Vietnam Travel Advice?

[dddave]

My Sister and Brother in Law, both in their early 70's will be arriving in Bangkok in early November for their first and probably only trip to SEA. They are both experienced travelers. After a week in Bangkok, the three of us would like to fly to Hanoi and spend a week to 10 days traveling in Vietnam. I have been to HCMC twice but never the north.

Is it really impractical to consider working our way south to HCMC in that amount of time? We would like to go to Phnom Penh from Vietnam.

Are we better off concentrating on the north and the areas around there and then flying to HCMC?

What are the areas there most worth seeing and what is the best way to get around? Is there a bus system as comprehensive as Thailand's? Are trains hard to book at that time of year?

Any suggestions appreciated.

[tfc]

Personally I think 7-10 days is too little time to do north to south. You'll spend too much time on the bus or train. If you're wanting to do Hanoi then you can do a few trips from there, ie. Sapa, Halong Bay as well as just hang out in Hanoi which should cover the time without too much strain. Sapa alone I'd take 4 days since the bus ride from memory was quite lengthy. Dress warm for that place though as it can get pretty cold. Halong you can do a day or a few days if you want to stay on a boat and do Cat Ba island as well. Wouldn't advise staying on the old junk boats especially after that one sunk a few years back killing sleeping tourists but there are some really nice luxury "ships" you can sleep on now.

[dddave]

Personally I think 7-10 days is too little time to do north to south. You'll spend too much time on the bus or train. If you're wanting to do Hanoi then you can do a few trips from there, ie. Sapa, Halong Bay as well as just hang out in Hanoi which should cover the time without too much strain. Sapa alone I'd take 4 days since the bus ride from memory was quite lengthy. Dress warm for that place though as it can get pretty cold. Halong you can do a day or a few days if you want to stay on a boat and do Cat Ba island as well. Wouldn't advise staying on the old junk boats especially after that one sunk a few years back killing sleeping tourists but there are some really nice luxury "ships" you can sleep on now.

Thanks; tfc, that's exactly the kind of insight I was seeking.

[craigt3365]

IMHO, Hanoi is more interesting than Saigon. I didn't make it to Sapa as it was snowing and the roads were closed (January). There's lots to do and see around Hanoi. I loved my 2 day boat trip in Ha Long Bay. Amazing.

You could fly to Hue or my fav, Hoi An. The bus takes too long and flights are quite cheap. I spent a few days just walking around Hanoi. Especially the old part. Really neat.

There's a nice tour you can take to some market outside of town. And you take a boat trip up a river to a temple in a cave. Nice day trip.

As mentioned above, 7-10 days is not enough to do both the north and the south. I spent 1 month and still didn't get to see everything.

Hanoi will be cool in November. Dress appropriately!

[therealmrbrightside]

I'm just back from Vietnam. We spent 2 days in HCMC, went on a tour on the front of a bike and saw all the sights; American war history museum, Art museums, Saigon River etc but in all honesty there wasn't much left to see after that..We then flew from HCMC to Haiphong and traveled to see Halong Bay. The hotel we stayed in was the Halong Plaza hotel and was beautiful. We also did a day cruise around Halong Bay and spent the night in among the islands. Absolutely stunning place, we spent 10 days altogether and it was just fine, although I didn't visit Da Nang which is halfway up the coast and is supposed to be beautiful.

The main thing I noticed between South and North was the attitude of the locals. in HCMC you will be ripped off and conned at the drop of a hat, but up north the locals are a bit more pleasant.

You can catch a train from South to North, but not advisable if you like any comfort when travelling.

Edited September 6, 2012 by therealmrbrightside

[bangkokburning]

HCMC was lovely back in the day but is really just a bustle now. Good for a few days perhaps. Much of the charm is long gone - as sadly Phnom Penh. Spend most if not all your time in the north. Sapa is a bit of a trap but there are other more remote villages if you have time. Sapa is no longer a village from photos I have seen.

Push your trip back as much as possible. You may still see loads of rain in early Nov, esp in the south.

[dddave]

What should I expect to pay for mid level accommodations around the north? Nothing deluxe but not backpacker level either.

What does it usually cost to fly from Hanoi to HCMC? What are the more reliable airlines?

Again, thanks for all the helpful info.

[bangkokburning]

You should hit up the LPTT board, they will be far more helpful in that regard.

I would not bother flying and truth to tell - back in my old backpacker days we used to consider flying not even counting. Oh you flew? Pfft. Only time flying counts is when you must fly over intl borders and have no choice.

It is expensive and devoid of any cultural experience. Trains, buses and oxcarts - whatever it takes.

How many lovely quotes about the journey and not he destination???

As for time - I always say unless you spend a month in the country. You have not seen it nor are you in a position to evaluate it or judge it. This is not true for all countries, some are tiny - but lest a country be judged on size alone. Look at China. Perhaps 3 months is more than enough, then there is some country chock ful of culture and sights. You could stay busy every day for a month easily!

Vietnam you will need a month imo.

Edited September 7, 2012 by bangkokburning

[lovetotravel]

Lonely Plant have a very good travel forum.

As for flying, it's the only way to go unless you have no money or lots of time. I was with a couple who did the Hue to Hanoi trip via bus. They said it was horrible. They broke down 2 times and the trip ended up taking them almost double the amount of time it was suppose to. Plus, they arrived beat and had to take another day to recover. Not a great use of time. Plus, it was an overnight bus. You can't see anything. Hardly cultural.

I flew. Was in Hanoi drinking a beer while they were still sitting in the bus just a few hours into their very long journey.

As for China, I'm at about 6 months now and still have lots more to see. But I can only take it in small doses. Max is 2 months!!

[simple1]

Considering the age of the travelers, you may not wish to go to Sapa, as to enjoy you really need to be able to walk up and down sometimes steep paths. However, if you decide to go to Sapa, do not go by bus, get the overnight sleeper train to Lao Cai. Your hotel in Hanoi can make the booking. Ask the hotel in Sapa to collect your group from the station as the taxi touts at Lao Cai are very aggressive and try really hard to rip you off.

I second the suggestion to visit Hoi An for a 2/3 nights. You can fly (to far by train) from Hanoi to Danang & then get a taxi to Hoi An. A good one day road trip out of Hoi An, with a local driver, is to take the coastal road heading out of Danang towards Hue, very beautiful scenery - outbound make sure they don't try & take you through the tunnel under the mountain.

[therealmrbrightside]

What should I expect to pay for mid level accommodations around the north? Nothing deluxe but not backpacker level either.

What does it usually cost to fly from Hanoi to HCMC? What are the more reliable airlines?

Again, thanks for all the helpful info.

http://www.agoda.com...H93eawEyt1rHg==

This hotel is beautiful...and it is around 50USD per night, there are heaps of hotels around the area though so I'm sure you can shop around. This hotel also has a boat which you can go on a cruise around Halong Bay.

NB

Flights were not cheap, we paid well over $100 for our flights from HCMC to Haipong (Catbi) with Jetstar airways which are now holders of my 'worst flight' trophy..be warned.

Edited September 7, 2012 by therealmrbrightside

[simple1]

What should I expect to pay for mid level accommodations around the north? Nothing deluxe but not backpacker level either.

What does it usually cost to fly from Hanoi to HCMC? What are the more reliable airlines?

Again, thanks for all the helpful info.

I flew domestic with Vietnam Airlines & they were fine, web site for flights/costs at

http://vietnam-airline.org/?gclid=CJvusNCNo7ICFREU6wodtBEAkg

[lovetotravel]

I didn't make any reservations. Just walked around looking for places. Lots of places are available. I was on a budget back then. One place in HCMC was $3 a night. But I had to walk up 4 floors and then climb a ladder up into an attic like space. Crazy. Only lasted one night!

In Hanoi I had a great room for about $15 or $20. But had to listen to those speakers at 6am in the morning telling the workers to get prepared for the day. The old town there is fantastic.

[AyG]

Personally, I think that 10 days is enough time to travel from north to south - though, of course, you'll be missing out a lot of places along the way.

A couple of days in Hanoi is enough to see the major attractions (Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem lake).

Overnight trip to Ha Long Bay. (It's much more touristy and overcrowded than it was 10 years ago, but still worth a visit.)

Then travel to central Vietnam - Hue for Thien Mu Pagoda, and Hoi An for the old buildings.

A night or two in Dalat to relax in the relative cool and to enjoy the local food.

Then finish up in HCMC.

Alternatively, skip Dalat and do an overnight trip to the Mekong Delta.

Definitely doable.

[dddave]

Great suggestions and helpful links..Thanks to all!

[LawrenceChee]

With the age of the traveler, I recommend the following as u would have spent a week in Bangkok already.

HCMC is almost identical to Bangkok and unless you are a major history buff and want to see the tunnels or the war museum, I would suggest you skip it altogether

Fly up to Hanoi direct from Bangkok using Air Asia or Vietnam Airlines.

Within Hanoi the suggestions earlier about Sapa and Halong Bay are very nice trips on a train and junk boat.

I recommend the Sapa experience if they like to take the trains many options and again there is a good posting there to arrange the transport via the hotels on the transport at Lao Cai station as the touts there are rowdy lot at 5am :-) if they cannot walk much the town is scenic enough or stay at the Eco lodge which is right above the mountains and they provide a ride up without the trekking :-)

The stay is wonderful and there is no city noise in jan it is cold there

As for the safety of the junk boats if there is a definite concern then head off to buffalo tours they are not cheapest but they are the most reputable in Vietnam and very good. If not head to the multitude of operators and anything in the range of $80 u should have secured a good operator for an overnight trip

As for the rest of Vietnam Danang is a great beach stop Hoi An & Hue are the most historic cities next to hanoj and all 3 are doable together as the distance is not far...each offer something different from each other of time is short I would recommend

Hanoi - 3 days

Sapa - 3 days

Halong Bay - 2 Days

Hoi An - 2 Days

[Estelle]

Hello,

In Hanoi, you can visited the famous temple of Literature and National University (this temple is calm and prosper if you like discover new culture), Cuc Phuong National Park (a beautiful place) and assist a Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. In Hanoi; there are lots of Museums and theaters.

About Phnom Penh, you can go to visited the national museum and the Temple of the Lotus Blossom.

If you search some great Hotels, you can find on the website "checkinvietnam". I hope this comment will help you