I'm vacationing in Ha Noi now and would live to hear thoughts on tea here. I'm really into tea. I'll share some impressions to start but I'd like to hear more specifics, like a shop to visit or a brand to buy. I think I've already bought a few decent mid grade green teas, and one black, so I'd like to find at least one that's slightly better.
The most interesting I bought so far was in a local tribe mountain village near sapa. Of course black tea is also unusual here, and I sawone ooolong, but I couldn't know if it was any good without trying it. I've bought tea in Vietnam before and it's like what you get in shops, most similar to Japanese teas but not the same.
While I'm rambling, it seems odd the teas I've had here aren't made using either standard western or chinese methods. They put green tea in boiling water--when it's typical to use slightly cooler water for green tea to minimize the bitterness--and don't limit brewing time, so the result at first is ok but later quite bitter (or astringent; about the same thing).