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Traffic jams are a plague in every big city, and Hanoi is no exception! Motorbikes are the most common vehicles on the streets here, and their number increased drastically in the last 10-15 years, taking over the bicycles; as wealth is growing, cars are beginning to replace the motorbikes; traffic congestion threatens to develop more and more.
Anyway! Riding as passenger on a bike is quite fun and interesting here (and if you like the smell of exhaust gases, it is the place to be! Haha); it is a bit faster than the cars, your driver sidles acrobatically in the traffic, you have a close view on the fellow commuters, hear really the traffic, and even are able to make some pictures.
There are 4 categories of taxi motorbikers in my classification:
--1 Men waiting for the tourists nearby tourists spots, and proposing their services; be prepared to demonstrate excellent bargaining skills (they propose fares higher than cabs! Example: ethnological museum to Old Quarter: 100.000 Dongs; end of bargaining: 60.000, still expensive).
--2 Women (quite few) waiting for the tourists nearby tourists spots, and proposing their services; be prepared to demonstrate excellent bargaining skills again.
--3 Men and women (very few), about everywhere, parked, or driving, waiting the customers call them; I do not know about prices.
--4 The fourth category is represented by quite nice looking young ladies who hook foreigners for a ride on their bike, and then to seventh heaven, probably; they operate in the area between the Opera and the southern side of Hoan Kiem Lake. I did not try to know how much the fare for that special destination was! They are quite few in Hanoi, compared to what I have seen in Ho Chi Min City 3 years ago. Theme: Motorcycle
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Hanoi Elegance Hotel offers airport pick up and drop off at $12.00 each way. Theme: Car/Motor Home
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Taxis between Noi Bai airport and Hanoi should still be $10. There are rows of taxis waiting ouside the airport. As soon as you exit, someone will take you to one. Make sure you confirm it's $10. Also, my taxi driver tried to get me to agree to $12 after I got in despite the agreement with the dispatcher. Insist on the $10 rate. Don't spoil things for others.
On the way back to the airport, there's a big taxi stand on Quang Trung not far from Lake Hoan Kiem (opposite Vietnam Airlines office) that has a sign for a $10 trip to the airport. You can make an arrangement here for them to pick you up at your hotel. They'll try to get you to agree to a higher price. Just point to the sign and insist on $10.
There're places in the old town that advertised $7 to the airport too. Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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The Vietnamese population thrives on riding motorbikes, and Hanoi is no exception to that rule. While visiting, tourists are privy to a constant stream of “motobike, motobike” as they walk down the street. So finding a ride around town is never difficult. It’s quite an experience to take one of these two-wheeled rides around town. It always feels a little like you’re taking your life into your own hands. But what a thrill! If you’re walking, take care as you cross the street because these bikes have the right of way. I recommend getting a birdseye view of the traffic to learn the ebb and flow of it all. It’s got it’s own kind of beauty. Leave a Comment Theme: Motorcycle
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Setting foot in the Hanoi Noi Bai Airport I was instantly reminded that I was in a Communist country. There is a definite military presence throughout. In fact we flew out of the Hanoi airport on our way to Ho Chi Mein City and had time to kill early in the morning. We were both exhausted and I leaned up against Marc to get a little rest and I was harshly reprimanded by a Communist official, so watch yourself. Getting through customs wasn’t as difficult as we thought, but make sure you have all you paperwork in order to expedite the process, as they are very strict. This airport offers no frills, but it was easy to find our taxi into the city. Also be aware that the airport is 28 miles (45 km) from the city and takes about 30 to 45 minutes by taxi. The public city bus does run to and from the airport but takes about an hour. It costs 5000 VND (about 30 cents US) and runs from 5am to 10pm daily. The minibuses cost 32000 VND ($2 US) but they only leave after the bus is entirely full. Taxis cost about $12 US. Leave a Comment Theme: Airplane
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The best part about Hanoi is almost all the tourist attractions are in Old Quarters. If you are staying in the vicinity, you can go about everywhere by feet. If you plan to travel out of Old Quarter, my best pick will be taxi. Get a taxi through the hotel concierge if you can. A 6km taxi ride cost around VND60,000 (~USD4). Anything more than that can be considered a rip-off. It will be advisable to plan the trip with a two-way taxi. It may cost slightly more but you can at least be sure that you don't get cheated.
Another mode of transportation is the cyclo. This is definitely a must-try for any tourist and the experience on the cycle is definitely unforgettable. However, be prepared to pay a hefty price for it. My family took 2 cyclos for a 3km ride and we ended up paying USD6 for the short ride! Theme: Car/Motor Home
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The easiest way to get from the airport into town is by taxi. The airport is located 35km from the city and the ride takes about 45 minutes to an hour. A taxi into the city generally costs between $10 and $12 US. Settle on the price with your driver prior to departure and also determine if you are responsible for the $2 US toll at the bridge. There is also a bus service that is much cheaper, it runs between 5 am and 9 pm but it can take considerably longer than a taxi service.
If you make a reservation at a guesthouse or hotel prior to arriving in Hanoi most will arrange to have a driver waiting for you at the airport if your provide your flight information at the time of booking. Some hotels will provide the taxi service for free, but most of them will charge you for the ride. Just check with your hotel at the time of booking to determine their policy. If the taxi ride isn’t included check, likely you will pay the fee directly to your guesthouse NOT to the driver, so again confirm with your hotel. Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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I would encourage you to ONLY take CP taxi or Hanoi Taxi. When you or somebody calls for a taxi for you , it is best to emphasize. Otherwise you may end up paying double the amount.
WE once took a CP taxi, we thought, a restaurant called, and he had a fake "label" outside. It was a magnet. He touched something under the glove compartement and the meter started to run , my husband told him what was happening and suddenly the meter stopped. We paid the fair price.
Make sure the meter is covered by glass.
I hope they have told us when we first arrived. Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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 Reunification Express,
soft berth sleeper by bpwarne,
2 more photos
The train was filthy, the mattresses and pillows were stained. The whole car stunk. This was a soft berth sleeper car. There were two toilets on our car, one at each end, and both stunk to high heaven. Not one person in our entire car, about six four berth cabins, had a happy face. The one bed that was empty in our cabin was used by the conductors or some uninvited guests who kept rotating positions throughout the night, coming in and napping for an hour and then being replaced by someone else. Having cabin mates is acceptable and expected. Having the door open hourly and a new face enter and lie down in the bed next to you is not what's expected. There was no mention of soft sleeper berths available by the hour in any reviews we had read.
We never expected 5 star service. We did expect something fairly clean with non smelly/stained pillows and mattresses. We expected something on a standard with Vietnam Airlines or Sinhcafe tour buses or Mekong Express buses (which of the three I rode were always half full of locals). We also expected a toilet which did not make you gag to enter. The Reunification Express is touted to be Vietnam's pride and joy, railwise. Every review we had read on this or any other forums/travel sites and travel guides had nothing bad to say about the trains other than the food. The Lonely Planet Travel Guide, paperback form, states that the trains have been upgraded and dining cars added to many routes. This was not what we experienced.
The low standards of the Reunification Express were a big disappoinment. There were many Europeans, including Germans, Swedes and Italians in our car. Many were backpacker types. None were pleased with this train. We would not recommend this travel to anyone. Theme: Train
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 by DanCerdenaLeave a Comment Theme: Motorcycle
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