Looking For Tips For A 10 Day Vietnam Visit

[Rastaputin]

For the traditional Songkran avoidance trip, I fancy going to Vietnam this Year, and looking for tips.

What to do, which Hotels, and the like ...

So far the plan is:

Flying from Bangkok into HCMC with AirAsia, on the 10th, and returning on AirAsia from Hanoi on the 20th.

Flight round trip costs now around 5000 Baht.

I like to stay in HCMC for about 3 or 4 Nights, would like to prebook a suitable hotel: In an interesting area, (No Backpacker-Ghetto Please), with ifi Internet, Smoker rooms, and around 50 $. Will bring my Camera and will most likely book some local trips in the area from there.

Next I don't know, maybe flying into Hanoi from there? Easy to get local flights on short notice?

In Hanoi, I like to prebook a Hotel as well (I just hate to trip along the streets with a taxi driver on my back and all my luggage to find a suitable room, I rather know where I am staying beforehand.)

Maybe a day trip to visit Halong Beach? What else could be done from there?

Anyone done something similar, and can come up with suggestions?

Visa: I will get this in Bangkok. Do I need booked tickets to show for the application?

Cheers!

[kandalgirl]

Museums in saigon are great,war remnants and the other more older viet resistance history.

They even have the car that was in the picture with the monk who burned himself.

Presidential place is a lovely building and illustrates the delusions that The US were under propping up their stooges.

Day trips to vung tau by hydrofoil,short taxi ride away is the old australian and NZ base and memorial.

Cu chi tunnels and cao dai temple tour is good but a long day,the temple is near the cambodian border.

Trips down to the delta would be good.

Going north mui ne has nice beaches,nga trang is a beach town with lovely cham temples.

Hoi an is as beautiful as they say,a real tourist trap but lovely old,old timber buildings untouched by the war.

Hue is a lovely,historic town with the perfume river and the citadel and the university where ho and other luminaries attended.

I did the day trip to khe sanh and four ks across the DMZ to the fishing village with much better tunnels than cu chi.

Looking across the hilltops to laos is an unforgettable experience to me,we fought so long for those peaks.

Hotels-Ive only stayed in pham noo lou,central and fine.

Oh I did stay a few nights in an incredible colonial hotel on the riverside,so expensive and not worth it.

Four dollars to get a t shirt washed!

[Rastaputin]

Thanks Kandalgirl, that helps!

[tutsiwarrior]

in HCMC I'd say stick to District 1 for accommodation; while all of the big 4 star hotel chains are located there you can also find cheaper accommodation there...lotsa shopping and good eats thereabouts...the boat down river to Vung Tau is a nice day trip...

in Hanoi I'd say keep to the Ho Hoan Kiem area which is near the tourist Old Town area on the north side of the lake...the big hotel chains are a bit to the south and east but within walking distance but there is cheaper accommodation within the Old Town itself...I splashed out a couple of weeks ago (I work out in the provinces and came in to town for the TET holiday) and stayed at the Melia (4 star, USD120 per night, real nice breakfast buffet) around the corner from the infamous 'Hanoi Hilton' prison which is now a tourist exhibit, 20 min walk along the lakeside to the Old Town.

wherever you stay there is bound to be a tour desk in the hotel that will make all arrangements to visit the surrounding attractions...

give yourself a treat and have a good time...VN is a neat place; HCMC and Hanoi beat BKK all over the place as a tourist destination IMHO...

I use agoda.com to book hotels when at my own expense in VN; they have a good selection of hotels at various price ranges in different locations...

Edited February 21, 2011 by tutsiwarrior

[jombom]

For internal flights in Vietnam, check out Pacific Airways (subsidiary of Jetstar Australia) and Mekong Airlines. Vietnam Air fly most routes also, but are generally more expensive. The food in Vietnam is great. All sorts including excellent Italian and Indian. Many restaurants have several Thai dishes.

[PattayaParent]

In Ha Noi I always stay at the Lake View Hotel, just near Hoan Kiem Lake and on the street that has all the farang bars, Hang Hanh, or Hanh Hang. (prounounced Hang Hang either spellng)

US$40 a night including breakfast.

Head to Ha Long Bay for a night at least, Perfumed Pagoda is a day trip but you'll fnd 3~4 days n Ha Noi will go very quickly and enjoyably.