On 2007-01-13 14:35:59 -0800, "Sharkbait" said:

Gtr wrote:

No answers, but many questions: Do you speak any Vietnamese.

Yes, my wife is Chinese/Vietnamese and reads, writes and speaks
Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Vietnamese is her native tongue
but she was taught Mandarin as a second language in grade school.

Would that be necessary.

On our last trip to Vietnam in December, we found many people in the
service field do not speak English, including taxi drivers, hotel
staff, shopkeepers, and government. My wife's native speaking
background was invaluable as we traveled independently around Ha Noi
and Ha Long Bay. Having said that, it would not prevent me from
visiting this fantastic country. I highly recommend a stay in the Ha
Noi Old Quarter followed by a two or three day junk cruise around Ha
Long Bay

Duly noted. We too prefer the independent route, if at all possible. I
think I would take some lessons (easy enough locally) to get at least a
few critical dialogues down.
--
Thank you and have a nice day.