How to do Ha Long Bay for under $60 US Roundtrip!
What you will need:
A blanket
A phone
Someone to help you argue and buy bus tickets
A travel buddy willing to kick scamming ass when needed
You can leave from the My Dinh or whatever the other central station is from Hanoi. This bus ticket should cost you around 100,000VD (or $5 US). The ride should only last about 4 hours, but if you get on a big bus, it will in fact take you forever because the bus driver will drive at around 4mph. He does this for various reasons: 1. b/c the smart locals call the bus to pick them up after exiting the CF that is the bus station; 2. when driving a bus, one must pick up various sacks of rice and other provisions to drop off to the family en route; and 3. these bus drivers want to fill the bus to the brim.
A local will tell you that in order to get a proper bus from My Dinh, one must avoid all individuals and simply go straight to the bus station and buy a ticket inside. But don't worry, these shady individuals will find you anyway once you buy your ticket and throw you on their bus b/c let's face it, you don't speak Vietnamese and don't know any better. We are merely sheep being lined up for tourist slaughter.
An excellent and convenient way to get dropped off at Ha Long City is to be pushed off the bus in the middle of a rainy night at the side of the highway. One might say, wouldn't it make more sense to just drop off the passengers at the center of town? Nah, that would be too easy. After all, we are rugged travelers and appreciate a heavy dose of confusion and fear. When getting dropped off, simply ask, where is the taxi? The bus driver will likely say, "right there silly, don't you see those moto drivers over there? Yea, they're going to attempt to scam you." Can you taste the happiness?
You then agree to the enormous price because it's raining and well where else are you going to go? They insist it is far but still open. Then all of the sudden, after about a mile of driving, the bikes will pull over and tell you that the ferry is closed, but how about a cheap hotel for the night? Oh how sneaky...
In order to ensure that you did get scammed then use your phone to call your local buddy in Hanoi. He will confirm that the ferry is indeed closed, so at least the drivers didn't lie about that. However, now it is time to settle the cost issues. This is where it is helpful to have your travel buddy through a shit fit. Don't let them scam you by insisting and staring directly at them. It is common at this point that they forget how to speak any english at all, so be prepared for a stand off and don't budge.
Once the crisis of paying 500% too much has been averted it is advisable to find a place to stay. A cheap place, or well any place on the road you will be dropped off may, in fact, appear clean. However, this is far from the case. Be sure to pull back the sheets and inspect the beds to avoid being bit by various creatures in the night. Also, this late in the evening it is difficult to tell if the windows actually close, so be sure to check that as well. If you make the mistake of not checking, then it is advisable to use your sleeping sack to avoid these bites. However, if you don't know if there are bugs, chances are you will find out after already being bitten.
At this point you have options. You are starving and aggravated. You can choose to up the price of your stay by finding the nearest busiest seafood place and feast, or you can take a gamble at a cheaper, yet completely empty option. I would vote for the former in this case, as it might be the best part of your stay here.
If you come at just the right time, you will wake up for your ferry the next day to find the sky pissing with rain, thus making it next to impossible to see a thing. However, don't cry, you can just walk down to the waterfront with a telephoto lens during a lull in the storm. Your pictures would be just as good if you were on the boat that day anyway, and it's free!
Now all you have to do is catch a cheap cab ride to the airport, which happens to also house the bus station? This way you can catch a (hopefully) faster bus, although it will be smaller and you won't be able to have enough to leg room if you happen to be over 5 ft tall, but no complaining, it will only cost you $5US.
Please note that Ha Long Bay is a notorious scam artists' paradise. This loosely translates to a different experience for everyone. We got extremely unlucky.
-MV
How to do Ha Long Bay for under $60 US Roundtrip!
What you will need:
A blanket
A phone
Someone to help you argue and buy bus tickets
A travel buddy willing to kick scamming ass when needed
You can leave from the My Dinh or whatever the other central station is from Hanoi. This bus ticket should cost you around 100,000VD (or $5 US). The ride should only last about 4 hours, but if you get on a big bus, it will in fact take you forever because the bus driver will drive at around 4mph. He does this for various reasons: 1. b/c the smart locals call the bus to pick them up after exiting the CF that is the bus station; 2. when driving a bus, one must pick up various sacks of rice and other provisions to drop off to the family en route; and 3. these bus drivers want to fill the bus to the brim.
A local will tell you that in order to get a proper bus from My Dinh, one must avoid all individuals and simply go straight to the bus station and buy a ticket inside. But don't worry, these shady individuals will find you anyway once you buy your ticket and throw you on their bus b/c let's face it, you don't speak Vietnamese and don't know any better. We are merely sheep being lined up for tourist slaughter.
An excellent and convenient way to get dropped off at Ha Long City is to be pushed off the bus in the middle of a rainy night at the side of the highway. One might say, wouldn't it make more sense to just drop off the passengers at the center of town? Nah, that would be too easy. After all, we are rugged travelers and appreciate a heavy dose of confusion and fear. When getting dropped off, simply ask, where is the taxi? The bus driver will likely say, "right there silly, don't you see those moto drivers over there? Yea, they're going to attempt to scam you." Can you taste the happiness?
You then agree to the enormous price because it's raining and well where else are you going to go? They insist it is far but still open. Then all of the sudden, after about a mile of driving, the bikes will pull over and tell you that the ferry is closed, but how about a cheap hotel for the night? Oh how sneaky...
In order to ensure that you did get scammed then use your phone to call your local buddy in Hanoi. He will confirm that the ferry is indeed closed, so at least the drivers didn't lie about that. However, now it is time to settle the cost issues. This is where it is helpful to have your travel buddy through a shit fit. Don't let them scam you by insisting and staring directly at them. It is common at this point that they forget how to speak any english at all, so be prepared for a stand off and don't budge.
Once the crisis of paying 500% too much has been averted it is advisable to find a place to stay. A cheap place, or well any place on the road you will be dropped off may, in fact, appear clean. However, this is far from the case. Be sure to pull back the sheets and inspect the beds to avoid being bit by various creatures in the night. Also, this late in the evening it is difficult to tell if the windows actually close, so be sure to check that as well. If you make the mistake of not checking, then it is advisable to use your sleeping sack to avoid these bites. However, if you don't know if there are bugs, chances are you will find out after already being bitten.
At this point you have options. You are starving and aggravated. You can choose to up the price of your stay by finding the nearest busiest seafood place and feast, or you can take a gamble at a cheaper, yet completely empty option. I would vote for the former in this case, as it might be the best part of your stay here.
If you come at just the right time, you will wake up for your ferry the next day to find the sky pissing with rain, thus making it next to impossible to see a thing. However, don't cry, you can just walk down to the waterfront with a telephoto lens during a lull in the storm. Your pictures would be just as good if you were on the boat that day anyway, and it's free!
Now all you have to do is catch a cheap cab ride to the airport, which happens to also house the bus station? This way you can catch a (hopefully) faster bus, although it will be smaller and you won't be able to have enough to leg room if you happen to be over 5 ft tall, but no complaining, it will only cost you $5US.
Please note that Ha Long Bay is a notorious scam artists' paradise. This loosely translates to a different experience for everyone. We got extremely unlucky.
-MV
How to do Ha Long Bay for under $60 US Roundtrip!
What you will need:
A blanket
A phone
Someone to help you argue and buy bus tickets
A travel buddy willing to kick scamming ass when needed
You can leave from the My Dinh or whatever the other central station is from Hanoi. This bus ticket should cost you around 100,000VD (or $5 US). The ride should only last about 4 hours, but if you get on a big bus, it will in fact take you forever because the bus driver will drive at around 4mph. He does this for various reasons: 1. b/c the smart locals call the bus to pick them up after exiting the CF that is the bus station; 2. when driving a bus, one must pick up various sacks of rice and other provisions to drop off to the family en route; and 3. these bus drivers want to fill the bus to the brim.
A local will tell you that in order to get a proper bus from My Dinh, one must avoid all individuals and simply go straight to the bus station and buy a ticket inside. But don't worry, these shady individuals will find you anyway once you buy your ticket and throw you on their bus b/c let's face it, you don't speak Vietnamese and don't know any better. We are merely sheep being lined up for tourist slaughter.
An excellent and convenient way to get dropped off at Ha Long City is to be pushed off the bus in the middle of a rainy night at the side of the highway. One might say, wouldn't it make more sense to just drop off the passengers at the center of town? Nah, that would be too easy. After all, we are rugged travelers and appreciate a heavy dose of confusion and fear. When getting dropped off, simply ask, where is the taxi? The bus driver will likely say, "right there silly, don't you see those moto drivers over there? Yea, they're going to attempt to scam you." Can you taste the happiness?
You then agree to the enormous price because it's raining and well where else are you going to go? They insist it is far but still open. Then all of the sudden, after about a mile of driving, the bikes will pull over and tell you that the ferry is closed, but how about a cheap hotel for the night? Oh how sneaky...
In order to ensure that you did get scammed then use your phone to call your local buddy in Hanoi. He will confirm that the ferry is indeed closed, so at least the drivers didn't lie about that. However, now it is time to settle the cost issues. This is where it is helpful to have your travel buddy through a shit fit. Don't let them scam you by insisting and staring directly at them. It is common at this point that they forget how to speak any english at all, so be prepared for a stand off and don't budge.
Once the crisis of paying 500% too much has been averted it is advisable to find a place to stay. A cheap place, or well any place on the road you will be dropped off may, in fact, appear clean. However, this is far from the case. Be sure to pull back the sheets and inspect the beds to avoid being bit by various creatures in the night. Also, this late in the evening it is difficult to tell if the windows actually close, so be sure to check that as well. If you make the mistake of not checking, then it is advisable to use your sleeping sack to avoid these bites. However, if you don't know if there are bugs, chances are you will find out after already being bitten.
At this point you have options. You are starving and aggravated. You can choose to up the price of your stay by finding the nearest busiest seafood place and feast, or you can take a gamble at a cheaper, yet completely empty option. I would vote for the former in this case, as it might be the best part of your stay here.
If you come at just the right time, you will wake up for your ferry the next day to find the sky pissing with rain, thus making it next to impossible to see a thing. However, don't cry, you can just walk down to the waterfront with a telephoto lens during a lull in the storm. Your pictures would be just as good if you were on the boat that day anyway, and it's free!
Now all you have to do is catch a cheap cab ride to the airport, which happens to also house the bus station? This way you can catch a (hopefully) faster bus, although it will be smaller and you won't be able to have enough to leg room if you happen to be over 5 ft tall, but no complaining, it will only cost you $5US.
Please note that Ha Long Bay is a notorious scam artists' paradise. This loosely translates to a different experience for everyone. We got extremely unlucky.
-MV
How to do Ha Long Bay for under $60 US Roundtrip!
What you will need:
A blanket
A phone
Someone to help you argue and buy bus tickets
A travel buddy willing to kick scamming ass when needed
You can leave from the My Dinh or whatever the other central station is from Hanoi. This bus ticket should cost you around 100,000VD (or $5 US). The ride should only last about 4 hours, but if you get on a big bus, it will in fact take you forever because the bus driver will drive at around 4mph. He does this for various reasons: 1. b/c the smart locals call the bus to pick them up after exiting the CF that is the bus station; 2. when driving a bus, one must pick up various sacks of rice and other provisions to drop off to the family en route; and 3. these bus drivers want to fill the bus to the brim.
A local will tell you that in order to get a proper bus from My Dinh, one must avoid all individuals and simply go straight to the bus station and buy a ticket inside. But don't worry, these shady individuals will find you anyway once you buy your ticket and throw you on their bus b/c let's face it, you don't speak Vietnamese and don't know any better. We are merely sheep being lined up for tourist slaughter.
An excellent and convenient way to get dropped off at Ha Long City is to be pushed off the bus in the middle of a rainy night at the side of the highway. One might say, wouldn't it make more sense to just drop off the passengers at the center of town? Nah, that would be too easy. After all, we are rugged travelers and appreciate a heavy dose of confusion and fear. When getting dropped off, simply ask, where is the taxi? The bus driver will likely say, "right there silly, don't you see those moto drivers over there? Yea, they're going to attempt to scam you." Can you taste the happiness?
You then agree to the enormous price because it's raining and well where else are you going to go? They insist it is far but still open. Then all of the sudden, after about a mile of driving, the bikes will pull over and tell you that the ferry is closed, but how about a cheap hotel for the night? Oh how sneaky...
In order to ensure that you did get scammed then use your phone to call your local buddy in Hanoi. He will confirm that the ferry is indeed closed, so at least the drivers didn't lie about that. However, now it is time to settle the cost issues. This is where it is helpful to have your travel buddy through a shit fit. Don't let them scam you by insisting and staring directly at them. It is common at this point that they forget how to speak any english at all, so be prepared for a stand off and don't budge.
Once the crisis of paying 500% too much has been averted it is advisable to find a place to stay. A cheap place, or well any place on the road you will be dropped off may, in fact, appear clean. However, this is far from the case. Be sure to pull back the sheets and inspect the beds to avoid being bit by various creatures in the night. Also, this late in the evening it is difficult to tell if the windows actually close, so be sure to check that as well. If you make the mistake of not checking, then it is advisable to use your sleeping sack to avoid these bites. However, if you don't know if there are bugs, chances are you will find out after already being bitten.
At this point you have options. You are starving and aggravated. You can choose to up the price of your stay by finding the nearest busiest seafood place and feast, or you can take a gamble at a cheaper, yet completely empty option. I would vote for the former in this case, as it might be the best part of your stay here.
If you come at just the right time, you will wake up for your ferry the next day to find the sky pissing with rain, thus making it next to impossible to see a thing. However, don't cry, you can just walk down to the waterfront with a telephoto lens during a lull in the storm. Your pictures would be just as good if you were on the boat that day anyway, and it's free!
Now all you have to do is catch a cheap cab ride to the airport, which happens to also house the bus station? This way you can catch a (hopefully) faster bus, although it will be smaller and you won't be able to have enough to leg room if you happen to be over 5 ft tall, but no complaining, it will only cost you $5US.
Please note that Ha Long Bay is a notorious scam artists' paradise. This loosely translates to a different experience for everyone. We got extremely unlucky.
-MV
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