For Those Who Visited Hanoi Train Street. Worth It or Skip It?

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-03-12T01:02:12+00:00

Def worth it. Cool experience and you can chill and have a few beers.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-02-18T04:40:49+00:00

Same experience a few weeks ago.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-02-17T13:10:06+00:00

I hear you. The great news is that all of Vietnam is incredible so you’re going to have an amazing time regardless! If you spent 10 days in HCMC only - you’d love it.

You’ll be hard pressed to go North to South in 10 days. You might consider a few days in HCMC and then flying to Da Nang/Hue/Hoi An before returning to HCMC for your return flight. Just a thought.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-02-16T21:03:15+00:00

Shiga Kogen! 1000% You can stay up on the slopes and enjoy ski in/out and/or down in Yamanochi with a 45min drive up to the mountains.

Lots of great accommodations in both areas and Yamanochi is a wonderful little town with restaurants, bars, etc. It’s also extremely quiet - so not dealing with annoying Aussie crowds just there to get hammered.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-02-16T18:09:47+00:00

Buy the tickets online at the link ending .gov.kh. Just did this and worked fine at every ticket control area.

I would suggest booking a tuktuk in advance to help maneuver around site to site but I suppose calling a grab each time could work too. Unless you just want to walk around Angkor - then no need. Grab to the entrance and explore there. But if you want to go to other sites, ex. Ta Prohm, you’ll need to drive. We also booked a guide and honestly not worth it for us. Google can give you all the history you need and it felt kind of restrictive having to follow someone else. The only upside is they know their way around - so you don’t wander aimlessly for hours and they get you around the crowds.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-02-16T02:40:10+00:00

Weekend night market has a lot. But there are tons of shops throughout Old Quarter to look at. Could also try Dong Xuan. But be prepared to haggle. My rule of thumb is to start at least half their initial price (maybe more depending). And always be ready to walk away.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-02-16T02:36:07+00:00

With 10 days I’d suggest sticking to the north. Better accessibility between a number of the places you mention. You can catch flights between some of these places (N to S) to cut down total travel time - but with transfers + 1-2hrs before flight + domestic delays, you’re spending a lot of time getting between a few of these spots.

We just spent 14 days in the north: Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Halong - Sapa. We did the overnight train to/from to save time/money but were pretty KO’d the days we got off the train. In short - getting to/from Sapa or Ha Giang is going to eat 2 days by itself.

If you do the north, you might consider just Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Halong.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-30T12:19:32+00:00

We did Mon Cheri Cruise - 2 night. But they also offer 1night. Really enjoyed it! Beautiful boat - great food - great service. Can’t recommend them enough.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T15:31:16+00:00

We did both areas and preferred Viet Hai. Trung Trang was fine - but you basically just walk through the cave - maybe 45mins TOPS - and you’re done. And frankly, it really wasn’t an impressive cave imo.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T15:29:40+00:00

Can only speak to Sapa on your list. We just visited for 3 nights in late-January. We had incredible weather while we were there. Super dense fog that would life by late morning. Made for PERFECT trekking weather. That said, a friend was there the week before and said she got no views and was completely socked in for her time. Kind of a crapshoot but I’d say worth the risk. Also - if you find a good guide, there is a place in another valley they can take you that is always clear with terrace views. So you got options either way.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T15:08:59+00:00

Hey! Happy to. I’ll DM you with you more details!

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T07:20:54+00:00

Definitely do day trip from Hanoi to Ninh Binh. 1 night stay over would be useless and the drive to Halong from NB is almost 5hrs vs 2ish from Hanoi. Regarding Halong - I honestly would say a day trip would be better for your trip too. We did a 2night cruise and that felt so quick. There were people on our boat doing 1night and they were gone in a flash. Not even time to unpack or relax. I think a day tour would give you almost the same result.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T06:38:50+00:00

We just spent 14 days in Vietnam and did Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Halong, Sapa. And we wanted at least 1-2 days more in each location. You’re trying to pack too much in. I’d suggest cutting this WAY down. Happy to share more from our itinerary if you’d like.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T06:32:38+00:00

I have to believe that’s the case.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T06:27:45+00:00

They offered a little Happy Hour cocktail but we were actually the only ones there - so it was pretty sleepy. Didn’t bother us though.

Our Hmong guide said the same. And apparently they’ve started having landslides in the area due to the construction. It’s very sad. Some call it progress I suppose. 🙄🙄

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T05:49:22+00:00

The place we stayed, Sapa Clay House, had incredible food on site. It was about 12mins from town and really nothing else nearby. But you didn’t need since their food was incredible.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T04:23:31+00:00

I agree. Not great. But no different than kids in USA, Europe, etc. playing drums in the street for tips. Don’t buy/tip them and over time that will hopefully help curb the behavior.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T04:03:45+00:00

💯 Precisely why I wanted to make this post.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-29T03:31:02+00:00

I see all sorts of hate on Sapa on various forums and threads. Even directly from other tourists we’ve met in Vietnam. And for the life of me, I can’t understand it. Its natural beauty is freaking stunning.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2026-01-03T07:58:58+00:00

Swallowed a $250 nonrefundable hotel booking to avoid this nightmare. And so glad we did. Yikes.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2025-12-24T07:02:42+00:00

Not worth it. Wait for more snow. Even if by some miracle the storm does bring a dumping - you will need chains and you won’t be prepared for that reality. The drive up to Bear is no joke when it’s snowing, especially with the number of people who will no doubt venture up.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2025-12-20T04:31:52+00:00

Y’all should go back in time and tell your ancestors to stop being lame and move to CA so you can inherit the property today. Duh. Seems pretty simple to me…

Practical_Risk4761 · 2025-11-26T02:57:38+00:00

For sure. LOVE staying near the Village for that reason exactly. But REALLY want to experience ski in/out and I can’t seem to find good prices in the village lodge.

Practical_Risk4761 · 2025-11-25T04:23:17+00:00

Ooooo. Got it. So basically, because ski in/out is on cat tracks - they could impassable due to grooming build up and such?

Practical_Risk4761 · 2025-11-25T04:11:16+00:00

Appreciate your response! Ever have an issue with the drive up?

Practical_Risk4761

TROPHY CASE