Hanoi Travel Forum

We will be arriving to Hanoi on Saturday on the overnight train from Nanning, China. Once there, how exactly would I get to Hanoi Guesthous? Is taxi the easiest way? How do I pronounce "Hanoi Guesthouse" in Vietnamese to the taxi driver? How much should I expect to pay from the train station to Hanoi Guesthouse? Is it easier/cheaper to take a bus? Thanks to all who can help.

Taxi is the easiest way with luggage and pedi cabs are easiest without. A little trick I used when I was traveling in Cambodia and Vietnam: buy a tiny, pocket sized notebook and write the name, address and any other information you may have about your guesthouse in it. This way you can always just show that to your taxi driver if there is a breakdown in verbal communication. I found this very helpful in my travels there. The great thing about Vietnam is their alphabet looks similar to ours!

By the way, do you already have a guesthouse in mind. I can recommend a great one. Friendly and cheap.

Thanks for the info. Yes I have reservations at Hanoi Guesthouse so I was wondering how to get there from the train station. Since you said by taxi with luggage, any idea how far and how much it will cost?
Which guesthouse did you stay at and recommend?

I am not sure where the Hanoi Guesthouse is... so I can't help you on distance. Do you have an address? Or a District? Also if someone offers you a ride on a motobike and they tell you they can do it with your luggage - trust them, they can. We had our huge backpacks and made the journey from the the Old Quarter to the train station on the back of motobikes. Of course my boyfriend and his backpack were on the back of one bike and I was on the other bike with my backpack. Quite a fun ride!

I was going to recommend Thu Giang Guest House but that's depending on what quality you were looking for... Also know this about reservations in Hanoi... (lifted from my tip on the subject) Guesthouses in Hanoi have a standard practice of giving up your reservation if they are reaching capacity and a walk-in comes looking for a room. If this happens they will book you at another guesthouse so you won’t be left out in the cold. The practice is normal, I think, because they would rather ensure they are booked to capacity than rely on flaky tourists to show up, so don’t take offense if you fall victim. It’s not a scam. BUT I will warn you that sometimes the guesthouse they find as an alternative won’t be what you’re looking for so don’t feel obligated to take the replacement room if you are unsatisfied. Just hit the streets and find something else, if you have the time. Unfortunately when this happened to us it was too late in the evening so we were stuck for the night but we found a suitable guesthouse the next morning.

Hi! in vietnamese is "Nha Nghi Hanoi" and it cost by taxi around 2-3 USD
Have a nice time in Hanoi!