Hanoi
sprawls along the Red River (Song Hong), which is spanned by three
bridges. The oldest is the 1682m (5500ft) Long Bien Bridge, built in
1902. Though bombed repeatedly by the US, the bridge supported rail and
other traffic continuously throughout the war; today it serves
pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles only. A few metres south is the
newer Chuong Duong Bridge, and north of the city, servicing the airport,
is the Thang Long Bridge.
Most
of Hanoi's streets are prefixed with pho , while larger roads and
boulevards are called duong . The city is divided into seven central
districts (quan) , surrounded by outlying neighbourhoods called hyyen .
Can't-miss quan include the Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi's attractive city
centre, and the elegant Ba Dinh district, also known as the French
Quarter, which is home to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum.
Most
travellers experience of Hanoi will be in the Old Quarter, just north
of Hoan Kiem Lake. This fascinating maze is made up of narrow streets
whose names reflect the wares that are sold there.
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Getting There
For
a capital city there are surprisingly few flights into Hanoi, but
that's slowly changing. You can get direct flights into Hanoi's Noi Bai
airport from Europe (Paris, Vienna and Moscow), Australia (Sydney and
Melbourne), and most major Asian cities (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Phnom Penh,
Tokyo, Seoul, Vientiane, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Taiwan), including
several Chinese destinations. There are no direct flights to Hanoi from
the Americas.
The bus system is inexpensive
and easy to use with the aid of a bus map. There is cheap public
transportation from Hanoi's several bus stations to all parts of
Vietnam. Most travellers avoid the buses, preferring to use the
transport provided by the government sanctioned travel and tour
companies.
The capital's main train station, Ga
Hang Co, provides access to the 2600km (1612mi) Vietnamese railway
system, which runs up and down the coast between Hanoi and Saigon with
links all over Vietnam and twice-weekly service to Beijing. Though
sometimes even slower than the buses, these dilapidated trains are more
comfortable as well as safer, for cross-country travel.
Getting Around
There
are plenty of taxis and minibuses plying their trade between the
airport and city centre, and it's possible to hire either for a trip
around town. However, watch out for airport sharks taking you to the
wrong hotel for commission, as this is all too common.
Renting
a car or motorbike is a popular option, despite the presence of water
buffalo, chickens, maniacal truck drivers, bicycles laden with
struggling pigs, and packs of hormone-crazed teenage boys in vehicles of
every shape, size and colour all sharing the narrow, pockmarked roads
and obeying traffic laws that have no parallel in the known universe.
Hanoi is so compact that you can get by (and get fit) by walking around
town. Remember, walk don't run through the traffic: the drivers will go
around you (just don't try this at home!).
More details at http://www.reddragoncruise.com/news/gettohanoi
