Vietnam: A Lonely Planet Guidebook (2014)

 


The 12th edition of Lonely Planet’s guidebook about Vietnam was published in July 2014. It is written by Iain Stewart, Brett Atkinson, Damian Harper, and Nick Ray. In this book the territory of Vietnam is divided into the following sections:

** Hanoi

** Northern Vietnam

** Central Vietnam

** The Southeast Coast

** The Southwest Highlands

** Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon)

** The Mekong Delta

In addition to these seven sections there is a section about Siem Reap & the Temples of Angkor (15 pages). Excuse me! Is Siem Reap in Vietnam? No, it is not. Were the temples of Angkor built by the Vietnamese? No, they were not. While the Temples of Angkor are famous, and deserve their fame, they are in Cambodia. There is no reason whatsoever to have a chapter about them in a book about Vietnam.

Sometimes the authors and editors of Lonely Planet make some strange decisions. Here is another example: Lonely Planet’s guidebook about Egypt includes a list of the top attractions in Egypt. One of the attractions listed is the ancient city of Petra which is located in Jordan!

Vietnam is a large country. Most visitors do not have the time nor the desire to visit every part of the country from north to south. We visited the northern part of Vietnam - Hanoi (the capital), Dien Bien Phu (a small town, but an important location for the modern history of Vietnam) - and we took a three-day cruise in Halong Bay.

Even though we only visited the northern part of the country, I feel I am able to judge the quality of the guidebook as a whole, because I get similar results when I look at the chapter about Hanoi, the section about Dien Phu and the section about Halong Bay.

What do other reviewers say about it? Many reviewers give it five stars, but they do not explain why they do it. In fact, many five star reviews contain less that ten words. Here are a few examples:

** “Great.”
** “Good book.”
** “Great guide.”
** “Useful and informative.”
** “Very useful book.”
** “Great stuff.
** “This book is full of useful information.”

As you can see, my review is longer than this. I cannot give the book five stars, and I want to explain why. There are many good things to say about this book. But there are also some negative things, and if you ask me they should be mentioned as well.

My first point

I have a problem with several maps in this book. The Old Quarter of Hanoi is shown on pp. 54-55, but the legend appears on page 56, so I have to turn the page when I am going from map to legend. If I wish to read about any of the items marked on the map, I will have to go to a third page or a fourth page. The area around Hoan Kiem Lake is shown on pp. 58-59, but the legend is on page 60, so I have to turn the page when I am going from map to legend.

Sometimes they get it right. The area west of the Old Quarter is shown on page 62 and the legend on page 63. These two pages face each other, so I can see the map and the legend at the same time. This is the right way. This is how it should be done. Why can’t they do this every time?

My second point

Some information is out of date. Obviously, we cannot blame the authors for not reporting changes that take place after their book is published. But it gets worse. Some information is inaccurate, and sometimes important information is not mentioned at all. Here are some examples.

HANOI

** Hoa Lo Prison on page 57. The price of a ticket is now 30,000 Dong. Toilets are not free. You must pay 1,000 Dong for a visit to this facility. A small guidebook with interesting illustrations and English text is sold at the ticket office for 20,000 Dong.

** St. Joseph Cathedral on page 57. When the main gate is closed, you can enter via a small gate to the left. After this you can enter the cathedral via a side door on the left. Entrance is free.

** The Jade Mountain (Ngoc Son) Temple on page 57. The price is now 30,000 Dong. The temple is open from 7-18 on weekdays and from 7-21 on weekends.

** The Temple of Literature on pp. 58-59. The price of a ticket is now 30,000 Dong.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex on pp. 59-61:

** Visiting the mausoleum was not as time-consuming as I feared. I had read about waiting in line for three or four hours. We visited the mausoleum on Ho Chi Minh’s birthday, 19 May. There was a long line, but it was moving quickly. The whole process took about half an hour. As you approach the mausoleum, you pass a sign which says in English: “No telephone.” What they want to say is “No photo.”

** Lonely Planet’s description of the Presidential Palace is confusing. First we are told we can visit this place if we buy a ticket. Later we are told it is not open to the public. This description is unfortunate. Here are the facts: you may enter the park next to the palace, and you may view the building from a distance, but you are not allowed to enter the building itself.

** The Ho Chi Minh Museum is now open from 8-12 and from 2-4.30.

** Entrance to the one pillar pagoda is free. According to Lonely Planet you must buy a ticket. This not true. You do not have to buy a ticket to visit this small monument that was reconstructed in 1960.

** A bust of Frank Loseby was erected in the park west of the mausoleum in September 2014. For obvious reasons, this monument is not mentioned by Lonely Planet. Therefore I will add a few words about it here: Frank Loseby (1883-1967) was a British lawyer who lived and worked in Hong Kong. When the British police arrested Ho Chi Minh in this city in 1931, Frank Loseby was one of the lawyers who defended him and secured his release almost two years later. If Ho Chi Minh had been handed over to the French authorities in Vietnam, he would most likely have been executed in 1932 or 1933.

Ho Chi Minh did not forget. In 1960 Frank Loseby, his wife and his daughter were invited to Hanoi as official guests of the North Vietnamese government. Ho Chi Minh accompanied them on a visit to the one pillar pagoda which had just been reconstructed at the time.

** The Vietnam Military History Museum on page 61. The price of a ticket is now 40,000 Dong. The price to use a camera is now 30,000 Dong. This was the only time where we had to buy a separate ticket to use a camera. This was also the only time where nobody checked our tickets after we had bought them.

** The Imperial Citadel on page 61. Admission to this site is not free, as stated by Lonely Planet. To enter this area you must pay 30,000 Dong. However, it is absolutely worth a visit. As stated by Lonely Planet, you can see the results of recent archaeological excavations and you can enter two underground bunkers that were used by military and political leaders during the American phase of the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, there are almost no signs to help you find the bunkers. You can only find them if you look for them. The large bunker is known as revolutionary relic D67.

** Sofitel Metropole is one of several hotels listed on page 71. The description of this place is incomplete and out of date. Therefore I will add a few words about it here.

The Metropole is a five star hotel; the most famous hotel in Hanoi and in Vietnam. It is one of the most famous hotels in Asia, and in the world, similar to the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok and the Raffles in Singapore. There is a book about it written by Andreas Augustin. It was published in 2001, when the hotel could celebrate its one hundred year anniversary. Here is a link: Sofitel Metropole Hanoi. The book is not mentioned by Lonely Planet.

During the American phase of the Vietnam War (around 1965) the hotel built a small underground bunker for foreign guests. It was used by actress Jane Fonda and folk singer Joan Baez, to mention just two names. When the war ended in 1975, the entrance to the bunker was closed and its existence soon forgotten. It was discovered by chance in 2011 and because of its historical value it was restored in the following year. Since 2012, the hotel arranges a daily tour about the history of the place which includes a visit to the bunker. The tour is free, but you can only sign up for it if you are a guest at the hotel. The tour is very interesting. It is one of many benefits you will enjoy if you decide to stay at this hotel for a few days.

In 2013 Joan Baez returned to Vietnam, to Hanoi, and to the Metropole, for the first time since 1972. During her stay she revisited the underground bunker that she had used during the Christmas bombing in 1972. While in Hanoi, she painted a painting of a young boy which she donated to the hotel. It now hangs in the lobby of the old wing, not far from the exhibition that is called the Path of History.

The following articles are available online:

*** “The Hotel, the Bunker and Me,” by Andreas Augustin, the Most Famous Hotels in the World, 11 November 2011

*** “Vietnam War bunker discovered, reopened under luxury hotel” by Gemma Price, CNN Travel, 7 June 2012

*** “Joan Baez Circles Back to Hanoi” by Chris Parnell, Let's Travel Magazine, 9 May 2013

None of this is mentioned by Lonely Planet.

** Regarding taxis in Hanoi (page 89): according to Lonely Planet, flag fall is around 20,000 Dong. When we were there, flag fall was only 12,000 Dong. If you need a taxi, get your hotel to call one for you. This way there is less risk of being ripped off. It is also good if you know where you are going. Some taxi drivers will use the meter, but then they will take a zigzag route in order to make the trip much longer, instead of going in a straight line from A to B.

DIEN BIEN PHU

Lonely Planet has only three pages about this location which is very important for the modern history of Vietnam (pp. 123-126). While the information given is helpful, it is not always up-to-date, it is not always accurate, and some relevant facts are not mentioned at all. The map on page 124 is too small and therefore it is not easy to see the exact location of the items that are marked on it. If there were sign posts in the town this would not matter much, but there are almost no sign posts anywhere in this town. Here is some up-to-date information about the sights in Dien Bien Phu:

** The A1 Hill. The price is now 15,000 Dong.

** The Bunker of Colonel Christian de Castries. The price is now 15,000 Dong. This monument is not on the first road along the western side of the river, but on the second road along the river.

** The Dien Bien Phu Museum. The price is now 15,000 Dong.

** The Vietnamese Cemetery. Free admission from sunrise to sunset.

** The French Memorial. This monument is not on the first road along the western side of the river, but on the second road along the river. Not far from the western end of the new bridge (known as the A1 Bridge). When we were there, the gate was closed, but not locked. We simply removed two small stones, opened the gate and entered the area.

** On page 125 the authors mention the old bridge (known as the Muong Thanh Bridge) and then they say:

“Near the southern end of the bridge – though not much more than an overgrown crater - is the bunker where Chief Artillery Commander Pirot committed suicide [in 1954].”

This passage is not accurate. The spot is near the eastern end of the bridge, not the southern end. Moreover, there is no bunker, there is no crater. There is a small area covered with grass and a marker about the Pirot episode with text in Vietnamese. The area is fenced off. There is no public access. If you start from the eastern end of the bridge and walk ca. 100 m through the market, you will find the marker on your left side, i.e. the northern side of the road.

** Lonely Planet does not mention the hill that is known as D1. A huge victory monument cast in bronze was erected on the top of this hill in 2004. A staircase with more than 350 steps leads to the top of the hill. At the foot of the hill there is a huge stone relief which shows famous scenes from the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954.

** Lonely Planet does not mention the hills that are known as C1 and C2. They are located north of the A1 Hill, on the eastern side of the main road that is named after the famous General Giap, who lived to be more than one hundred years old (1911-2013). You can climb these hills one by one, although there is not so much to see apart from a marker with Vietnamese text.

** Dien Bien Phu is a small town. You can often walk from one monument to the next. If you need a taxi, ask your hotel to call one for you. Flag fall is 9,000 Dong. If you need transport from the airport to your hotel, do not worry. It is a small airport, but there are taxis around when a plane has just landed. Based on our experience, the taxi drivers in this provincial town are quite honest. They are not as tricky as their colleagues in the capital of Hanoi.

** Muong Phang is a village located ca. 35 km east of Dien Bien Phu. This is where General Giap had his headquarters during the battle in 1954. Today the area is open to the public. A ticket is 15,000 Dong. Less than one km from the entrance to the military headquarters there is a huge stone relief and a building with an art gallery. A ticket is 15,000 Dong.

Our hotel provided a car and a driver when we asked about this place. An interesting excursion from Dien Bien Phu; a half day tour (four hours). Here is a link with some information: A relic of the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

Muong Phang is not mentioned by Lonely Planet.

HALONG BAY

There are more than one thousand islands in Halong Bay. It is a famous location and the fame is well deserved. The views are spectacular, in particular if you are fortunate enough to see this area in nice and calm weather, as we were.

There are many ways to visit this place. A one day cruise. Two days, one night. Three days, two nights. Obviously, you will have to pay more the longer the cruise is, but this is not the time to be stingy and worry about the many zeroes that you see on the Vietnamese paper money.

Lonely Planet covers this location on pp. 101-113. In my opinion, the information is not very helpful. Given that there are many options from many companies, I was expecting and hoping to find a list of the major companies with some information about the cruises that they offer. In the same way as hotels in a city are listed and ranked. Lonely Planet does not do this. In my opinion, the layout of this chapter is not very helpful. The only list they offer appears on page 106 where they mention three very expensive companies.

Perhaps this is a case where it is better to go online and use the internet to find a cruise that is right for you. Do not only read what the companies say about themselves. Remember to study the reviews written by customers who have taken the cruise.

CONCLUSION

Based on my experience in Vietnam, I will say that this guidebook is helpful and useful in many ways. But there are flaws as well. It is not always up-to-date, it is not always accurate, and some important facts are not mentioned at all.

When I judge this book, I also want to point out that this is not the first edition. There are flaws here which should not be found in any book and certainly not in the 12th edition of a guidebook. Therefore I think a rating of four stars is fair.

I hope Lonely Planet can do better next time.

PS. Not everything about Vietnam is charming. Here is one example: gender-based abortion, a long recognized phenomenon in India and China, has soared in recent years in Vietnam. On 30 May 2015, the Bangkok Post published a DPA report about a Vietnamese women who had 18 abortions in a vain attempt to give birth to a son. As far as I can see, this trend is not mentioned by Lonely Planet. There are a few lines about the Vietnamese family on page 439 and a few lines about Vietnamese women on page 442, but nothing about the preference for boys.

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Iain Stewart, Brett Atkinson, Damian Harper, and Nick Ray,

Vietnam: A Lonely Planet Guidebook,

12th edition, 2014, 512 pages

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