Today was the day we landed in Hanoi. I was so glad to be off that awful flight. The company we flew with – VietJet Air – has to be one of the worst I have flown with. They are a budget airline that flies internationally but doesn’t charge budget airline prices! The plane was dirty. I used the toilet and it had no tissues and was really untidy. I made sure I didn’t need to use it again. The plane was also really hot. Ken commented on how hot it was too.
We were both so glad to be off. Getting through immigration was a breeze. We just had to show our passports and then we got a stamp in it. We can come to Vietnam visa-free for 45 days. We then went to the baggage carousel to wait for my bag. As it came through it looked a little drunk. For some reason, it has lost its rigidity and I think that happened in Kathmandu. Now to find which airline to blame!
We got out of customs and not long after I got a message from the driver to say he was outside waiting for us. I was shocked as this was around 06:20 and we said we should be out by 07:00. I’m not complaining though – I was happy to be out of the airport and in some cold air.
I just sat in the back as we drove to the hotel. I was trying my best not to fall asleep.
Hanoi Sites
Ninh Binh Sites
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We got to the hotel and they told us that our room wasn’t ready because of how early it was and we said that was fine – we didn’t expect to be able to check in so early.
They said they had a room that was free for an extra tenner if we wanted to sleep. I said yes as I was super tired. We went up and I think we both managed to get some sleep. There was a knock on the door around 12:15 saying we needed to leave the room. We did and went downstairs and collected the key to our room. It turns out they were on the same floor – shame they couldn’t just tell us that without us having to go back down.
The room itself is of a decent standard – not Kathmandu standard but definitely way better than Delhi. I showered and got ready and we went out walking. We asked at reception first about a day tour around the city and she gave us a map and pointed out some places. We said we would think about booking it.
I asked about the train street and she said it was 600m from the hotel. We decided we would walk along the tracks and just see what was there. As we were walking up to it some woman accosted us and tried to get us to go to her shop. I hate that they do that. It’s so damn annoying. I guess they have to make their living somehow.
We went to walk up the steps and someone tried to stop us telling us not to walk there. We just pushed past them and walked along the track. It was pretty cool to be here after only seeing it in videos.
We found somewhere to sit and I said to Ken that we should sit on opposite sides for the views. I went into the cafe where we decided to sit and got some water so we could sit on his seats outside. I asked about the train and he said it would be along in around 13 minutes – it took about 25 minutes.
As we were waiting, some woman came up to Ken selling her wares and he pointed her in my direction. She had magnets so I was happy with that. They were ₫30,000 each. That’s 90p in late Lizzie money. I got them and then just sat and waited.
I was told to push the seat back a little more as I was outside too much. I just stood up so I could get a good video of it.
I could hear the train horn and readied myself to take a video. It was really cool to stand there and see it come past. You can’t tell from the videos how big the train actually is. It gets crazy close to the sides.
Once it had passed we commented on how cool it was to see it and then we carried on walking some more. We went further down the tracks and then were told we had to turn around. There was some official blowing a whistle and moving us all on. He blew the whistle right in Ken’s ear. I thought he was going to turn around and hit him.
We found a little coffee shop where we could sit and we found they had really good wifi so we used the time here to upload our pictures as the wifi at the hotel is really poor. I had a really nice freshly pressed apple juice and a warm croissant. They were delicious.
Once we left here we decided to head back to the hotel. We said we would definitely go along the market during the evening when it has just gotten dark as it would make for some good pictures.
We got back to the hotel and asked about the city tour and they said it would be $60 but they could offer a promotion for $40. I told the guy at reception we were told a different price. Luckily I had kept the paper where the lady had written it down for $33 and he booked it for us for that price.
Here in Vietnam, if you pay by card they add 3% extra in card fees. Oh well. Totally worth it.
Now we’re back at the hotel for the night and just relaxing. It’s been a long couple of days and this is needed.
All in all, Hanoi was a really great trip and I enjoyed most of it (except for the militant worker at the mausoleum and the heat). I highly recommend going to Vietnam. The scenery is amazing. The people are friendly. The prices are so good too – so good that I can home with about £40. I guess I need to plan a trip there again soon!
Total steps: 47,966Total miles: 22.61
Total kilometers: 36.39
View all of my Hanoi media here
View all of my Ninh Binh media here








































































