Planning A Trip To Vietman

[Richb2004v2]

We are planning a five day trip to Vietnam for April. We are going to fly with Air Asia into Hanoi. I am wondering about doing an organized tour, or should we just do our own thin? I prefer to do things ourselves, but at the same time I like to be sure to be able to get places and see things without to much trouble. We would like to see Hanoi for a couple of days and then travel to Sapa. I am looking for some advice on the trip. Firstly, is it easy enough to do the trip without doing an organized tour?

Secondly, am I better booking hotels before hand or is accommodation easy to come by? Lastly, is transport easy to use to get around Hanoi and to Sapa?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[leisurely]

We went last October to Hanoi and loved it. the people aren't as smiley as the Thais but when you consider their history, it is no wonder.

We stayed at the Army hotel in Hanoi, it is relatively close to the centre and suited us because of the pool. There are many smaller hotels in the old district which is very picturesque. We arranged for a car to meet us from the airport because it is a fair way out of town.

In Hanoi, taxis are plentiful. One top tip is to make sure that there is a metal tag thing attached to the meter. A couple of times we didn't and got taken for a ride literally. The meter doubled in price after the driver fiddled with it. ATMs are available and pay out in Dong which you can then convert to Dollars unless you have some already.

I don't think you need to worry about taking an organised tour, as I said, taxi's are plentiful. We visitted the museum of ethnology which is a good 45 minute drive out of the centre of town and had no problems getting a cab back.

I don't know how you would get to Sapa, someone else here will though.

Enjoy your holiday, it's a fab place and extremely cheap compared to Bangkok even.

[Spaniel]

leisurely gave you some pretty good info. We (me/wife/16 year old son) also went to Hanoi for a week last July. We didn't go on an organize tour and recommend you dont either. We flew in on Air Asia and easy enough to get a taxi to town for $10. Here is the website for the hotel where we stayed and highly recommend, Viet Anh Hotel in the "old quarter": vietanhhotel.com We did the 3 day tour of Halong Bay which was great but didn't due the Sapa tour (trekking). We booked the tours at the hotel. The first day there we did the 1 day city tour which was worth it if you never been to Hanoi. They shuttle you around to all the main points of interest then we just roamed around and for a few days at our lesure to see other things. There are lots of hotels/guest houses particularly in the old quarter. It was our first trip too so we didn't really know what area to stay in but the old quarter was ok. Mortorcycle traffic was a bit hectic.

[Richb2004v2]

Thanks for the advice. I am just going to book the flights with Air Asia. The flights have gone up by 3000 Baht since I looked a few days again, but they still come out at just over 10,000 Baht. I am going to look at the hotel mentioned.

Thank.

[leisurely]

One last piece of advice, get your visa sorted out early. OUrs was supposed to take 4 working days, but ended up taking 7 due to a holiday in Vietnam. They can be dated up to three months in advance (I think)

[swindonabroad]

I would definatly recommend the trip up to Sappa. Go to a tour operator in the Old Quaeter and haggle a little for prices. You will get an overnight train, no need to get the first class option, and you can choose a package of short walks with guides ( not so good) or longer ones with overnight stays in a village.

The whole thing was great with good transfers.

Do take good walking shoes and waterproofs. Do keep hold of your train ticket. I found out they wont let you leave the station at Sappa without your stub the hard way!

I am always wary of organised tours but this one was great.

[vihnvn]

Hello

Ciao Vietnam Travel

Web: ciaotravel.com.vn or ciaotravels.com

Good luck

[britmaveric]

Anyone been to Saigon, recommend hotels in district 1?

[hanno]

Anyone been to Saigon, recommend hotels in district 1?

Budget???

[britmaveric]

max - 30quid.......... safe/clean.

[hanno]

30 Quid almost rules out District 1 these days, at least the area around Dong Khoi. When are you going?

There are a few good hotels on Thai Van Lung Street. I have stayed at the Apple Hotel (http://www.applehotel.com.vn/overview.html) which was decent and there is a good Steak House right next to it. The really cheap area is Pham Ngu Lao, but it is full of backpacker types.

[britmaveric]

Not for a while, but plan on getting all my ducks in a line way before. Ok far as district 1 - what is the low end acceptable rate for a nice accomodation?

[hanno]

what is the low end acceptable rate for a nice accommodation

Depends very much on the season. Also, the city hotels are currently shi**ing themselves because of financial crisis and all that, VNAT (Vietnam Tourism Authorities) are currently encouraging hotels to slash rates by 30 - 50%. I should think that you can get a pretty decent room in a guest house from USD 25.00 on up.

[kevindk]

what is the low end acceptable rate for a nice accommodation

Depends very much on the season. Also, the city hotels are currently shi**ing themselves because of financial crisis and all that, VNAT (Vietnam Tourism Authorities) are currently encouraging hotels to slash rates by 30 - 50%. I should think that you can get a pretty decent room in a guest house from USD 25.00 on up.

Absolutely. On some e-news, it is said that they are hoping to make such a huge promotion in tourism (due to significant decline of tourists last year) with associated supporters such as hotels, VN airlines etc. By having said that, I expect good deals coming soon.

[PattayaParent]

To arrange trips around and about Ha Noi (eg. Perfumed Pagoda or city tours or train tickets to Sa Pa) go to any Sinh Cafe office and they will sort it for you.

Sa pa will be cold so maybe think about Ha Long Bay as an alternative.

Take in the show at the Puppet Theatre at Hoan Kiem Lake.