Hanoi - Market Street 2
  JANUARY 2016:   Read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. Read about Hanoi – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs. Read about Vietnam Visa. OVERVIEW: I had no intention of extending my stay in Halong. I decided to spend my final 8 nights in Hanoi before flying on to The Philippines. I stayed in the Old Quarter (where most Tourists go). The Hanoi Old Quarter was what I was expecting… just another big city tourist area like District 1 in Saigon (I’m not a fan of big cities) with Tourist Shops, Tourist Restaurants and Tourist Bars inter-mingled with Chinese Style Shops, street stalls, and local cafes. Many […]

Hanoi – Vietnam – Information

JANUARY 2016: OVERVIEW: My costs start at the Halong ferry terminal and include: A walk from there to my hotel (free) 4 nights in a GRANDPAcking Standard hotel Food & Drink Mobile Data / Communications Visa cost apportionment Tourist Bus to Hanoi CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about Halong – Vietnam – Information. Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country. Click here for detailed Travel Information and more Travel Budgets in this country. Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures. SPREADSHEET SUMMARY: MY ACTUAL 1 PERSON GRANDPAcking COSTS: Accommodation: My accommodation was a ‘GRANDPAcking Standard’ Double with aircon and cable TV (with […]

Halong – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs

  JANUARY 2016:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. Click here for detailed Halong – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs. Read about Vietnam Visa. OVERVIEW: I spent Christmas and New Year 2015 in Cat Ba Island and I went from there to Quan Lan Island so that I could see a bit more of Halong Bay. I decided to spend a few days in Halong City before heading for Hanoi… I wanted to see whether or not Halong City was more than just a transit point for people going to / from their Halong Bay cruises. GETTING THERE: I organised my own way from Quan Lan to […]

Halong – Vietnam – Information

  JANUARY 2016:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I enjoyed my short stay on Quan Lan Island even though it was the wrong time of year to be there. It was time to move on… I still had 11 days before I had to leave to The Philippines, so I looked at my options. There weren’t many between Quan Lan and Hanoi. I decided to head for Halong City for a few days to see whether or not it had anything more to offer than just a transitpoint for people coming and going from their Halong Bay cruises. HOTEL […]

Quan Lan – Vietnam – To Halong

JANUARY 2016: OVERVIEW: My costs start at Cai Rong ferry terminal and include: Ferry and transfer from Cai Rong to Quan Lan Town 3 nights in a GRANDPAcking hotel Food & Drink 1x Scooter Hire (with Petrol) Mobile Data / Communications Visa cost apportionment Ferry to Halong CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about Quan Lan – Vietnam – Information. Click here to read about Retirement Locations in this country. Click here for detailed Travel Information and more Travel Budgets in this country. Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures. SPREADSHEET SUMMARY: MY ACTUAL 1 PERSON GRANDPAcking COSTS: Accommodation: My accommodation was a ‘GRANDPAcking Standard’ Double with […]

Quan Lan – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs

JANUARY 2016: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. Click here for detailed Quan Lan – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs. Read about Vietnam Visa. OVERVIEW: My stay over Christmas and New Year 2015 in Cat Ba Island left me feeling that I had not seen enough of Halong Bay. So, I looked north to the lesser known islands… GETTING THERE: I organised my own way from Cat Ba To Quan Lan. Please note that before you get onto the ferry out to Quan Lan you have to register your passport and Vietnamese Visa details with the police. You have to do the same when […]

Quan Lan – Vietnam – Information

JANUARY 2016: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I arrived in Quan Lan from Cat Ba. I had not planned to be in Quan Lan; I was, actually, trying to get to Co To… Anyway, I arrived in Quan Lan without any pre-booked accommodation. I booked into the Ngan Ha Hotel just walking in off the street. I was only staying 3 nights, so I booked all 3 at the Ngan Ha. The room rate was VND300k / night; I negotiated them down to VND200k / night. On my second day I decided to rent a scooter and have a look at […]

Quan Lan – Vietnam – Around The ...

  JANUARY 2016:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I enjoyed my Christmas and New Year in Cat Ba Island even though it was the wrong time of year to be there. It was time to move on… I still had 2 weeks before I had to leave to The Philippines, so I looked at my options. Whilst in Cat Ba, I did not see much of Halong Bay so I decided to go north into the group of islands. The manager at the Full Moon Party Hotel, Cat Ba suggested that I go to Dao Co To; we […]

Cat Ba – Vietnam – To Quan ...

DECEMBER 2015: OVERVIEW: My costs start at Hai Phong Airport and include: A Moto Taxi to Ben Binh Harbour Ferry and transfers from Ben Binh Harbour to Cat Ba Town 11 nights in a Double Room in a Budget Hotel with Aircon (which was not needed) and Cable TV as well as a ‘simple’ breakfast 1x Scooter Hire (with Petrol) Mobile Data / Communications Trips / Excursions Visa cost apportionment My costs of Getting Away to Cai Rong Ferry Port Lots of partying and entertainment (I was there for Christmas and New Year) CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about Cat Ba – Vietnam – […]

Cat Ba – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs

  DECEMBER 2015:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. Click here for detailed Cat Ba – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs. Read about Vietnam Visa. OVERVIEW: I really enjoyed my time in Hoi An, but it was time to move on. I was looking forward to getting ‘more active’ in Cat Ba Island / Halong Bay. It was time for some ‘adventuring’, some kayaking, some trekking, and a trip by boat around Halong Bay. Cat Ba is the biggest island in Halong Bay and roughly half of the island is a National Park. GETTING THERE: To get from Hoi An to Cat Ba, I flew […]

Cat Ba – Vietnam – Information

DECEMBER 2015: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I arrived in Cat Ba Island on 21st December 2015. This is ‘off season’ and it rains most days. Also, some days (and many nights) are quite cold so you need to wear long trousers and warm tops / jackets. I planned to stay for nearly 2 weeks through to the 2nd January 2016; so, I was going to be there for Christmas and New Year. It was going to be important to find the right spot… GETTING THERE: I travelled from Hoi An to Cat Ba and landed at the boat […]

Cat Ba – Vietnam – Where To ...

  DECEMBER 2015:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I really enjoyed my time in Hoi An, but it was time to move on. It was time to move on to my next destination: Cat Ba Island. You can get to Cat Ba from Hoi An by train, but this is best done on an over-night ‘sleeper’ and the journey from Da Nang to Hanoi is said to take 12-14 hours. I’m a GRANDPAcker so, I decided to fly. BOOKING THE FLIGHT: You need to Book a Regional Flight from Da Nang to Hai Phong; I went directly to the Vietnam […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – To Cat ...