Good Morning, Vietnam!

Our transfer from Laos to Hanoi was relatively uneventful. We were picked up at our Airbnb in a large private passenger vehicle at a cost of 15 USD, which was arranged for us by our Airbnb host. Unfortunately, our flight did require a transfer through Vientiane, so what should have been a relatively short haul flight from Luang Prabang was ultimately a full-day affair (even more so after our airline pushed back our connection).

We chose to fly on Laos Airlines largely because 20kg of checked luggage was included in our airfare, making it significantly cheaper than other airlines when our four checked bags were taken into account. We found this flight on Skyscanner, which we recommend to ferret out the cheapest flights that fit your parameters. The service was good on Laos Airlines and there were some light refreshments served on board.

We booked a private car transfer from the airport in Hanoi to our hotel in the “Old Quarter” in advance. We booked it through Klook, as we like that Klook allows us to pick out a service with lots of reviews and great ratings. The cost for this service was 18 USD for a driver with a large vehicle — well worth it for the easy transfer.

We elected to stay at the West Hotel and Spa during our time in Hanoi and, having now spent one night at the property, we are not sure that it lives up to its great reviews online. For one, our room did not have any windows to the outside and limited exit routes, which made us a little uneasy. Also, despite only having one other room on our floor, there was a lot of door slamming noise during the night. Potentially just inconsiderate neighbours, but worth pointing out.

(We did raise the no windows thing with the hotel and, following our Halong Bay tour, we have been assured that we will receive a room with a window. We know it may sound a little … extra … to those from other cultures, but in Canada hotels are typically required to have a window for emergency egress, and so it was a peace of mind thing for us. And the Agoda listing we booked off of had a window in the room. And to be honest, we also just really appreciate having some natural light.)

This being said, the concierge was proactively helpful, a buffet breakfast is included (OK-ish quality, but nothing to rave about), and the hotel is kindly allowing us to store our luggage there at no charge for two nights while we are doing a Halong Bay tour. More on that later.

Off to Halong Bay now. All are every excited, especially Little Miss and Young Mister WorldSmith.