julies

Our active adventure trip in January included cycling in the steamy Mekong Delta area for 5 days to trekking in Vietnam’s northern mountains for 3 days to time cruising on Bai tu Long Bay (just north of Halong Bay) to a day walking about each of the major cities. We needed to pack for just about every possibility, and deciding what to take took quite a bit of planning so as to still be able to travel somewhat lightly.

We had every conceivable medication we could think we’d need in our first aid bag, and we were glad we had many of these things since we really only saw a couple pharmacies in Vietnam. In addition to the things prescribed by our doctor we had band-aids, antibiotic first aid cream, blister pads, anti-fungal cream, benadryl pills, immodium, pepto bismol, tylenol pm, aspirin, ibuprophen and a couple other miscellaneous things. This all took some packing space, but it was marvelous to have these items available when needed, and we probably used about 2/3 of them at one time or another. We overdid it on the number of partial rolls of toilet paper we packed, but a couple ½ rolls are definitely a must take. Take some purse packs of kleenex too because it can be used as napkins in many of the lower end restaurants. We also took several purse size bottles of Purell and several packs of wet wipes. Both of these got frequent use. Bug spray and sun screen are obvious inclusions.

In the south we had wide-brimmed hats with a chin strap so they wouldn’t blow off while cycling or if on a boat ride. Here is a $5 suggestion that I think really helped with the heat. I bought some neck bandanas from blubandoo, http://blubandoo.com/, that have a gel that expands and keeps you cool for at least a half a day after being soaked in water. They start out as a tiny piece of folded fabric about 4 x 2 x 1/4”. After soaking, they turn into a thick, cooling sausage to tie around your neck. We had some specialized cycling clothing and took portable gel seats which were definitely used.

I had some rather unpleasant surprises in the south as far as clothing. Day one of our trip was spent walking around Saigon. I had taken a pair of sandals that I’ve worn tons of times at home, but I still got a lot of huge blisters. What I hadn’t realized was that my feet were extremely swollen from the heat and probably from the 26 hours of flying the previous day. I ended up buying a cheap pair of flip-flops because I couldn’t comfortably walk in any of my normal shoes for a couple of days. I was also very surprised at the terrain I was walking on both in the city and in the countryside. Don’t think nice, even pavement, but rather think cobblestone or dirt to walk on. I ended up wearing my ankle-high hiking boots I’d brought for the mountains most days in the south too.

For hot climates definitely take natural fabrics, which will look rumpled and wrinkly, rather than travel clothing that is made of blends that won’t wrinkle. My capris are a poly/rayon mix, and I’ve happily taken them on a number of other warm weather trips. This trip, while they looked nice, I wished I’d brought my very lightweight cotton or linen capris instead because these ex-officio brand travel pants were sticking to my sweaty body. I also had a long wrap skirt. I was so sweaty that the skirt wouldn’t swing open as it is intended to but stuck to my legs instead causing a lot of chafing. While I normally like to travel with some skirts, I think for the heat pants are probably a better option. In addition, for the southern part of our trip I think I must have had some areas of prickly heat rash because I had an itchy rash. Here’s where the benadryl pills were useful.

For the north we took (and used) silk longjohns, active wear long sleeve breathable shirts to use as a bottom layer, light-weight fleece jackets, lightweight gloves, hats, gore-tex type jackets, and real hiking boots (these truly are necessary if you plan to do any real hiking). We didn’t use the trekking poles we took because the ground was dry, but if you are going any time when it is wet, you will definitely want them to help you out with the walking.

We both had zip-off pants that we wore as long pants all the time and never zipped off. The item I got a lot of use out of was a pair of light-weight, elastic waist, black cotton knit pants. They were my travel pants for the long flights, I wore them to sleep in on the overnight trains because they feel like pajamas, and I used them to sleep in on the homestays we did.

A final note on laundry. It takes an incredibly long time to dry in your hotel bathroom. If you are in a place long enough, pay to have them do it. Hope this helps another packer out.

chris2x

In reading your post and talking to the most recent guests on my show it is clear that I should not try and take my wife to Vietnam as she melts in the heat. I am still interested but wary. My guests described going around with a headache for the first few days until you learn how much water to drink.

Chris Christensen
Amateur Traveler (podcast and show on Sirius Satellite Radio)

WhitePelican

Thank you for this post, Julie. After spending considerable time obsessing about the cold at Inle Lake and the mosquito population throughout SE Asia, I am now obsessing about what clothes to take (leave in a week) for Burma, Luang Prabang, Thailand and Siem Reap.

I've been going back and forth between my Ex Officio wardrobe and straight cotton, washable silk and/or linen. Thanks to your reminder of how sweaty one gets in nylon travel clothing, I'll bring more natural fiber clothing and fewer synthetics. Looking at the temp charts for the places I'm visiting, I realize it will be not just hot but HOT!

julies

Just remembered a couple other invaluable items. Ear plugs! A small travel pillow--we used our a lot. If you plan an overnight train travel or any homestays, buy a silk sleep sack. We had a hard time finding them in Saigon where we needed to buy them, but they were all over Hanoi. The mistake we made when we bought in Saigon was not understanding that these come in various lengths. I think the ones we got must have been made for the shorter Vietnamese because they were short for us, and we are not particularly tall.

Bisbee

There are literally hundereds of pharmacies all over HCMC and Hanoi. I'm surprised you had such difficulty spotting them. You could have purchased almost all of the medicine you brought with you there (haven't seen Tylenol PM though). And I'm curious, why did you bring toilet paper all the way from the USA?

I would agree with your thoughts on the synthetic travel regarding shirts, but I do prefer the synthetic shorts/pants. They are lighter weight and dry a lot faster than cotton.

julies

Brisbee--

Here's the rub regarding the pharmacies. Out of 15 days we were in Hanoi & HCMC a total of only 2 days. The rest of the time we were off the beaten path. Same reasoning for the tp.

Bisbee

They do sell toilet paper and have pharmacies in other towns besides HCMC and Hanoi. Even 2 days would be enough to find them in these towns. Anyway, at least you survived your journey and had a good time.

thursdaysd

Thanks for the details, julies. Totally agree about not wearing synthetics in heat and humidity. I usually travel with lightweight pants from railriders.com in some kind of poly blend, but in Cambodia and S. Vietnam I need cotton - of course, you can also plan to buy something there.

Chris - if you're worried about the heat in Vietnam, go north.

magdalen

JulieS
Just posted to your note about cycling, then read this post about clothing, etc. Rich at cycling-vietnam assured me that we wouldn't be too hot in March, but maybe he meant to skip the Delta and go to Central Highlands -- that could be why.

Also, I think you were the one who said that the homestay conditions were pretty uncomfortable, is that right?

Were you happy with the plans made for you by Ethnic Tours?

Thanks!
Magdalen