Two geriatric backpackers need help
 

Hi,

My wife and I have been watching too much of The Amazing Race, and have decided, after a 35-year lay-off, to become back packers again. We are going to Vietnam in October, and wonder if someone can tell us a reasonable budget per day to live comfortably but not extravagantly. (last time we backpacked *grins* we used Europe on $5 a day!!!).

We will be starting in Hanoi and working our way south. We only have 3 weeks.

We figured that $US75 would be OK for two people, with reasonable accommodation costing $US20-$US25, lunch and dinner combined being about $US25, and thus having about $US20-$US25 for incidentals.

We thought 3 days in Hanoi, 2-3 days in Halong, 4 days in Hoi An, 2-3 days in HCMC, and then 7-8 days travelling to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat via the Mekong before flying to Bangkok and returning to Australia.

Does $US75 per day sound reasonable? We don't want to slum it, but neither do we want to go overboard.

Tks
Mitch

Also try lonelyplanet.com. They are the backpacker types on that forum. Happy Travels!

Hi Mitch,
That sounds about right, although I'm sure someone who has been there more recently than I can give you better advice. My first thought was that $25 for food was too much, but then I realized that was for 2 people, lunch and dinner. I think the most expensive part of our trip were the internal flights, although they weren't outrageous. I always end up spending more than I plan, but Vietnam was very reasonable.

Your trip sounds very similar to ours... we did Hanoi, Sapa, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, HCMC, and Siem Reap in 3 weeks and absolutely loved it. Enjoy!

Hi Mitch

We are also digging the backpacks back out of the mouthballs. We have put a budget of $100 US together for 3 weeks with the idea that we can splash out on some nice hotels along the way and stay in some cheaper ones aswell. Saying that can anybody out there comment on the Indochine Hotel in HCMC? Doesn't look bad for $25 per night and not your run of the mill big chain. We are happy to eat pho and street food but know that there will be flights involved so we are overbudgeting on purpose. I've also be reading threads about Hoi An vs. Hue. From the sounds of it, is it worth taking a side trip to Hue from Hoi An instead of staying there? That way we can make time at the end for Sapa.

Any help would be appreciated.

cheers
kazz

Hello Mitch and Kazz,
We had thought about a side trip to Hue from Hoi An, but it's not practical, as it's about a three hour drive by taxi over a mountain pass (and the driving is a little scary).They were working on a tunnel when we were last there, so I'm not sure if that's open now - that may make the trip much quicker. My recommendation would be to either skip Hue this trip, or else spend two days in Hoi An and two in Hue. Try not to miss Sapa or Halong Bay - they are both wonderful! We love Hoi An also, but were not as fond of Hue.
Cambodia is much more expensive than Vietnam, so that's something to consider.
Sorry, I'm not familiar with the Indochine -we stayed at the Bong Sen 2 and were happy with it.
Happy travels - if you're like us, you will want to return to Vietnam!!

travelersusan - I was actually wondering how much time you spent in each place. My husband and I are also planning a 3 week trip - starting in Hanoi, going through south through Vietnam, and then on to Angkor Wat before flying home out of Bangkok. We're probably going to trade off going to Sapa (even though we've heard it's great) for some days at the beach when we're in the south, but other than that, how did you divide your time?

You might get more responses from www.lonelyplanet.com.
Here the regulars are always debating what 5 star hotel offers the best service/value!

Mitch, I agree that lonelyplanet.com would provide good info. Also, a Lonely Planet guide would be worth investing in.

I guess your "incidentals" budget includes transport? You can avoid internal flights by taking the Reunification Express Hanoi-Hue and mini-buses between other cities.

By way of comparison only, Travel Indochina's 21-day Vietnam-Cambodia small-group tour, which is on the expensive side, costs about US$200/day per couple. I'm sure you could beat that by a fair margin, but realistically I think I'd feel more comfortable on $100/day. Little things (like liquid refreshments in a hot climate and gifts) tend to add up, and the old travel planning rule to take half the clothes you think you'll need and twice the money is worth taking some notice of.

Unfortunately, hihostels.com doesn't list any hostels in Vietnam, so I guess that's not an option.

I hope you're in training for lugging around those backpacks again! Ooohh it brings back memories of my own days back in the 70's, but then again am sure modern backpacks are probably more comfortable. Good luck!