Chiang Mai to Hanoi, direct flight Bangkok Air

[seesip]

Any experiences with this route? Looking to go for a weekend. I haven't been to Hanoi in about 20 years--I remember it being pretty quiet and mellow. Hoping to go on a family trip, has anyone been recently with kids? 

[bluweyze]

I flew to Hanoi with Bangkok Air with my 2 kids (aged 6 and 9). Nice easy flight, good price but watch out for the taxes which are fairly hefty on top of the headline flight price.There seems to be  no longer a Bangkok Airways lounge in the international departures.

Hanoi has changed a lot in the last 10 years but it is a nice place for a couple of days. I am not sure that there is enough for kids after 3 days but we moved on by overnight sleeper train to Hoi An and Da Nang.

[mickmac]

Went up on it for 4 nights at the end of June. Great little service 2hrs each way. Small aircraft so don't have to wait long for it to fill up. Would certainly recommend it.

[tfc]

Quote

Any experiences with this route? Looking to go for a weekend. I haven't been to Hanoi in about 20 years--I remember it being pretty quiet and mellow. Hoping to go on a family trip, has anyone been recently with kids? 

 

I was working in Hanoi about 20 years ago and with not many expats or tourists there wouldn't be surprised if I ran into you (I remember my for my first 2 weeks not seeing a single "obvious" tourist even around the old quarter).  I lived around the Hoan Kiem lake area and though it was packed the traffic was mainly bicycles and motorbikes (if memory serves correctly the ratio was probably 70/30).  These days there's barely a bicycle to be seen and mainly motorbikes and cars so if you can imagine the noise and chaos of navigating the old quarter and Hanoi in general its completely different to 1998-99. 

 

Though I actually preferred Hanoi back then (I personally found it more relaxed then but it is definitely not quiet and mellow now) I like the wide open footpaths around D1 of HCMC now and if I was to bring family would stay there (around the opera house area you can walk 5-8 people wide depending on how wide you are ;]  ).  I'd be extra cautious with kids (depending on how old they are) as the traffic is still chaotic but instead of bikes which were going at 4km/hr HCMC now is full of cars and motorbikes zipping about. 

 

Vietjet flies directly to HCMC and while the planes aren't as nice as Bangkok Air the flight is only about an hour and ten minutes.    

[sfokevin]

With kids the fact that you avoid a transfer in BKK would be worth every penny!... We did the trip for last Xmas... two days in the city at Cinnamon Hotel overlooking the Cathedral (more than enough) then a two night boat trip on Halong Bay - Which your kids would love!...

[Mahseer]

1 hour ago, tfc said:

 

Vietjet flies directly to HCMC and while the planes aren't as nice as Bangkok Air the flight is only about an hour and ten minutes.    

BA use ATR on this route which are 70-80 seat high winged aircraft and not so great on leg room. One hour 10 to HCMC? Vietjet must have dusted off Concorde which also in it's day wasn't the best on leg room.

[tfc]

My mistake.  My wife said it's more like 2 hours.  Myself falling asleep makes the trip seem much faster. ?

[scorecard]

I've flown Lion Air and Viet Jet air to Ha Noi, Both OK for such a short flight. Need to check the schedule re Lion Air, some of their flights are direct CM to Ha Noi but others go thru Don Muang with a layover.