- Paperback: 616 pages
- Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 6th Revised edition edition (31 Mar 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1864501898
- ISBN-13: 978-1864501896
- Product Dimensions: 18.5 x 13 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
676,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #43 in Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > Asia > Vietnam
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Product Description
Review
For reliable and authoritative travel information reach for your Lonely Planet guide
-- The Times
Product Description
Includes information on how to survive a cyclo ride, escape to the cool comfort of a highland retreat or be hip in Ho Chi Minh City; accommodation options; the scoop on Vietnam's gastronomic delights and the lowdown on how to eat them; and a handy guide to essential local lingo.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Visitors to Vietnam will notice that, invari , the major streets of every city and town bear the same two dozen or so names. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Visitors to Vietnam will notice that, invari , the major streets of every city and town bear the same two dozen or so names. Read the first page
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Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Anyone heading to Vietnam should consider buying this book- lonely planet always do the job when it comes to providing basic information. However, I found that while I used the maps non-stop and found the sections on local and national history interesting and informative, I only used the sections on food, accommodation and excursions as indicators of average prices. Sadly, the places in the book were often overrun (and therefore overpriced) as a consequence of inclusion, and better deals could ususlly be found independantly. Another problem with the book is that I found much of the information to be out of date- Vietnam is a country in transition to the extent that it would be difficult for any guidebook to keep up with it.
Therefore while this book is definately useful, I don't think it's indispensible- providing you buy a map in each new town you go to, you could get by comfortably in Vietnam without it.
Therefore while this book is definately useful, I don't think it's indispensible- providing you buy a map in each new town you go to, you could get by comfortably in Vietnam without it.
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For those of you who are planning to make your way across Indochina, it's worth shelling out a bit of extra cash to buy this book (instead of getting one of those "Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos" jobs..). Full of useful information and planning tips, the book also is written in a very chatty style which makes it enjoyable reading. The section on beaches was particularly helpful. The only thing I would like to see more of is colour photos instead of those black-and-white sketches!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
22 reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Not the most accurate picture of Vietnam
10 Feb 2002
Format:Paperback
I spent this summer studying in Vietnam, and it became clear that the Vietnam in the LP is quite different than the real Vietnam I saw with my own eyes.
I think the book was intended for travelling businessmen who only plan on staying in Vietnam for a few days, and have plenty of money to spend for plush hotels. This is regrettable since there is so much more to Vietnam than tourist traps, tourist-oriented restaraunts, and hotels.
For example, in my first couple weeks in Hanoi, Vietnam, I followed the book's suggestions for restaraunts, only to realize they were severely overpriced, and not nearly as tasty (or exotic) as the more "local" restaraunts. Before long, I stopped going to the LP's preferred restaraunts altogether. Only when I stopped following the LP altogether did I really start to delve into Vietnamese culture, both the good and bad.
Also, the LP tends to whitewash the more unpleasant aspects of Vietnam, such as being harassed by people on the street, who are more than eager to rip you off, and the grueling poverty. If one really wants to appreciate Vietnam, these less pleasant factors have to be taken into account.
If you plan on just "visiting", but don't really plan on getting to know the culture, this book may be enough. However, to truly appreciate both the good and bad of Vietnam, I suggest avoiding this book, or at least not relying on it too much.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Lonely Planet stays on top
25 April 2001
Format:Paperback
I make regular trips to Vietnam and I've used both the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet. Having seen the two latest editions, page by page, Lonely Planet is, simply, better. LP provides far more detail, more maps (all of which are much more user friendly and accurate), is loaded with contemporary information (NGOs, motor-biking etc), has better photographs, good illustrations, and entertaining side-bars. The book introduces us to the personalities and characters who run guest houses, restaurants, bars, boutiques, and so forth, and it really makes you feel like a local. The "reader from France" seems to have a personal animus against the writers and Lonely Planet. But otherwise, what could be the problem? I found this guide well researched, consistently useful, and fun to read - that's what I want when I'm on the road.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Look somewhere else
21 Dec 1999
Format:Paperback
I travelled to Vietnam in Sept/99 and unfortunately was loaned this LP handbook so thought I would take advantage and use it. I was as usual disappointed with the type and presentation of the information provided. I grew tired of all the commentary in the book and so much so that it is difficult to select the facts. For example, instead of providing factual information on transport, hotels, etc., the book is filled with tidbits which are essentially useless for everyday travelling and end up being conversation between a bunch of backpackers in the travel cafe. This LP handbook has managed to dominate the minds of all travellers to Vietnam and, as in my case, I found everyone reading it and complaining, but they had no other option. I hope travellers to Vietnam can find some other guidebook so they do not follow the all to well beaten track through Vietnam as so many other backpackers do and perhaps may discover some things on their own.
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