Vietnam - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 134

TRAINS FROM HANOI

COST SOFT SEAT/SOFT
BERTH (D)

DURATION
(HR)

DESTINATION STATION

Danang Hanoi 615,000/942,000 15½-21

Long Bien & Gia
Lam

Haiphong 55,000/65,000 2½-3

HCMC Hanoi 1,175,000/1,690,000 30-41

Hue Hanoi 535,000/844,000 12-16

Lao Cai Tran Quy Cap 232,000/478,000 8½-9½

Nha Trang Hanoi 996,000/1,607,000 19-28

Getting Around

BICYCLE
Many Old Quarter guesthouses and cafes rent bikes for about US$2 per day. Good luck
with that traffic.

BUS
Plenty of local buses (fares from 3000d) serve routes around Hanoi but very few tourists
bother with them.

CYCLO
A few cyclo drivers still frequent the Old Quarter. Settle on a price first and watch for
overcharging.
Aim to pay 30,000 to 50,000d for a short journey; night rides cost more.

ELECTRIC TRAIN
Hanoi's ecofriendly electric train (per car six passengers) 250,000d; 8.30am-10.30pm) is actu-
ally a pretty good way to get your bearings. It traverses a network of 14 stops in the Old
Quarter and around Hoan Kiem Lake. Catch one at the northern end of the lake; a circuit
takes around 40 minutes.

MOTORCYCLE
Offers for xe om (motorbike taxi) rides are ubiquitous. A short ride should be about
20,000d, about 5km around 70,000d.