Where am I again?
Region: Hanoi And Surrounds> Province: Hanoi> Location: Hanoi

Getting There and Away

Air

Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport is located 45 km from central Hanoi. Getting there is easy, and there are options to suit all budgets:

Public buses 7 and 17 pick up along Tran Quang Khai at the eastern edge of the Old Quarter, cost 5,000 VND, and the trip takes about an hour.

Taxis cost no more than US$10 per trip for up to four people if you can fit all your stuff in the cab with you.

Vietnam Airlines runs a regular, US$2 shuttle bus.

Getting from the airport to town is notoriously tricky due to the various 'taxi scams'. Tourists are routinely overcharged, steered to the wrong hotel, or taken to a 'sound-alike' hotel that's a complete rip-off. It's too bad that this is most travellers' first taste of Vietnam.

Tips to avoid getting ripped off
(a) Don't take a taxi, instead take the shuttle bus or the public bus.
(b) If you take a taxi, buy a ticket at the stand and wait in the line Make sure you confirm with the driver if you're expected to pay for the toll or not.
(c) Write down the address, exact name, and phone number of your hotel before you get into the cab. If the driver tells you it's closed or full, insist on confirming that for yourself -- be sure to check the address when checking the hotel. Be assertive.
(d) In any case, a taxi from the airport to town should not be more than US$10 per car (not per person!).
(e) If you suspect you're being given the bum steer, just keep insisting on being taken where you want to go, and simply refuse to pay more than the agreed-upon price. If the driver is particularly persistent, ask to be dropped off in the Old Quarter and find your hotel on foot (or grab another taxi). The scammers rely on tourists being too polite, and too exhausted to put up a fight, but ultimately, it's them who must back down, not you.
(f) Finally, almost everyone gets ripped off a little bit when they first arrive in Hanoi. Budget for it, and don't take it personally if it happens to you!

Train

Hanoi's main train station is located right in the centre of the city. It's actually two bus stations: Station A as departures to the south, and Station B for departures to the north. Although they're back to back, you can cross from one to the other without going via streets around the block. Also, trains scheduled to depart at one station are sometimes rerouted to the other station for logistical reasons. Even if you're told exactly which station to go to, arrive early enough to make it to the other station if they pull a switch -- it only takes a few minutes, but the whole thing can be pretty confusing. Tickets for trains from Station B can be bought at Station A up to 24 hours in advance, and at Station B itself up to 3 hours before departure.

There are departures from the central Hanoi station to Hai Phong, but some departures originate from Long Bien, on the west side of the Red River. You can buy tickets at the central station in Hanoi for these departures, so just be sure to really nail down which station you need to show up at.

The so-called 'hard sleepers' sound worse than they are. There's a thin mattress and a thick blanket -- most travellers we've met have slept just fine.

The Vietnamese government celebrates Tet (Chinese New Year) by raising the prices of all train tickets -- it's different for each line, but the jump is about 10%, generally occurs two weeks before Tet and continues for a week or so afterwards. Book as far in advance as possible when travelling on or around Tet.

Hanoi Train Station A is the main station on Le Duan, good for departures to the south. Station B handles northbound trains, and is located on the other side of the tracks from Station A, on Tran Quy Cap. Tourists mostly head here for trains to Sapa. Sapa has no station, but trains stop at the nearby town of Lao Cai, 40 km away. Regular shuttles cost US$2, jeeps and moto-taxis are also available. Lao Cai is just under 300 km from Hanoi, and the trip usually takes 9 or 10 hours. In addition to the public trains to Lao Cai, private companies run their own carriages that they book independently. The latter are more expensive, and generally better, though some companies are better than others. Trains leave nightly at 17:15 and 17:55 (the SP trains 1 and 3). King Express comes recommended for reliability and clean beds -- they run five cars each night.

Long Bien Train Station is on the west side of the Red River, just south of the railroad bridge, on Tran Nhat Duat. Departures to Hai Phong originate from Long Bien, though many trains originating in Hanoi proper will also stop here along the way.

Bus

Hanoi is a massive transportation hub, with four bus stations and three train stations of use to foreigners. Sorting out where to go to get where you want to go can be time-consuming, so many will do better paying for the convenience of booking through a hotel or travel agency. The prices below should give a general idea of how much you're 'overpaying,' and for those who like to do it on their own, factor in transport to the station when calculating the overall price -- you won't always do better than booking a ticket through a hotel and getting picked up in town.

My Dinh Bus Station
Ben Xe My Dinh T: (04) 768 5549, Ticket Office Hours: 06:00 to 18:00
My Dinh is a seven-kilometre trek to the west of town. There are departures to dozens of northern cities, as well as Dac Lac and Vinh -- only the major destinations are listed below. To get here, take Nguyen Thai Hoc just south of the Old Quarter until it becomes Kim Ma. Continue straight to the overpass and take a left on to Pham Hung.

Cao Bang: Departs from 06:15 to 17:00 (15 departures), costs 80,000 VND
Dak Lac: Departs at 09:00 and 11:30, costs 280,000 VND
Dien Bien Phu: Departs at 06:00, 07:30 and 08:30, costs 155,000 VND
Ha Giang: Departs from 04:10 to 06:00 (6 departures), costs 80,000 VND
Hoa Binh: Departs from 05:15 to 17:45 (30 departures), costs 20,000 VND
Kim Son: Departs at 11:00, costs 35,000 VND
Lai Chau: Departs at 06:00, costs 122,0000 VND
Lang Son: Departs from 06:15 to 17:00 (17 departures), costs 50,000 VND
Mai Chau: Departs at 06:00, 14:00, 14:30, costs 35,000 VND
Mong Cai: Departs at 07:30 onwards (30 departures)
Nho Quan (for Cuc Phuong National Park): Departs at 06:15, 08:00, 13:00, 16:20, costs 28,000 VND
Ninh Binh: Departs at 09:40, costs 30,000 VND
Son La: Departs at 07:00 and 08:00, costs 78,000 VND
Thai Binh: Departs at 10:15 and 15:00, costs 35,000 VND
Thai Nguyen: Departs from 06:00 to 17:30 (26 departures), costs 20,000 VND
Thai Thuy: Departs from 12:00, 13:00 and 13:45, costs 35,000 VND
Thanh Hoa: Departs at 12:35 and 13:00, costs 35,000 VND
Vinh: Departs from 06:00 to 16:00 (11 departures), costs 75,000 VND

Southern Bus Terminal
Ben Xe Phia Nam T: (04) 864 1467, Ticket Office Hours: 05:00 to 18:00
Located 4.5 km south of the Old Quarter on Duong Giai, this is the place to head if you're heading south.

Cao Bang: departs at 05:30, 06:30, 07:30, 08:30, 17:00 and costs 80,000 VND.
Da Nang/Hue: First Class Sleeper with food departs at 16:00 and costs 205,000 VND. First Class, with food departs at 14:00, 15:00, 17:00, 18:00 and costs 150,000 VND.
Ha Giang: departs at 04:00, costs 72,000 VND (pay on bus) and takes 8 hours.
Lao Cai: departs at 04:00, costs 80,000 VND (pay on bus) and takes 9 hours.
Lang Son: departs at 06:00 to 15:00, hourly, costs 50,000 VND and takes 3 1/2 hours.
Ninh Binh: departs at 6:55 to 17:50, frequent departures and costs 30,000 VND.
Saigon: First class bus, food service departs at 11:00 and 13:00 and costs 380,000 VND. Second Class Bus, food service departs at 18:00 and costs 350,000 VND. Normal Bus, no food departs at 10:00 and 15:00 and costs 270,000 VND.
Thanh Hoa: departs at 05:00 to 19:00, every 10 minutes, costs 45,000 VND and takes 3 hours.

Gia Lam Bus Station
Ben Xe Gia Lam T: (04) 827 1529, Ticket Office Hours: 06:00 to 17:30
This station is located east of the Red River on Ngo Gia Kham, 2km from the far side of the Chuong Duong or Long Bien Bridges. To get here, take either bridge then find Pho Ngoc Lam which runs in between them. Less than 2 km later there's a sign indicating a right turn for the bus station and a left turn for the train station.

Cam Pha: departs at 05:30 to 17:50 (every 15 minutes). Costs 55,000 VND and takes 3.5 hours.
Cao Bang: departs at 07:20. Costs 85,000 VND and takes 9 hours.
Ha Giang: departs at 03:00, 03:10, 03:20, 03:30, 4:00. Costs 60,000 VND and takes 7 hours.
Hai Phong: departs at 06:50 to 17:30 (10 departures). Costs 18,000 VND and takes 2 hours.
Hon Gai (Halong City): departs at 05:10 to 18:30, every 12 mins. Costs 50,000 VND.
Lao Cai: departs at 07:00. Costs 53,000 VND.
Lang Son: departs at 05:30 to 17:00, every 30 mins. Costs 50,000 VND and takes 5 hours.
Mong Cai: departs at 05:45 to 17:00 (12 departures). Costs 90,000 VND and takes 9 hours.
Thai Binh: departs at 10:30 and 14:30. Costs 35,000 VND.
Thai Nguyen: departs at 05:30 to 17:50 (every 25 minutes). Costs 20,000 VND.

Luong Yen Bus Station
Ben Xe Luong Yen T: (04) 942 0477, Hours: 05:00 to 20:00

Sleeper buses to Mien Dong Station in Ho Chi Minh City from here cost 680,000, ten departures, every two hours from 07:00 to 23:00. These buses make stops along the way, cost are as follows (running down the coast):

Dong Ha: 270,000 VND.
Hue: 300,000 VND.
Da Nang: 350,000 VND.
Quang Ngai: 400,000 VND.
Qui Nhon: 480,000 VND.
Tuy Hoa: 530,000 VND.
Nha Trang: 570,000 VND.
Phan Rang/Tham Cham: 600,000 VND.
Phan Thiet (Mue Ne): 680,000 VND.

Other departures include:

Cao Bang: Departs at 06:00 to 11:00 (6 departures) and costs 80,000 VND.
Dong Ha: Departs at 17:30 and 16:30 and costs 74 to 80,000 VND.
Dong Hoi: Departs at 17:15 and 19:00 and costs 70 to 80,000 VND.
Hai Phong: Departs at 04:50 to 21:00, every 10 mins and costs 35 to 37,000 VND.
Lang Son: Departs at 05:00 to 19:00, every 15 mins and costs 40 to 50,000 VND.
Mong Cai: Departs at 06:00 to 20:30 (10 departures) and costs 90,000 VND.
Ninh Binh: Departs at 12:30 and costs 35,000 VND.
Son La: Departs at 08:00 and costs 68,000 VND.
Thai Binh: Departs at 05:00 to 18:00 (21 departures) and costs 40,000 VND.
Thai Nguyen: Departs at 14:00 and costs 25,000 VND.
Thanh Hoa: Departs at 10:30, 12:30, 13:00 and costs 30,000 VND.
Vinh: Departs at 11:00 and costs 67,000 VND.

Buses to Laos
Nightly buses depart at 18:30 for Vientiane and will pick you up at your hotel. Tickets can be booked at most hotels and travel agencies, and should cost US$16 for the 18-hour trip. There is no toilet on the bus, but it stops regularly for breaks. The roads are fine until you reach the Laos border, at which point things slow down considerably and there are common reports of there being issues at the border. These problems tend to affect the through buses only, so you're better off to break up the trip somewhat if time allows, or fly.

Buses to China
Through buses to China depart across the street from the Hong Ha Tourism office, on the west side of the Red River, along Tran Quang Khai. The buses have air-con and make frequent bathroom and food breaks. Buy your tickets a day in advance and have your Chinese visa ready. Buses depart at 07:30 and 09:30 to the following destinations in China:
Bac Hai costs 400,000 VND and takes 12 hours.
Nanning costs 270,000 VND and takes 8 hours.
Quang Chau costs 660,000 VND and takes 23 hours.

Hong Ha Tourism 204 Tran Quang Khai, T: (04) 824 7339-40

Getting Around

Short trips within Hanoi on a xe om (motorcycle taxi) run 10,000 VND at a minimum. Metered taxis are also widely available, and often come out cheaper for two or more people. It's pretty much understood that foreigners renting cyclos aren't really headed anywhere, they're just joyriding and 50,000 VND per hour is quite sufficient compensation for your hard-working pedaller -- you can bargain them down lower, but then you have to live with yourself. if you want to telephone book a taxi, try Trung Viet taxi on (04) 261 6161.

Here are some common trips, priced from Hanoi's old quarter:

By xe om
My Dinh Bus Station: 40,000 VND.
Long Bien Train Station: 20,000 VND.
Luong Yen Bus Station: 30,000 VND.
Hanoi Train Station: 20,000 VND.
Southern Bus Station: 40,000 VND.
Gia Lam Bus/Train Station: 30,000 VND.

By taxi
My Dinh Bus Station: 80,000 VND.
Long Bien Train Station: 30,000 VND.
Luong Yen Bus Station: 50,000 VND.
Hanoi Train Station: 30,000 VND.
Southern Bus Station: 70,000 VND.
Gia Lam Bus/Train Station: 70,000 VND.

Public Buses
Hanoi Bus runs a comprehensive and very affordable public bus system throughout the city (and out to the airport). The buses are all numbered and ply some very handy routes. If you pick up a tourist map in Hanoi, make sure it is one that marks the bus routes on it. See their website for detailed bus route information.
http://www.hanoibus.com.vn/InfobusVN/hanoibus/homeE.asp