In
the early 1990's, when Vietnam first reopened its doors to foreign
visitors, the transportation infrastructure was creaking at best and
totally dysfunctional at worst. A product of a few generations of war
followed by a punitive and punishing economic embargo, the nation's
transport was unreliable, expensive and uncomfortable. The
grandiose-sounding Highway One was dotted with rusted-out ferry
crossings in place of bombed out bridges; the rail system was
glacially-paced and expensive. Cheap Vietnam airlines were unheard of.
 |
| Cheap Vietnam airlines |
How
things change. Today's traveller has a far better range of options than
in the early 90's - read on to find out all about them.
Plane
Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar are the two main cheap Vietnam airlines.
Fares are very reasonable and the frequency of flights to main hubs are
good. Flights can be a handy way to lop off a day of travel for not as
many dong as you may expect -- Hanoi to Dien Bien Phu and Saigon to Phu
Quoc Island are both popular time-savers. Note it is often cheaper to
buy domestic tickets once in Vietnam rather than buying them from online
brokers like Kayak.com.
Train
Vietnam's
train system is a lot better than is used to be, and while it's not all
that cheap, it's comfortable, exceedingly scenic in places, and an
overall very interesting and fun way to travel.
If
you're travelling in high season or especially over Tet, book as far in
advance as possible. On the downside it serves only the Vietnamese
coastline along with a couple of spurs out af Hanoi (most notably
northwest to Sapa). The coastal line serves many of the key destinations
in Vietnam, notable exceptions are Hoi An (alight at Da Nang), Qui Nhon
(alight at Dieu Tri) and Mui Ne (alight at Muong Man).
The
Railways Vietnam website has comprehensive and accurate timetable and
price information. Travelfish members can also avail themselves of the
PDF timetable and pricelist we put together after fighting our way
through the Vietnam Railways website. You can download it from the
resources section of the Member Centre.
You can read a very detailed story on Vietnam's rail network here.
Automobile
Rental
cars for long distance travel are yet to be much popularised in
Vietnam, and seeing the state of the traffic it's easy to see why. Most
who opt for self-drive transport do it via motorcycle rather than car.
Open Tours
The
Open Tour runs through the length of Vietnam (and the reverse),
commencing at Hanoi, the service stops at Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat
or Mui Ne and terminates Saigon (obviously it runs in the reverse as
well). There's spurs off into the Mekong Delta and Tay Ninh in the south
(ex Saigon) and Ha Long Bay and Sapa in the north (ex Hanoi).
The
ticket price is dependent on where you choose to stop, and once you buy
the ticket, you're locked into that route -- unless you buy a new
ticket. The cost is low, very low -- as little as US$24 for a non-stop
epic from Hanoi to Saigon. The Open Tour system works for thousands of
visitors to Vietnam -- particularly first time visitors who may be
intimidated by the local bus system or who are looking for more creature
comforts.
Local buses and minibuses
These
take about as long as Open Tours but can be overloaded to outrageous
degrees. On the upside -- you'll be the only foreigner on board -- on
the downside, it won't take too long to figure out why. Local buses and
minibuses are fine for trips under three to four hours, but longer than
that can be a bit gruelling.
One
disadvantage of the local bus system is that the bus stations they
operate from are often on the outskirts of town and the transport to and
from the bus station (mainly xe oms) will gouge you heartlessly given
the opportunity, thus reducing your saving in travelling this way.
Motobike
Grab
a minsk and hit the road. These bikes can be purchased for as little as
a few hundred US dollars and you'll often not have too many troubles
selling the bike off to another traveller when the time comes to leave
Vietnam. The bikes are only semi-reliable, but just about any local with
a screwdriver should be able to fix it up should you have minor
ailments. If you don't want to listen to us, listen to your Mum --
invest in a helmet -- easily purchased in both Hanoi and Saigon. For
more information, read our feature story on exploring Vietnam by
motorcycle.
Bicycle
Long,
with a scenic flat coastline, Vietnam can be a great destination for
cyclists. The only really gruelling part is the northern mountains --
even the Central Highlands are not really all that hilly. Most nearly
every town in Vietnam will have some lodgings, so you shouldn't struggle
for a room. Things to pack -- a good supply of inner tubes and patch
kits -- and of course, your bike -- but you probably knew that already.
Vietnamese bikes are not of a very high standard, so BYO bike is a very
good idea. The country has a pretty good network of secondary roads
which are far preferable to cycling on the main road, where cyclists
rank just above chickens in the pecking order ... get it ;-) -- you will
be expected to yield to all larger vehicles.
Boat
This
is only really an option in the Mekong Delta, where you can travel in
both tourist boats for short haul trips and take freighters for longer
trips. The former are comfortable, the latter can sometimes be
comfortable, other times less so. Boat transport is slow -- figure on
two days for a trip from My Tho to Chau Doc on the Cambodian border. The
most popular tourist service are the ferries from Saigon to Vung Tao,
and the boats from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh. Boat travel generally works
out as being more expensive than bus travel over a similar route.
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