hanoi or saigon ? where is best . vietnam travel advise .

[pumpjack]

we are planning to fly airasia from bkk to hanoi then stay in halong bay area, sleep in a junk overnight and do some fishing, snorkelling etc. though i have read that saigon and the south is better . really we need to get back to thailand over land so am thinking if we fly to saigon then from there around the coast to sihanoukville in cambodia or even a flight to phonm penn then a buss to snooky.

the thing that is really putting us off is the train or journey from hanoi to saigon . too long .

and is hanoi really a more beautifull better city than saigon ? i guess saigon and around that area also have lovely beaches etc

cheers for any advice.

[tutsiwarrior]

HCMC has more of a 'western expat scene' and that's why some folks prefer it to Hanoi...

I've lived and worked in both places and prefer Hanoi...

[KittenKong]

It also depends on the time of year as the weather in the two places can be very different.

[pumpjack]

going in sept.

[mike2011]

You always can fly from Hanoi to HCMC. Or: Split the trip with stops in Hue and Hoi An/Da Nang. From Da Nang you could also fly to HCMC.

I dont think that there is real choice between the two big cities. Both are are a very nice combination of SEA and European culture. The people are more civilized than in Thailand and in Cambodia anyhow.

From HCMC it is a 6 hrs bus ride to PP. Unless you want to see PP you might like to take the route to the Mekong delta and on to the border. The HCMC-PP ride is boring as is most of the PP-SHV ride. Plus MUCH less truck traffic on the Kep-SHV route as compared to the PP-SHV route. Not sure why you want the beach in SHV when Vietnam has better places on offer.

As for the SHV - Thai border section of your trip: There is an 8.30 AM bus from SHV direct to the border checkpoint. The bus is ok. It is better than the vans who have a habit of bad crashes. The 8.30 service is the only one direct to the check point. It saves you headaches and money at Koh Kong bus station. Not a nice place and definitely not nice people at that bus station.

In sum, I suggest to spend more time in Vietnam at the expense of Cambodia. Dont forget the Vietnamese food - makes me hungry right now.

[KittenKong]

going in sept.

Both should be OK at that time.

[Mooner]

Just fly from Saigon to Hanoi. Best beaches are central Vietnam.