Hello everyone!! Now. this will be my latest post regarding my travels. And this time, I’m taking my first ever solo backpacking trip around Southeast Asia!! Well, not entirely the whole of S.E.A., but just Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia. I will be doing the North-South route for 1 month. This whole journey is gonna take up a lot of posts, so bare with me!!
Before embarking on this trip, I did lots of research about the transport options, routes, places to visit, safety information, accommodation, location and dangers to avoid. Trust me, a bit of research is really important, unless you know the place your visiting in and out.
Okay, so I’ll be starting my journey from Singapore to Hanoi. I booked a flight by Tiger Airways to Hanoi Noi Bai airport. The flight took off 15 minutes behind schedule due to the plane refueling. And it’s my first time boarding a plane while it’s refueling. Isn’t it dangerous? Oh well…
So, it took about 3 hours 15 minutes to Hanoi. When we landed, Hanoi was already drizzling. The immigration process took about 20 minutes and of all places, the immigration officer stamped on the last page of my passport. I had a hard time though looking for the entry stamp.
After clearing immigration, I proceed to the lobby area for my transport to the city center. I took the airport minibus, as stated in wikitravel, which cost me about VND 40 000. It’s strange that Vietnam has a different pricing system for foreigners and locals. In the bus, a local next to me pays VND 30 000. The minibus experience wasn’t good to be honest. The bus was really full and I had the awesome Vietnamese-welcome experience to sit on a toilet stool for the whole journey!! The airport minibus only leaves when it’s full. That’s why I had no choice but to just endure that experience, or else I have to wait for the next wave of passengers.
The ride was really a shocking experience for me. Why? First, the traffic. Traffic lights weren’t really obeyed, motorcycles are constantly weaving in and out and the amount of motorcycles on the road is really a lot!! But the good thing is that, the locals all know how to dodge traffic really well. 30 minutes into the journey, I saw a minor accident with a motorbike being pinned under the car. Luckily the rider wasn’t injured. And secondly, you can hear the horn every 5 seconds!! So, it’s gonna be shocking when you first experience that traffic. And being from a South East Asian country itself, Vietnam really wins on the chaotic traffic madness.
The whole journey took 1 hour to reach the city center. Normally, the airport minibus will stop at 1 Quang Trung Street, opposite the Vietnam Airlines office. But because it’s raining, the driver sent us to the doorstep of our hotel. Well, you can actually take a taxi from Noi Bai airport, but please do some research on the prices. Vietnam is known to scam people alot. Typically, it will cost you USD 15 to get to the city center.
So, I booked a hostel at the Old Quarter area in Hanoi. I stayed at Street Backpackers Hostel for 3 nights. Staying at the Old Quarter is great cos you can really experience how locals live their life, eat street foods Vietnam-style, do some shopping for souvenirs and just simply enjoy the chaotic streets of the capital.
The Old Quarters has a lot of food outlets, but no fast food restaurants. Be prepared to eat local or Asian food here. Typically, a bowl of Pho (rice noodles with chicken/beef/pork with vegetables) will cost you about VND 35 000- VND 40 000. That’s if you eat at a local restaurant. If you are daring enough to eat along the streets (pavement), it can get as cheap as VND 25 000. And eating along the streets is really for someone with a strong stomach. Here’s why:
The locals will cook the food right on the street itself. Raw ingredients are left in the open, with insects possibly crawling around. Vegetables are cut on the floor itself, but under a few pieces of newspapers. And vendors are also cashiers themselves. So when a customer pays the vendor, the same hand is gonna be used to pick up those ingredients as well. Now, you may think that ” hey, it’s cooked! so the germs are prolly dead!” Well, here’s the part. After a customer finished eating, the bowl is just submersed in a pail of water and wiped clean. If you’re lucky enough, there’s some vendors that have a separate pail of soap water to clean your bowl. And this goes the same for cups as well. If a customer doesn’t finish their food, the excess “food” is just being thrown along the streets. Same goes to drinks. I once got almost spilled with coffee due to the vendor just emptying the cup on the streets. Lastly, I once ate a bowl of Pho containing some hair.
But don’t be discouraged. Different people may have different views on this. Personally, I feel safer eating food from restaurants itself. Maybe street food like bbq food, is okay. But it’s really a good Vietnamese experience to eat along the streets, sitting on the bathroom stools and watch the world go by.
So, the next day, I decided to do a self-city tour of Hanoi. The sights in Hanoi are quite walk-able, that’s if you don’t mind the traffic and the heat. So my first stop, is visiting the Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as, Lake of the Restored Sword. This lake is one of the top tourist spots in Hanoi.
Huc Bridge
The Hoan Kiem lake is also a park and locals can be seen jogging and doing some exercises. You can enter the Ngoc Son temple, which is just a cross by the Huc Bridge. Entrance to the temple is VND 20 000. Nothing much to see here, just a big temple, a giant turtle and a real good panoramic view of the lake.
Crossing the bridge to the temple
View of the lake
Giant turtle. not sure if it’s real
Temple
Entrance to the temple
So after the temple, I decided to walk to the French Quarters area. Vietnam is part of French Indochina in the past. You can still see many French influences here, mainly the architecture. The French Quarters is to the east of Hoan Kiem lake. To be exact, it’s on Ly Thai To street. The French Quarters has quite to offer ranging from restaurants, expensive hotels and shops. The streets along the French Quarters are also slightly wider than the usual Vietnamese streets.
Next, I walked to the west along Hai Ba Trung Street and came across this Vietnamese Women’s Museum. Tickets cost VND 30 000. Museum is really interesting, mainly highlighting on the impact Vietnamese women did for the country. Displays have words in Vietnamese, English and French. Exhibits are well explained and of course with some costumes and lots of pictures.
Entrance to the Women’s museum
Next, walking to the west, I came across the Hoa Lo Prison or Hanoi Hilton. Here is a prison which was built by the French to imprison political prisoners and also being used by the North Vietnamese Army to imprison POWs. The prison still maintain it’s front gate and only part of it is preserved. Tickets can be bought for VND 20 000. I recommend to spend not more than 1 hour here. Honestly, the prison museum has a fair share of propaganda regarding the treatment of American POWs. This museum is filled with photos and displays such as the guillotine and prison cells. Displays are in Vietnamese and English.
So next, I walked to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum area. It’s really a distance, and it took me a good 20 minutes there. The weather is really a killer. And to make it worst, I was harassed by a few locals asking me to take a ride on their motorcycle.
I advice solo travelers to avoid these motorcyclists. They will approach you and be very friendly with you. Next is asking which country your from and pretend like as if they have friends or relatives staying at your country. And after a nice friendly chat, they will offer this “city tour service” on the back of their bike. I’m not sure of the price but I’ve heard a lot of scams involving them. So be safe! Just avoid them and walk instead. If you need a cab, take the Hanoi Taxi, Mai Lihn or CP taxis. These companies have a better reputation compared to others. Taxi drivers are known to have a rigged meter so it’s best to stick to those taxi companies.
So, along the way, here are some photos:
The Reunification Express track
So, after walking in the baking hot sun, I finally arrived at the Ba Dinh Square. The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum actually has the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh itself! You can visit it in the morning at 0900 to 1200 everyday. Note, no photography are allowed inside. Do not laugh or talk when your in the mausoleum. Vietnamese really regard Uncle Ho as the nation’s hero. So, it’s best to dress moderately and just go by the rules.
The Ba Dihn square is really huge. To the north west of the mausoleum, another tourist hot spot, the One-Pillared Pagoda.
There’s a few tourist attractions around that area, namely the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh Museum and the Botanical Gardens. I was quite tired from all that walking in the hot sun, so I decided to skip those attractions.
I walked back to the Old Quarters area for dinner and back to the hostel area for a good night’s rest. So, that’s all about my self-city tour of Hanoi. I know I missed a few attractions but I managed to see the more important ones. But personally, I enjoy what the city has to offer. It really gives one a unique experience, despite the traffic and the pushy locals.
Budget for a day in Hanoi (tight-budget): USD 20/ VND 420 000
Accommodation: USD 5-8 per night.
Food & Drinks per meal: USD 2.50 – USD 3
Extras: USD 9
So stay tuned for my next post on Vietnam!
Redd Wanderlust 