orewa

Hi,
We are hoping to travel to Vietnam this Nov. I have never been to southeast asia, my boyfriend traveled for a yr in SE Asia back in the 80's but never Vietnam. So far Hanoi seems more appealing than Saigon. Halong and Sapa also have strong appeal. Any help or other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
1. How long does it usually take to get a visa
2. Is it worth it to go to Da Nang - Hoi An area
3. Do you need to book hotels in advance or can this be done when we arrive.
4. We would like to do a kayaking trip in Halong any suggestions on tour companies
5. Same for treking in Sapa or can we make our own arrangements to get to Sapa?
Any other must sees? Thanks again for the help...I'm sure I will have more questions.

WeiLong

There isn't much going on in Danang, Hoi An is very pleasant and you have the option of visiting a nearby relic of the ancient Cham empire.

Gettng to Sapa on your own steam is pretty straight forward, take the train to Lao Cai and minibus to Sapa. Halong Bay tours can be booked in Hanoi. Handspan have a good reputation, a little more expensive than some of the other operators but there is some pretty shoddy service being delivered by some of the budget outfits.

I don't think you really need to bok hotels in advance unless you are very particular about where you want to stay.

My favourite stop in Vietnam was a place called Ninh Binh, about 5 hours south of Hanoi. You can take a rowboat trip through some limestone caves at Tam Coc, there is the Ancient Citadel of Hoa Lu and the floating village at Kenh Ga. Further out is the cathedral at Phat Diem, and the Cuc Phuong National Park.

My travelogues:
http://www.travelsinasia.com/Vietnam/Vietnam.htm

Elainee

Weilong, Wow! What a website! I loved reading it. Great photos. Glad you got a new camera. Thank you for sharing your adventures.

mrwunrfl

WeiLong, I thought I read that Ninh Binh was under 2 hours from Hanoi. More like an hour and a half than 5 hours.

Getting a visa in the U.S. takes a week.

WeiLong

Thanks Elainee, I'm glad you enjoyed it. mrwunrfl you are probably right. I somehow got on the slow train and it seemed to take forever.

tkurt

Hi Orewa,

"3. Do you need to book hotels in advance or can this be done when we arrive."

For the reason that Vietnam will host the Asia Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) with leaders and dignitaries from around the world coming to Vietnam. While the conference will take place from 12-19 November in Hanoi, with secondary events in Ho Chi Minh City, there is limited availability and much higher-than-normal prices for hotels in both cities (especially 4 and 5 star hotels) for the entire month of November.

So I think that if you're coming to Vietnam at this time, you should book hotels in advance.

Thanks,

Kurt

http://www.guidevietnam.com/

orewa

Loved the pics. I'm hooked on going to Vietnam. Didn't think we had enough time to get visas so we will be putting the trip off until next year. Thank you very much for you help especially the APEC conference. Orewa