10 km in Hanoi: One hour by bus, half by motorbike

"I tried the bus to work for about a month. I walked about 700 meters from home to the bus station and took a single trip to work. There are three main problems with my experience:

First: The 700-meter walking distance was manageable, but under Hanoi's hot summer weather, I was drenched in sweat by the time I got there. It was worse if I had to wait at the station for a long time. Crossing to the pedestrian lane during rush hour was also stressful, and the sidewalk was mostly taken over by shops, forcing me to walk on the street.

Second: The quality of buses is inconsistent. Some buses are very good, but others are degraded, with windows that shake loudly and engines that vibrate like a massage chair. Sitting in those buses is not comfortable at all.

Third: It took me more than an hour to travel 10 km within the city by bus. On average, it would take me 30 minutes by motorbike. There were even days when it rained, and I had to take the morning off from work as my bus was stuck on the streets.

The positive side is that when I sat in a new bus, I could relax without having to strain my eyes and arms to maneuver through crowded traffic, and without having to endure the sweltering heat of Hanoi's summer."

Have you taken a bus in Vietnam? What's your experience?