Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [280]
Airport For flight information, call 04/3886 6527 or 04/3832 0320, or check www.hanoiairportonline.com.
Alliance Française L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien (Mon–Fri 8am–8.30pm; 04/3936 2164, www.ambafrance-vn.org). Extensive programme of films (subtitled in English), concerts and exhibitions, plus a members-only media centre (200,000đ per annum).
Banks and exchange Most travellers use 24hr ATMs which are widespread throughout the city; those operated by Vietcombank and HSBC accept the most overseas cards. The Vietcombank head office, 198 Tran Quang Khai (foreign exchange services Mon–Fri 8–11.30am & 1–3.30pm; all other services Mon–Fri 7.30–11.30am & 1–5pm), handles all services including cash withdrawals on credit cards and telegraphic transfers. It has branches at 108 Cau Go, 120 Hang Trong and 2 Hang Bai, amongst other locations.
Books and bookshops By far the best resources are Bookworm, 4b Yen The (closed Mon), with a great selection of new and secondhand English-language books for sale or exchange; Love Planet Travel, 25 Hang Bac; and Book Exchange at 35 Hang Giay. All these places also buy used books. You’ll find a few guidebooks and glossy hardbacks in souvenir shops at top-class hotels and at the Press Club at 59a Ly Thai To, while stalls on Trang Tien sell pirated English-language publications, including guides, phrasebooks and novels. There are also several state-run bookshops on Trang Tien.
Car rental Cars with drivers can be arranged through tour and travel agencies (See "Tour agents").
Cinema The two main venues showing regular English-language films are the multi-screen National Cinema Centre, 87 Lang Ha, and Megaplex, at the top of Vincom Towers. If you’re in Hanoi a while, it’s well worth joining the members-only Hanoi Cinémathèque, 22a Hai Ba Trung (04/3936 2648; 200,000đ per year), for its range of international non-mainstream movies. The Alliance Française (See "") and the Goethe Institute (See "") both show films in their native language.
Dentists The Family Medical Practice Dental Clinic in the Van Phuc Diplomatic Compound, 298 D Kim Ma (Mon–Fri 8.30am–4.30pm; 04/3823 0281, www.vietnammedicalpractice.com), has a 24hr emergency service (0903 446126). The Hanoi French Hospital and International SOS (See "") also provide dental care.
Embassies and consulates Australia, 8 Dao Tan, Van Phuc 04/3831 7755, www.vietnam.embassy.gov.au; Cambodia, 71 Tran Hung Dao 04/3825 3788, arch@fpt.vn; Canada, 31 Hung Vuong 04/3734 5000, hanoi@international.gc.ca; China, 46 Hoang Dieu 04/3845 3736, chinaemb_vn@mfa.gov.cn; Lao PDR, 40 Quang Trung 04/3822 9084; Malaysia, 43–45 Dien Bien Phu 04/3734 3836, mwhanoi@hn.vnn.vn; Myanmar, A3 Van Phuc Compound, Kim Ma 04/3845 3369, myan.emb@fpt.vn; New Zealand, 63 Ly Thai To 04/3824 1481, nzembhan@fpt.vn; Singapore, 41–43 Tran Phu 04/3823 3966, www.mfa.gov.sg/hanoi; Thailand, 63–65 Hoang Dieu 04/3823 5092; UK, 31 Hai Ba Trung 04/3936 0500, www.britishembassy.gov.uk/vietnam; US, 7 Lang Ha 04/3772 1500, hanoi.usembassy.gov. For information on visas to China and Laos, see "Travel to China and Laos".
Emergencies Dial 113 to call the police, 114 in case of fire and 115 for an ambulance; better still, get a Vietnamese-speaker to call on your behalf.
Goethe Institute 56–58 Nguyen Thai Hoc (04/3734 2251, www.goethe.de/hanoi). Puts on an interesting programme of films, concerts and exhibitions.
Hospitals and clinics The Hanoi French Hospital, 1 Phuong Mai, offers international-class facilities including an outpatients clinic (Mon–Fri 8.30am–noon & 2–5pm, Sat 8.30am–noon; 04/3577 1100, www.hfh.com.vn; $50 consultation),