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Taxis Ho Chi Minh City
56 Reviews if you get a good taxi driver - one that gets you to your destination efficiently and seems to try hard, maybe will stop the meter for you to pick up something etc. You can ask him for his cell...
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Taxis Hanoi
45 Reviews I arrived Hanoi December 8, 2011 and was picked up at the airport by a van taking me to Sofitel Legend Metropole where I stayed. I booked the van from Hanoi Transfer Service. They charged me USD 18,...
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Buses Ho Chi Minh City
23 Reviews Saigon Many times while travelling in and through Vietnam and Cambodia I have chosen to use The Mailinh Express Bus Company. I found them very handy to where I was in Saigon in Pham Ngu Lao area...
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Buses Hanoi
19 Reviews Vietnam Airlines provides minibus service to/ from the Hanoi International Airport. The main bus-stop in the City is located at 2 Quang Trung, Hanoi, south of Hoam Kiem Lake. Walk toward south of Le...
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Motorcycle Ho Chi Minh City
30 Reviews when I don't have my motorbike I will take xe om. However I always negotiate price beforehand. Rarely they will take you some round about route then demand more money but better just to pay...
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Cyclo Hanoi
22 Reviews On every corner are cylco owners who try to get you to hire them for an hour or two. They charge 200,000 dong an hour and dont worry if the two of you cant fit in the one carriage as they always have...
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Ship/Boat Ho Chi Minh City
7 Reviews The best way to get from HCMC to Vung Tau is aboard the high-speed hydrofoils. There are 6 or 7 departures per day and the trip only takes one hour. Cost for a round trip ticket is about US$10. The...
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Airplane Hanoi
22 Reviews It takes about 2 hours from landing time to arrival to your hotel. You have 4 choices to transfer from airport to Hanoi central: • Easy way is by taxi (VND 250,000 or about $15): please be very...
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Cyclos Ho Chi Minh City
21 Reviews I usually walk everywhere when I'm out and about in cities and sometimes here in Saigon and also other Vietnamese cities I "catch a cyclo" because it is really hard crossing the road here as you will...
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Transportation in general Hanoi
23 Reviews I used the services of a Xe Om driver that I had seen daily that was parked and hustling business not too far from the front door of the Heart Hotel, our “home away from home” in Ha Noi. The last...
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Miscellaneous Ho Chi Minh City
23 Reviews Sinh Cafe is one the most famous tour agencies for backpackers in Vietnam. You can book cheap day tour package for less than US$10 including transportation to visit attractions, lunch, and tour guide....
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Trains Hanoi
17 Reviews We used the train to travel from here to Lao Cai..to get ourselves to Sa Pa. Our experience was limited though to “showing up” at the appointed time previous to our departure and picking up our...
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Cars and Drivers Ho Chi Minh City
5 Reviews There is a mass of drivers waiting at Tan Son Nhat airport to whisk the more seasoned tourist into town. Prices will vary, but should not be more than about US$6-10. While we are not exactly...
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Motorbike Hanoi
20 Reviews This isn't so much a tip about using a motorcycle as advice about avoiding motorcycles safely. They are everywhere in Hanoi, if you want to cross the road, very very bravely put one foot in front of...
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Ship/Boat Hanoi
5 Reviews Try Handspan Adventure Travel's Lagoon Explorer 1 junk for a comfy sailing around Halong. $124 for a 2-day cruise. Leave Hanoi at 8:30am on day 1 and back in Hanoi on day 2 at 4pm. Exclusive pier in...
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Bicycle Hanoi
3 Reviews You can rent a bicycle for about less than 1USD to explore the city. Its much easier and you get to experience first hand on being on the streets with the locals. Hanoi is a relatively flat terrain,...
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I travelled the length of VN on the train from Hanoi to HCMC and back again and would recommend going hard sleep. Not just for the money saving but purely as you share with the Vietnamese who spend most of the journey entertaining and feeding you. It's a great way to get to know the locals and to be honest the difference soft and hard sleep is very little.
Taxies in Saigon are very reliable, and not once have I asked for the meter to be turned on. Also it is a very inexpensive way of transportation. The meter starts at 12.000 - 15.000 dong - There seems to be no patteren, wheter it's day- or nighttime or one company or the other. We were advised by locals to take only white (all white or white with a pink brim at the bottom) or yellow taxies. In most of the taxies the buckles for the backseat seatbelts have been cut out - but it's a very small safety hazzard since the traffic in Saigon moves extremely slow.If you take a taxi to the airport - you need to pay 10 - 15.000 dong more than the meter shows, as the driver is charged a cash fee entering the airport-area.
We booked a car at the Bamboo Village Hotel in Miu Ne to go to Ho Chi Minh. The front desk manager said it cost US$90. We said but it cost us $85 when we came. He said, "Aright, $85."That evening we went to Good Morning Vietnam restaurant across the road fromt the hotel and the Maitre D said that it cost only US$60 for a private car to go to HCM, just ask the tour company next door or US$6 by bus. True enough, I was offered US$65.I went back to the hotel, cancelled my private car booking and booked the bus which was comfortable, we saved US$73 that day.ALWAYS CHECK PRICES BEFORE COMMITTING. IF YOU BOOK ANYTHING, MAKE SURE THAT YOU ASK IF YOU CAN CHANGE.
The most comfortable way to travel (by ground transport), Vietnam Railways takes you as far north to Lao Cai and all the way south to Saigon.There are 3 seating classes and 4 sleeping classes. The ticket price varies accroding to these classes. For long-distance travel, do take the soft-sleeper (or at least the hard-sleeper). It cost us much more than taking the bus, but having the cabin all to ourself, with a deck of cards and board-games, the 16-hour ride from Danang to Hanoi was momentarily forgotten.
Everyone has motorbikes. Do not try to ride one yourself unless you know what you are doing--there are so many people on the road and the rules seem to change all the time:) Crossing the street can be scary as well, but actually if you just walk out across the street, the motorbikes will go around you...usually....
Even though the motorbikes seem a little unsafe in the major cities, there is no easier, cheaper, or quicker way to get around. We hired a couple of guys in Saigon to drive us and they became our best friends for the duration of our trip. They dropped us off at the front door of the major tourist attractions and waited until we finished, they took us to dinner at good restaurants, and they gave us tips on the local nightlife. All-in-all a wonderful experience.
There are great trains that do long hauls and are very economical. I took 2, 1 from Hanoi to Sapa in the north, and the other from Hanoi to Hue in the middle of the country. There are other routes, for example from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. There are different classes on the train, but I recommend the soft sleeper cabins were you share a four berth carriage. I would recommend bringing chains and locks to tie your cases. I had no problems, but sometimes in the stations people jump on and catch the first case they see. These trains have the advantage that you can sleep and don´t notice the very long journeys, although do not expect luxury! You can buy the tickets at the train station, although I got mine through my travel agent "Footprints" in Hanoi.
The best way to traverse the country is by purchasing a Sinh Cafe Open Tour Bus Ticket. For around USD $32.00 you can ride an air conditioned bus from Saigon to Hanoi, hopping off at any major town/city along the way, staying in that town as long as you like, and then hoping back on another bus to the next city. You can't beat the price or the convenience. The trick is making sure you're purchasing an actual Sinh Cafe ticket and not one from a copycat tour company. Sinh Cafe Travel sprouted up to service the backpackers, budget tourists, and locals who were priced out of the more expensive Saigon Tourist outfit. Years have gone by and Sinh Cafe are quite the big fish in the sea and there are numerous (countless) immitators, counterfitters and scammers using not only the name Sinh Cafe, but also their logo as well.Your best bet is to visit their web site, get the address of their office...
You can hire a bicycle ride around the city from the local "taxi" bikes (you might to wake them if it's mid-day), or rent your own bike. We rented our own for a week for next to nothing. You can get anywhere in a matter of minutes. We even found a bike with a baby seat outside our hotel (Trang Binh 3). The beach is only about 4 km. away, and it's a nice ride.
Vietnam airlines has some decent flights around Vietnam that runaround US $50 one way. We went from Hanoi to Denang. Trveling with a 2 year old, it was money well spent. You can't buy the tickets on-line, and the Vietnam Air outlets charge more than if you get your hotel owner to buy them for you. It doesn't make sense, but that's Vietnam. This was as of April '06.
Park Hyatt Saigon Ho Chi Minh City
5 Reviews and 438 Opinions All rooms offer pool of City views with full luxury amenities. As true sense 5- Star hotel, it is...
Hanoi Elegance 2 Hanoi
5 Reviews and 712 Opinions I booked our family sized room for 2 adults and our teenage daughter direct with the hotel from...
Victoria Hoi An Resort Hoi An
4 Reviews and 444 Opinions It's worth the money to stay and enjoy the beach like in Victoria Hoi An. Price from 150$++ public...
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Q: could someone please help? where can i buy ao dai (preferably well made and silk) for my grand-daughters, they are only 2-3...
A: Loads of places in both cities to buy Ao Dai either already made or to measure. For the small extra cost, have them made to measure and take the mesurements before going...
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