Air Travel

Four times daily Vietnam Airlines flights connect Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu; the one-way fare starts at around 1,000,000d. Since the Northwest is best experienced on the ground, consider flying to Dien Bien Phu and then returning to Hanoi another way. You can rent a private car or motorbike and take Highway 6 to Hanoi, or you can head up to Sapa first on Route 70. From Sapa, jump on the Noi Bai Lao Cai Expressway to get back where you started. Talk with one of the travel agencies or tourist cafés in Hanoi to see if they have contacts that can book you a one-way trip back to the capital. They may insist, however, that you pay for the mileage for the driver's return to Dien Bien Phu or Son La.

Contacts

Vietnam Airlines. 4/373–2732; www.vietnamairlines.com.