Ha long bay to hanoi

[Sprucegoose]

Hi,

Any ideas on the fastest way from Ha long Bay to Hanoi. Have the option of a private car, anything else? Anyone does this recently?

 

[Boris spatsky]

Friend did it last week by private car. Very quick, but apparently the driving/roads are extremely scary.

 

[Sprucegoose]

thnxs, i would expect that!! What did he pay?

 

[puppysparkes]

Private car is the way to go because you avoid the mandatory stopover at the tourist and marble shops. It seemed like a race track for one and all in some spots.

 

[Boris spatsky]

thnxs, i would expect that!! What did he pay?

Will find out

 

[Austman]

Interested to know too. And will report back. Will be there next week.

 

[Austman]

Any info? I'm in Hanoi now and looking to book.

 

[Pushka]

We used a Private Car. I can't remember how much we paid but probably less than $100 (4 years ago). He drove, very very fast. We had a plane to catch.

 

[Austman]

Have just booked a car for the day.

Went to tripadvisor and selected one with high marks and a lot of reviews. USD 80.00 for the day.

We'll decide what to do re lunch, boats etc when we get there. And we can decide ourselves when to return to Hanoi.

I'll post the company details if I think it was good.

 

[puppysparkes]

Try and sample a fish dish called cha ca vlong. It's a Hanoi dish which we found to be amazing. We didn't get to the venue in the link but I'm sure it's fantastic wherever you eat. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/05/3...-a-dish-inspired-by-a-dive-in-hanoi.html?_r=0

 

[burmans]

Try and sample a fish dish called cha ca vlong. It's a Hanoi dish which we found to be amazing. We didn't get to the venue in the link but I'm sure it's fantastic wherever you eat. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/05/3...-a-dish-inspired-by-a-dive-in-hanoi.html?_r=0

Highly recommend this, the place itself is a bit of a dive and they only serve one dish, but boy it's good. One tip, after they serve you, if you make it clear you want more you get a second serve and you will want more so do ask.

 

[ALH]

Have just booked a car for the day.

Went to tripadvisor and selected one with high marks and a lot of reviews. USD 80.00 for the day.

We'll decide what to do re lunch, boats etc when we get there. And we can decide ourselves when to return to Hanoi.

I'll post the company details if I think it was good.

Looking forward to your report back for my trip I'm March

 

[drivatruk]

This company has what i think is the fastest way and by passes all the stops.
I'm looking at booking cause i hate long car trips
Haven't priced it..

Its a Seaplane

Customised Tours to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos & Burma | Buffalo Tours

 

[Austman]

I ended up using Hanoi Transfer Service Company.

www.hanoitransferservice.com

They were fine. US$79 for a return trip in a 4 seater car. The whole booking could be done via email too.

We had a 9am pick-up and were back at 6pm. That gave us around 3 hours in the Halong Bay area. Certainly enough time for lunch and a drive/walk around a few places.

The lunch cruises are 4 hours, noon to 4pm, so you need more time if you want to do that.

As I suspected, our driver's English was not good, which caused a few communication issues, but these were all overcome by pointing on a map or by calling back to the office staff. So don't expect a commentary. All up I liked the independence and the fact that it was faster than the mini busses. The 4 hour lunch cruise is probably worth doing - it just needs a couple of hours more.

The lunch cruise boats

Nice views

There are some lakeside walks

 

[Pushka]

We did the two night trip. The first night was excellent. The next day most passengers disembarked as they'd finished but MrP and I stayed for night 2. We were provided with a BBQ prawn and chicken lunch while they prepped the boat for the next batch. MrP ate the prawns. Bad move. Vile case of food poisoning. The next morning they turf you out of the cabin at 8am. Aircon turned off. No flushing toilets after 11am. Mr P was in a lot of trouble as we couldn't disembark until 12. Our driver got us back to HaNoi quickly and we were so pleased we weren't on that mini bus. That was an awful memory. Poor driver must have been perturbed by the noise in the back seat but I'd got a bucket.

 

[Sprucegoose]

We got a private transfer for $173 for an overnight cruise including a transfer to the airport the day after we get back. So happy we got it all sorted and avoided the minibus.

If you are looking at booking a HaLong bay cruise go direct, a lot cheaper than what the AUS agent quoted us. We went with Paradise Cruises.

 

[Buzzard]

We used a Private Car. I can't remember how much we paid but probably less than $100 (4 years ago). He drove, very very fast. We had a plane to catch.

Sounds quite exciting.

 

[ALH]

I booked 3 pax. Private Balcony Suite on Paloma Cruises. $ 581 inc. return Hanoi transfer. March '15. Can't wait

 

[hummel]

I booked 3 pax. Private Balcony Suite on Paloma Cruises. $ 581 inc. return Ho Chi Minh transfer. March '15. Can't wait

I'm hoping they've improved there plumbing since 2012!

 

[Sprucegoose]

I booked 3 pax. Private Balcony Suite on Paloma Cruises. $ 581 inc. return Hanoi transfer. March '15. Can't wait

Good price. Is that a private transfer? Recommended