Asia-Pacific

Hanoi – quick travel guide

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Vietnam’s main northern city…different and contrasting against Saigon (Vietnam’s main southern city).

Totally different culture from the South. As the saying goes, they don’t like each other. Different vibe, different accent, different food, and other cultural differences. Unlike Saigon’s totally busy, chaotic, fast-paced lifestyle…Hanoi is the northern version of that but slightly more relaxed, chill. Still plenty of job opportunities for locals while not being as crazy as the south. Also…the northern Vietnamese accent is considered the official accent, think of it as the “British accent of the Vietnamese”, and they take great pride of their way of speaking Vietnamese (while often mocking how southerners speak).

Foreigners also enjoy Hanoi’s perfect balance of busy and relaxed, along with its centralized proximity to Vietnam’s top tourist destinations (Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Sapa Valley, etc). Spread throughout Hanoi are some lakes, such as Hoan Kiem Lake and West Lake among various other parks where you can relax and slow down a bit. Likewise, the Old Quarters and Hoan Kiem Lake area also closes down car access, allowing people and street vendors to take over the roads…providing for a mini street festival vibe every weekend. Crossing the streets in Hanoi is nowhere near as scary as in HCMC.

2 days is enough to feel like you saw Hanoi (Old Quarters & surrounding highlights), but it’s really worth a couple extra days to enjoy the city life. You’ll easily find activities and places to go. I spent a week and could still have been here longer. It’s a popular expat place for a reason.

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – quick travel guide

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Vietnam’s busiest most crowded city, vibrant and choatic all over.

Most native Vietnamese people, Vietnam tourists, foreigners, and expats will all tell you to pass through HCM/Saigon quickly and head to North Vietnam (where there are many more beautiful places to see). Yet…it is HCM (or still commonly called “Saigon”) where you find the biggest Vietnamese city population and also foreigner/expat population. I consider Saigon “the Buenos Aires of Vietnam”.

Why?

Saigon is lively, vibrant, many things to do and see, many things open all day and all night. Sure, it’s not a beautiful beach city or mountain terrain, but it’s packed with fun and many things to do. I recommend spending at least 2 or 3 days.

Ho Chi Minh vs Hanoi

  • Fun debate. Many say HCM people are friendlier and Hanoi more arrogant or snobby. I think there’s truth in that (especially since northern Vietnamese make fun of southern dialect all the time). But foreigners won’t have issues with this since local Vietnamese generally treat foreigners well anyway.
  • I’d say most foreigners find Hanoi to be more beautiful and walkable, and more “chill” (although still having its own chaos). HCM is more chaotic and to me only makes sense to be there a long time if you like big city life, big skyrise parties, or need to run a business from there.

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Sydney – quick travel guide

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Australia’s largest city and pretty much every visitor’s gateway to Australia.

Beautiful big city surrounded by bodies of water and lots of natural beauty. It’s a very big city with lots to do, and also more metropolitan (more ethnically and culturally diverse). Many people may prefer its more posh big-city vibe. But others (like myself) actually prefer a smaller, chiller, hip city like Melbourne…which feels more relaxed and not like you have to run across big distances to get places.

Between Australia’s biggest cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane)…Sydney is considered the better beach destination. But it’s still not comparable to Sydney’s best beach destinations. So you decide…if you really want the best beaches, or you want a mix of beach with city.

Sydney could easily fill a week of your time with activities but 3 days can be enough. 1st day in the CBD and harbour areas (Opera & Harbour bridge). 2nd day at the famous Bondi beach and hip Newtown area. 3rd day in the Blue Mountains.

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Melbourne – quick travel guide

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Small-middle sized hip city in Australia.

In reality, it’s Australia’s 2nd largest city only behind Sydney. But the main central areas are quite compact. At least from the POV of someone from Los Angeles. It’s the classic city with tons of bars and restaurants and shops. And some gardens. Melbourne tends to run cooler than Sydney…which I loved! (Although some Sydney people like to say Melbourne has “shit weather”, but I personally prefer not being sun-roasted all the time.)

I think Melbourne is hipper, cooler, and also a better food scene than Sydney. It’s just more compact and easier to get around and get a feel for things. I imagine also a safer choice for cool restaurants opening up as their rent would be cheaper and there’s better traffic density…whereas Sydney might have more international acclaim but the land is more expensive and people are more spread out. I don’t know for certain, just my feeling about it.

Melbourne can be easily seen in 2 days. But you’ll want an extra day to feel the vibe. It’s a cool, hip place to be.

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Newcastle – quick travel guide

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A small chill quiet beachside town, 115km (2hrs) north from Sydney.

Newcastle is one of those nice-to-live, maybe boring-to-visit kind of places. There isn’t so much to do and see. 1 day is probably enough to see all the highlights and even walk all over town. The usual vibe is beach or waterfront hangout during the day, and then some bar or restaurant at night. It’s similar to a small Italian town in that many places are closed during the day on weekdays.

Newcastle is around the 7th largest city in Australia (population of 500,000). So if this felt too small and uninspiring for you, keep that in mind when you think of visiting other cities. Newcastle is also undergoing lots of renovation and in a couple years will become more and more of a cool place to be.

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Sydney vs Melbourne – travel destination comparison

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Just some researching I did:

  • Sydney has more tourist destinations and things to see and do. If you can only pick one or only have limited days, definitely pick Sydney. Oh and of course, Sydney is more expensive.
  • Melbourne is nicer one to live and keeps beating Sydney on the livable places list. If you’re planning to spend extended time, consider Melbourne.
  • So it depends on you and what you want. Some people prefer one, others prefer the other. I’d guess Melbourne can be seen in 3-5 days and Sydney in like 5-7.

Australia – quick travel guide

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Big land-mass continent with lots of nature, exactly a cultural mix between England and America.

What comes to mind is 1st-world new modern country with lots of nature. Clean, new, big spaces, big buildings. Culturally feels very American (New England vibe), accent is kind of like a surfer/country version of the British accent. As an American, I find Australians to be an exact mix of British and American. In how they talk, how they live, and how they party.

It’s a big country (78% the land size of America) but actually very small population (25 million compared to 330 million). So not that many big cities. Ethnically, Australia is very white…the biggest ethnic minorities are Asian at 1% (although will feel like more in Sydney and Melbourne).

Most people (especially from Europe or Latin America) who want to immigrate to Australia are for these reasons:

  • Good standing of living. Strong currency for working.
  • Clean, modern.
  • Has lots of nature and beaches. Which for Europeans is considered special, and for Latin Americans reminds them of home (many don’t want a place without a beach).
  • To learn and practice English. And also to get an education in another country.

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