The view from my final trip to Hanoi!
A lot of you have asked for recommendations on where to go, and I'm tired of being a repetitive Google Hanoi / Google Vietnam, hence this post. Well, if you are wondering on how localized can I get, I'm not really localized localized.
1) What Sim Card should I get and where should I get the Sim Card?
Honestly speaking, when I was there in Hanoi, I was there for work and expenses were claimable, hence we just picked one of the booths selling tourist sim cards at the airport, at 250,000 VND (RM45), you can get about 10GB worth of data. There are different packages, depending on how long is your stay and what you require the sim card for. eg. data only or data and calls.
It's more convenient to get a sim card at the airport so you can order Grab to your hotel!
However, as all these sim cards are not sold by the official telco and it is at the airport, you are most probably purchasing the sim card at marked up prices.
So far I have tried both Viettel and Vinaphone, Vinaphone somehow has more stable connectivity to data, the only con is we have trouble connecting to VPN.
If you are patient enough and you're really tight on a budget, I would recommend that you use airport wifi and take a Grab to Vinaphone Hoan Kiem, which is located in the city centre, and get a tourist sim card here.
If during your stay in Hanoi, you have ran out of data, you could easily purchase top up for your cards at telco shops all around the city.
2) What mode of transport do you take from one place to another?
As we are constantly travelling in a group of 4 people or more (plus our transport expenses are claimable), we take Grab all around Hanoi because its cheaper, reliable and it is safe! Most of the
time, travelling in the city centre only costs 25,000 VND (RM4-5) which is really cheap.
I have read about many horror stories online on fake cabs which may mark up the price by a lot, hence, we chose to take Grab instead. If possible, select the Grab 4 cho option (GrabCar 4 person) as the default setting is Grab 4 cho/GrabTaxi. We have had a bad experience when a GrabTaxi came to pick us up and still demanded us to pay up to him based on the meter fare.
If you have luggage, it is recommended that you order a 7-seater as usually the car for a 4-seater are usually smaller cars like the Kia Morning and not the usual sedan in Malaysia.
Also, be sure to confirm the car plate and cross check with the driver before you get on your Grab! This is very very important.
During one of our trips, my female colleague and I were travelling together. We ordered a Grab with the number plate bearing XYZ 123 (example) and its a Toyota Fortuner (Brown). When we are waiting for our Grab to arrive, another Fortuner with a different car plate arrives and tells us that 'his friend told him to pick us up'. I was really confused but I insisted not to get on the Grab. Moments later, our actual Grab bearing the car plate XYZ 123 arrives to pick us up.
Anyway, would totally recommend you to walk in the city center from one place to another for some exercise!
3) Where should I stay in Hanoi?
Depending on your budget and whether you want to stay in/out of the city, Hanoi is really filled with lots and lots of hotels. Be sure to read the reviews on Agoda/Booking.com beforehand, but for hotels, would totally recommend Sunway Hotel (free laundry service, gym, lounge, sauna) and The Lapis Hotel (pool, gym, jacuzzi, sauna, nice room). Or if you are travelling with a bunch of friends, I recommend checking out airbnbs within the area.
4) What is there to do in Hanoi? How long should my trip to Hanoi be?
Honestly speaking, there is nothing much to do in Hanoi, unless you take a day trip to places outside of Hanoi, even if you were taking the day trip, I would recommend 4-5 days in Hanoi. Probably 1-2 days is enough to cover Hanoi, and the others shall be spent outside Hanoi.
Places of interest in Hanoi would include:
Ho Chi Minh Masoleum
I think this place opens and closes really early, like it closes at 11am or something, but you still can view the masoleum from the outside. We have never been inside, but basically it showcases Ho Chi Minh's remains here. An interesting fact to note is that his remains gets sent to Russia annually to be maintained and further preserved. Security here is pretty tight because Ho Chi Minh was their well respected leader.
Ta Hien Street
Ta Hien Street, also known as Beer Street, where you can get really cheap beer (RM2/bottle) and their locally brewed beer here! Haven't tried their locally brewed beer, but this is the area where its more happening at night where you can grab drinks with your friends here.
Train Street
Catch a Grab to 224, Le Duan, many sites online say that the train passes by at 3pm, hence we were there around 2.30pm. Would recommend you to arrive to this place at 3pm, and around 3.30pm, the train will pass by.
You are probably here to just catch the adrenaline of the train passing by right in front of your face at full speed, it's nothing special really. You could probably experience the same thing in Malaysia at your nearest KTM station.
St. Joseph's Cathedral
This cathedral is located in the Old Quarters area where a lot of old buildings have been there since the French colonial era, hence this church. During the day, you can visit the inside the church for free, and at night, occasionally, there are schoolkids singing carols and hymns outside the church.
Hoan Kiem Lake
This lake is the most touristy lake of Hanoi, but it's probably the place where locals hang out too! Would recommend you to visit this place during weekends where the whole lake surroundings are closed to traffic and it becomes a pedestrian street and you can see the action in full swing, locals selling cotton candy, locals bringing their kids to walk around the lake, locals dancing to k-pop on the streets, locals playing their version of batu seremban, jenga, jian zi, skipping rope on the streets. At night, be serenaded by the local live singers by the lake.
On weekend nights, would totally recommend you to check out the night markets and the numerous souvenir shops where you can get your trending rattan bags and bargain for more reasonable prices!
Other than that, there are other attractions like the Temple of Literature, Dong Xuan Market or the prison, which we did not check out.
Bay Mau Lake
This is another huge lake, but its more of a lake where it's not touristy at all. This is a lake where the locals come to jog or just hang out at the local amusement park. I came here to jog on a weekend (walked 2km from my hotel, and 2km back) and ran 6km around the lake. A total of 10km on a weekend afternoon, not too bad. You could catch the sunset here as well and enjoy the evening breeze with a beer, iced tea or a coconut in hand with the many stalls available at the lakeside.
5) Where to go outside Hanoi then?
Would recommend you to travel on a motor bike yourself, with the help of Google Maps or Waze if you are feeling adventurous enough, or if not, then book a tour. You can easily book a day-tour at the numerous travel agencies at the Old Quarter area. Be sure to haggle for cheaper prices as they know you are a tourist.
For more information on where to go outside of Hanoi, and what to eat in Hanoi, be sure to wait till my next post!
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