TNH

It took 1 and a half hours to get to the check out when I visited. The review could end here - I don't think anything else needs to be said to justify the 1 star rating. But I am a long-winded chap, so what the heck. I got in a queue at 5.45, and exited at 7.10. Madness. The queue wasn't even *that* long when we joined it - perhaps there were 7 or 8 carts in front of us. Other registers were similarly long and slow. I don't know if Metro checkout workers are force-fed sedatives - like fois gras ducks are force-fed corn - before they come into work, but the whole process of having your goods priced and handing over your dough was painfully sluggish. Any benefits of shopping here (prices on some items aren't bad, good meat and seafood selection with a fair amount of difficult-to-source stuff) were completely overshadowed by the unacceptably long wait at the checkout. I doubt I'll be back.

Firstly, I am really surprised Metro has not been entered before now. I am sure many NHers have a wide variety of experiences here, ranging from absurd and impossible all the way to acceptable and useful. So, this is my experience at Metro Thang Long so far:

People often say, on ANH threads, that Metro on a weekend is not that dissimilar to Big C on a weekend. However, that has not been my experience. I have ventured to Metro on Saturday afternoons and have actually found it to be a pretty good experience overall. Whilst there are hoards of motorbikes parked outside, the sheer size and scale of the place seems to enable many people to move around quite freely. Note - I have NOT been at a crushingly crowded time so have not experienced that side of Metro.

One of the frustrating things about so many supermarkets in Hanoi is that when walking through them, there are more aisles where nothing is remotely interesting to purchase, than those where I want something. Metro is a refreshing change in that respect. So, I thought breaking down the place into subsections might be useful for those who have yet to take the plunge and get out there:

Homewares/Appliances etc: large part of the store, not very organised as items appear randomly scattered across many places which can make it difficult to find things. Most things appear well priced and , when you can find what you are looking for, a good range is in evidence meaning you can spend a lot or a little depending what your preference is.

Drinks: massive range of soft drinks, juices, beers etc. Imported beers include Carlsberg, Heineken, loads of local beers.

General groceries: again massive range in most areas. Most are multi-packed (this is warehouse shopping after all) so you get more than one. But a lot of day-to-day items also come in single packs. Not a lot of bread/toast spreads available. There are numerous tasting stations where people are offering samples of different products. We recently tried some delicious American chocolate biscuits and bought them!

Wine/Spirits: large wine selection but few recognised labels (for me). Countries include Australia, South Africa, Chile, France, USA etc. Other alcohol is divided into general cognac section and a separare liquer/spirits section where you cannot take a trolley in.

Bread: very good range of bread. If you time it right you can be there when they bring our fresh baguettes from the ovens - absolutely delicious! Whilst there were a few people trying to get them (bags of two) it was pretty orderly and someone even made sure we got some and did not miss out.

Meat: separate meat cool room has a range of beef, pork, chicken etc. portion sizes are not as big as I was expecting, based on other comments I have seen. Well priced and good quality.

Frozens: massive range of frozens, everything you can imagine! Including turkey, for those needing a festive bird this week!

Fish: a "fish market" is there with a wide range of fish, crustaceans and shellfish. All looked really good and fresh.

Fruit and veges: big range and looks very fresh. We have bought a fair bit of this and it has all been lovely. You need to get items weighed and barcoded before you head to checkout.

Dairy: big selection of everything you could ask for here. No complaints at all.

Checkout went very smoothly. Do watch your Dong notes - people in front of us had some large denomination notes rejected so be careful. They do not yet allow payment by Visa or Mastercard (it is Cash & Carry!) but we understand this may be coming soon. Unless you are driving a car, you need to purchase (or bring your own) re-usable bags to pack your shopping in. There are small and really large (eg: fit a small child in!) options. The large ones actually work well despite looking cumbersome.

Expect shopping to take time, this place is very very big. But we did not find crushing crowds or rude people. Some aisles are quite narrow and you have to be patient, but that is all. I would say we will shop here once a month or so to do a big shop for longer lasting items mainly. You need a card to get in. These can be obtained at the door by showing your passport (limited times I gather) or you can get one through your employer or you can, as we do, borrow from friends.

I would anticipate that closer to Tet, Metro will be absolute bedlam so probably best to avoid it then.

This is actually a review of Metro Hoang Mai which isnt listed here. I'll get the details, add it and move this one.

In need of all sorts of stuff for the house, and lacking the energy to face finding and then haggling in all the respective 'streets' in town I headed out to Metro. Unable to find anything that resembled a department that would arrange delivery I ended up going twice (weekdays, early PM) and was pleasantly surprised to find the place close to empty both times. Passports were not needed, nor was any other ID.

While you can find just about anything (except potato mashers of course) some departments had quite a limited range. (E.g. there was an outdoor furniture section but only two types of chairs.) Just about everything was available in packs of 1 or 2 as well as in bulk.

(Just a tip to avoid looking like you dont know what you are doing and being told off - Enter through the furthest door from the bikepark. You need to leave your bags, helmets etc in the secure storage area there. After you have paid you have to go back outside and reenter the building to get your stuff that is in storage.

Definitely worth a trip for all those everyday household things and easy to manage (but if you want anything delivered I'd suggest taking someone who speaks Vietnamese).

Yeah, i'm kind of amazed there's only one review of this place.

This place is like the anti-Big C. It's more akin to a Sam's club or Costco in the states, what with the membership requirements and the larger sized packages.

First off, getting in is no problem. just show 'em your passport and you get a day pass. There doesn't seem to be a limit to how many times you can re-visit the place, but you'll have to show your passport each time.

Once in, it's a surprisingly calm shopping experience, completely unlike Big C. The housewares and electronics section are suprisingly thorough and well stocked and orderly, unlike any other supermarket i've visited such as citymart, fivimart, etc.

The alcohol selection was also pretty decent, with reasonable prices on beer. Wine selection wasn't the greatest, but i can forgive that.

The food section was pretty good. one of the tougher things is that much of the food is in larger packages. want one can of tuna? no dice. have three instead.

The meat selection was pretty surprising, ranging from whole chickens to whole pigs to real smoked bacon to chorizo and pepperoni.

produce was also mostly good looking, with a wider variety than you'd see at the normal markets (celery!).

Big C may have a slight leg up on selection and ease of transport (if you're on a motorbike), but Metro's lack of pickpockets, shadiness and general insanity is more than enough to make it our go-to place for weekly grocery runs.

My previous experience of Metro from my first trip nearly 4 years ago reminds me of the first motorbike accident I ever saw, blood and all, so I had avoided coming back all this time because the whole idea seemed to terrifying.

Well, recently braved it and headed out, passport in hand. The trick was arriving dead on Midday. You could almost shoot a bullet through the place. Dead easy to get in, no queue, no crowds. I had the aisles almost to myself, fantastic!

The staff at the counters were all very helpful and friendly. I breezed in, went through many aisles, and got almost all of what I wanted, with the exception of a few western things like corn chips and sundried tomatoes, which would be a welcome addition here. I couldn't find my little milk pouches (you know, the sachets of 200ml you open and put into a bottle), but the very nice lady in the dairy section directed me to another brand almost the same, which I didn't know existed, which I thought was wonderful service. Took me less than 10 minutes at the register, a totally painless operation, service with a smile.

The only negatives (hence minus 1 star) I can see relate to three things. First, the location. It's not too far from me, but getting there down that road which is a pet hate of mine is never a pleasant experience.

Second, I am not a big fan of the "always bulk" nature of Metro. For example, the only way I could buy sugar was in 5kg lots. Now, being a single lady, I wouldn't use 5kg of sugar in a year, so I didn't want to buy that much and waste my money, but it was all prepackaged, so there was little choice. Again, I only wanted one or two bottles of something, they packaged them as groups of 4, meaning if you want it, you have to buy heaps of them. If you won't use that much in a million years, is a bit of a false economy.

Also, as I said, there are some holes in their range (corn chips, where are you!!), and sometimes only have one brand to choose from which may not be your preference, but overall the range is pretty good.

I have definitely converted back to Metro. It beats Big C hands down, if only for the get-in-and-get-out-without-killing-someone factor. Though I think that only counts in the middle of the day, so Suddenpaws hint: shop between 12 and 2, it's awesome!

PS - Metro do not give plastic bags. They do sell those Ikea type big bags, so you can buy one of those, or just bring your own. Another hint - I find that one of those bags fits just nicely on the back of my bike with a strap to hold it, so if you are shopping, perhaps use the bag as your guide. If you need more than that, get a cab. :)