Lani Barnes

Hello, <BR><BR>My husband and I are thinking of going to Vietnam this December and would like to know of other peoples' experiences. What are some of the best places to visit, etc. We have been told that it is possible to buy tours there rather than book them in advance. Is this a good thing to do. Are there any tour companies that are particularly good. Any information would be appreciated. <BR><BR>Thanks for your help. <BR><BR>Lani Barnes.

Alan

Hi, Lani!<BR>It has been five years since my wife and I went to Vietnam, but I can tell you that it made a vivid impression on us -- it seems like yesterday -- and I envy you the experience. You are right when you say that you can buy tours after you arrive, and you will be heartened at how easy this is. Many cafes around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have prominent signs in English offering these, and you will certainly be tempted by the prices. In addition, your hotel may be able to tell you a good location to "shop" for a tour. In HCMC, it's in the main tourist street, and any cyclo driver will take you there. Tourism is such big business in Vietnam at the moment that just about everyone speaks English, and everybody is an entrepreneur.... you will be looked after wherever you step.<BR>Expect to be approached often -- by that I mean every thirty seconds -- by beggars, but in just about every case they are not just begging but asking can they perform a service for you, no matter how trivial it may be. I was impressed by their good nature whether or not you accepted their offer. In the case of the orphans selling postcards, you would be wise to use their services rather than the hotel lobby, as they are far cheaper and have an extensive range, and you are doing a good deed as well. You can haggle with them, but it's hardly worth the trouble. If, however, you buy mineral water from street vendors, be prepared for it to be a refill!<BR>Do make sure you visit Hanoi... a much more pleasant and interesting city than HCMC, which tends to be just an overcrowded and polluted city much like many others in Asia. I would also recommend a day or two in Hue, which should be lovely at the time of year you are going. <BR>There is no need to pre-book your accommodation, unless you have special favourites, as there are hotels just about everywhere. US dollars are easy to exchange, and the best bank for this when we were there was the Vietcombank, which has branches in all the major cities. Even better rates can be obtained on any major street corner from black-market money changers, who stand, calculator in hand, to prove to you that their rates are better than the guy standing next to them. It's fun to bargain with these people and get great exchange rates, but I have heard of people who went away with a big smile on their face only to find out ten minutes later that they had just bought a stack of counterfeit notes. I never had any trouble with this, but it's worth keeping in mind.<BR>I have also heard horror stories of snatch and grabs, so it probably pays to keep your valuables secure and hidden; my experience, however, was that the country is extremely safe. You see young children playing in the streets at 10 p.m. The people are gracious and friendly, the prices mind-bogglingly cheap, and the fresh fruits and vegetables delectable -- buy from the markets, peel your own, and eat like a prince for a dollar. I could go on and on, but you get the drift, I am sure. Need anyone to carry your bag for you? <BR>

Christiane

I went to Vietnam 4 years ago and I loved it. You have to visit Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Dalat in the center with very nice mountains and cool air, markets, Hue with the Imperial City, Hoi An,Along Bay. My boyfriend and I will return next March and want to see Sapa on the North. You can buy the guide Lonely Planet and will have all information you need. It's very unexpensive to travel, to eat and sleep in Vietnam. If you want more information, please contact me at my email address. Have good time

Lien (Lynn) Wolf

Lani,<BR><BR>I am a Vietnamese who have been living in the US since 1975. I will also be in Vietnam in December. I have done a lot of research and also learned a lot from my Mother who went two years ago.<BR><BR>I would recommend that you arrange for tours once you are in country. Places to visit would be Ha Noi, Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Saigon (HCMC).<BR><BR>While in Saigon you should go to Cho Lon and visit the rural areas south of Saigon.<BR><BR>Good luck and have fun.<BR>

xxx

We went from Hanoi to Saigon in April with our two children. One of our best vacations. We travelled simply, local buses, trains, etc. We found people to be very friendly, outgoing, courteous - no problems at all. I think it helps to smile a lot.

Howard

Hi Lani, my wife and I just returned from a trip to SE asia, including 4 days in HCMC. Alan's right about Vietnam. It's cheap, friendly, and exciting, but expect to be approached about every 15 seconds by someone trying to sell you something. It wears on you after a while (I told my wife that now we know what it feels like to be a celebrity). The vendors and taxi and cyclo drivers are nice, but in such a poor country, they want to make money so they'll pester you for a long time. Once you finally make it clear you don't want their services, they'll leave without any problems, but it does take a while. They don't like to take no for an answer because they need the business.<BR>Taxi and cyclo drivers especially will try to latch onto you for the length of your stay. They'll show you pictures of their family, of other tourists they've taken around, and then ask you where you're staying and when they should pick you up. <BR>I don't recommend staying in HCMC for more than a couple of days. We went to all the museums and markets in 2 days (I highly recommend Ben Thanh market, especially the food stalls there). Have you also considered hopping up to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see Angkor Wat? That would be on the top of my list.

Anna

Howard,<BR>Where did you stay in HCMC? I'm looking for suggestions, leaning towards the Majestic right now.<BR>

kathy

Anna,<BR><BR>I stayed at the Majestic two years ago and it was great. The rooms are very nice--ours was the biggest hotel room I've ever been in! The room had a large king-size bed with more than 6 feet of extra room on on each side, plus about another 10 feet from the foot of the bed to the armoir, etc., and really high ceilings. Breakfast was also included in the room rate and was a full Vietnamese and Western style buffet. All this was had for about $56 USD per night per room! I thought it was a great deal for a very nice hotel. They also have a very nice pool and are very centrally located. You won't regret staying there. good luck!

Mithra

Lani,<BR>I would thoroughly recommend it. We went to HCMC, Nha Trang and Dalat. Dalat is worth a visit to see the hills and Montagnards. Travel by sleeper train to Nha trang from HCMC and see the country - beautiful.<BR>Be wary of off-the-track sights as they may turn out to be Vietnamese Army outposts - we made the mistake of going into the deepest delta region and got interrogated and detained by the Army for taking pics.<BR>Apart from that, people are friendly but look out for the poverty.

Amy

I really enjoyed Vietnam when I visited this past summer, going from Hanoi to Hue and Hoi An and down to HCMC.<BR>I've finally gotten the first part of my trip log posted on the Untours website (www.untours.com). I'm not shilling for them, although I do recommend their trips and philosophy, but it's a little (ahem-a lot) longer than I usually post here and they have a place just for these.<BR>Happy travels!

eric

Hi Lani, <BR>we just came back fr VT last week, and we enjoyed it immensely. My wife and I enjoyed Ho Chi Minh City, we stayed at Rex and Majestic, we had drinks at the 9th floor of Caravelle hotel in Saigon-Saigon Bar,great view here. If you miss steaks whiles you are there go to Amigo Grill. My wife had an Ao Dai made. We tried lots of good restaurants, especially loved their appetizer made of banana heart flower! We loved the Cu CHi tunnels....and YES I crawled down that hole! We also went to the Citadel at Hue and the Marble Mountains at Danang...this is a good place to shop for marble statue!! And the last leg of our trip was at Hanoi, we went to Ho Chi Minh Museum. We wanted to see the Mauseleom but according to our guide its closed for the season. we rented a cyclo for an hour and that was really nice. And we cruised Halong Bay. Our trip was pre arranged only because we had such a strict schedule. Everything was handled by a travel agent.. we had someone waiting for us at the aiport, went around with private car, cruised on Halong and Perfume river on a private boat (no one else on the boat with us, just our guide and the boat crew) But everything was all worth it. Our trip followed a pre arranged itinerary that my wife drafted. pls feel free to e-mail me if you have further questions.