Mandalay itself is not a charming place. The "historic" sites in town, like the palace are really total fabrications. I am glad we had the opportunity to see the Mahamuni Buddha and that we saw the gold-leaf making process. The ancient cities outside of the city are more interesting. We loved Sagaing, and I could have spent a whole day there. We also enjoyed seeing the U Bien Bridge at sunset. Ava/Inwa was not a good experience for us, and the rest of Amanapura was mostly to be avoided. On our first trip to Burma we opted to skip Mandalay, and I think that was a good choice. I am glad we visited on our second trip, but I wouldn't put it high on my list of places to return to.

I don't think of Mandalay as a city of temples. It isn't at all like visiting Bagan.

You may find three nights in Yangon more than you need. We enjoyed our time there, but it wasn't a highlight - other than Shwedagon Pagoda.

The one other area well worth adding is Mrauk U. Unfortunately, due to ethnic violence, it is closed to visitors now.

I've been to Singapore many times, and I always enjoy it. It has gorgeous botanical gardens, including the world's largest display orchid garden. Singapore is quite a contrast to Yangon. It is the cleanest, safest, most modern city you've ever seen. Some people react to that negatively. It still has interesting ethnic enclaves and shopping, as well as malls full of western designer goods. The food is Singapore is fabulous... lots of variety to sample. It has become an expensive city since I first visited a couple of decades ago. It has wonderful hotels, great service, and price tags to match. I haven't visited in a number of years and am looking forward to our return visit this year in conjunction with our trip to Java.

Since NL has been to VN recently, I'll let you get more info from her. My one caution: don't try to cover too much ground in VN. Depending on how much time you have choose one or two areas.

NLspirit, I have heard from Santa Maria and arrangements to Burma are slowly coming together. After Burma we are looking at visiting Vietnam. In 2013 Tet is from Feb 5-14. I posted questions on Fodor's Vietnam site but I have read that you visited Vietnam during Tet. Is Tet a difficult time to travel in the country? Are sites more crowded and hotels hard to come by? Are there special celebrations that we might be able to see? Do you have a guide or travel agent to recommend? Any places or sites that we shouldn't miss? Thanks

Hi re. I'm happy you've chosen to visit Burma, Santa Maria is helping you plan your itinerary and it's coming together. I'm sending our deposit tomorrow. Our experiences in Vietnam were amazing on both visits and Tet is a great time to be there. I'm so very tempted to return during Tet! Great memories! We leave for home on February 8.

re. I'll tell you a little about our home stay experience in case it may be something you'd like to consider. We flew into Hanoi, stayed there for a few days and then flew to Dalat on Tet Eve where our guide met us at the airport. Our guide had been recommended by a friend of ours who had used his guiding services. We were really interested in visiting during Tet and while corresponding with him I asked if he could recommend a home stay. He invited us to stay with his wife and three children in Dalat. He had a lovely home and his family was so very kind, hospitable and went out of their way to make us feel welcome. We got to experience Vietnamese culture first hand, meeting their extended family and spending time in their homes. We were treated like special guests everywhere we went. A foreigner visiting during Tet is often a sign of good fortune for the year ahead.

After several days in Dalat we left and toured the Central Highlands, Hoi An, Hue as well as coastal areas where we stayed with other family members. This part took 9 days and we saw things that few tourists ever see. We also heard stories of an amazing people and their culture. At the time our guide was a partner in a well known local tour company called Easy Riders which offers motorcycle (most popular) and car tours in Vietnam. We chose the car (actually it was a great SUV) because of knee issues I was having at the time. The tour was very reasonably priced. Our guide has since left to manage his family business but the company still operates out of Dalat. Dalat is a beautiful small city in the mountains developed by the French when they controlled Vietnam. They clear cut the area, planted pine trees and built buildings to resemble French architecture. It's now a popular destination for Vietnamese honeymooners.

If you prefer to stay in hotels or guesthouses there'll be plenty of choices. In Hanoi we stayed at the De Syloia, a small hotel which we quite liked and is well located. The only day that I remember small stores and markets closed was on Tet itself. In Hanoi on Tet Eve we were thrilled to see so many motorcyclists driving around with orange trees tied to the back of the cycles! (They carry everything on their motorcycles. We even saw refrigerators!) The orange tree is kind of like the Christmas tree and our guide had one in our room when we arrived. Motorcycle travel is the main means of transportation in Vietnam because they're inexpensive to buy and operate and easier to use in highly populated areas. There was so much excitement in the air and the markets were full of shoppers. I'm not sure about government sites being open. It's a time when the Vietnamese people go home to visit much like Westerners do at Christmas time.

I could go on and on .... we love Vietnam. However ...how much time do you have? If you only have a week then I'd recommend you base yourself in one area. If you have two weeks or more then you can see more than one area of the country. Vietnam is big and each area is diverse offering different experiences. If you're interested in an Easy Rider guide from Dalat I can contact ours and ask if he can recommend someone in his former company. I could also enquire about a home stay if you're interested. Even though the company is based in Dalat they also meet clients and tour anywhere they may want to go. It would be a very difficult choice but if I only had one week I'd probably choose Hanoi as a base and take side trips to Sapa and Halong Bay. You can very easily arrange these when you arrive in Hanoi or before you leave home. I don't think you'll need a guide. Let me know if you have any questions. I'd be happy to answer them if I can.

NLspirit Thank you so much for all the great information both on Burma and now on Vietnam. I think that we will fly from BKK to Hanoi and work our way south flying back to US from Ho Chi Minh. I thought about 2 1/2 weeks and I certainly would like a contact in the Dalat Easy Rider agency. I have heard about Easy Rider but thought they only offered motorcycles, happy to hear car and driver is also available. Please do enquire about home stays, that might be a nice balance with the small hotels were we usually stay. I am not sure about Halong Bay, I have read about it and wonder if it similar to a boat trip we took on the Lee River in China from Giulin to Yaugshuo. Saw many karast formations. Western China minority areas along with villages we hope to see in Burma-do you think that Sapa would be a repeat?
I have found a new hotel site for Inle Lake-Villa Inle Resort & Spa. It can be booked on Bookings.com and reviews can be read on Tripadvisor. I thought I remembered that you were waiting for space to open up at Inle Lake.

Hi re. I just checked my guide's Facebook page and there was a message saying he had recently returned to work with Easy Riders. Meantime I had sent him an email asking about a car tour and home stay. If he's on tour he may not be able to check his email frequently but as soon as I hear from him I'll let you know. Keep checking this thread for a reply. You could also check the Easy Rider website for details of what they offer.

I can't comment on how the boat trip you took in China will be like Halong Bay because I haven't been to that area of China. Have you tried googling images of both?

I'm not sure which ethnic minorities you'll see while in Burma. We visited several villages while we were in Thailand such as the Lisu, Karen, Lahu, H'mong and the Akha. However, with the exception of the H'mong, they were different from those we visited in Sapa. In Sapa we met Black H'mong and Flower H'mong but also the Red Zoa and Zai. All very different culturally. In addition to the tribes people what differentiated Sapa from the Cultural Triangle in Thailand was the setting. Sapa is set in among beautiful mountains and many hotels have balconies which overlook the Sapa Valley ... Gorgeous.

Thanks for the link to the Inle Lake Hotel. It looks really nice. Apparently it's also new and gets great reviews on TA. However it isn't the hotel we're hoping to get if there's a cancellation which is the Inle Lake View. We do have a reservation at the Inle Princess which also gets good reviews but for some reason it doesn't appeal to us.

Hi re, I've heard from our guide and he tells me he has just returned to guiding. He said he'd be interested in hearing from you and that a car can be arranged if you prefer that to motorcycles. When we were there we also had a driver which worked very well as Long was able to focus entirely on guiding. I also got the impression he and his family might consider another home stay. His wife and children are wonderful and I think you'd like them very much. His home is a new house with beautiful views over the countryside from his living room balcony. Our bedroom was on the second floor along with our own lounge area and bathroom. He tells me he's recently completed more renovations. He speaks fluent English and having studied and worked in Germany for several years he is also fluent in German.

If you're flying into Hanoi it's possible he may meet you there and move south. Or you could fly from Hanoi to Dalat, stay there for a few days during Tet and then move on towards Ho Chi Minh city. (That would be my recommendation if your budget allows.) You can discuss your interests with him and work out an itinerary. If you decide to fly to Dalat from Hanoi I'd book as soon as you know your dates as the Vietnamese go home for Tet and flights will be full.

After we left Dalat we toured, staying in small, clean and comfortable hotels along the way which were very reasonably priced. On a couple of occasions (when in larger towns or cities such as Hue and Hoi An (both great places especially Hoi An) we felt we'd like more upscale accommodations and Long and his driver stayed elsewhere. They were always very flexible. Long's email is [email protected]. re. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions please let me know. I'd be happy to help.

Kathie: Re: "you'll want to go to the 5-day market one day. Just don't go to the "floating market" whether or not it is the 5 day market." Can you please explain the difference?

I am in the same boat as re at this stage: waiting to hear from Din if I can squeeze into Burma this February!!

There is a five day market, a local market that rotates through five different locations. There is a market every day, and your boatman (and every hotel employee) will know where the market is each day. One location the market has every five days is the floating market. It's a zoo and retains none of the character of the 5 day markets which are filled with locals and various hilltribe peoples. Our boatman took us by there on a non-5-day market day (so perhaps 5% of the market day crowd) and I can only describe it as awful. There were tourists (all seemed to be German men) standing in boats with huge cameras and telephoto lenses taking pictures of the locals grabbing people's boats and trying to sell them geegaws.

The other locations of the 5 day market are all on the lake shore.

Good luck on getting reservations!

Kathie: Thanks, very helpful!!

NLSpirit I am following up on the Vietnam information and tomorrow plan to email Long. We like independence when we travel, to discover on our own. In reading your reply you say you had a car and driver and guide as you travelled the coast route. Is all of that that really necessary? What about in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, can we do it without a guide as we did in Beijing and Shanghai? Hue and Hoi An-guide needed? I would like your hotel recommendations for Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi if possible.
You certainly have be so very helpful. Thanks so much

Hi re. I can really appreciate your interest in traveling independently. We too are independent travelers and like to discover things on our own. We also had another reason for using a guide: we were looking for a foster child that a school in our community was sponsoring. I won't go into details but can say that the experience was probably one of the most interesting and challenging experiences we have ever had in our lives. It would never had happened without Long's help.

You really don't need a guide in the cities or towns but I think you would in the central highlands if you are interested in the cultural and historical differences of that area. We didn't meet anyone who spoke English and Long took us to places where they had never ever seen a Caucasian. Lots of interesting experiences there! The scenery was lovely and some of the indigenous peoples lived life the way they had for decades with little outside influence. It was very different from what we had seen in Thailand or even in Sapa though. We also learned a lot about more recent historical events.

Another factor to consider is travel during Tet. It will be very crowded on the roads and certainly on the trains. Personally I wouldn't recommend it. But that's just my preference and everyone is different. A lot will depend on how much time you have and how much you want to spend in each area. We didn't go to Ho Chi Minh City so I can't comment. (Friends of ours visited a year later and really enjoyed it.) I can say that we loved Hanoi and really enjoyed Sapa, Halong Bay, Dalat, Hoi An and certainly the Central Highlands. The home stay with Long's family during Tet made a significant difference to our total experience that trip. If you feel that some areas will be similar to those you have already visited in other countries then you may want to omit them. (Sapa and Halong Bay?) Discuss your interests and time frame with Long (including a home stay during Tet if you're interested), where you would like to visit and the kinds of things you enjoy doing. He will suggest the possibilities. You can then develop an itinerary which will suit your needs. We had 3 weeks and saw and experienced quite a bit. All this talk about Vietnam makes me want to return. Sigh ....

Meantime I'll take a look at my journal and check on the hotels to see if I can recommend any in particular. Again ... if you have any questions please let me know. Good luck with your planning and enjoy!

Hi re: just checked my journal for hotels I'd recommend. In Hanoi we stayed at the DeSyloia on 3 occasions and were very comfortable there. It's small, was reasonably priced and located near the old quarter. While touring the Central Highlands Long chose the accommodations which were basic but clean and comfortable. Because we were traveling through a largely rural area I didn't note locations or names.

The first night of our tour we stayed at the Lak Resort. It was very rural and had a lovely location on a lake near an indigenous village. We stayed in a simple but clean bungalow complete with t.v., bathroom, toiletries and breakfast .... excellent value for $12. In Pleiku we stayed in a new high rise hotel, Hotel AN H (I think that's the name). It was a Holiday Inn type hotel, clean and comfortable for $36 inclusive of breakfast. We stayed overnight here while looking for our foster child. I didn't take note of the name of the hotel in Hue but do recall we had difficulty finding heated accommodations. The weather was unusually chilly that evening. We eventually found one which was attached to a casino. There were lots of hotels there but we arrived late and the city was bustling with tourists.

We ended our tour with Long in Hoi An where we stayed 3 days and opted for something more upscale and consequently more expensive. It was the Palm Garden Resort and was located on the beach. We had a beautiful room with a lovely verandah and an indoor and outdoor shower. Unfortunately I didn't note the price here either. It was very nice and the service was excellent. I should also mention that when I reread my journal I noted that our trip was 4 weeks in total and not 3. Our last trip was in February, 2008 and so I can't really comment on today's prices.

re: I hope this helps a little and your trip planning is going well. If you have more questions I'll do my best to answer them for you.

NLspirit, All your information has been most helpful. Burma's plans are pretty well put together and I am waiting to see about hotel reservations. Now working on Vietnam. Thanks for the Hanoi hotel recommendation and the Palm Garden Resort, I will check on both.

Let me just add that we stayed at the DeSyloia many years ago and liked it. It's not in the Old Quarter, which I felt was an advantage, but many people do like to stay in a hotel in the Old Quarter.

I agree Kathie. We really liked the DeSyloia and found it was close enough to walk to the old Quarter and enjoy the sights and little shops along the way. re: if you like a teensy bit of excitement and lots of fun do try a cyclo ride while you're in Hanoi. We engaged them several times going from the Old Quarter to historical sites and art galleries in the city. :-)

On another occasion we walked to the Lake (lovely) and then took a taxi to the Temple of Literature (too far for a cyclo ride) which we quite enjoyed. It traced the history of literature in Vietnam. If you decide to visit the Temple there's a great restaurant close by called Koto which has as its motto "Know One, Teach One." A popular place, it's purpose is to train street kids to work in the tourism industry. It was wonderful to see their smiling faces as they went about serving their mostly western clientele. They obviously took great pride in their work and the food was good and reasonably priced. We really enjoyed our lunch there. Very close to Koto (almost next door I think) there's a store called Craft Link which has beautiful products made by indigenous peoples and they sell on a Fair Trade basis for their crafters.

I just received fabulous news from Din at Santa Maria this morning. We now have a junior suite at the Inle Lake View! :-)

NL, I'd also recommend all of those places in Hanoi.

Congrats on getting a Jr suite at the Inle Lake View. That's what we had as well. We loved that hotel, wonderful staff, excellent food. And they will help you plan your excursions on the lake. That have little maps they will mark for you and will talk with the boatman about exactly what you want.

Thanks Kathie. I'm really looking forward to Burma and Inle Lake in particular. Staying at the Inle Lake View for 4 nights will be a real bonus! Your recommendations are very much appreciated.

re: If you happen to be in Hoi An during the first new moon of the lunar year (not sure what date it will fall on), make sure you take an evening boat ride on the river. The river will be busy with boats floating up and down, each lit with brightly coloured lanterns. It's magical! There are also good restaurants along the river bank where you can enjoy the spectacle over dinner. Afterwards we bought a lantern in a shop nearby and had it refitted electrically when we arrived home. It's a lovely reminder of the event and our visit to Hoi An.

I can also recommend an excellent tailor if you're in the market for high quality clothing at excellent prices. (recommended by Long) My husband had some gorgeous silk and raw silk shirts tailored there.

<<<took a taxi to the Temple of Literature (too far for a cyclo ride)

Too far for a cyclo ride?? We walked! (but then, we also walked from teh Museum of Ethnology back to the Old Quarter --great way to see the city)

NLspirit, Waiting to hear both from Santa Maria and Long. So glad you know have the hotel on Inle Lake that you wanted. Please do send me the tailor's name and address. Thanks

Hi re. Thank you. We're happy that we were able to get reservations at Inle Lake View too. Thanks to Din at Santa Maria! I'm glad to hear things are progressing well for both Burma and Vietnam. When do you plan to visit Burma?

The link to the tailor's web site is http://www.thuthuysilk.com/welcome.html. I'm not sure which of their locations in HoiAn we visited but Long will know as he brought us to the shop when we asked if he could recommend a good tailor. I think it may have been their original location but I'm not sure. There wasn't a commission involved as there are in so many cases.