Monthly archives: December 2015

Money Icon
DECEMBER 2015: OVERVIEW: My costs start at Hai Phong Airport and include: A Moto Taxi to Ben Binh Harbour Ferry and transfers from Ben Binh Harbour to Cat Ba Town 11 nights in a Double Room in a Budget Hotel with Aircon (which was not needed) and Cable TV as well as a ‘simple’ breakfast 1x Scooter Hire (with Petrol) Mobile Data / Communications Trips / Excursions Visa cost apportionment My costs of Getting Away to Cai Rong Ferry Port Lots of partying and entertainment (I was there for Christmas and New Year) CROSS REFERENCES: For more detail, read about Cat Ba – Vietnam – […]

Cat Ba – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs

Cat Ba - Town from Fishing Port
  DECEMBER 2015:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. Click here for detailed Cat Ba – Vietnam – GRANDPAcking Costs. Read about Vietnam Visa. OVERVIEW: I really enjoyed my time in Hoi An, but it was time to move on. I was looking forward to getting ‘more active’ in Cat Ba Island / Halong Bay. It was time for some ‘adventuring’, some kayaking, some trekking, and a trip by boat around Halong Bay. Cat Ba is the biggest island in Halong Bay and roughly half of the island is a National Park. GETTING THERE: To get from Hoi An to Cat Ba, I flew […]

Cat Ba – Vietnam – Information

Cat Ba Island Map
DECEMBER 2015: Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I arrived in Cat Ba Island on 21st December 2015. This is ‘off season’ and it rains most days. Also, some days (and many nights) are quite cold so you need to wear long trousers and warm tops / jackets. I planned to stay for nearly 2 weeks through to the 2nd January 2016; so, I was going to be there for Christmas and New Year. It was going to be important to find the right spot… GETTING THERE: I travelled from Hoi An to Cat Ba and landed at the boat […]

Cat Ba – Vietnam – Where To Stay

Travel Information
  DECEMBER 2015:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. OVERVIEW: I really enjoyed my time in Hoi An, but it was time to move on. It was time to move on to my next destination: Cat Ba Island. You can get to Cat Ba from Hoi An by train, but this is best done on an over-night ‘sleeper’ and the journey from Da Nang to Hanoi is said to take 12-14 hours. I’m a GRANDPAcker so, I decided to fly. BOOKING THE FLIGHT: You need to Book a Regional Flight from Da Nang to Hai Phong; I went directly to the Vietnam […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – To Cat Ba Island

ACER Switch 10E
DECEMBER 2015: SUMMARY: When I started my travels in November 2014, I went with an ASUS Transformer Book T100 which had excellent online reviews. In my own ASUS Transformer Book T100 Review, I told you about how maddening the T100 was in real life and how disappointed I was with it. What this experience did was help me really focus on exactly what I needed out of a 2-in-1. When I briefly returned to NZ in August 2015, I purchased an ACER Switch 10E at the Harvey Norman online store for NZ$499 (US$329). Here is my practical review of the ACER […]

ACER Switch 10E – Review

Hoi An - Old Town Side Street
  DECEMBER 2015:   Click here to read our Vietnam Retirement Reviews. Read about Vietnam Visa. OVERVIEW:  Hoi An was the principal port of the Cham Kingdom, which controlled the strategic spice trade with Indonesia from the 7th to the 10th century and was a major international port in the 16th and 17th centuries – and the foreign influences are still there to this day. While the serious shipping business has long since moved to Da Nang, the heart of the city is still the Ancient Town / Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shophouses, which is particularly atmospheric in the evening as the […]

Hoi An – Vietnam – Information