Bus 86 from Noi Bai International Airport to Hanoi: Catching the 1st Trip in the Morning

Getting from Noi Bai International Airport to the Old Quarter is easy. Hop on bus 86 and in less than 30 minutes, you’re there! 

That was my plan during my trip to Northern Vietnam. And I did exactly that! BUT the journey did not start the way most people expect.

One reason is this: before I even reached the bus, I found myself surrounded by pushy taxi drivers. They were so determined to change my mind.

In this post, I share what exactly happened and how you can handle the same situation without giving up on the bus.

Here’s something you should know. I actually arrived at the airport very early, around midnight. At that time, there were no more buses running to the Old Quarter. I could have taken a taxi or hailed a Grab, but I decided to save money and wait until morning for the bus.

In case you’re wondering: yes, I slept inside the airport, on the benches. LOL!

This story I’m about to share with you is what happened next.

If you have not read my post about sleeping at Noi Bai, I recommend reading it. I also shared my tips on buying SIM cards at the airport.

Did you know what’s the sound that kicked off my first day in Vietnam?

“Chhchk-KRREEEEE-Vrrrwwwhhuuuwzhh!”

It’s the sound of airport shops shutters rattling open. 

It’s the sound that shook me wide awake at 5:15, as my body stiff from sleeping on the hard benches of Noi Bai.

To be frank, I still can still remember that sound, even as I write this. 

If something like that woke me up at home, I’d be in a total rage. I’d go out of my way to find who caused the noise and give them a piece of my mind! Kidding. LOL.

But there I was at the airport, and instead of getting annoyed, I actually felt the opposite. Thrilled is the right word to describe what I felt, I should say. 

Because, finally, I was about to see Hanoi. I couldn’t wait to explore it and find out what makes it so different from our capital, Manila. 

So after stretching a little and fixing my clothes to look more decent, I headed straight to the gates. 

On my way out, though, I was already expecting to see the buses lined up, ready to head to Hanoi. But the moment I stepped outside, there were none. I looked left and right, and still, nothing! 

There were private cars, taxis, and other passengers, but the buses? Completely missing.

What caught my attention were the taxi drivers. They were waving and shouting things like ‘Old Quarter!’ and ‘Fixed price!’ at me. 

For a second, I only stared at them, trying to process what they were even saying.

But then they started rushing toward me, and I panicked a little. I actually froze, because I had no idea how to react. I didn’t want to run away and look rude, so I stood my ground. 

Once they reached me, I said “hi!” And their sales pitch started. They kept insisting the bus wouldn’t show up and that they could get me to the Old Quarter in 30 minutes. 

My research mentioned how persistent the touting could be. I was seeing it play out in real-time.

After a couple more sales pitches, I started feeling pretty nervous. I didn’t want to say anything that might offend them, but regardless, I made an effort to stay polite. 

After I turned them down four or five times, they finally gave up and moved on to the next person. AHH, THE RELIEF!!

Once I got away from the taxi drivers, I found the stop for the #86 bus to the Old Quarter. 

I stood out there for a bit, just waiting and waiting… and waiting. After that ‘long’ while, a guy from the airport approached me and said the first bus wasn’t due until 7:00 AM. 

I was like, ‘Oh, is that right? Thank you! That was a total godsend for my legs!’ Since I had some time to kill, I headed back inside to grab some breakfast while I waited.

By 7:00 AM, I was back at the bus stop with a crowd of other passengers. The bus ended up being ten minutes late or so, but I didn’t mind the wait at all. 

I met another Filipino traveler there. And we spent the time swapping stories about what we were looking forward to in Vietnam. It made the time flyyyy.

The other reason the delay didn’t bother me was the bus conductor… he was the definition of friendly. He was so high-energy and gave everyone such a warm welcome to Vietnam.

As he went around punching our tickets, he shared travel tips. He also gave us a little crash course on the local culture. He seemed like a funny guy, too, even if some of his jokes went over my head. 

Either way, he gave me a fantastic first impression of the country.

If I remember right, that bus ride cost me less than 2 USD. 

It made me realize that sleeping in the airport was worth it beyond a doubt. And beyond it being a cool experience, I saved about 18 USD by skipping the taxi.

Once I finally reached the Hanoi Old Quarter, the real adventure began. You can follow along with our entire 4-day Northern Vietnam itinerary. See exactly how our trip turned out. 🙂

Explore Northern Vietnam

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