Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [251]
Hanoi and around | City transport |
Motorbike taxis, taxis and cyclo
Motorbike taxis (xe om), which hover at every intersection, provide the main form of cheap, inner-city transport. An average journey within the city centre should cost around 10,000đ and a trip out to Ho’s Mausoleum or West Lake in the region of 15,000đ. Always establish terms before setting off. It’s wise to write down the figures, making it clear whether you’re negotiating in dollars or dong, and for a one-way or return journey; having the exact change ready at the end of the journey can also save argument. Drivers are obliged to carry spare helmets for passengers, but it still can be a fairly hair-raising ride.
Metered taxis wait outside the more upmarket hotels and at the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake, or you can call one up. With a short ride across the city centre averaging 20,000đ, and 40,000đ to the suburbs, taxis are definitely worth considering for hopping around the city. Note that prices are metered in dong, though it looks like dollars – for example, 20.00 on the meter means 20,000đ, not $20.
Cyclo have been replaced by xe om as the most popular form of public transport, and they now mainly cater to tour groups taking a leisurely amble round the Old Quarter. If you fancy doing the same, the simplest option is to get your hotel to arrange it for you. Otherwise, be prepared to bargain hard, aiming at around $2–3 per hour. Cyclo are banned from certain roads in central Hanoi, so don’t be surprised if you seem to be taking a circuitous route or are dropped off round the corner from your destination.
Hanoi and around | City transport |
Motorbike and car rental
Self-drive motorbikes are only for the brave in the inner city but are definitely worth considering for exploring sights further afield. Again, most rental outlets are located in the Old Quarter (See "Listings"). Rental costs $4–5 per day for the standard 110cc Honda Wave, usually with the helmet thrown in. Again, always use the designated parking areas (gui xe may); the rate for motorbikes should be 5000đ or under.
Virtually every tour agency will gladly arrange car rental, and though the traffic congestion makes this a cumbersome method of sightseeing in the central districts, for day-trips out of Hanoi it offers greater flexibility than tours. Prices start at around $40 per day for an air-conditioned car with driver; as few drivers speak English, you may also want to hire a guide for another $15–30 a day.
Hanoi and around | City transport |
City buses
Most travellers only use Hanoi’s city buses to get to or from Noi Bai Airport (See "Arrival and information"). Other useful routes connect the far-flung long-distance bus stations: #3 runs between Gia Lam and Giap Bat with stops on Hang Tre (or Tran Quang Khai, heading south), Tran Hung Dao and outside the train station. From the centre of town count on roughly thirty minutes to either Gia Lam or Giap Bat. Route #34 plies between Gia Lam and My Dinh (40min) via Hai Ba Trung and the Opera.
Buses on most routes run approximately every fifteen to twenty minutes between 5am and 9pm, and are fairly empty except during rush hour (7–9am and after 4pm) when some routes can be hideously overcrowded. The fares are heavily subsidized, with a flat rate of 3000đ within the city centre and 5000đ to the airport and the outer suburbs; pay the ticket collector on board.
Hanoi and around |
Accommodation
Hanoi’s hotel scene has changed dramatically over recent years to the extent that there’s now an oversupply at all levels. Big international hotels continue to open, but are now being given a run for their money by a handful of classy boutique hotels. As a result, prices at the