Halong Bay
Cruise Trips
Other Junks
Sights
Travelling from Vietnam to Brunei Darussalam
Hopefully some of the information I post below would be
useful if you plan to fly with Air Asia from Hanoi to
Kuala Lumpur (KL), and visit Brunei Darussalam.
Flight HN - KL with Air Asia
The flight takes 3 hours and you will arrive at LCCT
(Low Cost Carriers Terminal) at mid night. From LCCT to
KL Sentral, it takes 60-90 minutes by bus, depending on
traffic. You can go by Air Asia's Sky bus (red color) RM
9 one way, or Aero bus (yellow color) RM 8 one way. From
KL Sentral to Bukit Bingtang where you can find cheap
guesthouses and restaurants, it costs RM 11 by taxi
(after mid night till 6am, there will be 50% surcharge),
or RM 2.50 by monorail.
The LCCT is an ideal place for anyone who wants to take
inexpensive flights. Air Asia flies on 75 routes at
present, and many of them go to the major tourist
destinations in SE Asia. The airport is quite large and
comfortable with fast food and Asian food restaurants as
well as shops that open 24 hours.
Brunei Darussalam - the Abode of Peace
Following is address of the Embassy of Negara Brunei
Darussalam in Hanoi:
Villa 8-9, Van Bao street, Van Phuc quarter, Hanoi
Tel: 84-4-7262001
Visa fee US$12. It takes 5 working days to get a Brunei
visa. The Embassy informed me on the 3rd day that my
visa application was OK. I think the Embassy cares about
financial capability of the visitors to support the stay
in their country.
Royal Brunei Airlines flies between Sai Gon and Bandar
Seri Begawan (BSB), US$350 + US$50 tax for a round trip.
After comparing some options, I decided to fly with Air
Asia from Hanoi - KL - BSB, US$322 for 4 flights
including taxes.
Flight from KL to BSB takes 2 hours. From Brunei Int'l
Airport to the city's center, you can take a taxi B$25
one way or a bus B$1 one way, however the bus often
stops working at 6pm. It takes 10-15 minutes to go by
taxi from the airport to the city's center. If you walk,
it would take 45 minutes as my GH owner said.
In Brunei Darussalam, you can find the cheapest room at
B$30/night (US$20) in a guest house, or the most
expensive Emperor room at B$26,000/night (US$18,000) in
the 7-star Empire Hotel and Country Club. As for food,
it costs B$3-5 for a meal. I ate at Indian, Chinese,
Bruneian and fast food restaurants.
There are 2 largest mosques in BSB. Both are very famous
for the golden dome and beautiful architecture. The
museums are interesting places to visit, same as the
Kampong Ayer water village. If you take a water taxi to
see the village, it costs B$10 for 30 minutes, B$20 for
an hour.
I highly recommend you to visit this peaceful country.
For more info, pls see this website: Brunei Tourism
Brunei Darussalam is the 10th country, also is the last
country in SE Asia that I visited (except East Timor). I
saw very few tourists in this country. This may be the
most quiet country in SE Asia as the population is only
360,000 people. The highlight of my trip was the meeting
with a Bruneian TTer and his aunt. They contacted me
just 2 days before my trip then showed me around the
city and even saw me off at the airport. Thanks to TT
forum for giving me the chance to meet and spend time
with them.
Other tips
Useful sites
1. Red Dragon
Junk, Cruise Halong Bay: 5 cabin boat on
Halong Bay
All cruises on
Halong Bay Online,
Halong bay
travel guide, Hanoi Halong Bay Tours, Maps to Halong,
2. Prince
Cruise Halong Bay Vietnam: 4 cabin cruise on Halong
Bay
3. Jayavarman
Cruise on Mekong River Vietnam Cambodia: luxury
cruise on the Mekong River
4. Hanoi Airlines:
book flight tickets to Hanoi
5. Halong Bay
Cruise: list all cruise boats on Halong Bay & Bai Tu
Long Bay
6. Hotel
Vietnam, Vietnam Hotels: book hotels and resorts in
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
7. Laos Travel
Guide: book tours in Laos with the New Road Tour
8. Cambodia
Travel: useful guides, hotels, flights, tours in
Cambodia
9. Phu Quoc
Travel Guide: useful information on Phu Quoc Island
Vietnam
10. Travel Sapa
Vietnam: tours, hotels, maps to Sapa Vietnam
11. Mekong
Delta Tours: cruise, hotels, tours in Mekong, Saigon
Other new travel sites
1. Vietnam Travel
Company: First Choice Tours in Vietnam
2. Hue Travel Guide:
guide, maps, tours in Hue Vietnam
3. Sapa Travel Tips:
Sapa guides, tourist information
4. Mekong River
Tours, Mekong Amalotus Cruise, Amalotus Cruise,
Amalotus Boat Mekong River
5. Amalotus.com,
Amalotuscruise.com, Amalotus Indochina Sails Mekong
River
6. Mekong
River Boats: Mekong Tours, Mekong River Tours
7. Hoi An Travel
Guide: Tours, maps to Hoi An
