Tag Archives: hanoi

Early Morning Transit

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We arrived back in Hanoi after the overnight train ride from Lao Cai at around 5 am. This was when another experience of dealing with the local customs/culture, experiencing the kindness of others, and overall being out of the comfort zone started.

After getting off from the train, we followed other passengers towards the exit from the station. There it seemed to be a little chaotic; it wasn’t clear where we should be going. I suppose this was normal at the Hanoi station; we didn’t experience this on the way out a couple of days before since we had someone arranging our departure. On the return, we’re pretty much on our own.

There were some taxis lining up inside the station’s parking area, but there wasn’t any clear sign to indicate if those are the official taxis to take (if such regulation existed). We decided to just continue walking outside the train station. There it was even more chaotic with people offering taxi service everywhere. I guess I was still half awake and not fully alert when I responded and followed one of the taxi drivers to his car, expecting it to be like what you expect in other countries — get in the car, tell the driver where to go, and then we would go with the taxi meter running. The driver loaded our luggage into the trunk, and we entered the back seat. I told him the address where we needed to go, expecting him to recognize it and start the meter. Instead, he told me a price for the ride that was clearly inflated. I wasn’t expecting to do negotiation at that moment, but even instinctively I said no and told him it’s too expensive. He did come down on the price, but at that moment I realized he got us captive since our luggage was already in his trunk. It was still a bit higher than I think the cost should be, but at that point we just wanted to get to our destination.

Our destination that morning was 6 on Sixteen, the new boutique hotel in Old Quarter Hanoi that was opened only a month before by the same proprietor as Sapa Rooms Hotel where we stayed in Sapa. We started our journey to Sapa at 6 on Sixteen, and we needed a pick up address for the tour company that would take us for the next leg of our journey, so we gave them the address of 6 on Sixteen. The problem was that our pick up time was not until around 8 am, and it was still 5 am. So we needed a place to wait for a couple hours in between.

Before leaving Sapa, I asked the folks at Sapa Rooms if it was okay to come to 6 on Sixteen in the morning as technically we’ve already checked out from Sapa Rooms by then and since we’re not planning on staying at 6 on Sixteen afterwards, they were not obligated to deal with us at that point. The Sapa Rooms manager said it’s okay and he would let the staff at 6 on Sixteen know about our arrival.

When we arrived at 6 on Sixteen, the place was still closed, and the area was practically deserted. The only people we saw on the street were traders who were on their way to the market in early morning, or some drunk foreigners who were on their way back after a night of partying. I was a bit skeptical whether the folks from Sapa did notify their counterpart in Hanoi about us. But we didn’t want to stay out on the street with our luggage, so I rang the entrance door bell to the hotel. After waiting for few minutes, a half sleepy gentleman came out. I told him about our story. I’m not sure if he did get all that I told him, but he nodded his head when he heard Sapa Rooms. He let us come into the restaurant/lounge area of the hotel, which was still not set up for business yet. As we sat down, he asked us if we wanted any drink, and he gave us the drink menu from the restaurant. We asked for a cup of coffee and a fruit juice drink. He nodded and went to the kitchen and made us the drinks.

We sat there and waited until a couple of hours later when our ride came and picked us up. During that wait, we saw the area came to life as the day broke, and more hotel staff came in to start the day. One lady later on asked us if we wanted to order some breakfast. I looked at the menu, and it said the restaurant opened at 6 am. It turned out the gentleman who opened the door for us earlier was one of the hotel staff whose job was to guard the door, not necessarily to serve at the restaurant (especially when it was after hours). So we actually experienced some kindness from a stranger and an above and beyond service.

We ordered breakfast, and around 8 am, a minivan showed up and a lady came in and announced my name. There was our ride for the next part of our journey, and I felt relieved that the transition worked out. That morning we had yet another negative experience dealing with taxi in Hanoi. The hospitality of the hotel staff that morning, however, offset the negative part of the morning and was one that I would always remember and it’s reason for recommending the establishment both in Hanoi and Sapa to others coming to visit the area.

The photo below was taken as we waited in the hotel for our ride. Here was Kristi killing time with her Blackberry (there was wi-fi at the hotel as well, so we could connect).

Transit in Hanoi

Train Ride to Lao Cai

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After boarding the train at the Hanoi Train Station, Kristi and I located our cabin inside the train car. Each cabin has four sleepers. When we booked the trip, we were faced with decision whether to follow the recommendation to purchase all four seats in a cabin (for privacy, security, and comfort reasons), or only purchase the two spots that we needed. In the end Kristi and I decided to get only two spots, and we would share the cabin with whoever other passengers who take the other two sleepers. It might be a bit ‘risky’ but we thought we would face the risk while traveling anyway.

When we found our cabin, the first thing we noticed was how small it was. there were four sleepers, two on each side, and they were designed for the local standard size (i.e., pretty short). For Kristi, it wasn’t a problem since she’s pretty small in posture. For me, it’s just about to fit. If anyone 6 ft or taller travels in this cabin, it would be very difficult to travel on the top sleeper. Even if you take the bottom sleeper, a tall person would probably need to sleep with his/her feet on the ground. Adding the constraint of the small cabin space was the space for luggages. You can slide the luggage under the bottom sleepers, but the space was barely enough for luggages from two people. Both Kristi and I each had a backpack. That we had to keep with us on our sleeper. I used it as extra head rest next to my pillow. Other than that, it was a clean cabin with pillows and blankets provided.

Not long after we settled in our cabin, the other two passengers in our cabin arrived. They were a couple from Montreal, Canada, named George and Gol who like us were in the middle of exploring Northern Vietnam. We had a fun conversation talking about our trips so far. George said their trip didn’t start well as they got stranded in Hong Kong for an extra day because their United Airlines connecting flight got canceled and they had to spend almost a whole day at the airport waiting for the next flight to Hanoi. After making it to Vietnam, the first part of their trip was to go to Ha Long Bay for a cruise, and they said they really liked it. They’re planning on spending some time in Hanoi when they get back from Sapa. So it was a little bit in reverse compared to our itinerary — we spent time in Hanoi, then Sapa, then Ha Long Bay. It was great though to hear that the next destination for both our parties were going to be good.

As it got closer to midnight, everyone was ready to get some rest and sleep for a few hours. We had the light turned off and not long after I heard George started snoring a little bit and I could tell Gol and Kristi were already asleep as well. Somehow I had difficult time sleeping, so I ended watching a movie that brought in my netbook and I wanted to watch before the trip to Cambodia, but never had a chance to… The Killing Fields. So there it was, I spent the next three hours or so watching this movie about the Khmer Rouge atrocity in Cambodia. Since we visited the Tuol Sleng Prison and the Choeung Ek Killing Field while in Phnom Penh, I had a better idea of what had happened in real life, and made me appreciate how well the movie was done to reflect what really happened in Cambodia. Eventually after finishing the movie, I got tired enough and could finally fall asleep.

The photo below was taken from outside the cabin looking in. You could see me in the middle of cabin in between the sleepers. I might look big here, but it’s actually the cabin that was small. For size comparison, you could also see my backpack on the top sleeper and Kristi’s bag on the bottom sleeper. I ended up taking the top left sleeper.

Train cabin

Hanoi Train Station

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The first part of our journey from Hanoi to Sapa was to go to the Hanoi Train Station and get on board of our train. Our contact person, Mr. Viet, whom we met at the Six on Sixteen Hotel, got us a taxi cab, and he told us that he would ride his motorcycle separately and meet us at the train station.

When we arrived at the Hanoi Train Station, Mr. Viet was already there, and he told us to follow him. I read about some horror stories of travelers getting scammed when trying to obtain their train tickets at the station, so I was glad that we had someone who knew what he’s doing taking care of this for us. We reached the entrance of what looked like a waiting area, and Mr. Viet told us to wait there while he retrieved our train tickets. He disappeared for a moment, and Kristi and I waited there until he came back. After few minutes, he was back with a couple of tickets in his hands. He gave them to us, and asked us to follow him.

We went through the waiting lobby and continued through the train platform. Mr. Viet told us to follow him to our train car; he escorted us all the way to the exact one we needed to board, and then told us that we just have to look for our exact cabin on board. Before he left, he gave us his business card. It looked like he’s a business partner of the proprietor of the Sapa Rooms and Six on Sixteen Hotels who specializes in arranging transportation for travelers from Hanoi to various destinations in Vietnam, including Sapa. He told us that we could contact him for any transportation needs in Hanoi in the future.

I took the photo below before walking into the waiting lobby at the train station. It would be quite an adventure — one that I probably didn’t care to experience — to have to figure out all of these on my own while making sure that I didn’t get ripped off and not missing my train.

Waiting lobby

6 on Sixteen

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After a full day of sightseeing in Hanoi, Vietnam, we were ready to continue on with the next leg of adventure during our Southeast Asia trip. So far we’ve traveled by air, land (car, light rail train, bicycle, tuk-tuk, minivan), and water (river boats). The next leg of the trip is to travel by overnight train, and continued with a minivan. That was the most convenient way of getting to our next destination, Sapa. But before we embarked on this adventure, we had to first get in contact with a gentleman in Hanoi who made the arrangements for our trip to Sapa. That in itself was an interesting experience.

After deciding that Sapa is one of our destinations in Vietnam, we started planning out the trip up there. The easiest, most convenient way of planning this would be to get a travel agency to arrange the trip for you. They’ll take care of the transportation and lodging arrangements. We decided to be a little more adventurous and plan the travel a little bit independently. I used TripAdvisor to look at various boutique hotels in Sapa to consider as places to stay. We ended up selecting a place called Sapa Rooms. When we looked at booking the room to stay there, they mentioned that they could also help arrange the trip from Hanoi to Sapa and back. The only route to go to Sapa (north of Hanoi, near the border with China) was to take train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, then take a minivan or bus from Lao Cai to Sapa. The train typically leaves Hanoi in the evening and arriving at Lao Cai in early morning. Then it’s about one hour drive up the mountains to Sapa. We thought we were adventurous, but trying to do all of these without anything pre-arranged would be a bit too much adventure to take. And trying to book the train ticket on our own was quite a confusing process. So we decided to just book our travel through Sapa Rooms as well.

It turned out that the Sapa Rooms owner, an Australian gentleman, also had a business in Hanoi. Few months before our trip (when we were in the planning stage), he had a place in Hanoi that was meant to be a quick rest stop for independent travelers to freshen up before they head to Sapa. But just shortly before our trip, that place was closed, and instead he opened up a new boutique hotel in the heart of Old Quarter Hanoi called 6 on Sixteen (they had only six rooms, and it’s on 16 Bao Khanh Street). This was the place that we were instructed to go to by a certain time to meet the gentleman named Mr. Viet who would get us to the train station, provide us with our train tickets, and ensure that we get on the right train to Lao Cai. I read many horror stories about people getting scammed at the Hanoi Train Station, so I thought even though this arrangement sounded a bit outside my comfort zone, it seemed to be safer than trying to do it myself.

We arrived at the Six on Sixteen around 6 pm, just like what we were instructed. As we got there, I told the hotel staff that we were there to see Mr. Viet before our trip to Sapa. The hotel staff mentioned that Mr. Viet will usually come around 7 pm, and in the mean time we were welcomed to hang out at their restaurant/lounge.

The ground floor of the small boutique hotel was pretty much a long, narrow room with wooden tables and benches and a bunch of plush pillows to sit on around a lounge table. Since we knew we’re going to travel overnight on the train, we thought it would be better if we had something to eat before we leave. I thought this was quite a smart arrangement by the hotel’s proprietors; get the travelers to come a little early before their trip, and offer them some food and refreshments before their journey. We ordered a couple of Vietnamese appetizers and some mixed fruit drinks (which we came to love during the next couple of days staying at Sapa Rooms/6 on Sixteen).

Around 7:30 pm, finally Mr. Viet arrived (after I got nervous and checking with the 6 on Sixteen staff several times). After quickly greeting us, he stopped a taxi cab, told the driver that we’re going to the Hanoi train station, and told us to get on the taxi and he would meet us at the train station as he rode his motorcycle separately. The memorable trip to Sapa then started…

The photo below was taken at the 6 on Sixteen lounge area while we were waiting for Mr. Viet to arrive. You can see the dimly lit area, and the long and narrow place.

Six on Sixteen

Cafe in Hanoi

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When we were in Hanoi, Vietnam, our plan for spending the afternoon watching the Water Puppet show had to be changed because the tickets for the day’s performances were already sold out. So we found ourselves with several hours of open time, as we were not supposed to leave for the next leg of our trip until that evening.

We went back to our hotel to ask the staff there for suggestions on good places to go to hang out for few hours. We saw many coffee shops in the city as we walked around the Old Quarter area, so we asked the lady at the front desk for her recommendation on a good place to go that was within walking distance from the hotel. She mentioned that there was a good cafe near a particular intersection, though she didn’t remember the name of the place or the exact address. She pointed the area on the map, and off we went walking towards the area to find the cafe.

We reached the area on the map, but we couldn’t find the cafe as she described. So we decided to continue walking around the area, and finally when we saw a cafe, we decided to just go there to rest and hang out for a little bit.

The cafe looked like a typical one found in Hanoi. It’s a little dark inside, with seating areas set up like a lounge. There was food on the menu as well, though it looked like most people went there to have drinks (coffee, cocktails). While resting and waiting for our drinks, Kristi and I looked at our Blackberry phones and saw that we could get some open wi-fi connection there (from a nearby hotel). So we were able to check emails there while enjoying our drinks. We started ordering coffee, but then we decided to also get some mixed fruit drinks.

We would’ve stayed there for a little longer had we not been bothered by one thing.. it’s not a smoke-free environment, and many Vietnamese smoked cigarettes. We kind of got sick from the second-hand smoking after a while, so we decided to finish our drinks, paid up, and continued our walking tour.

The photo below was taken at the cafe. Here is Kristi checking emails on her Blackberry. You can see the drinks we had there.

Cafe in Hanoi