Hanoi vs ho chi minh city: which to choose on your trip?

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If you travel Vietnam from North khổng lồ South, you will see và explore the diversity of natural landscapes, various cultures và people in every place, especially in Saigon và Hanoi. They are two typical metropolises where you would easily recognize interesting contrast in their lifestyle, activities, accent and other specialties.

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Overview of Saigon & Hanoi

Saigon

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Most of the locals still điện thoại tư vấn Ho bỏ ra Minh thành phố by its old name “Saigon” because it is reminiscing andeasier khổng lồ say. The đô thị had a history of over 300 years and used khổng lồ be known as “The Second Paris” in Southeast Asian during the French colonization in the 19th and the first half of 20th century. The đô thị was also a subject of many historical events & changes as well as received a lot of attention from the time of establishment, và thus Saigon has become the economy central of Vietnam with busy trading and services such as tourism, education, và finance.

Read more on Ho chi Minh đô thị Districts Overview và Ho chi Minh city Tour Overview.

Hanoi

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Not only being known as the capital of Vietnam, but Hanoi is also a place containing and remaining Vietnamese traditional & cultural values of over 1,000 years. Hanoi was recognized as the capital of the country by King Ly thai To và by several later empires throughout its history. The đô thị was named “Hanoi” in 1831 và became the official capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1945. You can explore và learn a lot about Vietnam history"s different periods và dynasties when you travel to Hanoi.

Read more on What to bởi vì in Hanoi in 3 days Travel Guide.

Differences Between Saigon & Hanoi

Weather

Saigon. There are two seasons in Saigon, the dry season (from May to November) và the rainy season (from November to March). & sometimes during the dry season, you can also get unexpected rain, so you should prepare a raincoat just in case. Moreover, the average weather in Saigon is from 30 to lớn 35 degrees Celsius; the sun is intense so you will need sunblock lớn protect your skin.

Read more on When is the Best Time lớn go to Ho đưa ra Minh đô thị (Saigon). Hanoi. The weather in Hanoi is different from that in Saigon because there are four seasons with distinct temperature. For example, it could be really hot in summer, about 36 degree Celsius, but that could be as freezing as 15 degree Celsius when winter comes. Therefore, autumn, from August to October, should be the best season for the tourists to lớn visit Hanoi because of its natural beauty & comfortable weather. Read more on When is the Best Time lớn go to Hanoi. Streets

Saigon. Hustling” and “bustling” are exact words to describe the lifestyle in Saigon. You would immediately notice that the traffic is complicated, and you may wonder how a lot of motorbikes can weave through the streets which makes it difficult for first-time visitors to cross the streets as the locals do. Hanoi. Hanoi, like Saigon, is a busy metropolitan of Vietnam; its traffic is also crowded with many means of transportation, especially motorbikes, và pedestrians.

Clothing

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Saigon.

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In the early 1960s, the Saigonese fashion trends were inspired by Western clothing because of American cultural influence. Therefore, most of the Saigonese have got used to wearing casual clothes such as shirts, pairs of jeans, skirts, và jackets. However, Ao dai was still the most favorite dress of many Vietnamese women in Saigon at that time when they went to lớn work or shopping. However, because of the unexpected weather in Saigon, casual clothing is often a better and more convenient choice for the locals need to go to work or to lớn hang out. Therefore, today, Ao dai is only worn by women on some traditional occasions such as Tet holidays. Hanoi. There is no clear difference between the cities in the two cities, but because of the season division, you can see that Hanoi đô thị wardrobe is more diverse than that of Saigonese. The clothes range from short và light cloth for the summer, but there are also comfortable and warm clothes for winter days. Cooking
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Saigon. Some people claim that most cuisines in the Southeast of Vietnam are influenced by the seasoning và taste of Thai, Cambodian, và Laos foods; the locals often use coconut milk, juice, & sugar as sweeteners or many ingredients lượt thích tamarind, river-leaf creeper, và pineapple lớn make sour taste. For example, if you have some food paired with the fish sauce such as Banh xeo, Com tam, or Bun thit nuong, you can often taste the sweetness in the fish sauce. Also, various kinds of herbs also play an essential ingredient in most of the dishes of Saigonese. A plate full of herbs lượt thích mint, Vietnamese coriander, Vietnamese balm, và basil is a usual companion of many recipes and people in the South usually eat them raw or use them as wrapping. Hanoi. People in Hanoi also used herbs & vegetables in cooking, but each kind of herb usually goes with only one dish & cannot be used to lớn replace others. These ingredients make the food special và unique. The taste of Hanoi’s food is more light, without too much seasoning or spices, & sometimes you can find it a little sour. While people in Saigon, a “hotpot” city, tend to lớn combine many ingredients of different regions and cultures to create their dishes, people in Hanoi are used khổng lồ traditional cooking & recipes. Street foods Saigon. Across Vietnam, there are more street food stalls and pop up restaurants than expensive restaurants because they sell foods at a low price và it is more convenient to eat on-the-go. You will see the street food stores & stalls in Saigon vary in different sizes, from small, narrow ones in the alleys, to lớn big ones with small plastic/steel tables & chairs, and their cooking areas are usually indoor or at the front of the stores.

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Com tam

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Banh mi

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Bun thit nuong

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Banh cuon

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Banh xeo

Hanoi. Known as the source of Vietnamese cuisine, Hanoi would exhilarate your appetite with a lot of traditional local food. The food stalls in Hanoi are truly street foods style as their cooking areas are usually placed outdoors, letting out the attractive smell that will keep you stay. & there are many street foods that are famous in Hanoi but not in Saigon.

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Pho

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Pho xao

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Bun dau mam tom

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Bun cha

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Egg coffee

Houses, Building,and Attractions Saigon. Saigon is a young đô thị in Vietnam of just over 300 years old. Therefore, most of the buildings & tourist attractions in Saigon have only been here since the 19th century. & the authorities in Saigon continue lớn build more new playgrounds with modern facilities for the citizens. When visiting Saigon, besides some historical monuments, you can explore and visit some interesting destinations such as the walking streets, local markets, và shopping malls.

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The Notre Dame Cathedral

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The Central Post Office

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Independence Palace

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Ben Thanh Market

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Nguyen Hue Walking Street

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Bui Vien Walking Street

Hanoi. Hanoi is an ancient đô thị with a longer history than Saigon, so almost all the monuments và tourist attractions in Hanoi are historical destinations that have appeared around more than 700 years ago. That was when the dynasties of Kings still existed, and they established the capital to be the most developed đô thị in the country.