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Monday 29 May 2017

Hanoi Itinerary: 5 Days 4 Nights in a Nutshell

This post pretty much sums up our 5 Days 4 Nights trip to Hanoi, which can be considered as our first impromptu but not so impromptu trip? Hahaha! Since we made such an impromptu decision to go to Hanoi and instantly booked our flight tickets on New Year's Eve 2016 for a trip that will only happen in May 2017. At that point of time, we didn’t really give much thought to it and that's how we ended up going to Hanoi instead of going to the more popular Ho Chi Minh.


As much as it is, this trip is 100% NO REGRETS!

The only regret was probably the fact that it was too short of a trip for us to visit both Halong Bay & Sapa. Given the choice, I would definitely choose to go Hanoi again.

Reasons?

1. I really want to visit Sapa during the season(s) where there are green/yellow paddy fields.

2. The food is so cheap and good; All the Pho, Vietnamese Pancakes and Spring Rolls are all so yum!

3. The massages and mani-pedi services are way too awesome.

Okay, I think the last 2 reasons are enough to get me wanting to go back again.

As this is our first time going to Vietnam, I did extensive research on Hanoi and Halong Bay, and read up on a lot on the travel tips for travelling in Vietnam. Although TripAdvisor was super helpful, it also gave me a hard time when it comes to deciding on a hotel to stay, which cruise to go with, etc. Luckily, there’s boyfriend to help me in making a decision. Hahaha.

In a nutshell, Hanoi was really great and Halong Bay was even more than amazing - I felt like I was in a different universe.

Anyway, here's my very own top 3 travel tips while in Hanoi:-

1. Rent a wifi router from Changi Recommends – It is cheaper and more convenient than renting from other companies or than getting a SIM Card (unless you are going to make local calls frequently). Plus, there is unlimited data usage and is able to connect up to 6 devices simultaneously.

2. Arrange for hotel transfer upon arrival & departure – Their service is superb and it gives you a peace of mind knowing that the meter fares will not jump crazily fast since it is a fixed rate gien by the hotel. Otherwise...

3. Uber – Ubering in Hanoi is very affordable and that became the easiest way for us to get around. The only down side is that some/most of the drivers (local people) do not speak/understand English, so there might be a language barrier. 

And I shall end this post with a consolidation of all the great places we’ve been to in Hanoi:-

 Accommodation / Cruise: 

MK Premier Boutique Hotel
72 – 74 Hang Buom, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam
Telephone: +84 43 266 8896

Oriental Central Hotel
No 39 Hang Bac Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Telephone: +84 24 3935 1117

 Food: 

New Day Restaurant
72 Ma May, Hang Buom, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening Hours: 10AM – 10PM (Mon - Sun)
Telephone: +84 4 3828 0315

Ngon Villa Restaurant
No 10, Tong Duy Tan Str, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Opening Hours: 11AM – 1PM (Mon - Sun) ; 6PM – 9PM (Mon - Sun)
Telephone: +84 24 3221 2222

Orchid Restaurant & Cooking Class
25 Hang Bac Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam
Telephone: + 84 4 3828 4864

 Halong Bay Tour: 

Oriental Sails Cruise 
(Hanoi Office)
8th Floor, No. 77 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Dien Bien Quarter, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi City, Vietnam
Telephone: + 84 24 3926 4009

(Halong Office)
The OS Lounge, Hồng Gai Wharf, No. 6A Lê Thánh Tông Street, Hòn Gai, Quang Ninh
Telephone: + 84 3 3381 9233

(Saigon Office)
113C Bui Vien, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Telephone: + 84 8 6275 7087

 Sightseeing: 

Confucius Temple of Literature
58 Quoc Tu Giam, Van Mieu, Dong Da, Hanoi
Opening Hours: 8:30AM – 11:30AM (Tues – Sun) ; 1:30PM – 4:30PM (Tues - Sun)
Entrance Fee: VND 10,000 / person

Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
9 Hoang Dieu, Dien Bien, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
Opening Hours: 8AM – 5PM (Tues - Sun)
Entrance Fee: VND 30,000 / person

Thien Canh Son Cave
Halong, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam

Vung Vieng Fishing Village
Halong, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam

For Hanoi Day 1 itinerary, click here.
For Hanoi Day 2 itinerary, click here.
For Hanoi Day 3 itinerary, click here.
For Hanoi Day 4 & 5 itinerary, click here.
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