Welcome to New Directions 2016. This year, the conference will be held at Sheraton Hanoi Hotel.
Venue address: K5 Nghi Tam, Road, 11 Xuan Dieu, Quang An, Tay Ho, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Please see below more details including advice for accommodation and transport. For more detailed information and guidance, we encourage visitors to download the British Council Notes for Visitors to Vietnam at the end of this webpage.
We wish you a safe and enjoyable trip to Hanoi, Vietnam.
About Vietnam and Hanoi
Vietnam lies along the eastern coast of the Indochina Peninsula. It is a long and narrow country, over 1,600 kms in length covering an area of just under 330,000 square kilometres. The population of Vietnam is approximately 84 million. Ethnically, Vietnam is the most homogenous country of Southeast Asia. About 90% of the population are Vietnamese and there are more than 50 ethnic minorities.
Altogether the country stretches for more than 1,650 kilometres from north to south. The coastline of Vietnam is about 3,000 kilometres long. Mountains and hills cover four-fifths of Vietnam’s territory with the Truong Son range stretching over 1,400km. Mount Fansipan (3,142m) is the highest peak in Southeast Asia.
Hanoi is the capital and the second largest city in Vietnam (after Ho Chi Minh City) with a land area of over 900 square kilometres and a population in excess of 3 million. Hanoi lies in the fertile Red River Delta.
Climate
Vietnam extends across two climatic zones with a moderate climate in the north, comparable to that of Southern Europe, and a tropical climate in the South. Hanoi, like Hong Kong, is located at a geographical latitude slightly to the south of Cairo or the Canary Islands, while Ho Chi Minh City is at a geographical latitude only slightly to the north of Lagos.
Hanoi has four distinct seasons. During autumn (October and November) the climate is pleasantly warm and dry.
Official language: Vietnamese is the official language in Vietnam. English use is becoming more prevalent in government and commerce.
Local currency: Vietnamese Dong (VND)
Time zone: UTC+07:00
Accommodation options
PARTNER HOTEL: SHERATON HANOI HOTEL
New Directions 2016 is pleased to announce partnership with Sheraton Hanoi Hotel.
Address: K5 Nghi Tam, Road, 11 Xuan Dieu, Quang An, Tay Ho, Hanoi, Vietnam
Website: www.sheratonhanoi.com
As the venue for New Directions 2016, Sheraton Hanoi Hotel offers special rates from 2,230,000 VND/room/night for New Directions attendants staying at the hotel.
Please click here for your booking.
Hotel reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until 11 September 2016. We recommend booking your hotel as soon as possible before this date in order to get the best room available. We cannot ensure room availability after this date.
Distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 23 kilometres
RECOMMENDED HOTELS
The Hanoi Club, Hotel & Lake Palais Residences
Address: 76 Yen Phu, Tay Ho, Hanoi
Website: http://www.thehanoiclub.com/
Hanoi Club Hotel is located on the shore of West Lake. The hotel offers a rate of from 1,560,000 VND/room/night (VAT and service tax inclusive) for New Directions attendants.
Distance from the event venue: 2 kilometres (5 minutes drive)
Distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 30 kilometres
For further information and booking, please include that you are an ‘Attendant of British Council New Directions conference’ when making a booking via reservation@thehanoiclub.com or contacting (84-4) 3829 3829/ 3823 8115.
Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis and we recommend booking your hotel soon to get the best room available.
Thang Loi Hotel
Address: 200 Yen Phu, Tay Ho, Hanoi
Thang Loi Hotel is also located by West Lake. The hotel offers a rate from 1,310,000VND/room/night (VAT and service tax inclusive) for New Directions attendants.
Distance from the event venue: 550 metres (10 minutes walking)
Distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 23 kilometres
For further information and booking, please include that you are an ‘Attendant of British Council New Directions conference’ when making a booking via info@thangloihotel.vn or contacting (84-4) 38290145.
Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis and we recommend booking your hotel soon to get the best room available.
OTHER HOTELS
Please check this website to find a hotel which meets your need.
How to get to the venue
- Venue: Sheraton Hanoi Hotel
- Address: K5 Nghi Tam, Road, 11 Xuan Dieu, Quang An, Tay Ho, Hanoi, Vietnam
Transportation
If you travel by plane to Noi Bai Airport
Hanoi is served by Noi Bai International Airport, approximately 40 km (25 mi) north of Hanoi.
Taxis can be obtained outside the arrivals area. Queues are currently not very organised so if you see a taxi at the stand and nobody else is getting in it, you can just get in and go. There are a variety of taxi companies, the most reliable are Hanoi Taxi Group, ABC, Mai Linh and Noi Bai. It takes around 30 minutes to reach Hanoi from Noi Bai Airport, more if you’re going into the centre in the rush hour, and currently (July 2015) costs around 300,000 - 400,000VND (£10-15).
The Airport minibus costs VND35,000 per person in either direction and drops passengers downtown on Quang Trung Street.
Getting around the city
Taxis in Hanoi are abundant, safe and cheap. They all have meters. They can be booked by phone and hailed on the street. The cost will usually relate to the size of the cab, and the price per distance is written on the outside of the passenger door.
Below are contacts of most reliable brands:
- Taxi Group: 0438535353
- ABC: 0437191919
- Mai Linh: 04 38228666
Bicycles and motorbikes can be hired. Bicycles cost around $1 per day and motorbikes about $5 to $10. A local driving licence is a legal requirement for driving a motorbike. Driving rules and habits are very different from the UK so extreme caution is required. Under Vietnamese law, a helmet must be worn at all times when driving a motorbike.
You can also use a motorbike taxi. These are very common but caution is advised. Drivers are not always careful, there are no meters and you can easily end up paying almost as much as you would in a small taxi.
Fleets of cyclos (bicycle rickshaw) also cruise the streets looking for custom. A cyclo ride can be a pleasant way to see the city. It is unwise to take a cyclo late at night.
Need help?
Please download our British Council Notes for Visitors to Vietnam below for more detailed guidance.
Should you have any questions or need help, please contact us via newdirections@britishcouncil.org.