpriced amount...that did NOT happen.
My overall advice for Vietnam (in main cities primarily): DO NOT TAKE TAXIS UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO. IF YOU MUST, SECURE A LEGITIMATE ONE WITH YOUR HOTEL. AVOID MOTO TAXIS. IF YOU GET A BAD FEELING, FAKE FLIRTING, TOO NICE, ETC. AT A NIGHTCLUB OR BAR, JUST LEAVE.
So, now I am in Hoi An, a BEAUTIFUL little town in the middle of Vietnam's coastline! The old part of the city reminds me a LOT of Lijiang in China, with all of the beautifully lit-up lanterns and bright and fancy-looking lights! Next stop should be Nha Trang, a beach town on Vietnam's Southeastern Coast, before heading down to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
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