1 month holiday planning Vietnam

[stevehaigh]

the sleeper trains are good on bottom bunks i have done hanoi to danang and hcmc to nha trang good sleep and cheap but take own food

sleeper train hanoi to hcm is $94, its only $60 to fly on jetstar

[stevehaigh]

i just found this

http://www.travelswop.com/vietnam/hanoi/motobikes/honda-win-110cc-sale-at-ha-noi-buy-back-by-my-shop-hcm.html

very interested in that idea, buy in hanoi and sell in HCM. get to go where and when i want.

Make sure you have good insurance. Or a lot of cash in an account that is readily available. Credit card would probably also work.

what kind of insurance? medical? liability? i can't see either been that much use really, maybe

i'm still not sure of the legality of driving a 110 motorbike on an IDP in VN. it looks like 50cc is ok, and above 250 is a no no but not sure about 110cc scooters

[opalred]

i hired bike in hoi an was ok for that area but hcmc would be a nightmare. also once when train full due to holidays about 4yrs ago i had to take jetstar

from danang to hcmc i swore i nevery travel with them again after trouble with them in oz but had only flights charged wife and i about 400$

THEWORST AIRLINE IN ASIA AND OZ

[stevehaigh]

i'm almost wishing i had booked a round trip Hanoi at this point. train and bus looks either expensive or very uncomfortable, and since my main goal is to avoid the heat, hanging around the coast is a bad idea. i could stay home in phuket for free and do that.

vietnam airlines has a flight from Hanoi to Da Lat for $71 which is cheaper than the train and not much different to the bus. maybe i'll do that and skip the central coast

[opalred]

i am same looking for place to go when its to hot or cold here north cm i used to go patong but russians took over i have looked in china and burma combodia laos

and decided on nha trang now taken over there by russians where to now?

[craigt3365]

i just found this

http://www.travelswop.com/vietnam/hanoi/motobikes/honda-win-110cc-sale-at-ha-noi-buy-back-by-my-shop-hcm.html

very interested in that idea, buy in hanoi and sell in HCM. get to go where and when i want.

Make sure you have good insurance. Or a lot of cash in an account that is readily available. Credit card would probably also work.

what kind of insurance? medical? liability? i can't see either been that much use really, maybe

i'm still not sure of the legality of driving a 110 motorbike on an IDP in VN. it looks like 50cc is ok, and above 250 is a no no but not sure about 110cc scooters

Medical in case of a scooter accident. Most travel insurance policies exclude this. I'd hate to think of how many posts I've read about foreigners getting banged up and not having insurance.

[opalred]

i tell what i found amazing when travelling now wife takes i mobile . shows where you are even on train where you want to

stay walking streets shows back to hotel no compass any more

[stevehaigh]

i think i'd like to go by bus in the day, maybe a bit safer and more comfortable than 13+ hour night trips

i just found this

travelfish.org/transport/…all

Hanoi to Ha Tinh: Departs 07:40, 15:30, 21:15 and 21:40. 130,000 to 160,000 VND. ($7.50)

that 350km so i assume about 6hrs and gets me half way to Hue

[stevehaigh]

Medical in case of a scooter accident. Most travel insurance policies exclude this. I'd hate to think of how many posts I've read about foreigners getting banged up and not having insurance.

i've driven around thailand by bike for 11 years and probably about 150,000km by now with nothing more than a scratch so i'm not too worried about 1 month in vietnam. however, i think i'll stick to renting a bike for local day trips around sapa etc and take bus or fly the intercity stuff

[callaway]

Travelled from Hanoi to Vinh and the bus was unbelievable. Cannot remember the price but not expensive. No seats in the bus as they were all sleepers. 3 bunks wide and 2 high all on the bus. Absolutely brilliant. You will have to check at the Hanoi bus station which ones are the sleeper ones but they are great. Laying back watching the scenery go by. For you, the missus and billy lid it would be perfect. Have a great trip

[opalred]

i have driven bike all over thai malaysia to singapore and cambodia but be in a shock in hcmc every where else not to bad

[tutsiwarrior]

Travelled from Hanoi to Vinh and the bus was unbelievable. Cannot remember the price but not expensive. No seats in the bus as they were all sleepers. 3 bunks wide and 2 high all on the bus. Absolutely brilliant. You will have to check at the Hanoi bus station which ones are the sleeper ones but they are great. Laying back watching the scenery go by. For you, the missus and billy lid it would be perfect. Have a great trip

and I can highly recommend the road from Vinh to Dong Hoi...beautiful, very scenic country along the coast through Nghe An - Ha Tinh - Quang Binh provinces with 3 star hotels in Ha Tinh city and Dong Hoi...

I lived and worked there for a year near Ky Anh; the area is one of my favorite places in the world...

[louse1953]

thanks, that climate website and some other sites i've seen say max temp in April is around 27deg but the TV discussion says its hotter than here and here is usually in mid 30s in Apr so not really sure what to think

if i'm not going to get away from the heat i think i'll look somewhere else

thx

Try Nepal.

[louse1953]

i wonder about renting a car and driver to get us from hanoi to HCM. any idea how much that would cost and how to find one?

also, are there no mini buses over there?

You will have a heart attack before you get to HCMC.Jump off an on the train.

[stevehaigh]

thanks, that climate website and some other sites i've seen say max temp in April is around 27deg but the TV discussion says its hotter than here and here is usually in mid 30s in Apr so not really sure what to think

if i'm not going to get away from the heat i think i'll look somewhere else

thx

Try Nepal.

been there, loved it and will probabloy go again one day, but for now what to try something new

Edited November 22, 2014 by stevehaigh

[WilliamCave]

I was just in Vietnam I read some of your questions also

As to a visa the best way is to go to embassy here and get it I know there is on line things were u can apply for a letter of invitation but beware.

I got my visa here and no hastle when I arrived

to bike rentals yes most places have bike rentals but be aware of the driving conditions

Hanoi and halong bay on 20 dollars a day might be hard I was there with my family of 4 and was much more than that.

It is a beautiful country with many things to do and see the culture the old kingdom and many things

I have been to the north and south of Nam but not in the centre and my next trip will be the train from north to south

I did love the country and the people much

Good luck safe travels

[louse1953]

the sleeper trains are good on bottom bunks i have done hanoi to danang and hcmc to nha trang good sleep and cheap but take own food

sleeper train hanoi to hcm is $94, its only $60 to fly on jetstar

It maybe cheaper but what do you see.

[stevehaigh]

Travelled from Hanoi to Vinh and the bus was unbelievable. Cannot remember the price but not expensive. No seats in the bus as they were all sleepers. 3 bunks wide and 2 high all on the bus. Absolutely brilliant. You will have to check at the Hanoi bus station which ones are the sleeper ones but they are great. Laying back watching the scenery go by. For you, the missus and billy lid it would be perfect. Have a great trip

and I can highly recommend the road from Vinh to Dong Hoi...beautiful, very scenic country along the coast through Nghe An - Ha Tinh - Quang Binh provinces with 3 star hotels in Ha Tinh city and Dong Hoi...

I lived and worked there for a year near Ky Anh; the area is one of my favorite places in the world...

great, thanks for the tip. how would you make that trip by public transport? is there a bus line you could recommend?

also, i'm guessing its pretty hot in April down by the coast right?

thx

[louse1953]

i am same looking for place to go when its to hot or cold here north cm i used to go patong but russians took over i have looked in china and burma combodia laos

and decided on nha trang now taken over there by russians where to now?

Nepal,i go every 2nd year and Indo the other year.

[stevehaigh]

i wonder about renting a car and driver to get us from hanoi to HCM. any idea how much that would cost and how to find one?

also, are there no mini buses over there?

You will have a heart attack before you get to HCMC.Jump off an on the train.

i would but its $25 for a jouney of only 350km in a hard seat. same thing on a thai train would be about $5. at least that's the price on the official website

https://vietnam-railway.com/train/route/train-from-vinh-to-hue

i wonder if you go to the station or get on the train with no ticket and pay on the train, is that cheaper?

Edited November 22, 2014 by stevehaigh

[tutsiwarrior]

Travelled from Hanoi to Vinh and the bus was unbelievable. Cannot remember the price but not expensive. No seats in the bus as they were all sleepers. 3 bunks wide and 2 high all on the bus. Absolutely brilliant. You will have to check at the Hanoi bus station which ones are the sleeper ones but they are great. Laying back watching the scenery go by. For you, the missus and billy lid it would be perfect. Have a great trip

and I can highly recommend the road from Vinh to Dong Hoi...beautiful, very scenic country along the coast through Nghe An - Ha Tinh - Quang Binh provinces with 3 star hotels in Ha Tinh city and Dong Hoi...

I lived and worked there for a year near Ky Anh; the area is one of my favorite places in the world...

great, thanks for the tip. how would you make that trip by public transport? is there a bus line you could recommend?

also, i'm guessing its pretty hot in April down by the coast right?

thx

the route that I'm talking about is the main north - south road for which there are many bus lines including sleeper buses...might be a bit too adventurous with wife and child...working and living there I always had a car and driver available...one would need to look at the options and choose carefully...

Nov thru Feb it can get a bit chilly in those parts and extra clothes are required...also, here can be typhoons in that area during the time of the year; they rise in the Philipines, blow across Hainan island then boom when they hit that coast line...if ye go plan yer trip accordingly...

by the way, Vinh City was flattened by the likes of the 'war hero' John McCain and his friends and you can still see the damage...but it was re-built and now is the most vibrant town in the area...

a suggestion, get a corner room(with windows on two walls) at the BMC hotel in Ha Tinh city on one of the upper floors facing the NW and get in some drinks and watch the sun go down on successive days...remarkable, spectacular, etc., etc.,...(an'...I gots friends there that want me to come visit an' everything...)

Edited November 22, 2014 by tutsiwarrior

[stevehaigh]

i've been watching some youtube videos and reading the gtrider forum and i'm pretty keen about the idea of buying a couple of honda 110cc bikes and riding the whole thing. looks like a real adventure versus been hurded around like cattle. and the wife even agrees, amazingly.

[Rusty Keyhole]

i've been watching some youtube videos and reading the gtrider forum and i'm pretty keen about the idea of buying a couple of honda 110cc bikes and riding the whole thing. looks like a real adventure versus been hurded around like cattle. and the wife even agrees, I wish you would make your mind up..