Get on the Hanoi Bus, Gus

As a family of six with no car or motorbikes, getting around Hanoi can be a challenge.  We've used a lot of different types of transport -- walking, taxi, school bus, the occasional motorbike ride from a friend -- but the Hanoi city bus has been something that we've grown to rely on.  It is cheap, mostly reliable, and bus stops within walking distance of our house.

We've been surprised by reactions we get, especially from non-Vietnamese here, when we tell them we use the Hanoi city bus system.  Usually the conversation goes something like, "You ride the city bus?  You are so brave."  Or people who have been here for a while say things like, "I've never ridden the bus here."

We have always found the system to be pretty easy to understand.  While there are apps you can get on your phone for the bus system (in Vietnamese), we find the easiest thing to use is Google Maps.  It will tell you where the nearest bus station is and the number bus you should take.  With very few exceptions, the information is accurate.  Here is the Google Map screen shot of the bus options from our apartment in Cau Giay to the Old Quarter:

The bus stops are easy to find -- they have a blue sign with the number of the buses that will stop there (and the places the bus stops):

Buses are easy to see on the road, clearly marked:

There are always two people on every bus -- the driver and the conductor.  Once you get on the bus, the conductor goes around and collects the 7,000 VND (31 cents) and hands you a ticket:

On a separate bus later in the day, we saw one of the few women bus conductors we've seen since we got here:

During the summer when we were researching Vietnam and how to live here, we came across this video which showed how to pay to get on the bus.  We found it really reassuring and informative.  The clip shows how to get from the airport to the city center by bus, so the first few minutes are in the airport.