| Taiwan | Hanoi | |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 9-13 | RM4,750 (€1,044) 17-21C, rain 1 day in 2 | RM3,989 (€877) 15-22C, rain 1 day in 4 |
| Jan 5-11 | RM4,850 (€1,066) 14-20C, rain 1 day in 3 | RM3,622 (€796) 15-22C, rain 1 day in 3 |
Hanoi 4 nights: fly Wed evening, work Thu from Hanoi, then Fri (Selangor Sultan's Birthday holiday) to Sun off. Old Quarter street food, egg coffee, and a day trip to the karst rivers of Ninh Binh.
What the same days looked like over the last 11 years (2016-2026). Photos: Hanoi in January, the closest month on file.
Mild, grey and misty, mostly light drizzle. Light jacket.
Mild and often cloudy. Light jacket for the boat ride.
Weather: Open-Meteo history. Photos: Wikimedia Commons (Mig Gilbert, CC BY-SA 2.0; AndrewDressel, CC BY-SA 4.0). Real forecast about 2 weeks before.
Nonstop from KL, ~3h20. Tap to open on Google Flights.
Best fit for a Wed evening start: AirAsia 18:10, lands 20:30.
4-5 star, rated 8+, central, under $100 a night. Tap a hotel for photos and rooms.
Guided day trips from Hanoi. Prices are per person from operator websites (13 Nov), not booked and not in the trip total.
Driver takes you through rice fields and villages, plus a boat ride. No licence needed.
Rent bicycles or e-bikes in Tam Coc and ride the flat, quiet loop yourselves. Fully legal, no licence.
You ride behind a guide (the "Easy Rider" style). Forest mountain 60 km out, then an old village.
Same Ninh Binh day but on the back of a motorbike: backroads, karst mountains, villages. Small groups.
Real mountain valleys and Thai stilt-house villages, behind a guide. Too far for a day: takes Fri and Sat with 1 night there, so it replaces both days above.
Licence rules: tigitmotorbikes.com, frontiertravelvietnam.com, vietcetera.com (travel guides, not the law text).
Taipei 4 nights + Tainan 2 nights. Night markets, hot springs, Jiufen, and the best food city in Taiwan.
What the same days looked like over the last 11 years (2016-2026). Photos: taken in January.
Cool and often grey, light drizzle some days. Bring a jacket and a small umbrella.
Warm, dry and sunny. T-shirt weather in the day.
Weather: Open-Meteo history. Photos: Wikimedia Commons (Gregg Tavares, CC BY 2.0; Chainwit., CC BY 4.0). Real forecast about 2 weeks before.
Nonstop from KL, ~5h. Tap to open on Google Flights.
4-5 star, rated 8+, central, under $100 a night. Tap a hotel for photos and rooms.