Help with Vietnam/Cambodia Itinerary
 

This is a last minute trip and we've decided on Vietnam. this is the first draft of the itinerary and would like some suggestions regarding changes to it. We've not added Sapa as we live in the Alps and do enough trekking here but if someone thinks this is a not to be missed experience then we could leave out Nha Trang and do Sapa instead.

Day 1 - Arrive in Hanoi
Day 2 - Hanoi
Day 3 - Hanoi
Day 4 - Halong bay 1 night cruise
Day 5 - Arrive in Hanoi at around 4pm and catch 19.20 flight to Hue
Day 6 - Hue
Day 7 - Hue
Day 8 - Car to Hoi an
Day 9 - Hoi An
Day 10 - Hoi An
Day 11 - Hoi an to Nha trang 9.40 am Flight
Day 12 - Nha Trang
Day 13 - Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh Flight 20.55 There are earlier flights
Day 14 - Ho chi Minh
Day 15 - Ho chi minh (Day trip to tunnels)
Day 16 - Ho chi Minh to Mekong Delta
Day 17 - Mekong to ho chi Minh
Day 18 - Ho chi Minh to siem Reap
Day 19 - Siem Reap
Day 20 - Siem Reap
Day 21 Siem Reap to Bangkok
Day 22 Bangkok
Day 23 - Bangkok - flight home

The only flight that we have to take is the Danang to Nha trang, how long does it take to get to Danang airport from hoi An, I'm thinking it'll be about 2hours so maybe it would be better to stay in Danang the night before. the others have various times during the day.
Should we alter the itinerary in any way? We are leaving in 4 weeks time so I would appreciate any help anyone can give. We thought about an overnight train journey but can't see that we would save time anywhere and the flights are fairly cheap.
Where would be the best place to stay overnight in Mekong Delta?
Thanks

Your itinerary looks fine - not too rushed.

The only change I would make (personal preference only) would be to drop Nha Trang in favour of Dalat. As you will have some beach time in Hoi An, and as your itinerary includes no rural areas, Dalat and the surrounding countryside would make a pleasant change from all the usual tourist hotspots.

There are flights from Danang to Dalat and from there to HCMC. The journey from Hoi An to Danang airport only takes 30-40 minutes, depending on the traffic, so unless you particularly want to spend a night in Danang there is no real need to do so.

Because you have allocated only a little time for the Mekong Delta, rather than going there independently (the buses are slow) you would be able to fit far more in by taking an organised tour with accommodation included. If you do a google search you will find dozens of companies offering various itineraries at varying prices.

For the Mekong Delta, I highly recommend the Bassac II cruise on a replica of an old rice barge. That way you see more of the delta, enjoy excellent food and get to the early morning floating markets easily. They arrange transportation to and from HCMC. You also get a glimpse of some local industries and walk around a village on the banks.

I would switch one of your Hoi An nights to Hue....much to see & do there.

I think you need another night in Siem Reap. It takes three full days just to see the "major" temples. Buy a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, "Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples" and read up on Angkor so you know better what you want to see. Personally, I'd cut a night from HCMC.

Clark, I'm sure you already know this but you need a visa to visit Vietnam. One month to get this is tight but do-able. You need a visa for Cambodia too, but you can get it at the airport once you land in Siem Reap.

I'm looking into all your suggestions. I checked out the flights to Dalat and there are unfortunately no flights on Tuesdays from Danang, but as the itinerary still has to be finlized we might be able to tweak it so that we can fly either the day before or the day after.

We only have 1 full day in Ho Chi Minh, is there really nothing to see there? We were planning on a half day with Saigon hot pots but should we just visit the tunnels, then head off to Siem reap?
We usually like to travel on our own but I think the idea of an organized visit to the Delta might be a very good option.

We decided to do 3 nights in both Hue and Hoi An because after reading through trip reports, there were people who would have stayed longer in Hoi An and others who would have stayed longer in Hue so we thought at the moment we'd split the time between the 2 but I still have to plan what we'll visit in each place so on that basis I'll make changes.

Regarding the Visa, I checked out the website for the visa on arrival solution, it says we have to apply online and should receive within 2 working days a Visa Approval letter, we should take this along with 2 photos with us to Vietnam and they'll give us the visa on arrival at Hanoi airport. Is this really the case or have I missed something? I will give the Embassy a call tomorrow just to check this but would like to hear from someone who has already done this and if it worked out ok.
I've just finished the rough draft for Hanoi, I think we'll definitely do at least a half day, with Hanoi kids, probably our first day as it will help us to get familiar with the city before we venture out on our own.I've just had a mail from the Elegance hotel group, they don't have availability at the Diamond (Elegance 5) and only have 2 nights at the Ruby (Elegance 4) so I'm thinking I'll have to look for something else, that's what happens when you opt for a last minute trip I'm also looking at Halong bay junks so if anyone has any recommendations I'd be grateful.

You can get a pre-arranged visa via a travel agent in VN. Note that this is really not a visa on arival (where you just show up and buy a visa) but you pay the agency for a pre-approval letter then pay fees upon arrival at the airport and get teh visa placed in your passport. You will not be allowed to board your flight to VN if you don't have the pre-approval leter with you.

Ask the Elegance group if they have availability in the Elegance 3. We thought it was even nicer than the #4. The Elegance group is so accommodating.

I agree with Kathie that you need 3 days in Siem Reap. Personally, I think you can see the sites in Saigon in the AM and then the tunnel in the afternoon, or visa versa. I'm not sure you should depend on the Saigon Kids since they left us waiting for them and never showed up. It wasted an 1 1/2 of our day. Since you will be tight on time, hire a guide to take you to both the tunnels and sites in Saigon. One day is plenty. You won't have time though to do the Cai Dai Temple, but as interesting as it is, it makes for a rather long day of driving.

I would also consider skipping going into the Delta and opt for a day on Tonle Lake just outside of Siem Reap. The scenery and the floating villages are very similar - in fact, at Tonle Lake it is also the Vietnamese families who live there despite being in Cambodia. It is a shorter ride out to the Lake from Siem Reap and IMO equally, if not more enjoyable.

To answer your question about Hoi An to Da Nang, it took us about 45 minutes in a taxi when we were there last summer. If you are willing to leave Hoi An early, it's probably much nicer to stay there than in DaNang.
If you are interested, click on my name and then the link to my travel blog in my profile. My husband and I went to many of the same places you're planning on going.

Just got our flights booked so I better get my head down with the itinerary.
Firstly we have scrapped Nha Trang and will probably add a day on to the Mekong and another day in Siem Reap but we have to get the Hanoi part sorted first.
I emailed the elegance Diamond again and they still don't have rooms at the Diamond, they have offered us rooms at the Emerald (Ex Elegance2)has anyone stayed here? if so what are the rooms like? I remember dgunbug saying they had to opt for a twin room at the Elegance 4 because the room was so small. Also we were planning on staying 3 nights in Hanoi then doing Halong bay for 1 night then catching a 7.30pm plane to Hue.
the problem is that the Elegance 2 only has rooms on the 9th and the 11th, the 10th is fully booked so they have suggested we do the Halong cruise on the 10th, this might not be so bad as I was a bit worried we might not have that much time to catch our flight to Hue from Halong Bay as I'm assuming we would need to return to Hanoi to collect our luggage before heading to the airport.
Does anyone have other hotel suggestions along the same lines as the Elegance group.

Why not see about taking your luggage with you to Halong Bay, or have the junk company store your luggage and then arrange for transportation directly to the airport.

i'm wondering if our paths will cross at all in vn?? we will be going from north to south from nov 1-14??

also are we going to try to hitch up in bkk in late october?

email me: [email protected]

bob

No Bob our path's won't cross in Vietnam as we fly home on the 31st of October from Bangkok. We will certainly be up for a GTG in Bangkok. I still haven't booked our hotel in Bangkok yet but as soon as I do I'll e-mail you.
dgunbug, that is good news I thought we'd only be able to take an overnight bag. I think our junk slection will be based on what we can work out with them regarding luggage and airport transport.

Now that's strange!!! I can book the Elegance Diamond and the other Elegance hotels on the "hotels.com" website and other online booking sites for that matter but can't book it direct with the hotel, I am tempted to book it but I'm wondering if they've just forgotten to remove the rooms from the booking sites, I wouldn't like to turn up to be told they have no rooms even if we've pre-paid it.

I know that most people say you need at least three days to just do the major temples, but to each his (or her) own. Everyone told me that, but I only had three nights -- two full days in SR, and basically did a day and a half of temples and then a half day at the lake and that was plenty for me. I had time the next morning I could have gone back and done a few more, but I really had enough of them. Some of us could spend days and days doing them and for some of us a day or two and they all start looking alike and we've seen and heard enough details.

I must admit i only have 2 days set aside also for the temples. I think M would kill me if i said, oh we are viewing temples for 4 days!!! for me i like to see some of the details but as i am not writing a thesis on it, i only need a bit of the detail, as you say each to their own.

At the risk of people thinking that last post sounded like I didn't really enjoy Angkor Wat -- you're wrong. I was wowed by it. Really wowed. But when I'm wowed by a spectacular sunset that doesn't mean I want to watch it for hours and hours or do it every night for a week.

NP, what you did, and Smeagol, what you are planning to do, sounds just like us. Similar to the temples in Egypt -- loved them, but didn't need 6 credits in Ancient History! NP, did you do a "travelogue" on Siem Reap in your other thread? We'll be there for 2-1/2 days (3 nights) in March.

My "rules" for a great trip are
1. Know thyself
2. Know thy destination.

Each of us has to figure out the first by ourselves. The second is something we can get from guidebooks and a forum like this. This forum as well as many guidebooks, say it takes three full days just to see the "major" temples. And it does. But not everyone needs to see all the major temples: case in point, Patrick - a day and a half of temples was enough. And for some all the major temples isn't nearly enough: case in point, me - a full week visiting temples and it wasn't enough.

Kathie, "know thyself" is a phrase I've used on Fodor's myself. So true.