Have a great time. Looking forward to your continued report.

Thanks! Keep us posted.

anxious to read more

Hi again, I forgot to mention that the airport in Hanoi is very tiny and getting the visa was a bit of fun as the little immigration officer didn’t seem to like westerners and kept telling some really tall Aussies to go to the back of the queue which everybody else found extremely funny. Anyone really tall out here should bother from now. LOL.

We just don’t want to write too much of the city as there have been loads of reviews here already, so will just sketch some highlights for your information. It was hot on the days we were there and we were pretty happy with that as it was great to chuck on shorts and flip flops. After checked in, we headed out the old quarter and both decided to grab a bowl of noodle soup (Pho), which is on top of our must-eat list, up by the lake from a street seller, and turned out to be quite an experience. The plastic stools were too small, plus we found it hard to eat as all the locals were watching us, but we thought they were impressed with our chopsticks skills. Cost only 20,000 Dong each. Dirt cheap.

The next day up early and headed over to see Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, palace and museum. The traffic was crazy, and the noise from the bikes and cars was something to be experienced as all Vietnamese seemed to have a fear that if they didn’t press their horn every 3 seconds they may die. Seeing Ho Chi Minh’s corpse was a strange experience, and you are closely watched over by dozens of army guards making sure no photos are taken. The museum and palace was nice, from where we took a cab to Ngon restaurant for lunch which was as good as it had been raved about. Next up, we worked our way down to the Literature museum, which was built in 1018 and interesting all the same. Then headed to the lake and to see some markets etc, grabbed some Pho again, and yet again had the same experience as before, and then on to the Puppet Theatre for a show which was great fun. All located within an easy walking distance from the lake.

On the following day we took a day trip to Tam Coc which wasn’t very spectacular but the surrounding countryside surely was. The primary feature of the area is an abundance of rice paddies, which are sprinkled with thousands of karst peaks in all kinds of shapes and sizes. A shallow river flows through the rice paddies and through three caves. We were supposed to visit the caves in the morning and took a short biking session in the afternoon but we did it in the reverse order since it was pretty hot that day. We got our bicycles and biked through the villages and countryside, which was really nice. There weren't any other tourists biking with us, probably because it was really hot. We stopped at times on the way for photos and the fresh air of the rural area. After lunch we boarded a rowboat manned by 2 women down the river amongst the limestone mountains jutting randomly out of the flat terrain. They didn't speak much English, and were very nice and friendly. We went down 3km down the river, about 40 mins each way, through 3 caves. The wife raved about the scenery and we were very glad as the guide rented a smaller boat, so we were able to get much closer to the mountains. All in all, we did really enjoy the cycling and boat ride through Tam Coc. What also gave us a kick was watching the rowers who actually used their feet to row the boats when they got tired and were experienced enough finding the way in and out without hitting anything.

Enjoying your report. Keep it coming. Who did you tour with to Tam Coc?

Good afternoon,

After Tam Coc, we spent 2 days in Halong Bay aboard the Indochina sail which was arranged by Vietnamstay with private transfers. The ride took over 3 hours each way and went pretty quick. The landscape was mostly agriculture and industrial buildings. We stopped halfway at a restaurant for fresh air and photos. Soon enough we arrived at Halong city. We passed a busy pier which had a lot of tourists waiting around outside. Our guide took us to the place where we were greeted by a staff member of the Indochina sail. We were taken inside a building to wait for our boat to be ready and were given cold towels at the door. You know you are entering luxury when you get a towel to freshen up. We waited for about half an hour while our luggage was taken to the ship. We were then put on a small boat (the tender) and taken to the ship. Once aboard, we were greeted by the staff members and brought to the dining room on the second floor. We were given the safety speech and told a bit about our itinerary. Then we were given our key and told to settle in a bit then return to the dining room for lunch. We were assigned to a room on the second floor which we thought would have been better than the first level. We had a fantastic view of the bay and our room was amazing. It was like a 5 star hotel room. We settled in and looked at our itinerary a bit closer and then headed back to the dining room. We’d a set lunch which included cream of pumpkin soup, papaya salad, prawns, fish, chicken, spring rolls and fruit salad. Overall it was really delicious. The prices for drinks weren’t really too bad and they had a really good selection.

After lunch we were told we would cruise to a floating fishing village which was quite interesting. We saw the locals living and small kids rowing their little boats around the bay selling things. The village is supported by the government these days and the people are provided with basic education and healthcare within the village. There was a squid fishing boat, a pearl farm and a primary school. We also saw a collection team that is paid to collect waste on the waters everyday. It seems that the local authorities attach great importance to the preservation of this heritage’s environment.

We then headed back to the boat and doubled back to Ti Tov beach and kayaked quite a ways to the east of the boat which was great fun, hard work though. There were strong currents and we had to pause at times on the way back. Eventually we made it back and were taken by the tender to the beach. Next up, some of the other fellows climbed up to the top of the island while we thought kayaking was enough for us. So we swam around for some minutes before being herded back to the tender to the ship.

Dinner was a set menu again and was as good as lunch. We had vegetable soup, shrimp and grapefruit salad, calamari and beef with potatoes and veggies. We had a chocolate cake for dessert. After dinner we opted to try some squid fishing with the crew but were unsuccessful while the other people caught a couple. Then we went up to the top deck and sat in the lounge chairs. It was incredibly peaceful. There were just about 3 other boats around us.

The following day we visited the Surprise Cave which was spectacular and huge with some great examples of stalagmites and stalactites, including some that have taken on shape on the mind of the locals. We then enjoyed an enormous buffet breakfast whilst sailing back to the shore.

To sum up, the trip was great and we both enjoyed it immensely.

Dgunbug: We went with Hoa from Vietnamstay who also accompanied us on the tour to Halong bay. The professionalism and enthusiasm displayed by him and the driver during the trip was excellent. He also has a great sense of humour and speaks very good English.

Still enjoying your report. We've opted for the 2 night stay on the Paloma junk. Looking forward to the rest of your report.

We arrived back in Hanoi that afternoon, had delectable dinner at the Green Tangerine in Hang Be street in the old quarter and then a place called Le Pub on the same street which is owned by an English man. We got surrounded by a group of English and a couple of Aussies and the owner of the bar which made it an amusing evening. Had a few beers which were lovely.

Got picked up the next morning again by Hoa for a 4 hr drive north into a mountainous village called Mai Chau. It was amazing and we stopped for lunch at a local family who lived in a house on stilts. The floor was thinnest bamboo and was a bit scary thinking people live on that thin wood so high off the ground. The lunch was amazing and we were served green tea and rice wine which is served in a shot glass. Each household produces their own wine and they seem very proud to serve foreign visitors. The host was the friendliest man we’d ever met. After lunch, we drove up to a mountain side and started our afternoon hike to the village we were going to stay in. We hiked through the most amazingly luscious green mountain areas. The hike wasn’t too bad, very up hilly and rough terrain. We reached the village of the Thai ethnic people just before the dark came. That night we went to a local school and had some tea and chat with the local teachers. In the morning we woke to the roosters crowing, ducks quaking, dogs barking and children screaming! Had breakfast and then started hiking for 4 hours. It was so amazing, exhausting though! After lunch, we continued for another 2 hours to our homestay in a stilted house. After that we had naps and chilled out. Then we headed off to our car for a drive back to Hanoi and overnight train to Sapa.

Wow! Sounds like a great trip - and exhausting!!!

You're making me feel bad....I had originally planned on an overnight in Mai Chau and then changed it to simplify the traveling.

Hello,

The wife and I didn't intend to visit Mai Chau either, but after reading Crellston's reports and recommendation, we went and much enjoyed the scenery and the people. Thought Crellston has retired, hasn't him?

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Our trip to Sapa was a great experience in general but a few things fell short of our expectations.

First, it was the train accommodations. We knew we would be sharing our soft sleeper compartment with two other people but we expected that the 4 of us would have our own attached bathroom which was not the case. The wife had a tummy and therefore had to make several trips to the toilet which was such an inconvenience bouncing back and forth off the walls of the train corridor!

After arriving in Sapa and having breakfast, we immediately went on a short 3-kilometer trek with our guide which exceeded our expectations. Most walking was downhill, the weather was pretty cold, perfect for walking, and the scenery was fantastic. We stopped for lunch at a village and it’s great fun watching the wife doing a little shopping with the indigenous women. It was indeed difficult driving a hard bargain with these women and the wife ended with buying a 2$ bracelet for 5$. Still she thought she made a good job.

Around 4pm we arrived at our homestay which unfortunately wasn’t up to our expectations. Actually it was primitive, authentic and we expected that. However, it was expanded to handle many of other travelers. In addition, the bedding didn’t look that clean. Our guide quickly dealt with our concerns, which exceeded our expectations. We were taken back to the hotel in Sapa and we slept so well eventually.

The next day we woke up to similar weather but not as cold. Trekked down 2 villages in the valley, rugged terrain and rice paddy fields again. It was really beautiful. The scenery was breathtaking, the views were amazing and to see the paddy fields without the rice in full bloom was still spectacular. Then the small villages you pass through with wooden shacks and children all over the place. We’d seen some kids who were absolutely filthy and their hands and faces were covered in muck. But they were still cute and seemed fascinated by foreigners.

As we had expected and been warned by our guide before the trip, we were mobbed by several enthusiastic touts along the treks. These women were lovely and they kept making little presents out of leaves and asking all the English questions they know like what’s your name? Where you from? How old are you? How many people in your family? We were all having a good time until at the end of the walk before lunch – the smiles stopped and they started touting for their produces which only included basic cotton bags and things we thought we would never use back home. We ended with purchasing 2 pencil cases from the little girl who had been following us.

All in all, it was a great experience and trekking was fantastic. Next up on agenda: Hue

Thank you very much for your honest opinion of the homestay in Sapa. Which hotel did you end up staying at? My friends and I are planning to visit Sapa on your own, on a budget you know, and are curious if, from your own experience, it's easy enough to hire a guide as soon as we arrive there?

Cheers

Hi JM, the guide managed to book us at the Bamboo hotel, paid 40$ for the night which was fine eventually.

As we observed, many of the other travelers just traveled independently in Sapa which I guess was a nice experience working your way at your own space. There are quite a plenty of tourist offices in Sapa town that offer tour guides upon request and I believe you can try that way.

Hue:

- Flight and airport pick-up: Vietnam Air, departed at 5:30pm and arrived at about 6:40pm. Tickets and transfers were arranged by Vietnamstay. All went to plan.

- Hotel: Booked 2 nights at the Pilgrimage Village, got a deluxe room at 120$ per night and it was well worth every penny and even more! We chose to stay at this hotel for the fact that it’s out of the city center. The small entrance to the Pilgrimage Village resort didn’t seem like much in the beginning. But as we were led to our room, we were greeted by the sprawling green, luscious estate. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. It’s absolutely peaceful there. The pool and the lotus pond were a very nice sight since it was pretty warm there. We will definitely stay at the resort again when we’re back to Hue, without batting our eyelids.

- Restaurant: Had wonderful lunch at the Mandarin Café with fresh shrimp spring rolls, beef noodle, crispy rice flour pancake with seafood and peanut sauce and lemonade. All was delicious. Vegetarians are well catered too. The owner and the rest of the staff were extremely helpful. It’s a shame if you leave the restaurant without a print of one of their amazing photos.

In addition, we found an ice cream place that served cookies and cream sundaes with whipped cream having of coconut, cubes of fruit jelly and a cherry on top for one dollar. Incredible!

- Sightseeing: We took a half day city tour on the first morning which was really interesting. The city itself is much more laid back than Hanoi and certainly the traffic is less manic. The citadel is pretty impressive. The external walls are about 21 meters thick. Parts that were destroyed in the war are still now in the process of being restored, including a flood lit tennis course complete with spectacular seating. Following our visit to the Citadel, we went for a wander around the city which once you get off the main road has some impressive colonial style houses down narrow little lanes, with small children and dogs running around.

In the afternoon we took a private car ride to see the Heavenly Lady Pagoda and the Kings’ tombs. We got on a Dragon boat and cruised down the Perfume River to the Garden House then on to the Heavenly Lady pagoda where we saw, amongst the other things, the car that a Buddhist monk took to the intersection of Phan Dinh Phung street in 1963 in Saigon. As soon as he got out of the car, he sat down in the lotus position and burned himself to death in protest against the Ngo dinh Diem regime’s policies of discrimination against Buddhists and violating religious freedom. There’s a photo of him burning on the wall behind the car.

There were too many sights to see and most required an entrance fee.

We’d lunch on the boat then cruised to the Minh Mang Tomb and then Khai Dinh Tomb followed by a visit to the Tu Duc Tomb. We went in to see all of the 3 and were pretty impressed with what we were told about the life and reign of the kings.

On the way back we stopped to see how the locals make conical hats and incense which was pretty interesting but, because we were both a little tired of history and culture by then, we were longing for a quick return to our hotel.

- Cooking class: Had a fantastic experience cooking at the Tinh Gia Vien restaurant with madam Ha who is extremely gracious. We were much impressed with her presentation skill. All the food was elegantly and colorfully decorated, much in form of animals. We were told that the first owner of her villa was a princess and the ground house was a special apricot plant that is 150 years of age. We learnt to prepare the ‘Danse du Phoenix’ – a tender pork roll that melts in the mouth, vegetable spring rolls, spicy papaya salad in the form of a dragon and fried noodles with fresh fish and vegetables. Dessert came with sweet lychee fruit in pineapple. Heaven!

Next up, we were taken back to our hotel for check-out and boarded the afternoon train to Da Nang.

Glad to have info on Hue! Good report!

Thank you for your response. I'm looking forward to reading more of your report.

Moreno

Great report, thanks. Specially Hue, I'm headed that way in a couple of weeks, and defintely going to the Mandarin Restaurant.

Still enjoying.

Thanks for your kind words. Glad to know someone is interested in what we love to share.

We arrived at around 4pm at the station in Da nang. Got picked up and taken by our driver to the Furama Resort. We had 2 days here to ourselves. Neither tour nor guide since we wanted to chill out on the beach.

As I’d already mentioned somewhere on this forum, we opted to use Vietnamstay.com for hotel reservations since we noticed that they offered way lower prices than many of the other local companies. We’d emailed back and forth directly with the resort but ended getting nowhere since they insisted on charging 215$ per night. The same amount was quoted by one of the local tour companies whereas Mr. Pham at Vietnamstay offered 160$ only for the same room category which included complimentary airport pickup. We couldn’t expect more!

Stayed here just for one night but enjoyed it up to the handle. The service staff were nice and went their extra miles to make sure we’d everything we needed. The view from the pool over the China Beach is to die for and we loved lying by the pool and reading a bit and then off to lunch at the pool bar. The restaurant is great and the breakfast is more than one needs. The second pool is in a plush garden area and is ideal for kids and there is a lot of share and space. The wife loved the outdoor pavilions in the garden for her daily massage. Our favorite activity here was heading off to the China Beach which is considered the most beautiful in Vietnam and the 6th most beautiful in the world. This is the beach that was the inspiration for the TV show of the same name. We wandered along the beach, had a perfect view of the Lady Buddha statue that is more than 60 meters high and the Monkey Hill that has the radar on top. The locals call it the Heaven Eyes.

Danang itself is a business town so there didn’t seem to be any other tourists which was nice after Hue. It’s a great place to see white and colored marble, both raw in the mountains and carved in the shops. The major attraction here is the Marble Mountain. There are quite a few of them and the one on all the tourist brochures has a series of temples and caves at the top of it. Some of the temples were made of bricks and concrete and they’re really beautiful. In some of the caves there are no stairs to the statues, therefore you’ve to climb just a short way to see them. But the sights were worth the effort. You’ve got to watch the women working there too.

After lunch we took a cab to see the Cham Museum which was very interesting and helped us learn more about the gods the Chams worshipped. My favorite is the Holy Bird Garuda who has the body of a man and the head of a bird and is usually shown killing a snake called Naga. The Chama civilization bears the characteristics of India and the Hindu religion. They worshipped Shiva, the goddess of creation and destruction and there were some great sculptures of Ganesha who has the head of an elephant and the body of a man.

In short, even though Danang is more of an industrial hub than a tourist town, it still has its own specials to offer. In my opinion, it’s a very nice passing town en route to Hoi an.

Interesting to hear about Marble Mountain. Was not sure if we should bother with it, but it sounds like we should stop there. Thanks again for your continuing report.

loving the report

Hoi An is one of the few places in Vietnam where you can still find old Vietnamese architecture. It's a port town that used to import all of the finest silks and wools. No cars are now allowed in the downtown, but scooters, bikes and carts will still be in sight.

Our first intention upon arrival in Hoi An was to visit one of the many tailor shops to experience ‘made to measure’ clothing. After a short rest at the hotel we went to Yaly, a tailor that came highly recommended online and in our travel book. Once we placed the order, they told us that the clothes would be ready by the following day which actually meant the first fitting. Soon enough we got to know that we might need as many as 4 fittings to get the clothes fit our body perfectly and they were perfect indeed.

It was interesting to see the tailors all fast at work here, racing back to their workshops, weighed down with baskets of clothing to make last minute adjustments.

After our first visit to Yaly, we headed to the Now & Then Bar for some happy hour drinks followed by dinner at the night market. At our chosen stall, we were served by a woman who spoke great English and were still studying at school. We noticed that the locals here were extremely well dressed. We thought it was because of the hundreds of talented tailors in this small port town.

The following day we went on a ‘Vietnam Life in Hoi an’ tour booked with Vietnamstay which included our first fitting at the Yaly. We visited the Japanese Covered Bridge and were taken to many organizations, craft shops and workshops aimed at helping sick, disabled, homeless or orphaned people. We visited them all and thought it was a great experience getting to know about the real life of the locals, not just the ones who were selling things in their own shops or on the streets. We also learnt how to make lanterns at one of the shops we stopped on the tour and decided to take home the one that we’d tried to make, not very successful though.

After lunch, we biked to the Red Bridge Cooking School which was the most amazing class started with a welcome drink at Hai café. Our chef that day was trained at Koto in Hanoi which is a school that assists street kids in getting a start in life. He spoke English with an Aussie accent which I guess was partially because his teacher came from OZ. We quickly proceeded to the Tra Que Village and walked though the organic gardens where local farmers worked their fields using the traditional methods of hundreds of years ago – which means no machines at all. We picked fresh saw-tooth coriander and Vietnamese mint for our cooking lesson later, before trying a special herbal drink at a local home housing a farming family that had lived 5 generations in one house! We then headed out to a smaller market with a long shopping list to purchase the rest of the ingredients we needed for our cooking lesson. We were taught and actually we now knew how to cook beef noodle soup, clay pot fish with fresh dill in banana leaf and grilled chicken and banana flower salad.

After the class, we all sat down and savored the dishes we had just prepared then took a leisure cruise along the river back to our hotel in central Hoi an.

Want to say nothing more now but Hoi An is definitely the highlight of our trip!

now i am really excited about our visit to hoi an..

how long did you stay in hoi an....i don't see it here...

Hi again,

It sounds like you're having an amazing trip! Do you think a forth fitting after dessert may have been dangerous?

Loving the updates

"Our chef that day was trained at Koto in Hanoi which is a school that assists street kids in getting a start in life. He spoke English with an Aussie accent which I guess was partially because his teacher came from OZ."

scomars, you might be able to blame that on my son-in-law, Brendon, who's been training at Koto under the auspices of VIDA, an Australian aid organisation, for some time. And KOTO is the creation of Jimmy Pham, whose home city is Melbourne.

For a brief rundown on the KOTO story, go to the Australia TV Network archives for November 2009 - http://australianetwork.com/newsline/archives.htm?site=200911

and scroll down to the news item entitled "Saving Children", broadcast 20/11/2009 (or in American, 11/20/2009.)

(OK, a plug, but it's a worthy cause. And Jimmy will be opening another KOTO operation in HCMC soon.)

"Our chef that day was trained at Koto in Hanoi which is a school that assists street kids in getting a start in life. He spoke English with an Aussie accent which I guess was partially because his teacher came from OZ."

scomars, you might be able to blame that on my son-in-law, Brendon, who's been running training at KOTO under the auspices of VIDA, an Australian aid organisation, for some time. And KOTO is the creation of Jimmy Pham, whose home city is Melbourne.

For a brief rundown on the KOTO story, go to the Australia TV Network archives for November 2009 - http://australianetwork.com/newsline/archives.htm?site=200911

and scroll down to the news item entitled "Saving Children", broadcast 20/11/2009 (or in American, 11/20/2009.)

(OK, a plug, but it's a worthy cause. And Jimmy will be opening another KOTO operation in HCMC soon.)

Sorry for the repetition....

Very nice report. Thank you. When you wrote of your chef at the Red Bridge Class, was his name Phi?

After Hoi An, we spent 2 nights in Ho Chi Minh City (or HCMC as people often mention) and thought it was sufficient. Stayed at the Liberty hotel and were satisfied all things considered. Got a city view room which was quite noisy but thought it wasn’t the hotel’s fault.

We started the first day at 8:30 am for the Jade Emperor Pagoda which was built by the Chinese in 1909 and is dedicated to Taoism with wonderful wooden statues and richly decorated altars. We got off the car and walked around the corner to enter a shady courtyard with the pagoda in the center and benches along the side walls. We saw a few young women with cages filled with small birds. They burnt incense and prayed at the pagoda, and then opened the cages, shaking them until all of the birds were freed. The hall was crowded with diverse beautiful carved statues and worshipers praying with incense in their clasped hands.

We were then entertained for an hour with a drive around the city in the air conditioned car with our guide which was possibly the safest way to see the city. We finally stopped at the Reunification Palace for photos and then were dropped off near the Opera House for a walk through the streets of District 1 packed with art galleries, luxury shops, the Cathedral and Post Office. Lunched at the Lemongrass: central location, good food and excellent service.

We then had a quick stop at the hotel before we headed out for the Cu Chi tunnels which was a long but nice ride through the countryside – a very nice change after the busy city. There are some enlarged tunnels made for westerners between a series of bunkers and had electric lights – even so it was a bit of squeeze and very hot with a whole group of tourists down there. There was also a chance to shoot a range of guns. I went for an AK47 and it was really loud.

The ride back through the early evening was a bright moment because, despite the traumas of the previous generations, the children were true to their own nature that flied kites up above their heads in rice fields and I could imagine how peaceful life was going on there.

Nightlife: One night we headed up the street to the Hard Rock Cafe. The place was mostly packed with foreign tourists and a number of very wealthy local youths. The waiters looked stylist with spiky hair with gel and loads of rings and necklaces. Our impression was that they spoke excellent English.

Loved the Paris Deli at 65 Le Loi Street. Excellent coffee and nice staff.

Shopping: As we’d already had enough of clothes tailored in Hoi an, we didn’t bother looking at our list of HCMC tailors which we’d planned to see before leaving home. Instead, we just hung around the Ben Thanh market. It’s difficult to describe the sight, sound and mix of odors in this place but just experienced it. If you’re after something that the locals wear like wooden shoes, this is the place to go. We bought some wine holders, table mats and statuettes and it was great fun negotiating with the sellers. The fruits here were fresh and tasteful as well.

Taking notes on your trip as Bob has said earlier. Who did you use for a guide in HCMC? How did your clothes come out..do they fit well and how many fittings did you need to get to a good fitting?

was it the liberty central you stayed at or another liberty hotel??

if the central, can you tell us more about the rooms and the neighborhood? thanks

We are staying at the Liberty Central on May 7th. Would love to know what you think of it.

Sorry for missing out your questions above.

Rhkkmk: Stayed 3 days in Hoi An and wished if we would have had more time.

Neil: Thanks for the lovely info. Watched the news and were very glad getting to know that your son in law had done a very meaningful job.

Kmkrnn: We went with Nam (which we were told means Five in Vietnamese language) arranged by our travel agent and were generally happy with his knowledge of the region and customer service skill. He was born, raised and is currently living with his family in Saigon.

Regarding the fitting for clothes, as you’d already read from the report, we went for none of the tailors we’d planned in Saigon. For those in Hoi an, from memory, we’d to go for 4 fittings in our 3 day stay there.

Dgunbug: It was the Liberty Central that we’d stayed at. Brand new, most parts were fully operational when we were there. The couple who stayed at the back wing said the view wasn’t great but it was quieter, at least than our city view room. My belief is that everything will be very fine when you’re there in May.

Because it’s a very new hotel, all rooms come with modern furnishing and tasteful décor. The bathroom is very nice and clean. The location is ok to us. In addition to the noise, the other problem was that the television reception in our room was very poor.

Dear all,

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I do appreciate if you could take a few minutes of your valuable time in completing this questionnaire. Your assistance will help me out tremendously with my studies. All information will only be used for the purpose of my dissertation and be treated with strict confidentiality.

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Here is the link:
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Mekong Delta:

The following morning we headed out again for a ride into the countryside on the way to the Mekong Delta. Had a stop at a tourist departure point for toilets and then started our visit to one island with our guide. We stopped for a bit of a taste and some local music.

There was so much to take in, to see and hear in the area. The island was lush and verdant and the water was impenetrably deep in places. Tourist boats were of course all over the area. First we visited a tile factory. The skill and beauty of the work was something else. We watched a young boy apply paraffin first to the mould so that the colors wouldn't run into each other. Then he added different colored pigments with the terracotta, into a press, and minutes later, a beautiful tile. It took some days for the tile to dry before it could be fired and ready for use.

Next, we went to a brick factory. Here there were some kilns firing the bricks that were made by hand in different shapes and sizes.

Again on the river in the late afternoon towards our island homestay. We sailed along and then transferred to local rowing boats where ladies in conical hats moved us swiftly to our next destination. Then a brief walk of bout 20’ to our home for the night. We stayed in a large house that belonged to a lady whose family had lived there many years ago before the former local authorities took the property. We were entertained by local musicians and singers and it was really fascinating following stories of local life. Then we’d a dinner with local foods which was very good. We were stuffed and happy to go to bed early after a long and exciting day.

Sleeping in this amazing house with few walls was more difficult than I'd anticipated. We all had army cot-style beds with sheets and slim pillows. We also had mosquito nets which was a good thing being so close to the river.

We were up every early the next morning (5:30am I guess) as the lady of the house opened blinds and let the morning sun in. After breakfast, we were off to the floating markets in the Mekong. The markets are so important for the area. Villagers travel from many miles away to sell their produces and wares. They live on houseboats for a couple of weeks while they sell their things before returning home to get a new load. An incredible riot of colors, tastes, smells, and sounds.

After the markets, we learned how to make pop rice and rice paper, and that was the end of our 2 days in the Mekong Delta. All in all, it was very rewarding experience we’d had on the trip.

loving the report

How easy or difficult do you think doing the Mekong on your own would be? We are planning on spending 3 days there in May - basing ourselves in Can Tho and taking day tours from there.

Hi,

My opinion is that it's pretty easy to do it yourself elsewhere in Vietnam, not only the Mekong Delta. In Can Tho you just go down to the river and people will turn up and ask if you like to go on a trip on the river and canals.

In Chau Doc it is the same, just go down to the river and you will be asked if you want to take a trip in a small boat with a lady that row you around to see the floating houses, the fish farms and so on.

However, we found tours to the area are offered at very reasonable prices and thought traveling on your own, despite being more fun, would take more time, cost more money and less comfortable. Just your choice.

Enjoying reading your report, lots of detail. Glad you enjoyed Mai Chau- still one of my favourite places in SE Asia (along with the Ba Be Lakes area.)

Your 2 days in Halong Bay aboard the Indochina sail arranged by Vietnamstay. What was the name of your boat that you stayed on. Sounded so wonderful. Was it the Indochina as I can't find that name of the boat on the web site. Thank you in advance and am sure enjoying reading of your trip. KG

Have been following along here lurking . . . really enjoying reading all the details of your trip thus far. Taking notes because I hope to do the same some day.

Many thanks again Crellston for your useful advice. We didn't make it to Ba Be lake this time but will put it on the top agenda of our next visit

Goldeyk: We were booked aboard the Indochina Sail 3 - the newest of the fleet, after the rec of the regular posters here and would say that they were all spot on.

Still trying to wrap up the final part of this report...

Cheers

Still waiting on the wrap up!!!

So we departed the hustle and bustle of the city in search of sand, sun and some chillaxing in Mui Ne. It’s a retreat city for many of the dwellers to come and unwind on a weekend or holiday basis, when we arrived however it wasn’t that crowded and the place was a real chillout place.

After checking into our resort, the rest of our first day was spent on the beach and through the town checking everything out. We ended up stumbling upon a massage and beauty parlor that were doing treatments incredibly cheap.

Mui Ne had a beautiful white sand beach of 6km and the wind was amazing which meant that the place was packed with wind surfers, kite surfers…going a heck of a speed over the waves! Mui Ne is an up and coming style holiday area too so there are really chilled resorts along the coast which anyone can go into. We ended up staying here for about 3 days to get some wind swept R&R and managed to learn some Vietnamese from the lady at the beach bar.

One of the other things we discovered to do in the local area was check out the sand dunes because it’s not all beach here at Mui Ne – the town is famous for their incredible red and white sand dunes! We were taken in a Jeep to explore them and started off by visiting the fishing village which was amazing to see the small round boats that the Vietnamese use to fish for a daily living.

We then went to see the Fairy Stream which is basically a small canyon where you can walk up the river and see the white and red sand cliffs and walk in the warm water.

The formations that the sand made were pretty cool to say the least and it was interesting also to see the rival gangs of children that fight to take tourists. There was also a lady cleaning banana leaves in the water which was cool to see.

From there we went to something called Red Canyon, then we headed to the infamous white sand dunes which were just incredible. The wife and I managed to climb to the peak, then attempted to sand surf down which basically meant you moved a bit of a way and ate a gallon of sand! It was fun though.

Finally on the way back we stopped to see the contrasting Red Sand Dunes of the area. To end we then ended up watching a beautiful sunset with a beer and a cup of tea on the beach!

Well, that’s it. A fantastic end to a very chilled holiday in Vietnam. Would definitely come back in a heartbeat!

Thanks again for the fabulous trip report. I enjoyed reading it. How did you get to Mui Ne and how far is it from Saigon? Sounds like fun!

Fantastic!! Thanks for sharing!

loved the report....look forward to my arrival there in november

Hello,

Thanks all for your nice words. We took the 6.45am train in Saigon and arrived at the station in Phan Thiet at noon (it took about 5 hrs as I recall). We were then picked up and taken to the beach. So totally it was more than 200km from Saigon. To my knowledge, you can go by public bus as well.

Cheers

Thanks again for taking your time wrapping up such a great report. Mui Ne sounds amazing. From what I've read, you seemed to skip Nha Trang?

Yes - thanks so much for the great report. I enjoyed reading it.

JM - We skipped Nha Trang after reading negative reports stating that it's a very touristy town and pickpockets are notorious over there. Have no way to compare it to Mui Ne (which we much enjoyed).

Regards

Thanks for the feedback. We're including Nha Trang on our upcoming trip in Vietnam as recommended by many people out here. Will read up more and hopefully we'll have a good time. Cheers.

Thank you so much for a nice read! I'm very interested in Vietnam and glad you'd a great trip.

Cheers

Thanks for your report of your trip. I have been to Vietnam 3 times-the first with car and driver which I am happy I did. Once having been there it was not that hard to travel from North to South. The Mekong is really an amazing place to see all the boats and the people with their wares. Did not to go Nha Trang-rather to Dalat which not many tourist don't visit-also to the Du Moh tunnels where people lived during the war with US. Vietnam is an amazing country.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

You're welcome. I agree that Vietnam is an amazing country and it's easy enough to do it yourself. Heard a lot about Da Lat but didn't make our way there. How long did you stay there?

Thank you for your excellent report!

Yes, thank you! I just found this report and enjoyed reading every word. It makes me want to return to Vietnam!

scomars,
we went to many of the same places and it was fun reading your versions. You're brave staying in a homestay in the Mekong....I fret too much about the food safety.

Great report -- very helpful for our trip this winter.