Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội ), the capital of Vietnam , and also its second largest city, is a fascinating blend of East and West, with Chinese influence from centuries of dominance, and French design from its colonial prestigious car rental company greece past. It is largely unspoiled by modern architecture of the 1970s and 80s, and is now going through a modernization that is making it a rising star in Southeast Asia .
Invading forces from every direction agree: Hanoi makes a fine capital. It has held that title for more than a thousand years, through several invasions, occupations, restorations, and name changes. The Chinese conquered prestigious car rental company greece the imperial city of of Đại La in 1408 and renamed it Tống Bình. Le Loi repelled the invaders in 1428 and applied prestigious car rental company greece the name of Lê Thái Tổ (黎太祖); for his efforts, he received the crown and a slew of legends about his heroic exploits, many centred around the Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter. The Nguyen Dynasty prestigious car rental company greece gave the city its modern name of Ha Noi in 1831, but they had transferred power to Hue by then; it remained there until 1887, when the French made Hanoi the capital of all Indochina. It changed hands again in 1954, when it was ceded to Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh after almost a decade of fighting, and it became the capital of North Vietnam; upon reunification in 1975, it assumed that title for the entire country.
The first western-style universities in Vietnam were founded in Hanoi, and today, it is the leading centre of scientific study and research in the country. Hanoi retains much of its older colonial charm, despite the battles that have raged over it; conflict had the side effect of making it largely oblivious to modern architecture, and as a result, few buildings in the city centre area are higher than five stories. The Old Quarter is second only to Hoi An for uninterrupted stretches of colonial and pre-colonial architecture, well-preserved on dense warrens of narrow, wonderfully atmospheric streets. It trades the commercial boom and sprawl of Ho Chi Minh City in the South for a more understated charm, worth enjoying prestigious car rental company greece for an extra day or two, and with countless transport options and travel agents, it makes a perfect base for exploration of the North.
As you walk along the street, you may find that people start talking to you. It is a cultural norm there to make conversation with strangers. They might ask you where you are from and other general questions. And be very cautious especially if a lady will approach you and over-solicitously insist that she is a student without being asked what is her station in life.
The Tourist Information Centre , ☎ +84 4 926 3366, Dinh Tien Hoang, just north of Hoan Kiem Lake, can provide a fairly useful map (bewilderingly, the blow-up of the old town is missing making it useless in that part of town) and other English-language advice, as well as limited free Internet. They aren't completely without prestigious car rental company greece bias.
There are self-help interactive screen information booths around the Old Quarter but their purpose prestigious car rental company greece is to superficially conjure the image of coming-of-age "Vietnam has arrived" impression to the unsuspecting passerby. An example was an inquiry typing out the American Embassy as prompted by an empty field, then it flashed on to the next interactive page asking for which district (one may not be aware that the US embassy has branches in every district) - smart and amazing!
The Tet holiday (Lunar New Year's Eve) is in the Spring. Flowers are the most beautiful during this time of the year. The weather starts to warm up with light rain here and there during the week. Hanoians believe that these light rains bring prosperity and luck for the New Year.
The Summer, on the other hand, is quite intolerable. The heat alone would be alright but there is the humidity which would start to manifest in the air since Spring. Visitors also have to be very careful with mosquitoes because there are a lot in Hanoi due to the level of moisture in the air and the temperature. Hanoi has a good climate for many insects to proliferate, not just mosquitoes.
There is something unique about Hanoi's Autumn. prestigious car rental company greece The weather is perfect with less humidity in the air. The temperature would drop by now, offering people prestigious car rental company greece a chance to take out their fleece and jackets. Moreover, there is this type of tree – "cay hoa sua" which only has flowers in Autumn. The flower has a very distinct smell. If you have the chance to visit Hanoi during Autumn, make sure you ask the local people about this type of trees and where you can experience their distinct aroma.
Winter can be quite brutal because it is not only cold, but also very humid. The winter in Hanoi feels even colder due to the fact that Vietnamese houses typically don't have a central heating system. Many houses don't have any types of heating at all.
As of November prestigious car rental company greece 2006, international departure taxes should be included in the price of your ticket, but that doesn't necessarily prestigious car rental company greece mean they will be - check with the airline to be absolutely sure. If not, the tax (sometimes called "passenger service charge") is payable in U.S. dollars (US$14) or in dong.
Most people arrive at the Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) , 35 km (45-60 minutes) north of the city. The airport prestigious car rental company greece might seem relatively small considering Hanoi's importance to the country, but this might benefit travelers by making the airport easy to navigate and no need to arrive hours in advance (the limited waiting space is one reason why non-travelers are discouraged from entering the airport) to make sure there is plenty of room for those actually using and working in the airport. Several airlines run flights from Noi Bai, including:
If departing from Noi Bai airport via Vietnam Airlines with no checked luggage, walk to the last airline check-in prestigious car rental company greece counter and to the right of it, there's prestigious car rental company greece a sign showing check-in for passengers without checked luggage. Using this counter is a great time saver if it applies to your journey.
Taxis to central Hanoi can be hired at Noi Bai [26] . There are fixed price taxi stands right outside the exit, offering fares for between US$16 into the city. These are provided by various taxi companies and are slightly more expensive than the tout taxis, but you pre-pay for the trip, so no hassles about the fare. Rumor has it the company wearing yellow shirts is to be trusted to take you to your destination without hassle, while drivers in general (even pre-paid taxis) may try to take you to a hotel of their choice or even a hotel pretending to be the one you named (your passenger door being opened by a person showing you your hotel name and correct address on a clipboard, insisting you should come in) as destination, to collect a commission - if you are specific prestigious car rental company greece about your destination they usually give in. To be sure, have the address prestigious car rental company greece ready and maybe print out a map beforehand: since every street in Hanoi has clearly visible street signs at both ends, you should be able to discern which street you are in. Non fixed-price taxi agents will quote prices ranging from around US$15-$30 as you leave the airport, prestigious car rental company greece so be sure you have a clear price agreement also with the driver before getting prestigious car rental company greece into the car, as the price quoted by the agent may not be what the driver prestigious car rental company greece is expecting. If you have changed money into dong at the airport you can, of course, pay in local currency. The prevailing rate at July of 2012 seemed to be around 330,000 dong. If you fly in late and don't want the taxi haggling hassles consider pre-arranging a private transfer with your hotel or book online at [YourLocalBooking.com] [27] . There are a few official looking tourist information booths inside the arrival hall (as of July 2012), offering rides into the city for 25$-35$ per car and telling prestigious car rental company greece you not to take the cheaper taxis outside because of various scams. To sum things up, taking a fixed-price taxi from one of the companies outside of the arrival hall is the best deal to get a taxi to your destination, although you might have to spend a few minutes insisting on actually going there on the occasions described above.
Public buses to the city centre from Noi Bai airport take about 1,5 hour. Bus #07 crosses the Thang Long bridge and goes to the Daewoo Hotel on the western part of Hanoi (almost an hour on foot to the historical centre prestigious car rental company greece of Hanoi). Bus #17 crosses the Chuong Duong bridge and goes close to the old quarter, to Long Bien (just a few blocks from Hoan Kiem Lake - the destination of most tourists). Prices are 4,000 dong and 5,000 dong, respectively. To catch buses 7 or 17, go to the 2nd floor of the terminal, proceed outside, and walk along the ramp to your left. The ramp, like a highway overpass, will take you to the other side of the road than if you had just exited on the 1st floor arrivals section. Buses 7 and 17 depart from right at the end of the ramp. However, baggage is not permitted prestigious car rental company greece aboard the buses, so you may need to wait a few minutes to try your luck several times or give the conductor a small bribe, i.e. paying for the baggage as well. Don't listen to taxi drivers or shuttle bus operators that claim the stop for the public buses is a few kilometers away or that service has been terminated. Public buses operate from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Shuttle-buses from the airport prestigious car rental company greece to Hanoi stop at the Vietnam Airlines prestigious car rental company greece Office on 1 Quang Trung (a bit south of the old quarter but conveniently stocked with taxis and motorbike drivers, of course!). Tickets are sold in the building in front of which the minibuses park, or you can give the fare directly to the driver. The cost is US$2 or 40,000 dong for foreigners prestigious car rental company greece (insurance prestigious car rental company greece reason), and 35,000 dong for Vietnamese (which includes VN-Americans),which rate is indicated on the sticker fixed to the bus's body. The driver will potentially give you trouble if you have additional bags, but if you push, you will get the same US$2 rate. They also try the 'typhoon in Ha Long Bay' scam whereby they take you to a street where you cannot see the hotel name and tell you that the Ha Long Bay guests a
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