Vietnam - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 133

Danang 380,000 12 sleepers noon-6.30pm

CAR & MOTORCYCLE
Car hire is best arranged via a travel agency or tour operator. The roads in the north are in
pretty good shape but expect an average speed of 35km to 40km per hour. You'll defin-
itely need 4WD. Daily rates start at about US$110 a day (including driver and petrol).
Try Hanoi motorbike tour operators for reliable machines.

TRAIN
The main Hanoi train station (Ga Hang Co; Train Station A; 04-3825 3949; 120 Ð Le Duan;
ticket office 7.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-7.30pm) is at the western end of P Tran Hung Dao. Trains
from here go to destinations south.
To the right of the main entrance of the train station is a separate ticket office for north-
bound trains to Lao Cai (for Sapa) and China. Note that all northbound trains leave from a
separate station (just behind the main station) called Tran Quy Cap station (Train Station B;
04-3825 2628; P Tran Quy Cap; ticket office 4am-6am & 4pm-10pm) .
To make things even more complicated, some northbound (Lao Cai and Lang Son in-
cluded) and eastbound (Haiphong) trains depart from Gia Lam (Ð Ngoc Lam) on the eastern
side of the Song Hong (Red River), and Long Bien on the western (city) side of the river.
Be sure to ask where you need to go to catch your train.
Schedules, fares, information and advance bookings are available at Vietnam Railways
( Click here ) and Vietnam Impressive ( Click here ) , two dependable private booking agents.
It's best to buy tickets at least one day before departure to ensure a seat or sleeper.
Travel agents will book train tickets for a commission.