Becca25

Hello,
I am going to travel to Hanoi on my own and haven't really had much experience with travelling so ideally i would like to have the whole trip organised before I go.
I would really like to get picked up from the airport and stay with the tour for the whole time which would include a day in Hanoi before going to HaLong Bay. I have seen a few tours where i can organise it where i would be alone on the trip but I would rather go as a small group. The time to spend in Hanoi can be flexible as i am then working my way to Hue to meet a friend. I would also rather spend more money to make it a more comfortable trip!!.
If anyone has any ideas or done anything like this before please can you advise me of companies you have used??
Many Thanks

mrwunrfl

http://www.handspan.com/

zengeos

My whole urge to take a relatively exotic trip after 5 years...even though I am borrowing every penny to do it...started with a visit to friendly planet's website (god budget oriented tours, with a good number of independent days to strike out on your own.

Then I expanded to responsible travel.com. I didn't find the independent trip I wanted at either of these places, BUT, I think they both offer a nice range of trips; eco oriented, etc... Check these two sites out for starters.

Mark-

www.responsibletrevel.com

www.friendlyplanet.com

Paulle

It is heap cheaper if you book for everything at most hotel in Hanoi. If you plan to stay at a guesshouse from 10 to 20 dallars per night you should book 1 or 2 nights prior to your arrival. When you was there you can switch to a better one in case you have problem with that GH.Many of medium and high end hotel will pick you up at the airport for extra $5 us. Travel in Vietnam is very easy. If you think about do it independently, I recomend you to go to the forum of lonely planet. Recently there was a discussion about travel independently or with complete package tour.
Enjoy your VN trip!

rabidstoat

I'm a solo female traveler typing this from my hotel in Hanoi right now.

I've traveled internationally quite a bit, but it's my second time to Asia only (and the first was to Japan, which was totally different). But, I've found it very easy to get around. I'd almost say it's easier than Europe.

Handspan, as mentioned above, is a good company. I booked a Halong Bay tour through them and it was top notch, good transportation, excellent room, tons of food, no complaints. I booked a 1-day trip with a Sinh Cafe clone for a lot less ($16) and was less thrilled but it was adequate, and I got what I paid for, so no complaints. Either was fine and safe if you keep "you get what you pay for" in mind, and I met lots of friendly English-speaking tourists to chat with.

Anyway, day tours (or even 2- or 3-day tours) are very easy to arrange when you get to the city.

Vietnam84

You'd better to book your trip with a travel agent in Hanoi. Just search 'travel agents in Hanoi', you will find some websites. They will arrange your trip as your order. Don't worry and enjoy your trip!

eurotraveller

As a solo female traveller to Vietnam in November, I can vouch that Hanoi is a very easy city to get around without an agent.

Landing in the airport and getting a shuttle into town was flawless and easy. I did not make reservations in advance as I was flying by the seat of my pants and didn't know when I would arrive in Hanoi.

I had the driver take me to a hotel I had read about. They dropped me off and when I was told they were full I asked for a recommendation to another place. They then drove me to the next place several blocks away.

I paid $10 per night for a beautiful room with air con, large private bath and breakfast included. There was no lift so I had a hike up to the 5th floor.

Everybody and their brother, cousin, friend can direct you to a guided tour but handspan seems to be the one many people use and trust.

Good luck!