We just returned from a great two-week trip to Vietnam. Our trip included the cities of Saigon, Nha Trang, Dalat, and Hanoi. I would be happy to answer questions about the following hotels where we stayed: Sheraton Saigon, Novotel Saigon, Nha Trang Lodge, Sofitel Plaza Hanoi and Win Hotel, Hanoi. We took the two-day/one-night trip to Halong Bay with Buffalo Tours. In Nha Trang we took a day trip to visit the outer islands with the Mama Linh company.

Just a bit of advice for those visiting Hanoi this time of year—book your hotel in advance! We had made a reservation at the Salute Hotel by e-mail, but they could not find our booking (a story in itself!). We checked with a number of other hotels, but the only rooms we could find were a suite in a 5-star hotel outside of the central area, where we stayed the first few days, and a window-less room in a 1-star hotel where we spent the remainder of our time. The Rough Guide to Vietnam indicated that there was an “oversupply” of hotel rooms at all levels in Hanoi, but that was *not* our experience. We thought there must be some major event happening in the city, but when we asked around, people said it is just the busy season.

Hi Voyageuse,

I am going to Vietnam in March 2006, can´t wait to be there! How was the Halong Bay trip? I am doing this too, did you go on a private boat or a join-in tour?
I will have very little time in Saigon (besides the Cao Dai temple and Cu Chi Tunnels) what would you suggest me to do in a half day there?

Thank you very much,

Maria Carolina

What are your interests?

voyage....we went with buffalo tours in october...liked the trip but had a few issues and i wanted to see if your trip
was similar to ours....

our gripes were that the buffalo tours combined one and two nite trips and 2X
we had to wait for people to arrive and depart. did this happen with you?
we had a great time but spent many hours travelling back and forth to areas close to the harbor and never ventured to more remote places. i would be interested in hearing your experience.

we stayed in the old quarter at camellia 4 hotel...and had many people come by to see if there were rooms and they were sold out.
what an amazing place Vietnam is....

Our Halong Bay excursion was one of the most relaxing and memorable parts of our trip. I would highly recommend an overnight trip. We were on the Jewel of the Bay II boat through Buffalo Tours. While it was pricier than others, I felt it was well-organized. The boat can only handle small groups--a plus, in my opinion. There were only seven other passengers besides us, and kayaking is included in the price, which is nice. There is a helpful English-speaking guide on board, and we found the food to be of of high quality. "Divediva" posted a good report on this trip on 10/20/2005.

As for your half-day in Saigon, you might consider the Ben Thanh Market for some shopping, the War Remnants Museum or the Reunification Palace for a taste of the history. I hear the pagodas in the Cholon area are nice, too. Taxis are inexpensive and easy to find, so you could probably zip from place to place quite easily if you wanted to see a few different sites during your half day in Saigon.

Divediva, I was glad to have read about your experience with Buffalo before we departed for Vietnam, so we chose the 1-night trip rather than the 2-night trip. We considered going with Handspan, but their trips were all booked up. I think efforts such as yours at cleaning up the bay are making a difference. We expected to see a lot of litter in the water, but really did not see more than a few things floating in the bay.

Voyageuse,
It is so nice to hear that Halong Bay is relaxing! I think it will be the most relaxing part of our entire trip too! I booked trough a travel agent in Vietnam (Mr. Tanh Tung from Pacific Travel) a junk boat (comes with sailor and cooker) just for me and my husband. I love boat trips and like to avoid the crowded areas, so I thought the private junk would be nice, as we can go wherever we want to, as long as we return the boat at the scheduled time.

For my half-day, is it possible to do the Ben Thanh Market AND the War Remnants Museum or the Reunification Palace in a half day?
My half day is in the morning, so if this places open early it would be perfect!

Gloria,
you amde me think a lot with your question!!!! I don´t really know what my interests are!!!! I think I always want to have a great time. It may seam wide, but I don´t know hw to answer it better. Knowing how bad my mood can get, I would say that my only travel preference is to avoid crowded places... For example, I LOVE art in general, but I hate museums you can´t really stare at painting, because there are 40 heads in front of your eyes. So I prefer not go, I bet I will have a better time having an ice cream at some corner watching the city scene of locals passing by. Maybe I loose a lot of good sights being that way, but what I can say is that I never had a bad trip in my life ! Ok, I think I did not answer you at all (LOL): and I don´t know what my preferences are!!!! Thank you very much on trying to help me!!!

I'm heading off to Vietnam solo in March also. Any tips on hotels in Hanoi, Hoi An and Saigon? I'm in the budget market *grins*

Try the lonely planet, thorn tree section that includes Vietnam. Some one has printed a thread with a direct connect to all types of accommodation.

Be careful with some posts in Thorn tree, it's unreliable in some ways. Some one has no experience of the place but still give their opinion with ill will.

voyageuse- i will be staying at the Sofitel Plaza in Hanoi next March, and would love to read your impressions of the hotel. Specifically; quality of hotel and ammenities and location of hotel (and anything else you'd like to add!). Last year I stayed at the hilton and we could walk to the old quarter. On a map this hotel looks to be a taxi ride to the old quarter. Look forward to your response.

Dperry- we liked the Sofitel Plaza Hanoi, though as you mentioned, it is located some distance from the old quarter. Taxis cost about $3-$4 from the hotel to most of the tourist sites. We ended up in a small suite, because there were no other rooms available. We had nice bathrobes, slippers, a big plate of fresh fruit, and free wireless internet access for our laptop. I'm not sure if those amenities are standard in all rooms. The rooms and lobby were perfectly maintained, though the hall our floor looked grungy. Not sure why they don't bother to re-paint or wallpaper the halls. The pool/gym area looked nice, though a bit crowded, as I think they allow non-guests to become members. The view of the two lakes and the pagoda from our room was spectacular. We didn't eat any meals at the hotel except the free morning breakfast that came with our room. Seasons of Hanoi, a restaurant recommended by a couple of our guidebooks is walking distance from the hotel. We went on a Monday night and couldn't get in without a reservation. Can you believe it?

Mitch04, the Win hotel where we stayed for a few nights in Hanoi is centrally located and probably within your budget. Rooms in the back of the hotel (i.e. no window) are $20 including tax and a light breakfast. Rooms in the front of the building are larger and have a balcony for $30. It is not 5-star luxury to be sure, but it did feel clean and safe. we found the reception staff to be very gracious, professional, and their English was great.

mariacarolina...if you hate crowds...vietnam is the wrong place to go...everywhere are hundreds of people...more people outside moving about than anywhere i have ever travelled.

i commented to my daughter that i had never seen so many people and motorbikes...thousands during the busy times...and she replied that unlike american, where we travel about in cars...everyone in vietnam either walks, rides a bike or motorbike so you are seeing individuals....sometimes 3,4 or 5 people, families...riding on motorbikes..outside.
we see cars, lots of cars with people inside.

there were crowds everywhere in the cities.
grin and bear it..its worth it to visit vietnam

Hi all,

I'm planning to travel with my girlfriend for about 5 days in Vietnam first week of January. This is a side trip off our holiday in the Philippines. My ideal is to stay north around Hanoi, simply because Hanoi sounds nicer than Saigon.

Any recommendations on how many days we need in Hanoi and a good side trip(s) given the time we have? We might be constrained by how easy it is to get to Hanoi from Manila I guess.

As far as interests most of our travels revolve around culture and food.

Also, ever heard of the Stars hotel on Bat Su street in old quarter? Someone recommended it to us but I always like to get second opions.

Thank!

voyageuse-thanks for the response regarding hotel. i had planned to dine at seasons while there, so i'll be sure to make a reservation
thanks for your suggestion!!

This is very exciting. We will be in Hanoi in March and are interested in the two-day, one night trip to Halong Bay. What were the accomodations like on the junk?

Hi Sharon212. The following web site has a picture of the rooms on Jewel of the Bay. http://www.buffalotours.com/jewel/features.asp We were on Jewel of the Bay 2 and either the rooms on our junk were a bit smaller, or that photo somehow makes the rooms look roomier than they felt! If possible, I'd leave your luggage at your hotel in Hanoi, and just bring a small suitcase with you to the boat. Although the rooms were small, we didn't really mind, because we preferred to spend every minute possible on the sundeck, taking in the astounding scenery. Each room on our junk each had a window, and a private bath with a wall-mounted shower with hot and cold water. The accomodations were certainly comfortable enough for a one-night trip to Halong Bay.

Dear Voyageuse,

Thanks for the info. I was mostly concerned with the bathroom facilities on board, but I can live with almost anything for one night. However, are you suggesting that we book a room in Hanoi the night we are in Halong Bay so that we can store our luggage? Or is there another way to do it?

Hi Sharon212, several people on our boat were coming from Hanoi, and returning to the same hotel in Hanoi after the Halong Bay trip. I believe they checked out and just left their luggage with the concierge at the hotel until they returned. Having an overnight bag rather than all their luggage gave them more room in their cabin on board. We lugged all of our bags onto the van, from the van to the transfer boat, from the transfer boat to the Jewel of the Bay II and back again the next day. It would have made more sense to pack light for this side trip.