Due to our tight timeframe for our travels (mostly for Kampung Boy who had to go back to work, while Kiwi Girl could only foresee unemployment on the horizon), we opted to fly to most of the major cities we intended to visit. This was obviously a slightly pricier alternative and we were probably missing out on a very...unique...overnight train experience, but air travel was our only "luxury" in a trip full of budget compromises. Even so, we highly recommend booking with Vietnam Airlines. Book early and it can sometimes work out cheaper than flying Jetstar or Air Asia. The flight times are on point and the food on board is better than expected for aviation culinary standards. Tip We got the climatic shock of our lives when, after having left behind the scorching heat of Siem Reap, we were confronted with cold gusts of wind and intermittent torrential downpours upon setting foot in Hanoi. Even colder was our time in Ha Long Bay where the limestone formations weren't quite the effective wind barriers we had hoped for. The months of December through to February is what Hanoi residents would term "winter" so be sure to pack warm clothes and raincoats are a definite must have! Visas Currently Australians and New Zealanders have to pay for a Visa on Arrival which can be quite an arduous process if you're not sure what you're doing. But for now, you'll first need a "Vietnam Approval Letter" via an authorised agency (you can do it via your local Vietnam Embassy but you'll be spending more money than necessary). We recommend Vietnam Visa Pro - the website looks a bit dodgy but we can vouch for its trustworthiness and speedy response. This was one of the cheapest providers we found at $10 usd per letter. Upon arriving in any of Vietnam's International Airports, just hand over the letter, 2 passport-sized photos, the entry and exit form provided and finally pay the "stamping fee" in order to get a shiny visa in your passport. As of November 2015, the stamping fee for New Zealanders was $25 usd. Accommodation Hanoi Charming Hotel We loved the warm hospitality of the staff here, especially hotel manager Jenny. They point out all the best areas to explore if you're new to Hanoi and the rooms are fine for the price we paid ($23 usd per night). We recommend booking directly with the hotel as they sometimes have extras you wouldn't get booking on sites like Agoda and Booking.com. At the time we booked we were entitled to a free airport pickup ($18 usd) because we stayed at least 3 nights. But do note you will have to pay 1 night's deposit prior to your arrival to secure your booking. Ha Long Bay Scorpion Cruises Our hotel manager recommended this cruise operator based on previous guest experiences. For $125 usd pp (considered mid-range), we did have fairly high expectations. We chose a 2 days/1 night cruise and probably out of Jenny's magic we scored the best cabin on the boat with our own balcony! Ultimately, Ha Long Bay is gorgeous no matter which boat you watch it from, but if comfort is important then be prepared to spend at least $110 usd for good quality. We weren't keen on the Contiki-esque party boats that are magnets for backpackers, but that's not to say you can't still have fun and let loose on the more "mature" boats. It really depends on who your shipmates are and whether you're willing to mingle with others. We would say after having been spoilt in Hanoi for food choices, we weren't too impressed with Scorpion's meal offerings, but at least they were edible and sustained us for what was a full-on trip. Click here to see the itinerary Scorpion cruises provided us. Food We were most excited for the food in Hanoi and since this was our first introduction to Vietnam, Kiwi Girl went a little overboard on the food suggestions for our itinerary. But her OCD-ness is your planning mapped out because we've listed all the places we recommend and even better, they are listed by closest distance to the Hanoi Charming Hotel and other main attractions. In our opinions, close proximity to good food will always save you from an average holiday! Shopping While the shopping items one should look out for in Hanoi are listed in the link to the table above, an honourable mention needs to go to Minh & Trung: 90A Hang Dao Street for their perfectly made Northface jackets. We can't guarantee their genuineness but anyone who has been to Hanoi will understand the Northface trade is big business there. After having looked at numerous stores selling the exact same jacket, we found Minh & Trung's (on the same street as the night market) jackets to be of much higher quality than it's competitors and worthy of its price tag. Not to mention bargaining with the shop lady was real fun! Tip: In need of Vietnamese Dong? We highly recommend heading over to Thinh Quang (its a gold jewellery shop) at 33 Ha Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi. It's a very short walk away from the hotel and gave us the best rates (on one day it was even better than xe.com!) for our US dollars. They speak in "calculator" so just punch in how much usd you need and they'll respond with how much dong that gets you. Hanoikids If you search up tours in Hanoi, Hanoikids is usually at the top of the list. These are free tours taken by usually college-aged students wanting to practice their English on you. It's a great concept and in return we get a free guided tour by a local. You only have to pay for your tour guide's entrance fees and any transportation costs if required. It's advisable to book these tours early as they are immensely popular. We booked two tours, one half-day and one food tour, to be done all on the same day. For the half-day tour, two lovely girls by the name of Kim and Tien Nu took us sightseeing around Hanoi. Because we were short on time, we limited our tour to the Temple of Literature (30,000 VND pp), Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ho Chi Minh Presidential Palace (25,000 VND pp) as they were within walking distance of each other. We weren't having the best of days weather-wise, so our excitement for these landmarks were quickly dampened literally but torrential rain. However we enjoyed our interactions with the girls more than anything, and their enthusiasm for their city was infectious! Tip: We visited Hoa Lo Prison ($30,000 usd) on our own and would definitely recommend new visitors to make this one stop at the very least while in Hanoi. It's definitely a sobering reminder of the struggles and the eventual triumph this country has faced, and we came away with that much more respect for the Vietnamese people. The temperamental weather continued on into our food tour where another girl and a boy took over from the two girls in the morning. We have to say here that it's best to let your guides know if you have any financial restraints prior to the tour, which we did. However much to our chagrin this was ignored when the girl guide took us to a much more upper class restaurant than we were expecting. To be fair we did ask her to recommend a place we could have traditional Hanoi food, but we did not expect to be eating at a restaurant catered to expats. At the end of the day the food was beyond complaint so we chalked it up to lessons learnt and giving people the benefit of the doubt.
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AuthorWe're two Kiwi Malaysians navigating life in a modern global society. We love to seek adventure and are unashamedly food fanatics (without the pretentiousness). Most of all, we love connecting with others so please share with us your stories, opinions and recommendations! Archives
August 2017
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