Reporting from Vietnam
 

I'm currently halfway through a trip of 3 1/2 weeks from north to south in Vietnam (at the moment in Hue), part of an around-the-world trip with my husband. I've been keeping a blog of our journey, which combines some of our experiences with selected pictures. In the past I've written post-trip reports on our travels and posted them on Fodors, but the blog lets me add some pictures as well as keep family and friends up-to-date on our travels. If you're interested, you can access the blog at the following link. The Vietnam portion starts in November.

http://aprilaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/

We arranged the trip through Tonkin Travel, which we've found to be a reliable and helpful agency. Normally we travel independently and make all our own arrangements, but we've been traveling a lot lately and found planning all the parts of a four-month RTW trip to be a little daunting. Tonkin gave us an initial itinerary ("Vietnam Off the Beaten Track") for the Vietnam portion, which we modified slightly to make a 24-day trip for the two of us. So far we've been happy with the pace and itinerary, as well as with the guides who have accompanied us. The one exception was in Sapa, where we expected and wanted more trekking opportunities than we ended up having. Vietnam is reputed to be a very easy place to travel independently, but having all the logistical arrangements made for us has made things so easy and virtually hassle-free. And since prices in Vietnam are very low compared to other places we've traveled, the trip has been quite affordable.

We'll be in Vietnam until November 24, when we fly to Siem Reap and 2 1/2 weeks in Cambodia.


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Thanks April
Nice post

Love this post. It brings back memories. We loved traveling in Vietnam. Great pictures.

Four months of travel. Lucky you. I'll be following your posts.

Thanks! Loved reading your blog. Glad to hear Tonkin worked out so well for you as we have reserved much of VN thru them for our upcoming trip.

I'm really enjoying your blog. We traveled with Tonkin last year in Viernam and have also loved traveling in Turkey and the Aeolians several times. Your pictures are terrific!

Thanks to all. Hope my report is helpful.

I read your trip report, linawoood, which assisted in our own planning. Our trip has revealed how varied Vietnam is. We're now in Nha Trang, with it's beach emphasis. So different from the cool hill country. All the arrangements that Tonkin made for us have worked really well--no glitches at all so far.

A nice trip and loving read your blog

Thank you April! Your blog page is spectacular and I will be using it to plan my family's trip to Vietnam next Christmas. Your photos are beautiful.

Vietnam become more and more popular and most people like Vietnam and Cambodia extend
Wish you enjoy your trip!

Looking at your pictures is making me reconsider my initial thoughts about skipping the temples sites. There are so many in Japan, where I currently live and have yet to explore. I am from Guatemala so have experienced the Maya ruins as well as Aztec sites, recently visited India and was feeling a little tired of temples but your pictures remind me that no two cultures are the same.
Beautiful!

I love your blog, we leave in June for Vietnam and Cambodia. This is great information, thanks!!

Thanks, all. We are currently in Battambang, Cambodia. I absolutely love Cambodia--it's very different from Vietnam (which was great). Will continue to post on my blog--every time I start to think it's a pain in the neck, I experience something wonderful like the boat from Siem Reap to Battambang and get inspired to continue to share our experiences. Southeast Asia is a special place.