Hanoi – The Cheapest Way To Travel

[snoop1130]

Hanoi – The Cheapest Way To Travel

By Cristina Quilaton

 

 

Please consider this as a cheat sheet. You’re welcome.

Perhaps, you have finally decided to tell your friends that you’re planning to travel to Vietnam, specifically Hanoi, which is a great place for a non-stop traveller. Because of its appealing combination of an old and modern architecture. If you wanna see Paris in Asia, this is the place to go. But wait, you’re not willing to spend too much for an international experience to get yourself on the road.

But hey, you don’t need to be rich to travel and experience the handiworks of God. All you need is research to get some ideas and just look into the activities that you want to do in certain countries ahead of time and determine how much things are going to cost to save time and money.

Some of the ideas below might help you that Granny would approve of for being a budget conscious person.

Book tickets from an airline site rather than a travel site

If you want to land a good deal within your budget, booking plane tickets directly from the airline’s website often offers the lowest price for your desired destination. For the record, Vietjet and Jetstar are two common low cost airlines in Vietnam but I prefer Vietjet because they have online check in and self-check in counter available at the airport in Hanoi to bypass the queues. With the self check-in machine, you can print out your boarding pass and go directly to customs, board and enjoy the flight. But if you have a luggage, you can handed over your boarding pass at the Skyboss lane (priority pass lane of Vietjetair) and they will make all the check-in as usual.

Tip: Don’t book a seat when booking online to save from $1 to $3. But do that when checking in online within 48 hours before departure time to choose your desired seat without paying any additional charge.

 

 

Orange is the new bus

One of the foolish things I’ve done thus far just to find ways to save money and time coupled with odd experience was to sleep at the airport, get the last minute booking to stay and simply wait the next day to catch this orange bus, which I ended up laughing at myself with circles around my eyes. Dope!

Anyhow, I found myself standing outside the domestic terminal (Terminal 1) with the orange signpost and went on board as early as 6:30am that costs me only 30,000 VND ($1.30) per person.

This orange bus runs frequently from Noi Bai Airport to City Centre and vice versa daily and it takes about 55 minutes depending on where you want to get off and if you’re caught in a traffic jam.

Granted that you’re coming outside Vietnam (from Noi Bai Airport Terminal 2). You can proceed to the stand no 2 outside the terminal, then cross the road and the bus stop is just right there. It is opposite the stand no 02.

Schedule:

Noi Bai airport: 6:18am – 22:58pm; every 25-30 mins
Route: Bus from Hanoi city centre to Noi Bai Airport: Hanoi Railway station – Hoan Kiem Lake – Long Bien bus station – Nhat Tan Bridge – Noi Bai Airport (vice versa)

Tip: Ask help from the assistants inside the bus to drop you off in your desired destination. You don’t have to worry because they can speak English and the tourists can enjoy the free wifi that is available on the bus.

 

Ditch the hotel and go with the flow

One of the essentials when you’re planning to travel is to know exactly which area and hotel/hostel that’s best for you and hassle-free, really.

The ideal place to stay in Hanoi is the heart of the ‘Old Quarter’ (Hoan Kiem District), particularly in Ma May Street not to mention this is known for cheap hotels and backpacker hostels. But if you want to find the ultimate comfort with top quality beds and linen with bar and lounge. I highly recommend Funky Jungle Hostel which offers good quality service with friendly staff and an easy lot to find the orange bus No 86 back to the airport since you can just simply spot this bus at the back of the hostel, near to the bridge.

Tip: Just pick a hostel/hostel that provides according to your needs or wants without breaking your bank. BTW, you can book online through booking.com, Agoda, hostelworld or go directly through their website.

Cloud Nine foods

You can’t walk far without stumbling on bun cha or pho anywhere, which are very common and easy to find. But if you’re on the go for something different but tasty, you should try “pho tron” at 65 Lan Ong Street, which is known for chicken street. It’s a dry type noodles dish that includes dried beef, pork chops, bean sprouts, dried onion and other raw vegetables and finished it with peanuts and dried herbs served in sour and sweet sauce made from fish sauce, which they keep it as a secret.

And you can stop at Trang Tien Ice cream shop at No 35 Trang Tien Street for the best dessert after your dinner on super delicate and fresh dry noodles. This is just perfect melt on your mouth, not in your hand unless you have two in your both hands.

Tip: Don’t feel awkward when getting two cones of ice cream or a bowl of noodles, when you still want more. HAHAHA. It’s okay ’cause nobody knows you!

 

 

Prioritise things that are easy to explore

Hanoi is the home to French inspired architecture, broad boulevards coupled with street foods and markets. But the expansive lakes and Buddhist pagodas are the most visited places in the centre of Hanoi that includes Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple, which is very scenic and sits on an island on Hoan Kiem Lake.
And staying in the Old Quarter, one must wander around this ultimate maze of shops, restaurants, cafes, bars and simply people watch, which is one of my favourite things to do or you can hit the weekend night market to get cheap souvenirs for your family and friends back home.

Tip: If you are carrying a purse, have it in front of you. Do not carry loads of cash or your passport around with you.

 

If you think travelling around your country makes you happy but travelling outside your country makes you happier. Then, simply catch the flights to Hanoi to have your first international experience without breaking your bank.

 

Source: http://expatlifeinthailand.com/travel-and-leisure/hanoi-cheapest-way-travel/

 

-- © Copyright Expat Life In Thailand 2017-5-30

[biggles45]

In Hanoi the taxis can be very cheap BUT the hiring rate depends on their size so if only 1 or 2 of you, pick a small one. They all have signs on the outside showing the flagfall and mile charge. It is hard to find a bad meal in Hanoi, the food is so good. There is a night-time market from one of the streets near the lake, it goes for about 5 blocks. It is well marked on the tourist maps. A day or overnight trip to Halong Bay is a great  experience. 

[tutsiwarrior]

8 hours ago, biggles45 said:

In Hanoi the taxis can be very cheap BUT the hiring rate depends on their size so if only 1 or 2 of you, pick a small one. They all have signs on the outside showing the flagfall and mile charge. It is hard to find a bad meal in Hanoi, the food is so good. There is a night-time market from one of the streets near the lake, it goes for about 5 blocks. It is well marked on the tourist maps. A day or overnight trip to Halong Bay is a great  experience. 

 

any recommendations for eating places near the Hoan Kiem lake? when I lived there in Tay Ho I had a kitchen and a supermarket close by and did my own cooking...the bar snacks at Le Pub on Hang Be near the lake are quite nice, esp. the nachos...

 

thinkin' about a trip there next month with my son to introduce him to SE Asia...he likes western food...

 

 

[rak sa_ngop]

I lived in Hanoi over 10 years ago and one of my favourite restaurants was Highway 4 on Hang Tre. I was pleased to find on a trip last month that it was still open. Although it did not  have many of the bizarre and exotic Ruou Dan Toc jars of various animal and insect alcohol-steeped concoctions on display. The food is inspired from the Northern mountain provinces but can be very tasty and well presented ( the snail spring rolls were good but a bit too chewy for my liking). It makes for a very enjoyable dining experience, especially when assisted by a few shots of the Minh Manh.

 

The original and best H4 is on Hang Tre close to the Old Quarter, but other branches are also available.

[tutsiwarrior]

when we moved down to the site in Ha Tinh province the local restaurant had that snake juice (a jar of snakes pickled in alcohol) on display and once a drunken colleague had a shot or two...he didn't make it to work the next day...

 

in Hanoi I'm wonderin' if the night market has some good eats...the bia hoi places always have a local menu but never did try any of their food, needed to have someone to translate...

 

in Tay Ho there was a pizza place downstairs in the Fraser Suites bldg by the supermarket that was quite good but expensive...never saw anyone but westerners in there...the pizza places in HCMC didn't put any sauce or cheese on their pizzas, just a crust sprinkled with spices with various toppings...

 

can always find a place to get pho in the am and bun in the pm...snack on fresh baguettes and banh mi in between...

 

 

[LongTimeLurker]

On 6/4/2017 at 7:16 PM, tutsiwarrior said:

 

any recommendations for eating places near the Hoan Kiem lake? when I lived there in Tay Ho I had a kitchen and a supermarket close by and did my own cooking...the bar snacks at Le Pub on Hang Be near the lake are quite nice, esp. the nachos...

 

thinkin' about a trip there next month with my son to introduce him to SE Asia...he likes western food...

 

 

Cafe Ciao, a mixture of Eastern and Western foods, opposite Trang Tien Plaza (if it's still there ?)

 

Edit: Al Fresco's for pizza's and Mexican foods, Hai Ba Trung if I remember correctly?

 

Legends Beer. Stand at the roundabout at the top end of the lake and look up. Local and German type foods and German type real ales.

Edited June 13, 2017 by LongTimeLurker

[perdido]

On 07/06/2017 at 0:01 PM, tutsiwarrior said:

when we moved down to the site in Ha Tinh province the local restaurant had that snake juice (a jar of snakes pickled in alcohol) on display and once a drunken colleague had a shot or two...he didn't make it to work the next day...

 

in Hanoi I'm wonderin' if the night market has some good eats...the bia hoi places always have a local menu but never did try any of their food, needed to have someone to translate...

 

in Tay Ho there was a pizza place downstairs in the Fraser Suites bldg by the supermarket that was quite good but expensive...never saw anyone but westerners in there...the pizza places in HCMC didn't put any sauce or cheese on their pizzas, just a crust sprinkled with spices with various toppings...

 

can always find a place to get pho in the am and bun in the pm...snack on fresh baguettes and banh mi in between...

 

 

...what are ' pho' and ' bun ' , please...?

[tutsiwarrior]

19 minutes ago, perdido said:

...what are ' pho' and ' bun ' , please...?

pho and bun are rice noodles the former served for breakfast, they got the same dried noodles in Thailand in the supermarket and bun is like vermicelli and served later on in the day...both served in a tasty broth with bits of beef or chicken and condiments on the side...

 

I believe pho bo (beef) is the national dish of VN...usually served in dedicated food stalls from early morning...quite good and a big variation in preparation from north to the south of the country...

 

 

[perdido]

On 18/06/2017 at 2:37 PM, tutsiwarrior said:

pho and bun are rice noodles the former served for breakfast, they got the same dried noodles in Thailand in the supermarket and bun is like vermicelli and served later on in the day...both served in a tasty broth with bits of beef or chicken and condiments on the side...

 

I believe pho bo (beef) is the national dish of VN...usually served in dedicated food stalls from early morning...quite good and a big variation in preparation from north to the south of the country...

 

 

....thank-you for explanation ; you mentioned Thailand , where I visited 5 years ago  ,  I was hoping you might briefly advise me (at a very general level) , if a planned and forthcoming trip to SE Asia ,  might take in Vietnam  as well as (or indeed instead of) Thailand....?.....thank-you....

[tutsiwarrior]

1 hour ago, perdido said:

....thank-you for explanation ; you mentioned Thailand , where I visited 5 years ago  ,  I was hoping you might briefly advise me (at a very general level) , if a planned and forthcoming trip to SE Asia ,  might take in Vietnam  as well as (or indeed instead of) Thailand....?.....thank-you....

 

I wouldn't do Thailand and Vietnam at the same time...they are vastly different countries and deserve specific attention...

 

I have experience living and working in Vietnam but I live with my family in rural Thailand...for holiday purposes I would chose Vietnam...Thailand doesn't have much to offer a tourist unless yer into beaches, sex and drunkeness...Hanoi is much nicer than HCMC and there are plenty of scenic tours and north VN is a very scenic place...I was recently in Dong Hoi in Quang Binh province and the tour to the caves there is very nice, I was with some local friends with private transport and got special treatment...

 

btw...Hanoi has changed tremendously since I was there last in 2010, the Old Quarter is now a tourist disneyland...but still much nicer than anything that Thailand's got...cheap burgers and pizza all over the place, supermarket avocados fer USD1.20/kilo, etc...

 

 

[perdido]

13 minutes ago, tutsiwarrior said:

 

I wouldn't do Thailand and Vietnam at the same time...they are vastly different countries and deserve specific attention...

 

I have experience living and working in Vietnam but I live with my family in rural Thailand...for holiday purposes I would chose Vietnam...Thailand doesn't have much to offer a tourist unless yer into beaches, sex and drunkeness...Hanoi is much nicer than HCMC and there are plenty of scenic tours and north VN is a very scenic place...I was recently in Dong Hoi in Quang Binh province and the tour to the caves there is very nice, I was with some local friends with private transport and got special treatment...

 

btw...Hanoi has changed tremendously since I was there last in 2010, the Old Quarter is now a tourist disneyland...but still much nicer than anything that Thailand's got...cheap burgers and pizza all over the place, supermarket avocados fer USD1.20/kilo, etc...

 

 

...oh well ......am fond of avocados.....cheers...

[tutsiwarrior]

22 minutes ago, perdido said:

...oh well ......am fond of avocados.....cheers...

 

hey, man...take them 'cados down to yer Hanoi hotel breakfast buffet and grab a fresh baguette and slather thereupon with some nice VN coffee and an angel appears...indicating the path to enlightenment...

Edited July 18, 2017 by tutsiwarrior

[chris455]

I really like Hanoi, but the place has some really bad air pollution, and the drains can be particularly smelly first thing in the morning.

 

Nevertheless, food is amazing, and it's location for awesome side trips is excellent.

[Ulysses G.]

On July 18, 2017 at 2:48 AM, tutsiwarrior said:

 

Hanoi has changed tremendously since I was there last in 2010

 

1997 for me. It must have changed a lot. I was teaching English at Apollo. I wonder if the school is still around. 

[balo]

I'm visiting Hanoi next week , will stay near the lake , Tripadvisor recommended restaurants with some very good reviews so looking forward to try the local food.

 

And the famous Vietnamese Egg coffee . 

 

 

 

[ClutchClark]

"Egg Coffee"? 

 

Sounds intriguingly delicious. Two of my favorite foods.

 

Hope you will report back.

[Ulysses G.]

I think Restaurant Bobby Chin is near there. He does a lot of fusion food and it is excellent. However, he is really famous now, so not sure about the prices. His first restaurant was in the condo next to the Hanoi Hilton restaurant and it was about $5. for an amazing meal, but that was 20 years ago and he was not known internationally yet.

[tutsiwarrior]

12 hours ago, balo said:

I'm visiting Hanoi next week , will stay near the lake , Tripadvisor recommended restaurants with some very good reviews so looking forward to try the local food.

 

And the famous Vietnamese Egg coffee . 

 

 

 

 

ye gotta try the banh mi sandwiches...in the early morning ladies appear with handcarts but near the lake there are vendors in storefronts serving all day...look to see what they got as fillings in the display cabinets...I like the pate...

 

there's usually a bakery nearby...pick up a couple of baguettes to nosh on in yer hotel room...also head down to the supermarket on the SW side of the lake (entrance thru a portal inna courtyard, look for the special offer banners outside) and check out the fruit and avocados...also the best place to buy wine, liquor, etc...but no good cheeses or charcuterie unfortunately...

 

 

[balo]

2 hours ago, tutsiwarrior said:

ye gotta try the banh mi sandwiches.

 

I will ,  I've heard it's the French influence that led to this invention . 

 

I would like to ask you , since you lived in Hanoi, what is the weather like at this time of the year ? From what I understand it can get very cold and maybe I should bring a jacket ? Also some rain fall even during dry season ? 

 

 

 

[balo]

16 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

"Egg Coffee"? 

 

Sounds intriguingly delicious. Two of my favorite foods.

Yes I had to google it. 

 

In the 1960's when milk was scarce in Vietnam, one cafe owner tried to replacing milk with egg yolk and that's how the drink was created.

The Giang Café in particular is known for serving the drink, which it makes with chicken egg yolk, coffee  condensed milk (cheese optionally). The cup is served inside a bowl of hot water to retain its temperature.

 

 

 

[tutsiwarrior]

1 hour ago, balo said:

 

I will ,  I've heard it's the French influence that led to this invention . 

 

I would like to ask you , since you lived in Hanoi, what is the weather like at this time of the year ? From what I understand it can get very cold and maybe I should bring a jacket ? Also some rain fall even during dry season ? 

 

 

 

 

not sure...our crew left Hanoi after 4 months for the site in Ha Tinh around July/August...but I was in town once in Feb 2011 during the TET holiday and warm clothing was necessary...don't ever go during TET as they roll up the sidewalks for a week as everyone goes home fer the holiday and the place is deserted...

 

it can get uncomfortably cold in north VN so check the weather before ye go...there are also typhoons this time of year that originate in the phillipines...I got caught twice in Ha Tinh and they can ruin yer whole holiday; shut down regional airports, travel disruptions, blow yer car off the road when yer trine to get to work, mayhem, death and destruction, a bad one came thru the area this Sept and recently there's been a lot of damage on the south central coast NE of HCMC...check out the hong kong observatory website fer the best regional weather info...and the website has good imaging when there are storms in the area, trajectories, etc...

 

http://www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/fnd.htm

 

 

Edited December 8, 2017 by tutsiwarrior

[Ulysses G.]

9 hours ago, balo said:

I would like to ask you , since you lived in Hanoi, what is the weather like at this time of the year ? From what I understand it can get very cold and maybe I should bring a jacket ? Also some rain fall even during dry season ? 

I lived there a while ago. It does get chilly, but not every day.  I remember going swimming on Christmas and again at New Years, but it was cold in between.  You should definitely bring a jacket. I don't remember rain at this time of year, but it was a long time ago.

[balo]

I lived there a while ago. It does get chilly, but not every day.  I remember going swimming on Christmas and again at New Years, but it was cold in between.  You should definitely bring a jacket. I don't remember rain at this time of year, but it was a long time ago.

I have been here for 2 days, it's been very cold down to 15 celsius. The room is also cold at night so I miss the warm climate. Weather forecast predict sunshine tomorrow so that will probably help with temperatures up to 20.