itinerary: hanoi and halong, vietnam

i headed to northern vietnam early this month and the weather that time had started to get cooler which i love! i was supposed to go during a long weekend in august but i had a lot of apprehensions that time, considering my dough was at its utmost scarcity. i was also a bit scared when the posted weather in those months would mean chances of typhoons and needless to say but i say it anyway, northern vietnam likely equates to halong bay. although news can sometimes be downright horrible, as human as i am, reading news about boats that sunk in the bay slightly deterred my yearning to visit the UNESCO world heritage site.

but i am just glad that i took the leap of faith!

A typical rice field in Vietnam on our way to Halong Bay

i purposely chose an unusual photo for an introduction to northern vietnam because there are already tons of photos of halong bay all over the online world. and i don't want to be predictable.

oh let me cut this vague chase.

Day 1: 10-Nov, Saturday

10:00 Head to Changi Airport Terminal 3 by train

11:30 Check-in Vietnam Airlines VN 662 bound for Nội Bài International Airport in Hanoi

13:25 ETD SIN to HAN

15:35 ETA HAN (UTC +07:00)

~         Head to hotel

17:00 Check-in at Rising Dragon Palace Hotel

~         Arrange Halong Bay Day Tour

18:00 Quick City Tour

        Hoan Kiem Lake

        Book tickets for Water Puppet Show

        Dinner around the lake

20:00 Water Puppet Show at Thăng Long Water Puppet Theatre

21:00 Roam around while heading back to hotel

22:00 Back to hotel

Day 2: 11-Nov, Sunday

06:00 Wake up

07:00 Breakfast at the hotel

08:00 Halong Bay Day Tour pickup

~         Transit to Halong Bay

12:30 Arrival at Halong Bay Tourist port

~         Halong Bay Tour

17:00 End of Tour

~         Head to hotel in Halong

17:15 Check-in at The Ky Moi Hotel

18:00 Roam around the area

        Night Market

        Dinner

        Hang out by the beach

22:00 Head back to hotel

Day 3: 12-Nov, Monday

05:30 Wake up

        Head to the beach for a no-show sunrise

        Roam around the beach

08:00 Head back to hotel

~         Hotel Check-out

08:30 Take a taxi to Bãi Cháy Bus Terminal to Hanoi

08:40 Depart from Halong to Hanoi

~         Commute

        Take a rip off taxi to Rising Dragon Palace Hotel

13:00 Hotel Check-in

        Arrange transport service to the airport

        Lunch at the hotel

14:30 Roam around Hanoi a bit more

        Random places

        St. Joseph Cathedral

        Hoan Kiem Lake by day

        Chase daylight by riding a motorbike

        Circle around an already closed Temple of Literature 

        Hopeless saga to a market for souvenirs

18:30 Not so fast-food dinner at BBQ Chicken

        Buy delicacies

20:00 Back to hotel

        Make use of the strong Wi-fi signal in the lobby

22:00 Sleep

Day 4: 13-Nov, Tuesday

06:30 Wake up

07:30 Breakfast at the hotel

08:30 Head to airport with the arranged car

09:30 Arrival at Nội Bài International Airport

        Last minute souvenir shopping

        Check-in for Vietnam Airlines VN 661 bound for Singapore

        Extended lounging due to a delayed flight

16:00 Back to reality  (UTC +08:00)

o-O