Hello,
My husband and I are hoping to take a tour through Veitnam for about 12 days in December. The tours either cover Northern or Southern Vietnam. Which would you recommend? Thanks.

Given an either/or choice I'd normally say "north", mainly because of Hanoi, a much more interesting and pleasant city than heavily commercialised HCMC and is the nation's cultural heart.

However, with 12 days to spare, I think I'd lean towards the south in this instance, for variety. HCMC is worth only a couple of days IMO, but not far away you have the Mekong Delta, Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple, all recommended. Then there are the coastal cities - Nha Trang, Hoi An and the former imperial capital of Hue, and also Dalat and the central highlands. All this will easily occupy 12 days, and probably make you want to return.

Another factor is that December is the north's winter and while it's not out-and-out cold (except in the mountains) I've been told that it can be somewhat dank.

My partner and I did a 12 night tour of Vietnam last November...we atarted in HCM for 2 nights, then flew to Hue...toured Hue and drove to Hoi An for 2 nights...flew to Hanoi for 2 nights...overnight train to Sapa for 2 nights...took the day train back to Hanoi (incredible scenery and very relaxing) 1 more night in Hanoi then 2 nights on a junk in Halong Bay before flying off to Cambodia. We saw all the major sights and the pace was just right. Hanoi and Hoi An were wonderful and the trip to Sapa was incredible!

Thanks so much for all you input! I wish we had more time to really take in the whole country, but unfortunately responsibilities like our jobs get in the way I'm going to go over this input with my husband. Thanks!

12 days in EITHER the North or South on a first visit is too much. Split your time and get a flavor for both. Internal flights on Vietnam Airlines are very affordable. As you have probably learned from these forums and from other sources: some prefer the Southa and others the North. Experience both and decide for yourselves.

WSL

12 days is actually the amount of time we spent in the south, and we didn't think it was too much. But if you're not likely to return to Vietnam, a more rushed tour through both the south and north might be a good idea, as it would be a pity to miss Hanoi. In this case perhaps you could check out other tour companies to see if they have something more suitable. We found Travel Indochina very good. (www.travelindochina.com)

We stayed in HCMC (4 nts), Dalat, Nha Trang (2 nts), Qui Nhon, Hoi An (2 nts), Hue (2 nts) before moving on to Hanoi. If I were to prune that down I'd knock a night off HCMC (and if pressed Hue), eliminate Qui Nhon and at a pinch Dalat too.