nikidi

We will be in Vietnam for 10 days late April and want to finalise the itinerary. Would appreciate on some help in figuring out how long to spend in each place. We have been to Hanoi, sapa and halong bay before and so focusing on south/central Vietnam this time.

We are travelling with a 3yr old and 18mnth old and would like to have some beach time for the kids. so the tentative plan is

1night (1 day) - Saigon - see the city - flight to Hue
4N(3 1/2 days) in Hue - 2N at La residence to see the Citadel and the tombs etc. a bit of craft shopping and then move to Ana Mandir Hue for 2N for beach time.
Drive to Hoi An. (1/2 day)
3N (21/2 days) in Hoi An - (looking at vinh hung resort??) visit My Son ,explore the city and enjoy the good food! flight to Saigon
2N (2 days)- half a day tour to Cu Chi and a bit of shopping.

We are skipping the mekong delta as we have already been to inle lake in Burma and the tonle sap lake near siem reap. given that we have enough time for a day tour to the Mekong delta should we still do it or is it better to stick to the relaxed itinerary.

any feedback on the itinerary ,hotels and independent guides will be most welcomed. thnx.

shelleyk

I think your itinerary looks good considering you are travelling with 2 young children. My one reservation is taking the kids to the Cu Chi tunnels. It is very hot,humid and buggy in the area of the tunnels and is a long car ride from Saigon (for kids). Actually, April will be hot in most places you will be visiting.

I had been to Tonle Sap, but still enjoyed seeing the Mekong Delta by boat. However, that too is a long ride from Saigon for kids.

nikidi

thanks for the reply.

still having trouble deciding on the beach destination. any recommendations. ana mandara in hue(great deals), victoria resort in hoi an. or any other suggestions?

also can some one advise which is closer to the citadel area in hue. villa hue or la residence?

dgunbug

I agree that you do not need to do the Delta if you have been to Tonle Sap. We felt that the scenery was much the same.

I also would have reservations about taking children to the tunnels. It is a very long drive and I think the kids would be very bored.

Have you considered flying into Hanoi instead of Saigon? IMO and many other people's, Hanoi is far more interesting than Saigon. Also, the main sites in Saigon can be seen in a day.

We stayed at the Vinh Hung Resort. It is a good choice if the children like a pool and it is conveniently located close to town, but it does not have a beach. Alternatively, if you prefer to be at the beach, Hoi An has beautiful beaches and there are number of very modern new hotels close to China Beach. The drawback to those hotels is that you would need a taxi to get into town.

dgunbug

Incidentally, we did pass by the Victoria Beach hotel and it looked lovely from the outside.

sf7307

We just returned and we stayed at both La Residence Hue and the Victoria HoiAn. We really liked both. I can't say how far La Residence is from the Citadel because we took a moto-bike tour and I paid no attention to distances or locations. The hotel is really nice, gorgeous public area, with a lovely room and pool. Breakfast is excellent.

The Victoria HoiAn would be an excellent choice. A taxi into town is $3.50. The hotel also has a free shuttle, which we used, but it runs on a schedule, so not always convenient. The pool is gorgeous (and the pool service outstanding -- as soon as they saw me coming, they'd move a chaise into the shade). The beach is also beautiful white sand. Breakfast is excellent.

I would also recommend Hanoi over Saigon. Saigon is a place to "be" rather to "see" -- there are a few sites that are musts (ex. the War Remembrance Museum), but not many. Otherwise, it's a big city embracing its Westernness for the most part. Hanoi on the other hand, although modern in many ways, also continues to embrace its Asian/Vietnamese culture more so that does Saigon, and has more sites to see.

nikidi

thanks for the replies..

so victoria hoi an it is ,for beach time. was thinking we will stay closer to the city for 2 days to explore hoi an and then go relax at victoria for 2 nights.

we have already been to hanoi,sapa and halong bay on our first trip to vn, and so this time would like to explore the south/central vn.

sf7307

I would recommend staying at the Victoria HoiAn the whole time, there's simply no need to change hotels. It's very easy, and very close, to get into town (about 10 minutes by taxi or shuttle).

shelleyk

I may be in the minority, but I really enjoyed my time in Saigon. I liked the big city vibe, the contrast between the upscale areas and the rest of the city, the museums, the Hindu Temple, the Empror Jade Pagoda, etc. We found enough to do to fill 2 whole days in Saigon and enjoyed all of it.

losuan

for hotels, i suggest you could stay in Celadon hotel or La Residence Hotel & Spa in Hue. They provide very good services that you would be satisfied.

rhkkmk

we really liked the haung resort... it is a very short walk to town and would be a good place for the kids..

i would skip the tunnels.

nikidi

thanks everyone!. all booked..and waiting to go..
oh except in ho chi min, was looking at liberty central, but its fully booked. any other hotel recs?...closer to the sights/markets..

i may give cuchi a skip as i have been there about 10 years back, hubby will join a tour for that.

ekscrunchy

Having spent about 18 days total in Saigon on two different trips, I am a big fan of the city.

I stayed in an apartment at the Somerset Chancellor Court on my first trip and would have no hesitation in recommending it for its location. Note that my visit was more than 10 years ago so I cannot vouch for the current status, but the reviews online seem to be quite good.

anhhh

I suggest you shorten your time in Hue and Hoi An if you're not a shopaholic. Five days there is okie, instead of 7 days. Spend more time in Sai Gon. Though CU Chi tunnel is a good destination, I'm not sure whether it's suitable to your children or not. It's hot and humid in Sai Gon at that time so going to tunnel seems not to be easy for the children. Just consider carefully.