Hanoi Hotel Tips by richiecdisc

This was a case of not doing what I had planned and what you should not do in general; we went with a tout at the airport. In fact, the tout was at the airport in Vientiane, Laos! But the offer was good as was the price for the room. They gave us a ride into Hanoi from the airport for $2 and the room was only $9 a night for a double. This seemed expensive compared to what we had been paying in Laos but it was Hanoi and TET (Vietnamese New Year cum Christmas) was approaching.

Unique Qualities: The room itself was quite nice and the location was excellent but what we did not like was the staff being overly pushy to sell us tours. It was explained to us that the room cost was very low and that to make money, they had to sell tours. It didn’t seem like a good way to do business to me but we found out it was a typical Vietnamese way to do it! At any rate, we wound up buying a tour of Halong Bay from them as we did not want to cause any animosity. It turned out to be decent value but we opted to change hotels when we came back into town from the trip just the same.

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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 84-4.8244005
Address: 12 Cha Ca
Directions: Cha Ca is right in the Old Quarter and up the street from Ch Ca Va long, the fish restaurant that is an institution in Hanoi.
Website: www.thientanhotel.com.vn

Halong Bay is of Vietnam’s biggest attractions and is thus touristy but for most, a must see. The big problem with visiting the natural wonder is timing it for good weather. The summer is stormy and the winter tends to be foggy and full of drizzle. Evidently, the best time to go is in spring. We went in winter and it was a drizzly affair though we lucked out on the fog and could at least see the huge rock outcroppings jutting up from the South China Sea.

Unique Qualities: The easiest way to do this trip is sign up for a group outing in Hanoi. It may be possible to do it cheaper on your own but it seemed to be too big a hassle to even attempt it for the few dollars you might save. Besides, what made it fun was interacting with fellow travelers on the boat. You were bused down to the docks, a longer trip (3.5 hours) than you might expect and were given lunch once on the boat. The boat itself was a rustic relic out of the pirates of the Caribbean, but it served as home for our one night out on the ocean. The weather was not suitable for swimming but there were a few willing to brave the cold waters. We opted to stay dry and were glad we did when we found out there was no hot showers as advertised in the tour pamphlets! We also had dinner on the boat but all alcohol was not included. Unfortunately, beer and wine was one way for them to make some money on this trip and if I was to do it over again, I would bring a few bottles of wine with me. Luckily for us, an older German couple brought some rice wine and that not only helped the beer go further but also warmed us up quite a bit. The cabin was a bit cramped and ours had a small leak that became apparent the next day when it started to rain. No worries as it did not rain our only night on the boat. Phew! We had only signed up for the one night trip and said we would decide out on the sea if we wanted to stay another night. They said this was not possible but, of course, it became so once we got out to sea. If you want to spend money in Vietnam, no one is going to deny you this opportunity….lol. You got breakfast on the boat and once back at the docks, you got a lunch at a local restaurant before heading back to Hanoi. The cost for the whole package was $30 per person. It is pretty cheap I guess but the quality is not super great. Bring some beer or wine with you and enjoy the people you meet on the boat. If you get good weather, just enjoy, I’m sure it’s gorgeous. It was even pretty in dismal weather.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 84.04.9260463
Address: 51 Hang Be Str for Ocean Tours
Directions: You pay one price and the boat docks at Lan Ha Bay.
Website: www.oceantoursvietnam.com

Since we were not entirely happy with our first accommodation in Hanoi, on returning from our overnight trip to Halong Bay, we decided to try out some other places. There was a tout standing outside the Royal Hotel and when we told him we had been paying $9 a night for a double, he offered us one for $7. We checked it out and it was a nice place and the location was even better than the first place we had stayed.

Unique Qualities: People generally think of Vietnam as a tropical and thus hot place but in winter, Hanoi is anything but hot. In fact, it can be quite chilly when the sun is not shinning. The rooms seem to universally lack heat and this place was no exception. So, it was not the warmest place to stay and only some thick blankets kept us from freezing. The staff here was slightly less pushy then our first hotel but inflated prices, even from one desk clerk to the next! We had some negative feelings towards them but everything worked out in the end and I imagine, it would be hard to get a fair shake in Hanoi on everything unless you were constantly on your guard. In general, it was a nice and safe place to stay at a very good price but be careful what you pay for other services like train ticket booking. Otherwise, you might get accused of being "no honest." ;)

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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 84.4.8244425
Address: 73 Ma May
Directions: In the heart of the Old Quarter, close to all the backpacker cafes.
Other Contact: royalhotel1@hotmail.com