Car Travel

Renting a car and driver from one of the many travel agencies and tourist cafés in Hanoi or going with an organized tour by minivan are the easiest ways to get around the northeast. The condition of the roads in the area has improved significantly over the last few years, making travel much more comfortable than it once was.

Renting an air-conditioned car with a driver for a day's drive to Haiphong and back to Hanoi will run from 1,200,000d to 1,500,000d and will take about two hours each way. Of note on your way are the half-dozen pagodas set back in the rice fields along Highway 5.

Halong Bay is a 3½-hour drive from Hanoi. Your driver will most likely head east on Highway 5. Halfway to Haiphong, just before the city of Hai Duong, you'll turn left onto Highway 18. Although crowded, the road has one of the better surfaces in the north and the journey is rarely anything less than smooth. Renting an air-conditioned car with driver from Hanoi costs between 2,400,000d and 2,600,000d for a two-day, one-night trip to Halong, including all car and driver expenses. If it's not the weekend, or if it's in the dead of winter or peak summer, bargain hard—you can usually get a better deal.