wickedelphie

Hi all,

I have just started to try and put together a 21 day trip to vietnam and thailand and I am very confused at the moment. There are two of us travelling (29 yr olds!!) and we really like exploring new places, museums, day tours etc. No hiking or long treks!! I have a few places that i would like to see but I am wondering if I am trying to fit in too much. The main places are Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and Bangkok. We have to visit Koh Samui and Bangkok second to last and last as we will be meeting friends so 9/10 days will be for those two. I had thought about 3 days (2 nights) Ho Chi Minh fly to Hanoi 2nights, halong bay two night cruise back to hanoi to fly to chiang mai (i dont know if this can be done without flying to Bangkok) 3 days and then on to Koh Samui. Even as I write this it looks like it may be too much. I am planning on travelling late april 2014. If people could give me a bit more direction with the itinerary I would be eternally grateful. All suggestions welcome as I am a complete beginner here!!!!!!!!!!

Hanuman

There are no direct flight from Hanoi to Chiang Mai so the best choice will be through Bangkok, either via Suvarnabhumi Airport (Thai airways) or Don Mueang Airport (AIr Asia).

You will miss the Songran holiday, also celebrated in the other countries of S.E. Asia as the new year holiday in mid April. This is probably a good thing as it does get a bit wild and wet. April will be very hot so you might consider increasing your time in Koh Samui.

Kathie

You have 21 days, but 9-10 days are already planned for Bangkok and Koh Samui. So you have at most 11 days for the other 4 places. I agree this is too much. Why not skip Chiang Mai this trip, and you will have enough time to enjoy some of VN.

DO yiu have 21 days on the ground in Asia? Don't forget you lose a day either going to Asia or going home, depending on where you are coming from.

wickedelphie

Thanks Kathie,Yes I have 21 days on the ground. Is there anywhere in Vietnam that you would spend the extra days that I am not using in Chiang Mai?

wickedelphie

Thanks hanuman for tips. We definitely want to relax in koh samui so will look at extending our stay there.

yestravel

I think you could easily spend more time in Hanoi. While I reallly like CM, I agree that you might be wise to drop it for this trip. If you want to go elsewhere in VN, look into Hue or Hoi An. they both are very nice and very different. Read about them and see which might appeal to you.

Kathie

Like yestravel, I think you'd enjoy more time in Hanoi. I would not add another stop in VN, just because you aren't spending much time at any of your stops.

While many people like to count 2 nights as giving them three days, the reality is that two nights is just one full day. You might get parts of two other days or not depending on your travel times. Personally, I don't like to stay anywhere fewer than three nights (two full days), your cruise at Halong Bay excepted.

wickedelphie

Thanks so much for the help. I've been searching Hanoi and didn't realise how much there is to see!!