Figure 1: Asia flight AK761at 6:30 a.m
Our flight was depart by 6:30 a.m. and arrived at Noi Bai Airport by 10:00 a.m. After taking our luggage, we walked to the exit to find available transport that can transfer us from the airport to Hanoi city. At Noi Bai airport, there are various type of transport one can take to transfer between airport and Hanoi City. By taking a taxi, it will cost you about 10 USD to 15 USD. If you are not sure the location of the place you want to go and you are in group of 4, it is advisable for you to take taxi. Beside taxi, one also can take Mini bus. Compare with Taxi, mini bus will cost 2 USD per person. Mini bus will transfer their passenger between Airport and Vietnam Airline Head office at Hanoi. If you travel alone, you can think of Mini bus. The problem of taking mini bus is the bus will only move when the bus is full. Sometime you need to wait for a moment until the bus full. The distance between airport and Vietnam Airline office is about 35km and it is about 45 minute driving time. We did some survey on the cost of transportation before we reach Hanoi. We managed to get 12 USD taxi fee from Airport to our preference hotel. Among four of us, each one of us paid only 3USD. One thing you should always alert is the exchange rate. In Hanoi, one can buy things using USD or Vietnam Dong. However the seller may not using the latest exchange rate for the pricing. For example, they may use 17000 Dong = 1 USD instead of 17600 Dong = 1 USD (actual exchange rate). You should alert on this because you may overcharge or sometime you can get things even cheaper.
Figure 3: Taxi Rate
Tips at Airport:
· Ask few quotation on the transport cost before you decided which one to go.
· You should always alert on the exchange rate between USD with Vietnam Dong and your countries currency.
· If any driver required you to pay the money first, ask for receive immediately after you paid.
About 10:30 a.m., we left the airport to Hanoi city. Their driver seat is located at left hand side inside the car. While car is moving, the driver will keep pressing car horn to give a signal to the motorists and car to give way to them. The highway and the normal was noisy not because of the car moving but sound from the horn. In Vietnam, if you wish to rent a car or motorbike, make sure you are brave enough to handle your vehicle on the road as most of them not follow the rule. I still remember when I wanted to cross a road at a junction, the traffic light shown that pedestrian can cross the road but the motorbike still cross over the road until we cross the road without depending on the traffic like. Our conclusion on the rule of the road is all traffic lights are just a reference, to stop or to move over is up to you.
From airport, we went straight to the hotel. Before coming to Hanoi, we did some research on the budget hotel, and Little Hanoi was one of our choices. From the web site, we found out that a lot of people gave a good comment on this hotel. From internet, you should able to able to get some good information on the accommodation either you want to go for luxury hotel or budget hotel. However my suggestion is not to book the hotel through internet or by phone. My friends had bad experience booking their hotel through internet. The room was difference with what they saw through internet. The staff told them that the room that they booked was taken by other people. The hotel staff changed their room to another room, and the quality was bad compare with the room they saw on internet. Therefore I suggest you can find the hotel when you reach at Hanoi but you need to list out those hotels that you interested.
Tips about Hotel:
Search hotel information from internet and read the commend from people who stayed there before
We reach little Hanoi Hotel but the hotel was full. The hotel staff brought us to another branch call Hotel Glory Hanoi. It was located at Hang Quat. We get the hotel room rental price and it is 15USD per room for 3 persons. Extra mattress we need to add 3USD. We also get the quotation for the trip at Sapa and Ha Long Bay. The good thing we have the itinerary is you can always negotiate with the tourist agency to get to the place you want at the good price. We manage to get Sapa package at 110USD which is included
- Bus transfer to and from Hotel to Railway Station
- Express to Lao Cai with 4 bed in a room (25USD per trip)
- Bus to and from Lao Cai to Sapa (45minute to 1 hour driving time)
- Breakfast at Royal Hotel, Lunch at Sapa valley, dinner and breakfast at home stay and lunch at last station before back to Sapa and dinner before get back to Lao Cai
- A tour guide that can speak in English.
For the Halong Bay package, we manage to get 60USD which is included
- Morning breakfast after back from Sapa
- Bus to and from Ha long Bay (135km from Hanoi)
- Lunch, dinner and breakfast on boat
- Accommodation on boat (passport needed)
- Ticket for cave
- Kayaking
Since we book the package from the same hotel, we could leave our luggage at the hotel even we didn’t rent the room on the first day and they allowed us to take a shower before left Hanoi to Lao Cai
Figure 8: Bargaining on the Package – Guy in white shirt..Mr Mark working as the travel Agency.
So total up the confirm payment for the first day are as followed:
| Date | Time | Activities | Expenses per person |
| 25/02 | Morning | Arriving at Hanoi Airport | 3 USD |
| Afternoon |
|
| |
| Night | Leaving to Sapa | 110 USD | |
| 26/02 | Morning | Arriving at Lao Cai and reach Sapa |
|
| Afternoon |
|
| |
| Night |
|
| |
| 27/02 | Morning | Overnight at Sapa |
|
| Afternoon |
|
| |
| Night | Leaving Lao Cai and back to Hanoi |
| |
| 28/02 | Morning | Arriving Hanoi and leaving to Ha Long Bay | 60USD |
| Afternoon |
|
| |
| Night | Overnight at Ha Long Bay |
| |
| 01/02 | Morning |
|
|
| Afternoon | Return to Hanoi |
| |
| Night | Overnight at Hanoi | 3 USD | |
| 02/02 | Morning | Hanoi Trip |
|
| Afternoon |
|
| |
| Night | Return to Hanoi | 3 USD | |
| 03/03 | Morning | Departing from Hanoi Airport |
|
| Afternoon | Arriving at LCCT |
| |
| Night |
|
| |
| Total | 169 USD |
To be continued:
Kindly check the photo at y2chong.multiply.com.
Further Info:
Hanoi Glory Hotel
Add: 24 Hang Quat Str, Hoan Kiem Dist, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: (84-4) 8243423
Fax:(84-4) 8251519
Email: Info@hanoigloryhotel.vn
Website: http://www.hanoigloryhotel.com
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