goodness

The more I read the more I like these places for our family of five. Looking to travel with our three college kids this January. At first I thought Vietnam only but now I find myself thinking of Laos. We are looking for a cultural experience with time to be together. I don't need to go to cities just to say I saw them? Thoughts? From my reading these three places seem most interesting for our family. We have 14 nights total.

VCM

I don't know how much time you have for Hanoi but we just returned from Hanoi and a cruise on Halong Bay. We stayed in the Old Quarter of Hanoi and never left other than the cruise. It was wonderful! If you go I would recommend just a couple days in the Old Quarter, we stayed at La Dolce Vita and it was perfect but there are many hotels/hostels in the area. Then go on the cruise. We went with Paradise Cruises and will go with them again in the future. We selected the three day cruise and have no regrets. There was beach time, a couple of climbs, kayaking, swimming off the boat, great food, Tai Chi in the morning, a cooking class and a wonderful staff. Evenings were down time more than activity filled. Enjoy!

Craig

In Vietnam the weather in January is less than ideal (chilly and damp). I think Hanoi would be fine for touring but I would not plan on visiting Halong Bay. In Luang Prabang, it should be warm and dry. Both are worth spending some time. I suggest adding Angkor Wat in Cambodia to your itinerary. Not sure about Hoi An because I have not been there.

dgunbug

Agree with Craig about Halong bay. And 3 days is way too much. One nite would be sufficient if you decide to go. Hoi an and hue are fabulous.

kmkrnn

We loved Hoi An. A small city, maybe a bit touristy, but still culturly worth the trip. Vinh Hung Riverside resort was where we stayed. A small hotel , right on the river. I loved sitting on our porch and watching the river traffic. In the evenong when some of the tourist went it was beautiful with the lights on the river. Good eating places also. 2-3 days.
In Hanoi, stay in the old part . We used the Gia Boa Grand ( they have 2 hotels across the street from each other...Gia Boa is the other). 3-4 days would be perfect.

LP is nice and laid back. Again 3 days would give you time to see and feel the area. Sounds like a good trip. Adding Angkor Wat may mean too much traveling in between places. Remember in Asia it takes longer to get from point A to B. Have fun

dgunbug

We stayed at the same place in hoi an and enjoyed it. The location was nice. It is a shame to do hoi an without hue, the old imperial city - very interesting. The car ride or train between cities is scenic. 1 1/2 days there would be sufficient to see the main sites.

dgunbug

Check out the elegance chain of hotels in hanoi. This is the best run hotel we've been in, comparable to 5 stars at far less price.

goodness

Thank you, I am ok with missing Ha Long bay. Is the below possible? What order should we do? These are all places that I would love to see. Thank you for the lodging ideas.
Hanoi - 3-4 nights, Gia Boa Grand, elegance chain of hotels in hanoi
Hoi an - 3 nights Vinh Hung Riverside resort days
Hue – 1 night
Luang Prabang – 3 night
Angkor Wat – 3 night

Kathie

You are trying to cram in too much. You need three full days just to see the major temples at Angkor. Three nights somewhere is just two full days, and LP also deserves more time. Cut a destination and spend at least four nights in each place.

crellston

Stick to one country only and heed Kathie's advice above re staying in each place for longer. Vietnam, being a long thin country lends itself to arriing in say Hanoi, flying to the central region (hue and Hoi An) and then to Saigon/ the Mekong Delta. Hoi An is very touristy and I much preferred Hue but they are not far apart so you could conceivably visit one from the other.

Laos is a rewarding place to visit and not just for Luang Prabang, 14 days would give you plenty of time for say 4 nights in LP and the remainder on a tour of the far north - Phongsali, Muang Sing, Luang Namtha great scenery, fascinating minority peoples villages and great hospitality. The food is sadly a bit limited, but you can't have everything! You could DIY Laos but with just 14 days, it is probably better to get a TA to organise.

jgg

I agree with Kathie that you are probably trying to cram too much in. We were in Vietnam last Dec. for two weeks with our kids ages 16 and 19. We did HCMC/Mekong, Hoi An, and Hanoi/Halong Bay. Since you're not doing Southern Vietnam I do think you could fit in another location - either Angkor or Luang Prabang. We have been to Angkor on a previous trip but not Luang Prabang. I would check out cost and ease of travel from where you are to either of those locations, and maybe choose that way.

Being there in dec. it was cooler in Halong Bay, and too cold to go in the water, but we still absolutely loved it, and it was definitely a highlight for all of us. We only did the one night which was perfect.

In Hoi An something that we did that we really enjoyed were a street food tour with TasteOfHoiAn.com, and fabulous cooking class with Van of GreenBamboo.com and a bicycle tour with Heaven and Earth Bicycle Tours (www.vietnam-bicycle.com/). We were able to do and enjoy all these things, despite the fact that the weather was not super warm.

We also stayed in Elegance hotels in Hanoi so that is a good choice!

Here is a link to my trip reports which also include pictures. You may find them helpful in figuring out where to go:
http://www.fromhometoroam.com/catego...hristmas-2011/
- http://www.fromhometoroam.com/2012/0...nd-angkor-wat/

thursdaysd

I'm with crellston in preferring Hue to Hoi An, but I am not a shopper. The weather in Hanoi in the winter is unpredictable, but regardless of the weather I think one night at Halong Bay is enough.

If you want to skip southern Vietnam either LP or Angkor would be good, although both have become more touristy. You need at least three full days/four nights to do justice to Angkor.

If you do two countries it would be better to visit more than one place in those countries.

goodness

What are thoughts of AW over Laos - LP? I'm not sure that my family will want more then one full day of Temples? I also tend to want to skip Halong Bay and see Hue and Hoi An with the cooking class, bike rides, and historical Hue. Am I crazy to not go to HCMC and Delta? HCMC feels very big and chaotic.
Thank you

thursdaysd

I much preferred Hanoi to Saigon, but if you just do Vietnam you should visit Saigon. I found the delta a bit boring but enjoyed the Cao Dai temple. (I'm too claustrophobic to tackle the tunnels.)

There's no point in trekking all the way to Siem Reap for just one day at the temples. See if you can scare up a copy of Dawn Rooney's book to get an idea of the temples, which cover a LARGE area and are quite diverse.

LP is a place to chill out, wander around and just relax. Follow crellston's advice if you want to hike and see the countryside.

crellston

I wouldn't miss out Saigon. You can cover the main sights in a couple of days, the delta is ok but, like Thursdaysd, I would not make a special effort to go their as it would take up an entire day. Personally, I would concentrate on the usual sights in district one which are all quite close together with maybe a half a day in Cholon. Saigon can seem a bit chaotic but it is not as busy as say, Bangkok.

If you are looking at just one day of temples then I would miss out Siem Reap as that really is the only reason to visit. You could get your fix of temples, albeit, a different kind, in Hue or Cholon. Luang Prabang has loads too but is not just about the temples. It is a good place just to relax and watch the world go by.

I'd you fancy a change of pace you could consider an overnight trip to a home stay in Mai Chau a few hours from Hanoi. Great hospitality, fantastic scenery and a taste of Vietnamese rural life. A few photos of our time there:
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...8042/tpod.html

goodness

Really wanting to firm this up, the more I read.... Now I am thinking of flying into Bangkok. I have always wanted to see it and I know our kids will love it. Possibly three nights then fly to Hanoi, Ho An, Hue and home.

We would need a hotel or a full service apartment/hotel with three rooms. I would love the Pennsula but it's out of my reach. Looking for luxury and location. I'm sorry for my "changes." I hope this will be the first of many visits to Asia.

Kathie

Take a look at two bedroom serviced apartments. Emporium Suites is lovely and has a great location above a shopping center and attached to the skytrain. You can also look at hotel suites, perhaps a one bedroom suite with an adjoining room. The Royal Orchid Sheraton has these and is on the river.

goodness

Just looked at Emporium three bedroom - 4 nights $2,500 US
Do you think I can put a young adult (biggg) in the common room? A two bedroom would be less.

Kathie

Wow! Yes, I believe all the suites have sofa beds. Where are you getting this price?

goodness

The website??? Maybe the conversion was not US?