Transportation in Vietnam, especially in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, can be chaotic and confusing for foreigners. Many even called it an “organised chaos!” However, you can easily find services like taxis, Uber, Grab, Easy Riders, among others.
Taxis are really cheap and you can find them everywhere. However you might find the occasional fake taxi, especially around the tourist areas, so be careful.
Did you know that there are more than 38 million motorcycles in Vietnam? That’s 18 times more than cars! That means that mopeds are make up more than 90% of the whole country’s vehicles. The main reason why there are more motorcycles than cars is certainly because the cities are extremely compact and dense. Also, no license is necessary for motorcycles under 50cc, or electric bikes!
It is quite impressive what Vietnamese locals can balance and transport on just a motorcycle, from live animals to stacks of chairs. If you see 4 dogs and an entire family on just one motorcycle, don’t be surprised!
Uber versus Grab
Uber started operating in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in mid-2014.Â
It offers 5 types of transportation services, UberMoto, UberBlack, UberX, UberSUV and UberTOUR. Since Vietnam loves motorcycles, UberMoto it may be faster to travel with the motorbike due to traffic jams. They are also a very cheap form of transportation. UberX is a low-cost Uber, while you can also use UberTOUR for longer trips.
Prices with Uber are almost one third versus Vietnamese taxi services due to their promotion programs.
Uber not only offers transportation services, but also delivery services. Since September 2017, UberDELIVERY delivers your food from your favorite restaurant to your doorstep.
Uber is not the only company offering transportation services with an app. Grab is their main rival in Vietnam, who also started operating in 2014. It was the top-ranked ride-hailing app in 2017 in Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In this case, Grab has 3 types of transportation services, GrabTaxi which are regular taxis, GrabCar which are private vehicles and, like Uber, Grab also has a motorcycle taxi service, which is very unique to Vietnam. GrabExpress it’s their delivery service.
Bus
Taking the bus is probably the cheapest way to get around Vietnam. The bus network is very extensive and goes across the country.
Every province in Vietnam has a main bus terminal,, mainly in the big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. These are interprovincial buses. Prices always depend on where you want to go and which type of seat you choose. There are travel agencies who can help you buy a ticket in advance.
Wherever you go, I advise only to buy bus tickets of registered booths from large companies inside the bus terminals.
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A friend once told me he’d love to live in a city by the sea where the winters are as cold and snowy as in Germany and a summers are as hot as AndalucĂa in Spain. An international city where he could find a good job related to the field of Biology and also stay in touch with his Russian routes would be ideal. I laughed at him back then, but now I have to say, I think I’ve actually found it! Dalian is a city full of many opportunities for everyone, especially for foreigners. Not only that, but it’s also really beautiful.
I this blog I thought I would explain the main transport links in and out of Dalian. It’s a pretty well connected with several different means of transport running form the city centre depending where it is your coming from and which exciting destination you’re heading to next.
Most people arrive her by air. Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport has more than 30 international flight routes, including Munich, Frankfurt, Paris, Singapore and London. As well as more than 68 domestic flights, (including flights to the other 3 InternChina destinations Qingdao, Chengdu and Zhuhai)! With the airport just 16km from the city centre, getting to this awesome city couldn’t be any easier.
Airport – getting there
- Taxi:
It’s a mere 10 minutes by taxi to the city centre, costing roughly 20 CNY. The official taxi rank can be found on the east side of the airport. - Buses:
- Airport shuttle bus: Regular shuttle buses run after every flight, taking passenger to the main train station as well as Renmin Road (city centre). Full route: Airport- Shahekou Railway Station – Wuyi Square-Civil Aviation Building – Shengli Square (Victory Square) – Renmin Lu. You can booked in advance from the airport ticket office on Zhongshan Lu, just opposite Xiwang Square. (5 Yuan per person)
- Public buses: There are two options: 701 Bus – terminates at Zhongshan Square, or 710 bus – terminates at the Harbor; Sanba Square and Erqui Square. (1 Yuan per person)
Already in China travelling? Trains and long distance buses to Dalian are also very convenient.
- Train: Dalian is well connected to the rail networks in China, trains from the city can reach any city in northeast China. Dalian has two stations: Dalian Central train Station has direct trains to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. It is located in the bustling commercial centre near Qingniwaqiao in the downtown area. Dalian North Train Station is located 30 minutes away from downtown and provides all High Speed Rail services to and from the city.
- Long distance buses: The city is situated at the tip of the Liaodong Peninsular and has two main highways that extend northeast to cover the peninsular. This makes the connections between Dalian and four other major cities, namely Shenyang, Liaoyang, Dandong, Qinhuangdao, very convenient. There are five long distance passenger bus stations across city.
- Boat: The Passenger Port is located at the northern end of Wuwu Lu in the eastern end of the Liaodong Peninsular. Passenger ships leave for Yantai, Weihai, Tianjin and Penglai Changhai County daily. Ships also sail for Incheon, Korea every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The Daein Ferry leaves at 18:00 and the Seacost Ferry at 15:30, the journey takes roughly 17 hours. Best get to the passenger port at least half an hour before your departure time to check in!
Come and join the fun, apply now!
When people think about China, the first cities that usually come to mind are, of course, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. If you know a little bit more about the country, you might think of Tibet, Canton, or even Nanjing and Xi’an. But if you have a limited knowledge and experience of China, it’s very likely that you’ve never heard of a city called Zhuhai.
Zhuhai, in the Southeastern province of Guangdong (where Guangzhou, or Canton, is also located), has a population of 1.5 million people. By Chinese standards, this can be considered a small city. So, why would a Westerner want to do an internship in Zhuhai?
To borrow the popular saying… “location, location, location”. Zhuhai is primely located in an area called the Pearl River Delta which, in geographical terms, is the area surrounding the Pearl River estuary. In economic terms, this area comprises several hugely important cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, to name a few. This region is considered an emerging megacity and is one of the main hubs of economic growth in China. Meaning: there are thousands of thriving businesses in the area and the number will only keep growing.
In 1980, Zhuhai was named a Special Economic Zone, due largely to its strategic location. This status has meant that the Chinese government is spending a great deal of resources to make Zhuhai a modern and leading city in terms of business, science, education, tourism and transportation. The amount of investment and the convenience of travel (you can walk across the border to Macau, take a 1-hour ferry to Hong Kong or the high-speed train to Guangzhou) has turned Zhuhai into a hugely attractive place for foreign capital. So, if you are a Western intern, it will not be hard to find a company that has business ties to your region of the world.
Now, we all know that an internship abroad isn’t just about the work experience. It is also about the chance to live in a place different from your own, have exciting adventures and learn about a new and exotic culture. Zhuhai is also the perfect place for this. While it is rapidly developing, it is still one of the smaller cities in the area and has not been affected by pollution, heavy traffic or crime. Here, you can relax on the beach after a long day of work and eat delicious traditional Cantonese food. If you’re homesick and longing for a bit of Western culture, you can hop over to Macau or Hong Kong for a day or a weekend.
So, as you can see, Zhuhai is arguably THE place to be when it comes to choosing an internship in China. The cherry on the cake? The Intern China family, ready to support you every step of the way and help make Zhuhai your home away from home.
Looking for the ideal internship location? Take full advantage of all that Zhuhai has to offer! Apply now or send us an email for more information.