Hop-on and hop-off round Hà Nội

Two open-topped bus routes have been serving tourists and locals in Ha Noi over the last year or so, providing exciting and flexible tours of Viet Nam’s capital.

The red buses are run by Hanoi Transerco and the green and yellow ones are run by Vietnam Sightseeing. Both are operational during national holidays, including this long weekend.

The Hanoi City Tour bus route run by Hanoi Transerco was the first route to be launched in May 2018.

Red two-deck hop on hop off by Hanoi Transerco was the first of its kind in the city for tourists. VNS Photo Trương Vị

The Hanoi City tour bus No 01 passes 25 streets with 13 stops, from where tourists can access 30 must-see destinations in the city.

There are headphones with audio guides in Vietnamese, Chinese, English, French, Korean, Japanese and Russian.

Hanoi City Tour buses run non-stop, with a new bus coming every 30 minutes between 9am and 5pm. Each bus can host up to 80 people.

From the bus, one can have a different view of the streets. VNS Photo Trung Hiếu

“Hanoi City Tour bus by Hanoi Transerco is the first of its kind in Hà Nội using two-decked buses and various modern facilities,” said Nguyễn Thế Hùng, deputy chairman of the city’s People’s Committee. “The bus has brought tourists one more high quality tourism product.”

The buses pass various sight-seeings of the city. VNS Photo Trung Hiếu

The ticket price ranges from VNĐ196,000 (US$8.4) for a two hour-tour; VNĐ300,000 for four hours; VNĐ 450,000 for 24 hours; and VNĐ650,000 for 48 hours.

The 24 and 48 hour tickets also allow riders free access to the two-way buses from Nội Bài Airport to Hà Nội and vice versa and a ‘night tour’ of the city worth VNĐ200,000.

Route of two-deck bus No 1

Weekday: Đông Kinh Nghĩa Thục Square (Bờ Hồ Bus stop)- Lê Thái Tổ- Tràng Thi- Điện Biên Phủ- Độc Lập- Hoàng Văn Thụ- Hùng Vương- Thanh Niên- Yên Phụ- Thanh Niên- Hùng Vương- Phan Đình Phùng- Hoàng Diệu- Lê Hồng Phong- Hùng Vương- Nguyễn Thái Học- Văn Miếu- Quốc Tử Giám- Tôn Đức Thắng-Nguyễn Thái Học- Cửa Nam – Phan Bội Châu- Lý Thường Kiệt- Phan Chu Trinh- Hai Bà Trưng- Lê Thánh Tông- Tràng Tiền- Đinh Tiên Hoàng- Bờ Hồ Bus stop.

At the weekend due to the pedestrian zone surrounding Hoàn Kiếm Lake, the route has some changes: Nhà Hát Lớn- Tràng Tiền- Ngô Quyền- Lý Thường Kiệt- Quang Trung- Tràng Thi- Điện Biên Phủ- Độc Lập- Hoàng Văn Thụ- Hùng Vương- Thanh Niên- Yên Phụ- Thanh Niên- Hùng Vương- Phan Đình Phùng- Hoàng Diệu- Lê Hồng Phong- Hùng Vương- Nguyễn Thái Học – Văn Miếu- Quốc Tử Giám- Tôn Đức Thắng- Nguyễn Thái Học- Cửa Nam- Phan Bội Châu- Lý Thường Kiệt- Phan Chu Trinh- Hai Bà Trưng- Lê Thánh Tông- Nhà Hát Lớn.

Second route

Since November 2018, another open-topped hop on hop off bus route marked ‘Vietnam Sightseeing – Thăng Long Hà Nội City Tour’, painted green and yellow, has been spotted around the city. 

Green & yellow hop on hop of of the Vietnamtourism Hanoi. VNS Photo Trương Vị

Starting at Vườn hoa Con Cóc (Diên Hồng Park), the tour passes the city’s top sightseeing spots like Việt Nam Museum of Military History, Thăng Long Citadel Complex, Cửa Bắc Church, Quán Thánh Temple, Trấn Quốc Pagoda, Hồ Chí Minh President’s Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature, Saint Joseph’s Cathedral, the Museum of Vietnamese Women and ends at the Hà Nội Opera House.

Take such a bus trip is a luring way to explore the city. VNS Photo Trung Hiếu

The passengers are mostly foreigners, who can choose various tickets, 4 hour – 24 hour and 48 hour at three price ranges of VNĐ219,000 – VNĐ329,000 and VNĐ479,000. They can get off and on at any stop.

Free drinks, raincoats, bamboo hats are offered on the bus.

According to Vietnam Sightseeing, the firm that runs the route, on average as many as 70 tourists take the tour every day. Each day the bus runs for eight hours. There are 55 seats on each bus including special seats for people with disabilities. VNS