Help! ...guides needed Hanoi, DaNang, and Ho Chi Ming City
 

My husband and I will be in Vietnam in March 2010, on a Southeast
Asia cruise with 3 stops in Vietnam. We'd like some
recommendations for an English speaking guide/driver.
Also recommendations about how to spend each day
would be much appreciated.

You don't need a guide for any of those cities. If you click on destinations at the top of the page you should get a list of the main sights. Aside from the marvelous Chan museum there aren't really any sights in Danang - I enjoyed it for the experience of being in a less-touristy Vietnamese city. For most people it's just a stop on the way to Hoi An.

Thanks again..thursdaysd..I'll check out also what the ship recommends for the time we spend there...Maybe just a taxi will do to get us from the port to where we might want to go.What do you think about that...are they available? Do they speak English? Can I use US$? I usually try to avoid the cruise ship's tours. They're expensive and are generally on buses with 50+ people.

Try Hanoikids in Hanoi They are a bunch of students who will tailor a tour to suit and its free, they want to show off their city and at the same time practise their English!!! (its a very professional outfit - we took a gift from home and i did actually tip at the end)

Taxis meet the trains in Danang to take people to Hoi An, so I would expect them to meet the ships as well. I don't remember much English, but a taxi driver should recognize place names. I used local currency exclusively in Vietnam. I suppose a taxi driver meeting cruise ships might take dollars, but don't expect cafes, shops etc. to do so. Again, a post on cruisecritic.com is more likely to turn up people who have visited by cruise ship, posters here tend to be independent travelers.

My sister and I were only in Ho Chi Minh city for two days a few years ago transiting to and from Italy but we had three tours with ANN TOURS dealing with Tony. (Email- [email protected]) and enjoyed them very much. My sister did the Mekong Delta Tour and was the only one on the tour and was treated royally. I did two city tours and suggested a girl I met on the plane join me as she was only going to hang around the hotel and we got an excellent deal for the two of us.Their web site is http://www.anntours.com/aboutus.aspx
I believe they are a very well respected tour group and we certainly were impressed. Kerry.

Try the [email protected] for Hoi An & Hue and the http://www.saigonhotpot.com for tours in Saigon. Both of these groups are college students offering free guide services so they can practice their English skills.

We have used Focus Vietnam in all of those cities. While you don't have to have a guide to get around and see the major sights, we really enjoyed the expertise that the guides provided. They were personable and professional and we were able to see more sights as a result of their handling of the logistics. focusvietnam.com contact Tony

Do note that tour companies do not employ particular guides, but will set you up with a free-lance guide who may be wonderful - or not. As Thursdays says, you don't need a guide for any of these places. Just do your homework. Also, exchange some money into the local currency each place you go.