Overview
For a capital city there are surprisingly few flights into Hanoi, but that's changing. You can get direct flights into Hanoi's Noi Bai airport from Europe (Paris, Vienna and Moscow), Australia (Sydney and Melbourne), and most major Asian cities (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Phnom Penh, Tokyo, Seoul, Vientiane, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Taiwan), including several Chinese destinations. There are no direct flights to Hanoi from the Americas.
The bus system is confusing but inexpensive, and there is cheap public transportation from Hanoi's several bus stations to all parts of Vietnam. Most travellers avoid the buses, prefering to use the transport provided by the government sanctioned travel and tour companies. If you do use the local buses, however, it's prudent to stay alert of any safety issues.
The capital's main train station, Ga Hang Co, provides access to the 2600km (1612mi) Vietnamese railway system, which runs up and down the coast between Hanoi and Saigon with links all over Vietnam and twice-weekly service to Beijing. Though sometimes even slower than the buses, these dilapidated trains are more comfortable as well as safer, for cross-country travel.
Car
All car rentals come with a guide, which is not a bad, or even particularly expensive, thing. Uncomfortable but rugged Russian 4WDs are the least expensive, while Japanese luxury cars are available for a higher price. |
