meltong99

Lolazahra - thank you for the detailed report. Can you please list how you get from each place? I knew you flew from NYC to Saigon (with several stops), but how did you get from Saigon to Hoi An, Hoi An and Hanoi, etc?

Thank you for your response.

Lolazahra

This reply may be too late meltong99. Sorry about that. Once in Saigon, we flew internally for the whole trip, except for the drive to Ha Long Bay. We mostly took Vietnam Air which was moderately priced and had hood service. Hope this helps.

Petro123

Hi Lolazahra! Great blog...inspired me to consider Laos... Question - did you hire a car with the driver at all times and/or did you have a private tour guide with you? If not, how did you transport yourself on the long distances? Thank you!

stillwatergal

Hi,

Great report! I am a travel photographer. My husband and I are planning an 18 day trip to Vietnam with a small group of photographers. We are thinking about a short trip, before or after Vietnam to either Laos or Cambodia. We'd stay about 4 days. Thinking about photography, as well as the overall experience, which would you recommend and why? Thanks so much.

Lolazahra

stillwatergal,

You have posed such a difficult question to me! I loved both Laos and Cambodia so, so much! But if I had to choose based on photography only, I think I would have to say Cambodia. I say this based on the fact that you would not only have the opportunity to photograph a beautiful people, robust street life, and gorgeous village life, but also the "out of this world" one-of-a-kind temples as well. So my vote would be Cambodia. It sounds like you are planning an amazing adventure. Have a fantastic time!

stillwatergal

Lolazahra,

Thank you for your answer....but let me twist the question just a bit. If you were to choose based solely on the overall experience (and not on the photography) would your answer be the same or different and why?

I so appreciate the time and thought you are taking to answer me.

Lolazahra

Hi. It's too hard then! I loved them both equally for very different reasons. We had enlightening and exquisite experiences in both countries. You have a hard choice but you cannot go wrong!

stillwatergal

Thanks!

vnkyootie

Hi Lolazahra,

First off, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to write these travel reports. They have been especially helpful and thanks to you, I am now considering adding Laos to my Vietnam and Cambodia trip this September. I didn't see it mentioned anywhere in your reports (perhaps I overlooked it), how did you commute from country to country? Would you recommend flying between the countries or another mode of transport? I am trying to figure out the best approach to visit the three countries. Based off your recommendations, my plan now is:

5 nights Luang Prababg
2 nights Hanoi
1 night Halong Bay
2 nights Hoi An
3 nights Saigon
3 nights Siem Reap

Thank you for taking the time to responding to all of us!

thursdaysd

vnkyootie - you will likely get more replies if you start your own thread.

At first glance you have far too little time in Hanoi (only one full day!), and probably too little in Siem Reap. I would cut back on LP, which has become more and more touristy, and probably drop Halong Bay, which consumes most of two days, what with getting there and back.

Lolazahra

Hi there,

I am glad you liked my trip report and that it was helpful. My trip was a culmination of the advice that I received on this forum and I am forever grateful. I actually think your itinerary is pretty perfect. Though many say Luang Prabang is touristy, I think the charm and uniqueness still shines through regardless of the amount of people who visit. You can still have a languid and leisurely visit within and outside the city that will fill you with joy. With that said, Hanoi is extremely charming as well, so I would consider dropping a day off a Luang Prabang and adding it to Hanoi. Personally, I would keep Halong Bay. It's beautiful! Just make sure you choose the right junk and know in advance that the drive there and back is long and boring. For me, however, the beauty of the Bay was well worth it.

Enjoy your trip!

LancasterLad

vnkyootie.
More = Less.
Your intended itinerary is far too rushed.
To take in all that you intend, you'll have to fly between each point.
Flying is inexpensive, but delays/cancellations are routine.
You can't fly to Hoi An from Halong Bay. So you'll have to back-track to Hanoi, and then fly to Danang, and taxi to Hoi An from there.
Enjoy the inside of airports, you'll be seeing a few!

Lolazahra

Hi again. Most people go back to Hanoi anyway after Ha Long Bay. We timed it so that we went straight to the airport and flew to Danang for our visit to Hoi An. But many people continue to enjoy Hanoi as well. It's a personal choice how you do it.

I love how old trip reports help future travelers. We leave next week for Japan and Indonesia and I went way back in the archives for inspiration and advice!

Lolazahra

Sorry, to also answer your question, we flew between countries. Based on the amount of time we had and our desired cities, the itinerary only made sense to fly. And make no mistake, we had a lot of flights but they were inexpensive and quick allowing us to see a lot of this part of the world and maximizing our time in each city.

Azooki

I can almost see and feel everything that you and your family have been through because of this amazing report!

We would just like to ask some stuff. If you can compare the food in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, which is the best? If also you got a chance to stay in one country for a year with your family, which one would you prefer and why?

Thanks.

Delgi

Thanks Lolazahra for this wonderful and very informative trip report. We are thinking of a similar trip for next summer with my family (my kids are all 16 and above) but really want to keep the cost low. Based on your experience, do you think we could plan such a trip without a tour agency. We are pretty experience travelers and my son has been to these countries. I would really appreciate any input you have! Many thanks, Delgi

CaliNurse

Another late-to-the thread note, adding my thanks and appreciation, Lolazahara! Hoping for trip in September including Hanoi, I've learned a lot from your report. For starters, I'v decided not to pay the big bucks to stay at Metropole when there re so many highly recommended (by others on this forum) Hanoi hotels for a quarter of the price.

Kchappy

Your report was exceedingly helpful to me as I tried to plan a trip to Asia with my husband. I was at a loss as to where to go after going to a wedding in Taipei and visiting Hong Kong. I didn't really want to go to Mainland China. I kept asking friends what they recommended but couldn't make any decisions... then I read your report. I contacted Stay Vietnam and they put together a complete itinerary for us, most of it based on your recommendations! We are thrilled.

Question: Do you have any good book recommendations for both youth and adults? I would ideally love some historical novels.

Our itinerary:
Hanoi
Halong Bay
Luang Phrabang
Siem Reap
Phu Quoc Island
Saigon

Vietnamdestination

Hi Lolazahra

I am a newbie on this forum and glad I did read your share. So amazing that you enjoy Vietnam.

There are much more to see in Vietnam such as Ha Giang, the gift of nature where you can see stunning rice terrace and colorful locals. Also in each tourist attraction place, we have some people doing a great job for showing our real Vietnam.

As a destination expert, i believe your article sharing on these forums is just so valuable to Vietnam.

Hope you are back to Vietnam on your next vacation. Please dont come to Vietnam by Jul, come after Sep. My suggestion for coming to Vietnam is from Sep to Apr when the weather is much cooler for you.

Again, Thanks

SLifestyle

We had been on the travel fence and 100% after reading your trip report I am back in the game. We need to travel this January and traveling from California with three young adult kids. We have between 12-14 nights. This is what I'm thinking.

Hanoi 3 Nt. I know we will love this city
Halong Bay if we can book the RED DRAGON 1 Nt I was going to pass on it but now think it may be a mistake.
Luang Phrabang 4 Nt.
Siem Reap 3 NT.
*Saigon should we pass on Saigon, or is this a mistake? After reading endless trip reports and TA questions I think we will pass Hoi An

I'll start with this basic itinerary question. I will look into the travel company that booked your hotels, what else did they book for you? Air, transfers, tours? Also, any ideas of the sequence that we should do this? Vietnam first or last? I know there is a lot to do. Thank you