Now that we are narrowing down our itinerary to Vietnam and it is turning into an almost month long trip, we rfealize that we will need to do some laundry along the way. We tend to pack very light and do carry on as much as possible, so I figure we will need to do laundry at least three times. In Thailand we were able to drop our clothes off in the morning at a local laundry and pick it up in the afternoon. Very cheap and very good. I assume we will be able to do the same in Vietnam? We will probably want to find a place in Cao Bang in the north, Hoi An, and HCMC.

I always do my laundry in the bathroom sink and let it drip dry, so can't help. (And I'm on a six month trip.)

We're going for 3 weeks, and also will have only a carryon bag (although we won't actually be able to carry it on on Vietnam Air, I think, and definitely not on Air Asia), so I'm interested in the answer to this. I can use the bathroom sink for my own undies, but I'm not hand-washing my husband's socks and underwear!!

on vn air you may be able to carry you bag on....AA, no.

jen---same as thailand for laundries....hoi an is an excellent place... we had a lot done there for $7.---like a huge bag....

"I'm not hand-washing my husband's socks and underwear!!" - why on earth should you? Surely he can do his own laundry.

Do you all know about the ultimate pack light trip? http://www.rtwblog.com/ - No Baggage Challenge -- Rolf Potts travels around the world with no luggage

On AA your carry on can only be 7 kg. You also can have only 1 and they mean 1 bag...so your purse or computer bag needs to be in that 1 bag. In Bkk we saw people geting on with more, but when bording in VN they were very strict.

Near any hotel there is a laundry. Just ask the bell person. It is so cheap , why carry more?

laundry with OMOMATIC,best for lady.

"I'm not hand-washing my husband's socks and underwear!!" - why on earth should you? Surely he can do his own laundry.

Well, you're absolutely right, but he's not washing his socks and underwear either. (Not that he doesn't do laundry - at home, he does more of it than I do, but my underwear will dry quickly, and his underwear and socks most definitely won't).

All the hotel I stayed in Vietnam have laundry service. One word of caution is that they don't read labels. Some of my clothes were meant to be cold wash and someone washed in warm water and the color faded. If you want to give specific instructions you have to give it to the front desk so they translate for you.

Thanks everyone. I plan to not only pack light, but also to leave some room in my bag for clothing purchases. I discovered in Thailand that I could have gone with an empty suitcase and come back with as whole wardrobe. I am hoping to find some fun clothes in Vietnam also!

I found lots of cheap basic laundries round Vietnam. About $2 per kilo from memory. I tried washing underwear in a hotel in Hanoi and it was just as wet the next morning.

"Some of my clothes were meant to be cold wash and someone washed in warm water and the color faded."

This is one reason I hand wash. Not just the color fading, but shrinkage. Also, one time I did have my clothes laundered (in Cambodia) and someone else's yellow shirt wasn't color fast and I wound up with yellow splotches on a favorite pair of trousers. (Fortunately it was the last stop on the trip.) I test-wash my clothes before they get to go with me, ad the only things that don't dry fast are my socks, and I usually use a towel to give them a head start.

I've got a great place I use in HCMC. T&V (Tricia & Verona) is located at 39 Dong Du St. in District 1 (across from the Sheraton). Prices are very inexpensive and they do a good job. I always use them rather than the laundry service at the Sheraton (much, much less expensive). Here's some examples of their prices:

Trousers 11,000VND
Jeans 14,000VND
Shirts/T-Shirts 10,000VND Dry Clean 34,000VND
Shorts 8,000VND
Underwear 6,000
Socks 5,000VND