Buzz
At the beginning of the year, I had the opportunity to travel to Cao Bang province and Hanoi for 5 days. I spent 3 days in the Northwest region and 2 days in Hanoi. Besides sleeping a lot due to the extremely cold weather, I also wandered around eating and exploring every corner of the city. But inadvertently had quite an interesting experience of touring Hanoi by a convertible bus. It may not be unfamiliar to many, but for me, it was a new experience.
Before taking the hop-on hop-off bus tour, I was unaware of its existence as I rarely use public transportation. With about 5 hours left before flying back to Saigon and nothing to do, my girlfriend and I decided to stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake to admire the scenery when we overheard some people nearby talking about sightseeing by bus. We noticed the prominent bus with an open top for enjoying the breeze, so we decided to give it a try.
At the ticket counter, I was promptly ushered onto the bus and asked for payment upfront. The journey began in the morning and concluded at 5 p.m. The tour included notable landmarks such as Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square, St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hanoi Flag Tower, One Pillar Pagoda, Quan Thanh Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda, St. Joseph's Cathedral, Thang Long Citadel, Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and more. The entire circuit took a little over an hour to complete.
You can find ticket prices at the corner, folks!
Upon boarding, we paid the ticket fare of 200,000 dong for 2 people and were instructed to pick up earphones to plug into the seats for listening to the audio guide as we passed through those places. I must say, this setup really alleviated the boredom. Not only did we pass through places we hadn't been to, but we also got to hear interesting commentary about them. It's like adding more knowledge to what I didn't know before.
The weather in Hanoi during the afternoon when I went was quite cool, around 14-15 degrees Celsius or so. The bus moved slowly through the streets, allowing us to admire the city streets, observe the people around us, and enjoy the breeze. I really enjoy strolling in this cool weather. Passing through streets with lots of trees by the roadside is very refreshing to the eyes.
Folks, remember when on the upper deck of the bus, don't stand up, and there are words written to that effect. Standing up briefly to take some Instagram-worthy shots is okay, but continuous standing might inadvertently block others' views. Furthermore, along the route, there are many trees with some branches hanging low, so be careful not to accidentally bump your head when standing up.
The experience was really enjoyable because when I'm in Hanoi, I don't usually go sightseeing, I just focus on eating, eating, and eating. I wander around from one place to another, eat, and then go back to sleep. So, having this more than 1-hour trip to see places I haven't been to is quite nice. Whenever you want to stop and explore a certain spot, just get off the bus and wait for the next one to arrive.
Folks, make sure to prepare some drinks and snacks before boarding the bus. Having something to nibble on during the journey helps alleviate mouth boredom as it will take over an hour. Also, it's wise to use the restroom beforehand. I forgot to do so and ended up feeling a bit uncomfortable due to drinking too much water during the journey.
For added safety, both my girlfriend and I wore masks. Not only does it help protect against diseases and dust, but it also keeps us warmer.
In Saigon, there are also sightseeing buses like this, but I think it would be even better and more beautiful to go in the evening.
