Hanoi: Cyclo Tour
 

CYCLO TOUR


I saw a travel company with an ad about taking a two-hour cyclo tour through the Old Quarters of Hanoi. Can you make arrangments yourself at much less cost? Anybody take one of these tours? What is the going rate? Any special routing or must see/dos if you do one?

Yes, you can make these arrangements yourself in Hanoi. I don't know the price, but they are very inexpensive. It will be much more expensive if you book ahead. They have a pretty set route through the Old Quarter.

Thanks Kathie

I've always wanted to do that

Instead of doing a set tour, I might suggest that you just hop on a cyclo, with several spots in mind you might like to go. Our best day in Hanoi, and one of the best of our whole trip, was chatting with the cyclo guys as we rode around. We told them a few places we wanted to, and they suggested a few others. It was more relaxed than a set tour in a big group, because we could stop into shops or other places we saw that interested us. For example, as we were riding along, I saw I restaurant I had read about and asked the guys to stop: "no problem, Madam!".
I think they charge about $2 per hour, per cyclo....ridiculosly cheap. We paid them double that and I was called "number #1 Madam" for the rest of our stay in Hanoi, LOL.

degas, the old quarter is pretty compact, and even if you take a cyclo tour I recommend also doing some walking. A great time to do it is very early in the morning - stroll around the lake before the postcard sellers are out, and people are doing their morning exercises, tai chi etc. Then cross over into the old quarter, and don't forget to check out the markets.

I usually have reservations about tipping in most countries, but the cyclo guys work so hard for so little that I'd definitely throw them a little extra.

Sounds like fun, and I will be sure to give them an extra large tip as they will have clearly earned it by carrying my big behind!

The more I read, the more confused I become until it all becomes clear.

Is it a cyclo tour in the Old Quarter or the French Quarter or maybe both just for the heck of it?

Now I'm confused - Hanoi has many hangovers from the French days (including two guillotines in the "Hanoi Hilton"), but I don't recall a particular area being designated the "French Quarter". Maybe another poster can help there.

Neil, listed below is what I have picked up from my limited reading so far and it may be wrong:

Ho Hoan Kiem - Geographic and spiritual center of Hanoi

Old Quarter - North and west of the lake, it is a maze of narrow cobblestoned streets. Worth a day of aimless wandering and discovery.

French Quarter - South and east of the lake, here wide tree-lined boulevards offer a stark contrast to confusion in Old Quarter. French colonial influence particularly evident here. Many colonial villas are now home to embassies, upscale hotels and restaurants.

West Lake (Ho Tay) - expats area with sophisticated dining scene, and numerous historic sites and temples.

Ah, OK degas - now I get it. That's probably OK for a 2-hour cyclo ride, but my recollection is that the French buildings and streets we saw were more on the south and west side of the lake. It's been a few years, though, so I'm a bit hazy on the details. You can certainly walk around the lake, especially early in the day or when the weather is cooler.

The cyclo tours are typically in the old quarter.

Interesting pictures and account of a two hour cyclo tour:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/304254/index.html

More photos of the old quarter:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/304187/index.html