Travel Review: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Hello folks:

Here is the continuation to my last post. As I mentioned before, I decided on a 2 day 1 night excursion out on Ha Long Bay.

There are several companies that offer tours to Ha Long Bay. They range from day tours, 2 day-1 night tours, and even 3 day-2 nights. In my opinion, the 2 day 1 night option is perfect. I used the boating company that my hotel (Hanoi Cristina Hotel) recommended. The hotel also served as a small travel agency. I emailed them ahead of time to ask for the prices of the tours. They offered three boats which ranged in luxury. The higher end boat was the Viola Cruise which was $160, then the Diamond cruise which was $150, and the boat I took was the Lemon cruise for $125. These initial prices were for double occupancy (two people). Since I was traveling alone, the prices were slightly higher: $210, $190, and $150 respectively. That’s one of the downfalls of solo travel.

You can also wait until you are in Hanoi and visit any of the many travel agencies in the Old Quarter to seek their prices. I saw signs for pricing that was much lower, but I am not sure of the quality of the boats.

Now, about my tour.

The host was the one who came to get me from the hotel around 8am of day 1. There ended up being only 5 other people on the tour with me which was perfect. We set out on the 4 hour ride from Hanoi to Ha Long. We stopped midway for a bathroom and snack break. All of the buses stop at this same place, which also sells souvenirs. We spent about 30 minutes there before finishing out the journey.

When we arrived at the port, we had to transport our bags from the bus to a smaller boat (our tender boat). Some of the higher end boats had carts to help you transfer your luggage, but the walk was less than 2 minutes to the boat. We took the smaller boat out to meet our larger boat since it could not dock directly at the port.

Once on the boat, we were assigned our rooms and given our keys. We were told to check our rooms for any issues and to report back around 1:45 for lunch. The room that I was assigned to was pretty simple. It had a comfy double bed and it’s on bathroom with shower. There were no T.V.s but there was air con. ( It only worked for a portion of the trip due to the small generator on the boat)

At 1:45 we met for our first meal on the main deck of the boat. The staff made more than enough for the six of us on board so you had the option to have more.

After lunch, we prepared to head out to our main excursion for that day. First we would kayak through the Bay and a small floating village. We kayaked for about 45 minutes. The scenary was very beautiful. Our boat was the only boat out kayaking at the time, so it was also very peaceful. We got pretty wet, so be prepared for that.

After kayaking, we went to a local pearl farm which was very close to the entry point for kayaking. The pearl farm was very small and not that interesting. (Hey I’m honest)

From there we loaded up again on our tender boat to head out to a beach on one of the over 2,000 small islands that make up Ha Long Bay. Initially we were one of the only boats there, but halfway through our time several other tour boats came to the small beach. The beach was cute and you also had the option to play some volleyball. (I played and had fun.) We spent about an hour there before getting back on the tender boat and heading out the the large boat.

Once on the large boat, we had some down time until our dinner. Our dinner that night was a large spread of various meats served on the large bamboo plate which is customary in Vietnam. We had a few side dishes such as rice, salad, and some vegetables. Fresh fruit was always served after each meal as dessert. On the boat, drinks were not included in the tour price, but the drinks were very cheap. (they also had a small bar on the boat if you wanted to order alcohol. Beer was about $2 and cocktails were $5)

We were scheduled to do some night fishing but it began to rain. I was pretty tired, so I headed in to my room for the night.

Day 2:

The morning started very early. Breakfast was served at 7am. Breakfast was pretty simple: toast, eggs, and fruit.

Our tour that morning was to a cave. The cave wasn’t very big and all of the boats came at the same time, so it was a bit crowded. After going through the cave, our host gave us some time on a small beach next to the cave for pictures.

We loaded up onto the tender boat one more time and then on to the large boat. At this point we started the check out process and closed out any drink tabs. We were making our way back to the main port. I simply took in the scenary on the way back just like I did on the way there. Around 11:30 am we had lunch which was another assortment of various Vietnamese dishes and noodles. We made it back to the port right around noon and set back out to Hanoi the same way we came. (with the same stop at the midway point.)

All in all, the cruise was great. The price was a little steep for a single person, but again you may be able to get cheaper prices once you actually get into Hanoi. The scenary was absolutely breathtaking so I don’t regret it one bit. You actually do alot in the short 2 day period. The food was always hot and fresh and there was always plenty. The crew was very friendly and willing to help with anything you needed. As I mentioned before, I highly recommend an overnight cruise versus just going there and back in a day. The four-hour ride each way isn’t worth it for just a day trip. If you are already closer to Ha Long, you may be able to do the day tour on your own, but coming from Hanoi overnight is best.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. As always, thanks for reading and happy traveling!

Travel Review: Hanoi, Vietnam

Hello folks:

I’m back with another (YES ANOTHER) travel review. This time I had the opportunity to visit Hanoi, Vietnam during an extended weekend holiday here in Korea.

First: The Visa process

If you are an American passport holder (Some other countries as well so please check) you will need a visa to enter Vietnam. The Vietnam visa process is two-fold. You have to first get a letter of approval from an official company or person. I simply googled Vietnam visa on arrival and read a few sites before choosing one. The prices range from $10-$25. The company I went with charged $10 for a one-month single entry. The site is pretty self-explanatory from there. (https://www.vietnam-evisa.org/apply-visa.html) It took about a day and a half for them to email the letter to me. Do not be alarmed if your letter has other people’s name on it with yours. This is pretty standard for the company’s that issue letters. You can pay a fee to have a letter with only your name, but it honestly doesn’t matter. You will need your travel dates before applying for the letter. They can possibly deny entry on your dates so that’s why it’s important. You will also need to complete the visa-on-arrival form to accompany your letter. The company I used sent a link for me to do the form ahead of time. The form will also be available at the airport.

Once I arrived at Hanoi’s airport, I went to the visa on arrival counter before going through immigration. You hand the agent your letter, passport (take off any covers), and the visa application. You then wait in queue for them to approve and issue your visa. Once they are done, you passport picture will pop up on a TV screen and you go to the second agent to pay the visa fee of $25. They only accept cash, so have it available. You should also have a passport sized photo, or you can do like me, and pay $2 for them to take the picture on site. (it’s cheaper that way honestly)

From there you are given a receipt and your passport and you are now able to go through immigration and customs. The process took all of 30 minutes total.

Second: My Hotel

Hotels in the Old Quarter of Hanoi are very inexpensive and are in abundance. They are mostly smaller boutique hotels but are clean, comfortable, and cute. At the recommendation of a friend who travelled a few weeks before, I booked my room with the Hanoi Cristina Hotel. I booked a double room at $25 per night, including a decent breakfast, for 3 nights. I did the book now, pay later option on booking.com which is standard for most hotels in Hanoi. Tip: To avoid a 3% surcharge for using your debit card, bring cash to cover the balance. The hotel instantly sent a follow-up message to let me know they could book tours or even airport transfers for me in advance. I decided a day or two before my trip that I wanted to do an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay during my 3 night stay. The hotel was more than accommodating in cancelling one of my nights in order for me to do this without extra charge. I decided not to use them for the airport transfer since they charged $16, which is pretty expensive compared to other options. (I’ll explain soon)

The hotel turned out to be in a great location, although a little hard to find initially. They gave me a map specifically designed for them which helped me to get around during my entire trip. (I didn’t even get lost. The map was very accurate)

Now, the GOOD STUFF…

I arrived in Hanoi around 9am on a Friday. I had read in advance that there was a local bus that goes from the airport into Hanoi city. The bus is the Express 86 bus. The stop is located just across from the #2 taxi stand once you exit the airport. There will be an attendant on site to ask where you are going and who will tell you which stop to get off. (He speaks fast so I honestly didn’t hear him) The bus comes every 30 minutes or so. Once you are on and settled, the attendant will then come and collect the fee. The ride is 30,000VND or roughly $1.15. Try to exchange a little money to be prepared for this. He will in turn give you a receipt. The ride was about 30 minutes even with a few stops. I still didn’t know which stop I needed but luckily the attendant came around one more time to tell everyone again. ( I think it’s more so because we all looked lost)

The bus drops you along the main street, so it won’t go into the heart of the Old Quarter. You will need to ask the locals to point you in the direction of your accommodation or have a SIM card and map handy.

Once I arrived at the hotel, my room wasn’t ready. They allowed me to leave my luggage while I went out to exchange more money and to find food. This is when I was given my new BFF, the map. The receptionist told me where to go for food and where to find good money exchangers.

It was super hot but I expected it to be.

I first found a money exchange place which was also in a jewelry store. The average rate was $1 = 22,000VND. As I was walking to find food, I was approached by several “city tour” guys on the pedal bikes. One was very “persistent” so I agreed to a tour at 4pm that afternoon. In turn, he suggested a pretty good (and popular) food spot.

I went to New Day restaurant and had the beef with pineapple and an iced strawberry tea. (Strawberry tea is soooo good) My meal was hot and about $5.

After eating, I walked around using my map to get my bearings. (and to kill more time) I finally headed back to the hotel to check in, nap, and shower.

Right at 4pm, I headed back out to meet the tour guide. Before getting into the cart, I asked for a price. He quoted 300,000 ($13) for an hour-long tour around the city. I’m sure I could have bargained but I was honestly tired of him (LOL) He took me all around the main part of Hanoi Old Quarter. He even stopped at times to take pictures of me if I needed or for me to get out and take pictures as well. It did begin to rain while on the tour, but he was prepared with coverings so I didn’t get wet. The tour went for exactly an hour at which point he tried to get me to extend to another part of the city, but I declined. I got out and decided to do more site seeing on foot.

Luckily my tour stopped right near Hoan Kiem Lake. It’s a small lake with a cute red bridge that leads to a temple. The bridge is a popular picture spot. There is a fee to enter the actual temple as well. Most people, including me, just walk the bridge and take pics from the outside.

Just across from Hoan Kiem is a very busy intersection that is seen is most pictures for Hanoi. There were no traffic lights and traffic literally went however people decided to go. It was pure madness but somehow no one crashed. I stood (safely) on a sidewalk and just watched in amazement. From there I continued my journey on foot, going down random roads to see what was there. I eventually stopped at a cute coffee shop to try some of Hanoi’s infamous “egg coffee.” It’s sounds weird, but it was really good. The coffee was around $2 (40,000 VND)

I continued on my walk and stopped to pick up a few souvenirs including some banana pants. (yes pants with bananas all over them!) I eventually stopped at a restaurant to have some fresh spring rolls and chicken pho. I mean who goes to Vietnam and doesn’t eat Pho. The Pho was around $2 and the spring rolls were about $2.50.

Since it was the start of the weekend, there was a large night market taking place a few blocks from my hotel. I decided to go check it out. The market stretched for several blocks and vendors sold almost everything you could imagine. I only picked up some cute shades and tried some passion fruit juice. I was pretty tired by this point, so I made my way back to the hotel. I knew I had an early start the next day.

I woke up pretty early to get breakfast before heading out for my overnight trip along Ha Long bay. Breakfast was served in the neighboring hotel. The options were pretty good. They offered Western breakfast as well as Vietnamese dishes such as noodle soup. From there, I checked out of my first room and waited for the tour guide to come pick me up.

(I’m going to do a separate post on the tour so I will skip over that day and finish up with my last day in Hanoi)

Day 3:

My Ha Long tour bus took me back to my hotel in Hanoi around 4pm. I checked back in to a new room, put my bags down, and set back out to explore. On the list, was to try Banh Mi, which is a Vietnamese sandwich that is similar to a Panini. I went to a more popular shop in the heart of the old quarter. Just like most other Vietnamese food shops, the shop had the small plastic stools and low tables inside and along the sidewalk. The sandwich was about $1.13. (25,000 VND) I had the chicken sandwich and it was pretty good. I could have almost eaten two.

I spent the rest of my afternoon just doing more site seeing. I even caught a ride on a motorbike to see the popular Train Street. Train Street is an actual residential area that has a train track going through it. There is a train that passes through the narrow alley three times a day. When I walked the tracks, there were families outside going on about their everyday life. Kids playing, women prepping dinner, and people just hanging out and talking. I wish I could have seen the train actually pass through because the alley is really not that big so I can only imagine how these families have to prepare each time.

My flight left around 1am. I booked a taxi through one of the travel agents in the Old Quarter. The trip was $10 compared to the $16 at my hotel. I would have taken the same bus back but it stops running around 10pm.

All in all, my trip to Hanoi was fun. The hustle and bustle of Hanoi was quite a site to see. Everything was super cheap and someone like myself definitely appreciated that!

As always, thanks for reading and Happy Traveling!