Planning for 1 week in Vietnam

Old Jun 22nd, 2016, 04:26 AM
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Planning for 1 week in Vietnam

Good morning Asia Experts,

My husband and I are in the beginning stages of planning our 1 month trip to Asia February 2017. We plan to spend a week in Vietnam, then Off to northern Thailand, possibly Myanmar. The focus of this post is to decide what to do in Vietnam.

We are flying in to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving on a Tuesday. How much time to devote to HCMC? We enjoy food and will take a food tour there. Also, just sightseeing, maybe a bike tour? Spa for sure! I thought we'd stay until Saturday, then move to a different location in Vietnam,

I've been looking at how best to get up to Chang Mai Thailand, and it seems that it is substantially less expensive to fly from Saigon than Hanoi, so probably stay somewhere in the Saigon area.

Any and all recommendations as to where to spend a few more days are appreciated. Hoping for somewhere that's easy to get to. Bus? Train?

Thanks in advance,

Gin
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Old Jun 22nd, 2016, 06:05 AM
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If you enjoy food then you are in for a treat in Saigon. You could rush around the main sights in a couple of days but three would be better. Hanoi is wonderful, but you just don't have enough time to make it worthwhile. I would be inclined to stay south and maybe include a trip to the Mekong delta. Perfect weather at that time of year.

Ben Tre is relatively close and some interesting sights in the area. Can Tho is could for the floating markets at Cai Rang ( although Can Tho itself is only worth it as a staging post). My favourite place in the area is Chau Doc towards the Cambodian border. Not so much visited but it has a huge amount to see and do. You just about have the time.

Some more info and lots of photos of these place are on the blog of our trip last year @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/

Air Asia will likely have flights from Saigon to Chiang Mai but may be routed via Bangkok. I think Vietnam airways also fly that route but will likely be much more expensive.
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Old Jun 22nd, 2016, 07:19 AM
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I wouldn't bother going to Vietnam for week. You'll only get a glimpse, and leave wanting more, a lot more. Ditto if you only gave Myanmar a short time.
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Old Jun 22nd, 2016, 08:48 AM
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I agree with LancasterLad. Unless you plan to spend a week in 1 location. I'd choose Hanoi.

A week in VN, a week in 1 location in Thailand and minimum of 2 weeks in Burma would be my suggestion. A month in Burma even better.

I couldn't quite tell if you know that Ho Chi Minh City & Saigon are the same place.
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Old Jun 22nd, 2016, 12:28 PM
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Thanks for the sound advice. Preston, very nice blog. It looks like 5 nights in Saigon (HCMC, got that followed by Mekong Delta for 3-4 nights.

If we go to Chau Doc, do we take a bus from Saigon? Is it worthwhile to go to Can Tho just to see the floating markets, which looks like 2 nights, then on to Chau Doc for 3 nights?
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Old Jun 22nd, 2016, 12:28 PM
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Oops, my spell check changed your name, Crellston! So sorry.
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Old Jun 22nd, 2016, 08:35 PM
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No problem ginger50, I have been called far worse! Glad you liked the blog.

With the time you have, 5 days may be just a little too much emphasis on Saigon. 4 nights would give you three full days, enough to see the major sights without rushing. If you want a food tour https://xotours.vn/tours/vietnam-food-tour.html is supposed to be really good.

I think it is worth going to Can Tho for the floating market, even though Can tho itself is of limited appeal. To get to the one at Cai Rang, it is best to get a boat at around 05.30am to see the market at its beast around dawn. This means that you will be back in Can Tho at around 9.00 and could get a bus to Chau Doc which takes around 3 hours. The bus from HCMC takes about the same time. Alternatively, there are homestays in the area but with limited time, it may be better to do those on a package tour.


Chau Doc warrants more time than Can Tho. Three nights would give you two full days, enough to explore the town, the Cham villages, San Mountain, the croc farms and the submerged forest, all o f which are easily arranged in Chau Doc. I of you like, I can dig out the name of the guest house we stayed at who were very helpful in sorting out guides, cars, renting bikes etc.

The return trip to Saigon takes around 5 hours by bus. Alternatively, if you are planning of going to Cambodia, it is pretty straightforward to get the boat upriver to Phnom Penh - around 6 hours.
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Old Jun 24th, 2016, 01:09 AM
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1 week in Vietnam, you should visit some places in the north or the south only.If you want to visit Cambodia and Thailand, you should visit the south of Vietnam such as HCMC, Danang and Mekong Delta. You should visit Mekong Delta and homestay at local people to join the floating market in the early morning.
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Old Jun 24th, 2016, 03:56 AM
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Can someone tell me a little more about these home stays? Is this like an Airbnb room? How does one find a home stay? Is the the same as a guesthouse?
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Old Jun 24th, 2016, 04:19 AM
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There are many different types of "homestay". The vary hugely in comfort and experience. The basic homestays will involve sleeping on a mattress in a communal bedroom, usually with a curtain for privacy, in a private home.

Meals are usually a communal affair too and shared with the family and, more often than not, other village members. The rice wine usually flows quite freely! A great experience which I prefer, but not much by way of home comforts - no air con for example. These are always early to bed early to rise places. We found the food amongst the best we tasted all over Vietnam.

For most, you really need to go with a guide booked through a tour agency, as many do not speak Vietnamese, let alone English. Lots of tour agencies mentioned in this forum

Other homestays are more developed and are more like boutique guesthouses in the countryside. You will get a more comfortable experience, like private rooms, bathrooms etc. some also provide activities e.g. In the delta a number will include tours direct to the flaying markets, bike rides in the delta etc.

There are a couple of very popular places in the latter category in the delta. Nguyen Shack is the most well known (although I think it was CaliLady that stayed there recently and was not impressed.

We stayed in one in that area two. However, I was less than impressed with the food preparation, - we arrived at 10.00am to see our chicken lunch, waiting uncooked, in the blazing sun! We went in a bike tour before said lunch and the handlebars came off the bike they provided sending me headlong into a cactus hedge! At this point I lost it and got a boat back to Can Tho. I think it was called the Kim Lan , or something like that. Booking.com have a number of homestays available.
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Old Jun 24th, 2016, 10:10 AM
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Hi. it was I (another Cali) who didnt much care for Nguyen Shack. You can see my "average" rating review on tripadvisor. However,weather ws hot, and know that interfered with my enjoyment. At any rate, the food there, other than the included breakfast (just average, and the worst coffee i've eve drunk anywhere) was way too expensive for what it was. Nguyen Shack is not a true homestay. In that countryside-near-Ninh Binh-area, check Limestone View and other places which are listed on TA.
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Old Jun 24th, 2016, 01:02 PM
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I loved Saigon and did the XO food tour. Thrilling, exhilarating and delicious. I think that if you only have 4 nights in country, you could definitely fill them up with sights in and around Saigon. It would be difficult, IMO, to go anywhere else. If you do not choose Saigon, I would still recommend one city with a few side trips outside of the city. Good luck.
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Old Jun 25th, 2016, 04:31 AM
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Great information. Thanks so much.

My husband would like to consider going from HCMC to Phnom Penh by boat. Has anyone done this or heard of it?
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Old Jun 25th, 2016, 08:08 AM
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I haven't done it, but there are (expensive) river cruises that go this route. If you are going to do it, go all the way to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat. It would be a shame to get so close and not go on to Angkor. If you want to consider one of these cruises, I'd highly recommend Pandaw rather than one of the European cruise lines. I've not done that cruise, but last year we did a Pandaw cruise in northern Burma/Myanmar. It was a fabulous experience.

If you only have a week, the cruise will take your whole time. I know you planned to have some time in Thailand and maybe even Burma as well, but I'd look at the whole trip and put together something that makes sense overall rather than a few days here and a few days there.

Some time in HCMC, followed by the cruise to Angkor, a few more days in Siem Reap would add up to two weeks. If you have more time, you can move on from there to Thailand. If you want to go to Burma, I'd suggest a minimum of 8-10 days for a first trip.
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Old Jun 25th, 2016, 09:28 AM
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Thanks. I actually have a month in total. We were planning a week in Vietnam, 2 in Thailand, 1 in Myanmar. We have decided to leave Myanmar out for this trip, a few extra days in Vietnam and add a few days in Cambodia. At this point the Vietnam Cambodia trip looks something like this:

Arrive HCMC 10pm. So that's 1 night.

HCMC 3 days/3 nights

Depart HCMC for Can Tho in the afternoon. Spend 1 night and up early to visit floating market, then head immediately to Chau Doc

2 days/2 nights in Chau Doc (day one is short due to travel time from Can Tho) Do we need to add 1 more day here?

Leave in the am on boat to Phnom Phen. Spend balance of that day and 1 more day in PP.

Siam Reap. I have been here before, my husband has not. He does want to see it, but not 3-4 days worth. So I'm thinking a total including the travel day from Phnom Phen, 2 or 3 days.

After this, Thailand. Again, I've been here and LOVE it. Husband has not. Details not worked out.

Thoughts?
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Old Jun 25th, 2016, 12:40 PM
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Personally I would add another day to Chau Doc but it is feasible if you get the early bus from Can Tho which should get you in around lunchtime.

We stayed at the Murray Guesthouse, which was very nice. if you are after luxury, have a look at the Victoria Chau Doc - even if not staying there it's worth visiting fo dinner.

Murray GH were great at arranging transport and guides. I would suggest visiting the fish farms and Cham villages across the river on your first afternoon and an early morning trip to the submerged forest etc the next day with Sam mountain, the croc farm etc. On the way back. Busy but doable.

Murray can also arrange your boat tickets - important to do in advance. Boat leaves around 7 so you should be in PP around lunchtime ( with a bit of luck). Maybe rent a tuk tuk and explore the Royal palace and shiver Pagoda in the afternoon and a full day to the killing fields, Tuol Sleng, central market etc. The next day

Many people will say you need at least three full days in SR but I disagree. We took my in laws there last year spending just one full day at the temples and another around SR - they were perfectly happy with that.

Battambang is midway between PP and SR and is quite a pleasant town with a few sights. Maybe worth considering
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Old Jun 26th, 2016, 07:17 PM
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If you intend to come to Thailand after the visit to Vietnam, I think you should spend time travelling around some areas in the South Vietnam, particularly Saigon-Mekong Delta. You can spend 3 days in Saigon, there are many exciting activities for you such as cyclo riding and I am especially impressed by water puppet shows, a traditional art of Vietnamese people. For Mekong Delta, you will have an occasion to see floating markets and travel by boat. That's totally awesome!
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Old Jun 27th, 2016, 05:19 AM
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Thanks for all the input. I'm going to post our tentative entire 1 month itinerary on a new thread to see if we are missing/overdoing anything.

Gin
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Old Jun 27th, 2016, 12:24 PM
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If, per Crellston's recco for more time in Chau Doc, and poaaibly using Victoria Hotels, also check the Victoria Njui Sam Lodge. The travel agent I used booked clients there--they loved it!! It's on "the list" for next trip to VN, when i'd like to head south, and follow the advice of the Fodorites here who've been to that part of the country,
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Old Jun 27th, 2016, 12:25 PM
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Sorry--typos. That should be Victoria Nui Sam Lodge nr Chau Doc.
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