Living In Hanoi

Banking: the ANZ Bank (14 Le Thai To) on the western edge of Hoan Kiem lake is the only place in town with an ATM that accepts Cirrus and Plus. Great way to access cash from home without having to open a bank account in Hanoi. Cashing travelers checks there, either into dollars or dong, has a 2% charge. Citibank also has an ATM, but you must have a Citibank account to use it.


Groceries: In addition to the street sellers and local markets, there are several western type mini-markets, including one located in Hanoi Towers, Western Canned Goods (Ba Trieu), and Fivimart. Many restaurants deliver at no extra charge (see the eating in Hanoi).


Internet: There are tons of internet cafes all over Hanoi. My favorite is Café Julien located at the southern end of Hoan Kiem Lake; cheap internet and good food. Although they vary, internet cafes tend to be slow. If you want the convenience of internet from home, there are two ISP's in Hanoi. My preference, FPT Internet (75 Tran Hung Dao), provides either a monthly flat charge service (about $14 for 26 hours) or you can purchase an internet card.


Health Clubs: Most of the major hotels have health clubs you can join. Fees vary widely. Popular ones include the health clubs at the Sofitel Metropole, Nikko, and Daewoo. The Army Hotel is low cost with a great pool. When they are running specials, the Sunway Hotel is a good buy (no pool).


English Language Books: There are several book exchange places in the backpacker area of the ancient quarter (for ex., Love Planet on Hang Bac). The large bookstores have the classics we were assigned to read in high school. A new bookstore, Bookworm, recently opened by an Australian woman, has reasonable prices and a great selection of new and used; across the street from Le Tonklin restaurant.


Vietnamese Language Lessons: You can arrange for private lessons from ESP Language Center (1 Pham Ngu Lao; about $7 per lesson). You can also find a teacher through the paper or on bulletin boards, like the ones in the Hoa Sua bakery or outside Western Canned Goods.