Overview
** HANOI TOURS, VIETNAM **
Read travel tips for Hanoi from our amazing community of BLACK AND BROWN TRAVELERS that will help you find some of the best places to visit in Hanoi.Our variety of travel tips will definitely help you plan your next trip. Our tips range from best places to visit in Hanoi, affordability, nightlife, local food, where to stay and even what it is like Traveling While Black. Lastly, we are working diligently to create a comprehensive city guide for Hanoi tours. Stay tuned! But in the meantime, scroll down to read tips below!
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Vietnam easily rose to my favorite country I have traveled to thus far. I have only been to Hanoi, but with everything to do, touristy and non-touristy, I can already see how much Vietnam has to offer. In Hanoi, you can take short, <5 hours, adventures to places like Ninh Bin, Cat Ba Island, and Halong Bay. But you can also take longer adventures to places like Ha Giang and other northern regions.
While in Hanoi, I met only one Black American from Baltimore, so I would not say there are many Black travelers, especially from America (I try to say hi to every Black traveler and person I come across!). Also, while traveling here I did not get many stares, only a couple of curious looks from people but as soon as I smiled, I would be greeted with a smile and we'd continue on with our days. Overall, I love Vietnam for its culture, its beauty, the VIBRANCE, you can definitely find something going on at late hours of the day.
Vietnam is a very beautiful country, filled with nature and amazing landscape. We spent 4 days. On arrival, we got picked up by our driver who had amazing reviews on trip advisor. He drove us to our resort which was located in Ninh binh from Hanoi which was approximately 2hrs 30min. We hired him as our driver thorough out the stay which costs 175usd for 3 days, which includes daily tours with entry tickets , lunch and tour guide. Each day we visited 3 to 4 tourist sites. +84 98 889 52 66 (toan) that’s his number. Vietnam is trully a beautiful country and very cheap, people are quite pleasant. Traveling while black was very refreshing as no one stares and everyone minds their business. I would definitely go back to visit other parts of the country.
Staying in a romantic 5-star hotel was so affordable! I stayed for 4 nights for under $300 at the Oriental Suites and Spa. Great hotel, wonderful English speaking staff, the best location that was within walking distance of many tourist attractions in Hanoi. Every day we had romantic couples massages for about $25.
Getting around Hanoi is super easy— just download their version of Uber, it’s called Grab. If you stay in the Old town it’s really easy to just walk everywhere.
The most romantic part of our trip was a visit to Ha Long Bay. Truly a spectacular sight!! We took an overnight cruise. It started off at 8am with pick up by bus and took approx 2.5 hour to reach the bay area. When we set sail, we were served lunch by the crew fit for a king and queen. There was Vietnamese food and I told the crew that I was a vegetarian, so they prepared a special dish for me. We paid for drinks on the boat , that was the only thing that wasn’t inculded in the price.
The ride on the boat was amazing, smooth and cruising along the sea and the lime stone mountains. The mountain scene was amazing and breath-taking. On day one we went hiking through “Surprise cave” where we had to climb a number of steep steps into the cave. Once inside the cave, the sights were amazing. There was an opportunity for some kayaking and swimming, which we did!
The cruise was only about 15 people in total, a mix of families and couples. There were lots of pre-planned activities including, squid fishing, a cooking class, and tai chi lessons.
As Halong Bay is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world, one must visit the bay when in Hanoi. A trip of a life time which must not be missed.
CAT BA ISLAND
One of the most popular things to do in Vietnam is to take a boat tour of the famous Halong Bay one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. However, at an average of £150+ boat tours can be pretty expensive and eat quite far into your budget.
A friend of mine who used to live in Hanoi recommended that I should instead skip Halong Bay and visit Cat Ba Island instead and I’m so glad I listened to her advice! A short bus ride and ferry away from Hanoi, Cat Ba Island is a small island surrounded by limestone cliffs and mountains and is a much cheaper alternative to taking a tour of Halong Bay!
Staying on the Island is incredibly cheap, my hotel room was £4 a night (including breakfast) . Then you can either do a day tour of Halong Bay from here which is much cheaper than the ones you will see advertised in Hanoi.
I chose to hire a motorbike and tour the island with a friend I made on the way. We visited Cat Ba National Park which had an entrance fee of 80 000 VND and hiked to the top of the park which gave unimaginable views of the entire island.
NINH BINH
From Hanoi, you can take a day trip or overnight trip to Ninh Binh getting there either by train or the bus. I would recommend getting the bus since it can pick you up right from your hostel or hotel.
When you get there, I would recommend hiring a motorbike to make it easier to get around. I hired was able to hire a motorbike with a full tank from my hostel for 130K VND/£4.30.
Things to do:
Explored the Ninh Binh and Tam Coc area – The province is beautiful with endless rice fields, definitely explore the area and take in the wonderful scenery.
Mua Caves – One of the most famous attractions in Ninh Binh. The attraction is a series of caves and mountains with the most breath taking views of the Tam Coc river. Entrance fee is 100K VND/£3.30). BE AWARE that random people will try to charge you to park as you make your way to the caves, IGNORE THEM as parking is free on the entrance grounds.
River Cruise on Tam Coc or Trang An – Trang An is less popular but was one of my favourite activities during my whole trip. The boat tour is 200K VND/£6.60 for 3 hours and there are a few routes to choose from. I went pretty late so I had the whole boat to myself!
Hanoi! Yikes. I get chills thinking about my time here. This was country 3 on my 6-month long backpacking tour. I stayed at Cocoon Inn for 8 USD a night which was top 5. I love the Old Quarter. I spent many nights through the area stuffing myself with local foods and drinking until the late hours. Found a barbershop that gave me one of the cleanest cuts I ever had. I booked a cruise tour to Ha Long Bay for 2 nights which was beautiful. I also went to some museums around town. I rec’d the Womens Museum and the prison history which was impactful. The city is very crowded and hardly sleeps but when it comes to the local experience which I’m big on you definitely can get it here. There is much history. I booked 2 nights but ended up staying around 5.
We spend 2 night in Hanoi..this place was extremely cheap we exchange $60 bucks which is 1,281,900.084 Vietnam Dong (VND)..I am not jocking lol .
My favorite part was our boat cruise to Halong bay..Stunning Natural Heritage
Halong Bay .we booked our tour through viator for$ 45.00 per person they picked us up at the hotel at 8.30am .They provided lunch,5 different dishes to choose from and drinks.the most wonderful sights little islands in the middle of the ocean as well as bigger islands with small beaches, the whole area is listed by the World Heritage as a natural wonder and when you are there you can see that.We went to most magnificent cave which was very big and well lit..The caves were very crowded and for some reason the other tourist there were taking pictures of us lol like they never seen black people before ??…we didn’t mind.
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I spent 3 nights in Hanoi. The airport is not close to downtown so the taxi might cost around $15 to 20 USD to get to your hotel. Make sure before you leave the airport you exchange some money. Most things you buy, will be paid in cash and in Vietnamese dong. Vietnam is relatively cheap so no need to change hundreds of dollars. I stayed in the Pan Pacific Hotel. Really nice hotel. The food there is really good, especially their breakfast. The hotel rooms for twin beds are not that big though but the views are great. The hotel has one of the best rooftop bars in Hanoi, called The Summit. Great views of Hanoi. In Hanoi you can definitely visit the Temple of Literature and the Citadel. The food in Hanoi is also a must try as the food in northern Vietnam is different from the food in southern Vietnam. I actually prefer the pho in Hanoi than Siagon. From Hanoi I took a tour to Ha Long Bay, a must see in Vietnam. It is so beautiful. This took about 4 hours. I stayed on the Dragon Legend cruise for 1 night. They took us to a small beach and a limestone cave, they had a cooking class for us, and we also learned some thai chi moves. Definitely would recommend doing this tour from Hanoi.
I only spent 1 night in Hanoi before traveling around SE Asia. Some tips for a quick trip. Of course you need to taste the coffee and any street food you can get your hands on. There are also streets dedicated to specific stores like silk, shoes, and books that are worth checking out. I highly suggest going to train street. Located in a narrow street surrounded by homes, lies a train track. Twice a day, a speeding train headed for Ho Chi Minh City passes through here. If you’re there at that time, you literally have to become one with the buildings when the train passes. Unfortunately, I missed the train that day but the street is still something to see.