thanks for this very full report

What a well-written report! Have also saved it for further reading. Vietnam and Laos are on my list after the Maldives.

May I know if you obtained your visas in OZ? How long did it take and how much?

Thank you

Hi happy_life,

As mentioned above, our visas were arranged through our travel agent (Vietnamstay) which, as far as I remember, took about 3 days. Super fast and incredibly easy. However, if you're not pushed for time, you can obtain your visa through the Vietnamese embassy/consulate at home. Both work out great to the best of my knowledge but VOA is way cheaper and faster.

Good luck

Thank you for your response. Sounds like VOA is the way to go.

scheps - if you had time to do only the Cu Chi tunnels or those at the DMZ which would you recommend?

Also I don't think you mentioned your hotel in Siem Reap - would you care to? Thanks.

Apologies for my very late reply...

Either the tunnels or the DMZ - A really difficult call as we loved both. However, if to choose either of them, I would say the DMZ which has more to see, is more authentic and less touristy.

Regarding our hotel in Siem Reap, we stayed at the Prince D'Angkor (princedangkor.com) and loved every minute of it: nice rooms overlooking the swimming pool, very clean and welcoming staff. It's also close to lots of bars, restaurants and massage shops.

Good luck

Thanks scheps! Will keep the DMZ tunnels in mind.

Scheps,

Just found your trip report, which was great! We're also using vietnamstay.com to book our hotels. Did you use them for your guide in Hue? I'm also interested in visiting a garden house there and your report is the only one that has mentioned that.

Thanks.

Hi CFW,

As you might have read from my report, we were provided with a local guide in each destination and Hue was no exception, which was great. I just thought it's the best way to fully understand all the historical values that the old city has to offer.

BTW, when are you off to Vietnam? Don't forget to keep us posted!

Your report is great, and so helpful for those of us planning a similar trip. How long were you "on the ground" in Vietnam? We have 12 days in Vietnam (plus several days each in Siem Reap and Hong Kong), and plan to see Hanoi (and Halong Bay -- we'd love to do Sapa, but just don't think we have enough time on this trip), Hue, HoiAn and Saigon. It will be a whirlwind, but we've never been to Asia (any part) before, so we want to get a taste of a lot of places! (We have traveled extensively, so we know our own tolerance for traveling between cities, changing hotels, etc.)

We're going in February. Also spending 3 days in Hong Kong on the way for a total of 3 weeks. We've been to Asia a few times, but this will be our first trip to Vietnam. I think we will use guides selectively in some places, as we like to wander on our own, but Hue is one place where we will definitely want a guides because of the historical sights, and because I really want to visit a garden house. When are you going SF?

We're leaving the US on March 5th, returning March 26th. We're doing Hong Kong on the way back.

We also prefer to "wander" (with a guide book in hand), but may do a walking tour or guided tour in a few select places (like the DMZ).

Hi CFW,

We are off to Vietnam in January and considering between private tours and do it ourselves. Are you traveling independently?

BTW, just curious if something like sit in coach tours exists in Vietnam, or they are all private tours?

Thanks

We're traveling independently and plan to use guides here and there for some places where we think it might be helpful. I think Sinh cafe and Buffalo Tours have sit in coach tours that you can arrange when you get there. I think that dgunbug used them for some parts of the trip (Mekong). If you search on her name you will find her very thorough trip report.

What are "sit in coach" tours?

Well, in my opinion,it should be Seat in Coach or Coach tours and is kinda join-in group tours. I think the major difference is that the cost is lower than private tours and you've the chance to meet other fellow travelers who share the coach.