I'm looking for ideas for a 10 day trip in Vietnam in August. I will be spending the month of July in the Danang area on a volunteer program teaching English. My husband is coming out to meet me at the end of the month and we are going to travel for 10 days, flying out of Hanoi.

I'm sure I will get tons of ideas in the month that I am in Danang/Hoi An, but I'd like to plan and book ahead for some of the trip before I go. Since I will have been working hard the month before, I'd like the first few days to be relaxing somewhere by a beach, but we're open to the rest.

We love the idea of taking the train. Is 10 days too short to really enjoy Saigon to Hanoi, with stops along the way? The other option is to start in Danang and just go north, ending in Hanoi.

But I'd love suggestions for people's "must see" activities, especially in the north.

Halong Bay
Sapa (train)
Ninh Binh

All these are spectacular areas easily accesible from Hanoi

Hanoi is a charming and fascinating city. Since you'll be in central VN for a month, I'd suggest basing yourself in Hanoi for your last 10 days. You can opt to go on an overnight trip to Halong Bay and/or to Sapa and/or a full day trip to the Perfume Pagoda. Hanoi itself is well worth 5 full days. There is great food, and shopping in Hanoi as well as wonderful sight-seeing.

Kathie, of that 5-day stay in Hanoi, how much of it do you think you would spend shopping? Is it 3 days sights and 2 days shopping? or 4 and 1?

Mr, W., my shopping and sightseeing tend to be integrated. So, on the day I went to the Temple of Literature and the Museum of Fine Arts, I had lunch at KOTO and shopped next door at CraftLink. I also did some shopping at the museum store (a small branch of CraftLink) when I visited the Ethnographic Museum. Sightseeing in the Old Quarter involves looking at all of these amazing tiny shops, so involves "shopping" even if you don't buy anything. While I spent a litle time shopping each day, I did not devote any full day (or even half day) to shopping. I think we spent 5 days in city plus a day at the Perfume Pagoda. We didn't even make it to such must-sees as Uncle Ho's Tomb or the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Ask for more detail if you need it, Mr. W.. By the way, there are some great restaurants in Hanoi.

Thanks Kathie. I guess I was born without the shopping gene, so am curious when it is (or seems to be) mentioned as a significant activity. I am interested in "great food" and less interested in "great restaurants".

I'm just starting to plan a trip and haven't researched the attractions in detail yet, but am interested in getting a ballpark idea of the amount of time to spend at different locations.

There will be at least two locations: HCMC and Hanoi. The third stop would be Hoi An. I know I could use more time on the trip, but here is what I am considering at this time:

Nov 4: arrive HCMC late night
Nov 5: day & night in HCMC
Nov 6: HCMC or Hanoi
Nov 7: Hanoi at Hilton Hanoi Opera
Nov 8: Hanoi at Hilton Hanoi Opera
Nov 9: Hanoi at Hilton Hanoi Opera
Nov 10: Hoi An
Nov 11: Hoi An
Nov 12:
Nov 13: night in HCMC
Nov 14: fly home at 6AM

I booked the Hilton on points (it just dropped one Reward Category level on June 1) for those three nights. Am considering a 4th night in Hanoi, maybe the Sofitel Metropole.

That's 9 full days in VN, and travelling on three of those days is not a great idea, even for me, and a lot of people just wouldn't do it. I might justify it in my mind by considering that the 4 hours I would spend getting to/from Hoi An would be spent shopping by other people.

In Japan with a JR Pass, I would have no problem at all in staying in 4 places in 9 days. The traveling (on JR) is very convenient and reliable.

I suppose, though, that Vietnam Airlines is not as convenient and reliable as JR, so a 4-hour trip could become a 6-hour trip. That probably won't, or might not (which is it?) happen, but could. I will be taking two flights (to/from Hanoi) so adding Hoi An just adds one flight.

Mr. W., I'm a crafts shopper, so love finding local crafts. In Hanoi, CraftLink is a fair trade crafts shop and I was able to find some Khmer double ikat with human figures that wowed a dear friend of mine who is a fiber artist. But I understand that not everyone says WOW! to that. (lol)

There is both great food and some great restaurants in Hanoi. I'm always glad to offer my recommendations, so ask if you have an interest.

Your schedule is moving around a lot, but it's do-able if there aren't any glitches. What time of year are you thinking about? I had wanted to visit Hue and Hoi An, but since I was traveling in November, I decided not to risk it. Indeed, that turned out to be a year when they had bad flooding in November. My personal opinion is to spend as much time as possible in Hanoi.

wow, sounds like you found a perfect gift!

I am interested in your recommendations for great food in Hanoi (doesn't have to be a great restaurant).

I will be traveling in November!

OK, Mr. W. I'll know not to buy you any double ikat for your birthday!

Since you are going in November, do note that it's the rainy season in the Hue/Hoi An/Da Nang area. They have serious (loss of life) flooding in that area approximately one year out of three in November. Check www.weatherbase.com for the monthly rainfall stats.

The weather in Hanoi will be lovely - not too hot, and it cools off at night.

Some of my favorite places to eat in Hanoi: (note that the prices are 2003)
Brothers Café: This wonderful spot has everything going for it: great atmosphere and wonderful food, attentive service. It’s located in the courtyard of an old monastery, with spreading old trees. They have a great buffet, with pho stands and a chef grilling seafood and meats to your order, as well as a good variety of traditional Vietnamese hot and cold dishes. The price is US$10 per person, and they do not take credit cards. This may be the best dining value in Hanoi!

Cau Cay: Located in the DeSyloia Hotel, this is a lovely little restaurant with indoor (two floors) or outdoor seating. The small dining spaces are cozy and service is very good. The food is also very good, with a good variety of Vietnamese dishes. They also have French food, but we didn’t try that.

Koto: This is a nice spot to have lunch near the Temple of Literature and Craftlink. It is a training program for street kids. The fare is multi-ethnic and is quite good, as is the service. The upstairs is non smoking, a real novelty in Hanoi.

Little Hanoi: This famed restaurant in the Old Quarter has excellent Vietnamese Food. The original Little Hanoi has expanded into a space across the street and upstairs on Pho Ta Hien. There is another place called Little Hanoi that has no relation to the original. It is closer to the lake, and is a sort of deli/juice bar place.

Club L’Opera; This is a wonderful, white-tablecloth dining experience. The food was consistently excellent as was the service. It’s considered expensive for Hanoi, US$60 for two including wine.

I only had 10 or so days in Vietnam, and considered using the Reunification Express. But it is very slow, and in the end I opted for flying. The internal flights are not expensive, and it gave me far more sightseeing time (what can ytou see from a train at night, anyway?).

I spent my time in and around Hanoi, Hoi An and HCMC. I didnt have any regrets at not using the train, as the advantage was seeing more.