Hanoi

After almost a year waiting, here we come Hanoi!!!Mcm trip Cik Kiah...12 pax semuanya includinghe kids. Although dah booking dekat sethn, tapi last minute planning gak dibuat...we booked AirAsia Flight to Hanoi...as usual booking is made during promotional period..our flight will depart from LCCT, KL at 6.30 a.m and  ETA Noi Bai Airport at 8.50 a.m (Vietnam Time)...the time differrence between Vietnam dengan Malaysia is approximately 1 hr. So kalau kt M'sia pukul 6.00 a.m...Vietnam pukul 5.00 a.m...so total hours in flight approximately 4 hrs...
Initially, thought of getting ground arrangement made by my aunty's friend...tapi quote macam terlebih budget...so decided to gamble without getting agency services from Malaysia...so start to browse tempat2 yang menarik...tempat2 sejarah macam monumen ke muzium ke memang reject le...not interested...in the list is Halong Bay, Thang Long Water Puppet (nearby Hoan Kiem Lake), Old Quarters (tempat shopping), Van Phuc Silk Village, Bat Trang Ceramic Village..
Ok, hotel plak..memule plan nk stay kt Sunway Hanoi Hotel cos my dad got this Sunway Vacation membership card...thought of using the points for a room and the rest book mcm biasa....suddenly penuh la plak..so browse la plak hotel2 yg murah...I decided to choose a hotel which is near to town, so senang nnt nk shopping x payah jalan jauh, then dekat dengan restoran halal...senang nk cr mkn..plus suitable with our budget. I browse through www.tripadvisor.com and there's a few selection...among the list Hanoi Holiday Diamond Hotel, Aquarius Legend Hotel etc...memule nk book Holiday Diamond tp family room dh fully booked...so finally we selected Aquarius Legend Hotel... www.aquariuslegendhotel.com ...nk book pun tgk dulu rate paling murah; hotel rate ke, asiarooms ke (www.asiarooms.com), hotel travel (www.hoteltravel.com), agoda (www.agoda.com), asia travel (www.asiatravel.com), n byk lg website for hotel booking...we found out that for this hotel, agoda offered paling murah...but then decided to book directly via hotel online reservation...reason being price different hotel dgn agoda x byk beza after convert dlm RM20 for all 3 nights stay...tp if booking directly dgn hotel dpt free airport transfer...plus if kite nk book trip package ade further 10% discount...so grab je le sbb mls nk carik teksi nnt sampai n nk godek2 address hotel sume...
Malaysian tak perlukan visa untuk ke Vietnam for less than 30 days stay...so x yah susah2 nk gi buat visa...next tukar currency...someone advice us tu change our MYR to USD instead  VND...we decided to change half USD n half VND..x sume money changer ade VND...hubby check out at a few money changer around Puchong n Shah Alam...my sis pun same..finally we found out that money changer kt AEON Puchong Utama has better USD rate n my sis got better VND rate at her housing area somewhere KL...so she changed for us VND and we changed USD...

1st day Journey

Flight pukul 6.30 a.m...check in harus 4.30 a.m...ok buat web-check in dulu n print boarding pass..senang nnt drop bag je kt check-in counter...myself dh jd mcm travel agent...buat arrangement n plan where to go....the others ikut je...lewat2 pukul 3.50 a.m kene depart from home...kesian the kids kene kejut pagi2 buta...tukar baju terus masuk kete...beg sume sudah diload kn ke dlm kete...off to LCCT, KLIA...were sent to airport by sis in law and hubby, my sisters' fiance and hubby...thanks to all....2 kereta plus 1 van......sampai airport check-in...then we got to know flight delay due to heavy rains...so masing2 ade solat subuh kt dlm waiting area n dlm flight je....dlm waiting area x de surau so pandai2 la cr tpt nk solat...nk solat kt terminal b4 masuk waiting area takut x sempat plak...elok2 plan nk solat dlm flight...flight delay plak....so nk suggest la kt pihak yg berwajib utk prepare ruang solat in every terminal/waiting area...dlm flight dh pre-booked meals...air mcm biase dlm air asia kene beli le kalau nk additional air...dieorg bg free spritzer mineral water dlm 100 ml je...the kids tdo je sampai ade yg x jamah meal pun...ngantuk sgt...

Next sampai Noi Bai Airport...went to the immigration counter....the screening process mcm simple je..x de amik gamba ke ape...then, claim baggage; n Airasia has disappointed me...my baggage pecah...nasib baik bag free....tp sayang giler beg tu...not only mine..my sis yg br beli pun same...kalau la aku booking tiket dgn citibank airasia hr tuh...bleh claim damage bag..mende dh nk jd...nk buat cane...mmg staff airasia main campak je bag...nk cepatkn...tp tu la kalau jd mende ni kt dieorg mesti perasaan dieorg mcm kiteorg jugak....manusia mcm2 sikap...kuar je towards arrival hall dh ade driver tgh tunggu holding name hubby on a piece of paper...dijemput dgn 16 seater vehicle aka transit van..we were then brought to the hotel...on our way to hotel dpt la snap few pics...yg paling menarik; rumah2 dieorg ni tinggi dn kurus...kakaka...mcm aku n family...then we cross Mekong River...straight to the city n sampai hotel....

Here's the hotel lobby...x besar mane pun...but we were welcome by the manager on duty who is such a nice person....supposedly check-in pukul 1.00 p.m but we arrived early around 11.00 a.m...thought that we can only drop our baggage and to our surprise our rooms are ready and we can check-in immediately...huh what a relief..mmg nk sgt baring kt katil kejap after almost 7 hrs journey since we depart from home about 3.50 a.m....huhu...x baya pun duit hotel lg...mase buat online reservation hr tu baya 8% je deposit....masing2 naik berehat2 and mandi manda dulu...the guys need to prepare themselves for Friday prayer...so before naik sempat la bertanye the nearest Mosque and how to get there...they gave us a map and show us the way on the map....huhu...selalunye aku la GPS bergerak to my family...tp kali ni the guys need to find their own way ya...bile GPS hilang jd x tentu arah le plak...hubby balik baju basah dgn peluh...katenye berjalan x igt jauh giler pusing...tp balik jumpe shorter way...pegi about 30 min berjln balik plak dlm 20 min.....the Mosque; Masjid A-Nour is situated at 12, Hang Luoc Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi...

For lunch we only had our Maggi brought from M'sia...hahah...we were told that makanan halal mahal kt Hanoi...so we prepared for that...bukan tu je segala periuk nasi, kuali and electric cooker kiterog bwk, thanks to my sis in law yg meminjamkan alatan2 tersebut kepada kami...almaklumla group ramai org so sumbat2 la mane2 beg yg kosong...about hotel rooms; nice and comfy...quite a big room..myself booked a family room which consist of 2 queen sized bed...the other 2 rooms are triple rooms which consist of 1 queen size and 1 super single sized bed...price for the rooms are not that expensive..my room kalau convert dlm RM140 per night..the triple room dlm RM120 per night...they are also equipped with PC and which is connected to the internet, ade webcam..so u can browse the net...in addition they also have the massage chair....Wah!!! I really need it...mesti byk berjln kn...so need a massage so much...free wifi pun ade...hmm...convenient to me. Toilet ade small bath tub...ok la tu sbb the kids x dpt swimming pool pun bath tub pun dh bleh ....all the drinks provided are free except for those in the fridge e.g coke...

1st day dlm own made itinerary is shopping...so we plan to walk around Old Quarter Streets...at the hotel receptionist counter the MOD bg map to us showing all the streets around the Old Quarter...the same time we also made a plan with them on our next day trip to Halong Bay...senang je...our target is to walk to Dong Xuan Market approximately 900 m from our hotel...we were made to know that in this market mcm2 ada...so on our way to the market we walk through some streets around the Old Quarter...the 1st street we walk along is the street where our hotel is located; the Nguyen Huu Huan...nothing much here..all the shop houses...next we turn into Hang Bac Street...this street is known to be having shops that sell silvers...ya true...mmg byk kedai2 jual brg2 silver...next we turn into Hang Dao-Hang Ngang-Dong Xuan-Hang Giay. This is where the Dong Xuan Market is located but still further down the road...along this long stretch road, byk sgt kedai mostly jual baju, kasut, stationeries pun ade...we entered into few shops, what I like most is the shop which sells baju kanak2 with brand names like Burberry, Armani etc...cantik2....n price are not that bad...planning to get it later...tp baju2 die byk utk kanak2 4 thn ke bwh je rasenye...sbb byk baju size kecik2...my family manage to grab few clothes from some of the outlets...
Finally, we reached Dong Xuan Market. Wah!!!Byknye shoplot, it is a 3 storey building...jom masuk dlm...mmg mcm2 ada...tp sempitnye...I brought the kid stroller along sbb dh name berjln...yg kecik tu confirm nk dukung so nk elak dr berdukung bwk le stroller...but when u get in inside this building...my advice is not to bring the stroller...x de ruang...susah btol nk tolak...space between an outlet with another hanya seorg je bleh lalu...hmmm...let me describe things that are sold in this market...the building basically is divided into 2 sections...we enter the market from Hang Dao-Hang Ngang-Dong Xuan-Hang Giay Street...this is 1 side of the building...at 1st level, there were shops yg jual topi, beg, kasut, magnets, kipas tangan, payung...kire mcm2 la mende selain kain baju...at the other side of the building ade jual brg2 dapur mcm kacang, rempah ratus, beras...kire mcm brg pasar le...but we did not go to the other side....
Next at 2nd level...this level jual segala jenis kain ela/fabrik...u can find silk, cotton, velvet, lycra etc...yg nk buat langsir pun ade...rambang mata ooo...from 1st level to 2nd level ade escalator kt centre court area...same goes to the other side of the building, they sell all types of fabrics..
Finally at 3rd level where all those ready made clothes were sold...byknye baju kanak2...so yg mana berminat nk beli baju borong2 beli la kt sini...ok dh visit all the 3 levels, we decided to go down to 1st level and ask the kids to stay there with my sisters n hubby...myself naik balik utk shopping kain cotton for the family members...x bleh nk bwk budak2...mmg susah sbb kiddos can't stay long..they will get bored...kt 1st level ade 1 shop yg jual air botol, at least they can stay there for a while to have a drink sambil tunggu ibu bershopping...hehehe...we grab few things from Dong Xuan Market; kain cotton, key chains, fridge magnets, clothes, backpacks..ckp pasal beg, kt sini byk jual brand north face, tp yg ciplak le...mcm biasa we were advice to bargain bile membeli...yes mmg kiteorg bargain giler2...it's all trial and error...in the 1st shop we ask how much and they tell us the price, we tried to bargain half of the price first and then started to increase bit by bit to see how much can we actually bargain...tp kalau at 1 point tu dieorg dh x bg mmg maknenye dh x leh bargain laa...hahaha...there are also few shops yg mmg price dh fixed along the road td...x leh bargain langsung...tp not at Dong Xuan Market...mostly u can bargain....like the cotton I bought the initial price were 225,000 VND for 4 meter...tp the final price I got are at 175,000 VND...i guess dh ok kot cos myself jarang la nk beli kain ela ni....bukan nk borong pun...beli utk family je....after dh penat membeli, our next destination is to have early dinner before balik ke hotel...hahaha..oh ya Dong Xuan Market is closed at 6pm...awalkan...but the rest of the shops along the streets some closes as early as 7 pm some sampai 10 pm...

We have our early dinner at this Indian Muslim Tandoor Restaurant which is located at 24, Hang Be Street, the street which is just behind our hotel. The owner is an Indian Muslim. It serves variety of Indian Cuisine like naan, chicken tandoori etc. Haha....nasi putih die dlm 35,000 VND sepinggan...almost to RM5.60...mahal tk mahalnye la kn...portion die boleh la mkn 2 org yg bukan big eater ya...our total order for 12 pax including kids approximately 1.6 Million VND...ha kau...main juta2 mkn....almost equivalenet to RM 260.00 gitu...hmm..ok la lot sbb kiteorg x order byk sgt lauk...cukup2 mkn je...asal kenyang...lg 1 my son order air soda...die igtkn ais krim soda..rupe2nye soda je....x sedap langsung...so terpakse la ditambah dgn coke buat ade rase skit...this restaurant ade 2 level...space die x besa sgt...kiteorg mkn kt tingkat ats sbb ruang die besa skit yg boleh muat 12 pax....our plan initially was to have our meal kt Nisa Restaurant which is just nearby to our hotel but I was told by the hotel MOD that the restaurant is under renovation...x tau le bile siap...then on our way back to the hotel, singgap le kejap kt kedai ni yg ade jual kopi...my sis in law pesan ade 1 kopi ni ha...katenye sedap...I'm not a coffee lover so x tau le sgt sedap manenye...but the coffee is quite cheap, we got ourselves 100,000 VND for 1 packet containing 50 sachets (12 gm)...the shop is just couple of blocks next to the restaurant...name kedai Cafe28...we grab 2 packets of the coffee and tried it at hotel....since hubby penggemar kopi...die kate sedap..n kalau nk 'kaw' buat 2 pkt utk 1 mug...tambah susu segar and ais lagi sedap...just as precaution, x sume kopi die halal ye...tp this G7 coffee is 'halal'...katenye no 1 coffee...
Almost to Maghrib we're back at hotel...anak2 ku sudah menuntut janji utk beli toys...ok2...lps maghrib we plan to continue shopping lg for toys plak...After mandi and solat Maghrib kt hotel, we walk again...hehe..kali ni towards Luong Van Can Street which sells toys...kali ni the kids berjln tanpa merungut sbb tau nk gi beli toys dieorg...we stopped at few shops to survey the price...ok not bad for remote control cars with steering wheel...we got a BMW for 790,000 VND approximately RM126.00 and a lamborghini for 490,000 VND approx.  RM 78.00...kt M'sia kete2 mcm ni kalau beli kt toys r us RM100 - RM200 depending on models..so cheaper than Malaysia...yg bongsu mcm biasa nk kereta bomba...huhu...ntah la..peminat fire trucks ni...hmm..citer pasal kete remote dgn steering wheel ni, nk start kete mcm start kete btol esp yg BWM tu...siap ade kunci n kalau nk start kene letak kt gear neutral...ade speed, reverse gear, honk, signal light...bkn mcm remote yg biase tu...menarik jugak...boys kn..nk buat mcm mane...
Talking about walking along the streets in Hanoi, we have to be extra careful...it seems that the traffic is very bad...esp the motorcyclist...main jln je mcm bapak dieorg punye jln...although they have traffic lights but they never adhere to...motorcycle is the main transport there...everywhere u can see them...kalau nk cross the street, please be careful...susah btol nk lintas...x putus motor lalu lalang...lg 1, dieorg suke honk...sepanjang jln dieorg suke bunyi honk as it is habit to them...x de yg marah pun...dh normal kt sini kot...finally, our 1st night ends...

2nd day Journey

Our 2nd day plan is the trip to Halong Bay. It becomes a must trip when you visit Hanoi. We booked a day trip to Halong Bay with the Hotel. It cost us USD40 per pax for group of 22 pax tour. Kids age 4 to 12 yrs old, were given half price at USD20, whereas kids at the age of 3 yrs and below are free. Before we got into the transit bus, we had our breakfast at the hotel as it is included in the hotel rate. However, we just took some bread and drinks juices/tea/coffee since the hotel does not conform to Halal Certification. Any kind of meats were out of our list. The bus arrived at 8.00 a.m. We were given 1 litre mineral water for free by the Hotel. We also brought with us some biscuits and some munchys...takut lapar during the journey. Before we start the journey to the harbour, the transit bus goes around Hanoi to pick up other tourist. In our bus, there are tourist from US, Japan, Italy, Holland and us, Malaysia. Trip to the harbour is approx 4 hours although the journey distance is only 170km. Unlike Malaysia, the streets are pretty bad. Byk potholes and the road byk bumps...streets are narrow...x leh drive laju..the most u can drive maybe 60 km/hr...nk overtake pun susah...

Half of the way, we stopped at a craft centre for about 25 mins...mostly rushed to the toilet...mcm biase when we have a tour to oversea we will always bring a mineral bottle...takut kt toilet x de air so kene tadah air from sink kt luar toilet..in the craft center we can see the handicapped ppl were doing some craftswork...beautiful...but things sold there were quite expensive..biase le tpt tourist kn...we did not make any purchase...


Our journey continue to the harbour...at 12.30 p.m we arrived..huh ke toilet again and this time we have to pay 2,000 VND to use the toilet approx. RM0.30...the tour guide got the ticket for us which has been included in our trip cost...ok, time for us to travel in a boat plak...very small junk/boat...once entered there were tables and chairs for us to have lunch. We requested seafood to the tour guide during our journey as they have to let the cook know earlier before we arrived. This has been included in the trip cost except for the drinks where we have to buy separately inside the boat....The boat can accommodate approx. 40 pax per trip...once everyone arrived in the boat, it starts to sail...and then meal is ready...we were served prawn, veges, steam fish, tofu, lala and omelette..after having our meals and before we stopped at our destination at the fishing village, we took some pictures at the boat deck area...nice view...Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site...there are approx. 2000 islands/islets around the area with seascape of limestone pillar...

1st stop at the fishing village, kt sini we have the chance to go for kayak or go on a small boat/sampan which were cruise by the local people...kayak has been included in the trip cost but not the small boat...the cost is USD 6 per pax...they will take us around the area for about 15-20 mins...we need to pay to the locals once we're in the small boat...some of us go for kayak and some goes on the boat...we also have our prayer inside the junk boat...we stopped at the fishing village for almost an hour...

Next stop, we were brought to a limestone cave on one of the island...nk masuk cave tu, kiteorg kene panjat tangga..huh penat...tinggi jugak dh le dgn berdukung plak yg si kecik ni...it was a nice view inside the cave...time masuk cave ni the tour guide ask us to be prepare to imagine...we wonder why...hahaha...in the cave there were the stalagtites and stalagmites...these were forms into a lot of shapes...so he starts showing us these things and ask us to imagine these were in the forms of a dragon le, a turtle la, elephant trunk, etc...yg 'porn' pun ade...hahahaha...adoi la...kuatnye imagination dieorg ni...we stopped there for almost an hour...at the exit of the cave there were gift shops...finally, returning to the harbour...in total the journey took approx 3 1/2 hrs around the limestone islands....ade gak trip for 2 days 1 night which the accommodation will be inside one of the cruise...tp bkn bot yg kiterog naik le...a bigger one with rooms...for this kind of trip they will probably bring you to other islands and also u have the time to go for swimming...since our trip is a short one thus, we decided to get the 1 day trip je...but it was worth it...once reached the harbour, we straight get back to the bus and return to hotel...on our way back, we stopped at another craft centre and as usual they sell the same things and we take our time for nature calls...hehehe...arrived hotel at 8.30 p.m....x penat2 kn...lps mandi semua...keluar berjln plak...kali ni tinggal the kids at the hotel with my sis...me n hubby jln berdue je...went to the night market along Hang Dao-Hang Ngang-Dong Xuan-Hang Giay street. It starts at 7 pm until late night. Were told it closes at 2 a.m....saje jln2 cuci mate...we don't get anything from the market...but it is quite long night market...brg2 murah jugak le...just like our Pasar Malam, got gadgets, clothes, shoes etc...don't be surprise...there are lots of food are sold and cook kt tepi jln je...customer pun mkn kt tepi jln tu je...ade kerusi kecik for them to sit...seriously, I don't like the view....x lalu nk mkn kalau tgk, hygiene fail...dh balik we have dinner kt hotel je...we brought the instant dishes from M'sia e.g sardine, ayam masak merah, daging kurma etc yg pack dlm boxes and only need to boil in hot water...we bought only the white rice from Tandoor Restaurant...ok jugak....after dinner our night ends...dok je dlm bilik..the kids were having fun with their toys...

3rd Day Journey

Hehe...3rd day ni la br nk baya bilik hotel..went down to have breakfast and discuss with the MOD on our trip on that day....bleh plak last minute plan...he suggested for Tam Coc tour, but knowing that the journey will be about 2 hrs, although it is a nice place with rivers and natural view, we change plan...so we decided to go around Hanoi City je...we plan for Van Phuc Silk Village and Bat Trang Ceramic Village...for this 2 journey in total of 100 km it cost us about USD95 to rent a van with a driver...mahalkn...no tourist guide...without paying we agree with the trip....we left the hotel at 10 a.m...1st trip to Van Phuc Silk Village...it is not a Village rather than a small town or area with shops selling silk products...we spend almost 1 hour there and get some silk for few of us...price not so bad..hubby bought a silk shirt for less than RM40 after convert...it's 100% silk...time nk beli kene tgk jugak whether it is 100% silk or mixed material..we bought at a shop which have the woven machine which is currently in progress of making the silk fabric... 

Next we continue to Bat Trang Ceramic Village...same as Van Phuc, it is where all the ceramic products are made..so kalau nk beli brg ceramic, kt sini quite cheap..the area is quiet...rase2 mcm kiteorg je tourist kt situ..initially never plan to purchase anything but at the end my father decided to buy wedding door gift for my sis...he managed to bargain a small ceramic vase yg bleh isi stationery ke or anything for 8000 VND approx RM1.30 per pc...mmg murah cos kt M'sia that can goes for about RM 4.00 per pc...I saw something like that dlm kedai RM5 kt M'sia...yg lawaknye he ordered 1500 pcs and bleh plak tak terpk mcm mane nk bwk naik flight...the owner is a nice person...she sent all the items to our hotel and packed nicely not in boxes ya but packed with paddy straws and put inside a big bamboo basket...huh!!mcm mane nk bwk ni...dh le weight almost 200 kg...confirm extra weight ni...finally, we decided to ship it via seafreight and the charges are reasonable as we have to pay an additional of USD 160.00 for clearance & transport...vase in total jatuh dlm RM1.60 per pc..still ok...they will repack the items into box carton and send door to door basis...selamat....myself, hehe i bought a nice ceramic water container...yg kecik 150,000 VND and besa skit 200,000 VND...approx RM 48.00 for the 2 unique container...hubby beli mug with cover dlm RM 8.00 per pc...on our journey today, there are a few places that we saw like Royal City...it is a mall and i guess all the branded items were sold there...kiteorg x pg pun sbb not planning to buy anything expensive..

Back to hotel arriving at 3.00 p.m..a short journey...my mom plan nk beli telekung la plak...huhu..this is Hanoi mane ade jual telekung n ready made baju kurung...this is not  Ho Chi Minh...nasib baik la on the way td we saw a shop with a sign 'Telekung Ada Jual Di Sini' dekat Hang Bong Street...so lps solat kt hotel we walk through some of the streets...we pass by Hang Gai Street which sells silk products, the other parts of Hang Be Street is selling shoes...not much of choice for the telekung...hahaha..kali ni me n hubby n si kecik naik motor round the area...we borrow it from the hotel staff...nice...we just paid her the petrol price je...mahal oo petrol 24,000 VND per liter equivalent to RM 3.80 per liter...this is our final round of shopping, we made ourself through most of the streets...plan nk pegi Thang Long Water Puppet but since the show is in Vietnam Language so x jd la pg...we round the Hoan Kiem Lake...nice place utk lepak...ade Ngoc Son Temple and Turtle Tower kt situ but we didn't make a stop...just go around the lake with motorbike...hehe...kalau kedai tu dh nk tutup jgn le nk masuk ye...sbb anda akan disuruh keluar...i terkene u...i bought myself the traditional vietnam clothes terpakse alter skit...x tau le plak kt situ bleh taylor made within 24 hrs...if tau awal2 lg pg situ suh jahit....my hubby with his helmets n cigarrettes, katenye murah dlm RM 32.00 per carton, gown for anak buah...heheh...i don't have daughter so x tau le murah ke mahal gown tu...it cost me 100,000 VND...mcm murah je...n byk la souvenier2...our final night in Hanoi...balik hotel packing....takut terlebih muatan plak...

Final Day

Ok..bye2 Hanoi...we make a move from hotel at 6.30 a.m...flight 9.20 a.m...inside Noi Bai Airport x de ape sgt..only a few shops...not like KLIA...whatever, we have reached Hanoi...and thinking for the next family trip...mane plak nk pg nx yr...ok till we meet again...

For other pics, u can visit  http://rafaelz.weebly.com/hanoi.html