Hanoi -> Halong Bay

[Kopiko79]

Hi Fellow CSers

Will be gg up to Hanoi in mid Aug for 5D. Main purpose of visit is to visit Halong Bay for 2D1N.

Problem i hve now is not knowing which tour operator to trust and whether the prices i get quoted is reasonable.

Seeking help from those who have visted to give some advice and contacts if any. Any help is greatly appreciated

Presently those tour operators who replied are as follows. Just want to get some feedback whether the prices i got quoted are reasonable and are there other reliable operators whom you have tried and like very much?

1. Vietnam trip advisor
weblink: http://www.VietnamTripAdvisor.com
cost: USD 85
cruise ship: Bai Tu Long Junk

2. Hotel Elegance arranged tour
cost: USD 115
cruise ship: Phoenix cruise

3. Sinh Cafe
weblink: http://www.thesinhtourist.vn/
cost: USD70
cruise ship: still checking not stated

4. Golden sun hotel arranged tour
cost: USD 105
cruise ship: Oriental Deluxe Sails

 

[Timolol]

Took me S$40 for a day's trip to Halong Bay + 1 cave.

The entrance fee itself is actually just VND 40000, so I suppose the S$40 includes the two way bus ride from the hotel near Old Quarter's all the way to Halong and back (like, 3+hours bus ride one way) and the seafood lunch :bsmilie:

 

[Kopiko79]

Thks mate, i think doing a day tour is not really sufficient to cover. At least need a to stay 1 day but in any case thks for ur feedback

Hey guys, 106 views only 1 reply. Are there more who are able to assist pls? Tks in advance

 

[Andrew Ng]

Go for Sinh Cafe. :-}

 

[loboclerk]

Bro, I will be there from 12th to 22nd, but will go to 3D2N at Sapa over the weekend and then 2D1N at Ha Long Bay.

For the tours/trips, I'm just getting my hotel Hanoi Gecko to arrange for me. They will offer advice according to your budget, of course, you can expect that they get some commission but there's lesser chance of getting cheated la. The staff have gone for most of the tours before and can explain the difference between each tour if you really wanna compare, or just trust them with your budget.

For 2D1N Ha Long Bay, they quoted me 30USD to 320USD per person. Its a huge range, and quality of your trip depends on many factors.

- Number of people on board (12 to 16.. what if too crowded cannot walk around??)
- Quality of boat (from old dinghy junk to luxury cruise... can u sleep well at night?)
- Quality of food - the tours usually cover all your meals
- Quality of tour guide - professional or amateur
- Other misc services

I have not decided on the exact tour that I will be getting, will settle that when I arrive. A lot of their tours need not be booked way in advance, especially since it's not the peak period now (hot and wet season).

Hope more people can offer their insights, my first time there too. heh heh.

 

[Kopiko79]

Hmm sounds gd. if fate has it we might end up in the same boat :bsmilie:

in any case, i took up the USD 90+ package with Bai Tu Long.

To all bros in CS any experience in Hanoi? Would be helpful if you hve any safety tips to share. keep on reading abt snatch theft etc etc. Have thoughts to bring a baton along for this

 

[Timolol]

Hmm sounds gd. if fate has it we might end up in the same boat :bsmilie:

in any case, i took up the USD 90+ package with Bai Tu Long.

To all bros in CS any experience in Hanoi? Would be helpful if you hve any safety tips to share. keep on reading abt snatch theft etc etc. Have thoughts to bring a baton along for this

Honestly, I was more worried about crossing the roads than snatch theft. :bsmilie: Just keep your money in different places, e.g. your underwear / shoes / different pockets and be aware of the people around you at all times. I didn't get robbed when I used a HTC to find my way in the Old Quarters though, but your experience may vary. ;p

& remember to change to plastic notes at the moneychanger's, some places do not accept paper VND anymore.

 

[Kopiko79]

Thks for the advise, will keep tt in mind.

my colleague was telling me her sis had her bad slit open with a knife w/o her knowing. Thankfully only wallet and cam gone, passport still intact.

Hanoi doesnt seem to be the safest place but i guess gotta be on high alert at all times.

Got intention to bring my tennis racquet there, if encounter anyone try coming near my cam bag will prolly give him a gd wallop until he KO :kok:

 

[lumwanru]

Hello people! I will be heading to Hanoi during mid Aug too. Im currently carrying Canon 1000D, any advice of the best places to take photos other than Halong Bay? And, any advice of settings i should use? ( still a newbie to dslr) thanks!

 

[comeonesticks]

Thks for the advise, will keep tt in mind.

my colleague was telling me her sis had her bad slit open with a knife w/o her knowing. Thankfully only wallet and cam gone, passport still intact.

Hanoi doesnt seem to be the safest place but i guess gotta be on high alert at all times.

Got intention to bring my tennis racquet there, if encounter anyone try coming near my cam bag will prolly give him a gd wallop until he KO :kok:

I was in Vietnam for more than 2 weeks i find it generally safe. but just exercise caution with sling bags or anything you carry. Normally i will feel for my wallets and passport in my pocket whenever i leave a place or through a crowd or someone accidentally touched me.

Halong bay wise.. i went for Sinhtourist. They are really good. Highly recommended!
I will say take up the 3days 2 night offer.. stay one night in Cat Ba island. and of course.. 1 night on the junk..
Cheers!

 

[Desokin]

Curious to know what to expect. For a USD100 2day/1night cruise, can i expect

1) A clean comfortable room (good king sized bed with no broken springs and clean white sheets)
2) A reasonably quiet room at night (no engine noise/fumes, rattling air conditioning)

Cheers

 

[sonngx]

Hi, i hope i can help some bros here.

Ha Long bay does not have much to see. So 1 day is sufficient. But travelling time from Hanoi to Ha Long bay is long 5 hours. So totally 10 hours. If you want a short / quick / tiring trip then yes 1 day you can make it. But 2 days is better for a relaxing trip

 

[Timolol]

Hope no one minds me digging up the thread. Wonder if TS is in Vietnam by this time =P

Got intention to bring my tennis racquet there, if encounter anyone try coming near my cam bag will prolly give him a gd wallop until he KO :kok:

Somehow, I find it is quite a norm there to actually use hand/arm to squeeze between or past people, so don't be too surprised if people start knocking into you for no reason. Don't expect queuing and moving around in an orderly manner.

I also find them staring at tourists quite often too; and there were instances where a couple of them started taking photographs of the females who are in the group, with their mobile phone cameras.

 

[loboclerk]

I also find them staring at tourists quite often too; and there were instances where a couple of them started taking photographs of the females who are in the group, with their mobile phone cameras.

Some of them like to meet foreigners. Most are just shy because they couldn't speak English. So they'd just look and take photos.

 

[lssan]

I'm a single female and traveled Hanoi solo back in 2005 & 2006, security was fine then, carried my 400D everywhere.

I did both the 1 day and 2D1N Halong bay tours on seperate trips (can't recall from which company, sorry) and I found the 1 day tour to be sufficient you generally see the same scenery, but the cave that the 1day tour brought us to was more interesting.

And beware of a scam: when i arrived at my guesthouse from the airport, a guy pretending to be from the guesthouse jumps into the taxi and says that the guesthouse is full even though i insisted that I had booked a room, and he'll bring me to another... later I realized that he's probably from unpopular guesthouses and use this trick to hijack guests from popular ones.

 

[loboclerk]

There are a few destinations at Halong Bay, so not every cruise/boat ride goes the same route. Check out what each package entails, and what you want to see on the trip. I wanted a view from somewhere high, so I made sure the itinerary included some climbing. lol

True that after a while, you'd be immune to the rocks on water... but its a holiday, so just relax, don't rush through things and enjoy the scenery. I've posted 2 pics in this thread from Halong Bay:

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=752393

And some from Hanoi:

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=752439

And beware of a scam: when i arrived at my guesthouse from the airport, a guy pretending to be from the guesthouse jumps into the taxi and says that the guesthouse is full even though i insisted that I had booked a room, and he'll bring me to another... later I realized that he's probably from unpopular guesthouses and use this trick to hijack guests from popular ones.

Agree, my hotel warned me about that too. Some taxis are in cahoots with those hotels as well, and when you give them the address, they'd bring you to other hotels and give you the same story as well. Do make sure you pick the reputable cab companies, or ask your hotel to book a cab for you.