Vietnam-7-10 Days in North or South?
 

We're thinking of going to Vietnam this summer, in July or August. Since I only can take 2 weeks off from work, we really only have 12 real days, excluding flight time. We've been to Southeast Asia multiple times (Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia) and would like to see Vietnam this time. That said, we can't imagine going that far without a few days in Bangkok tacked on the end. We've also considered a 2 night stopover in Singapore at the start.
So, given flight time, and the desire for a few days in BKK, that will give us about 7 to 10 days in Vietnam. Any ideas on the best way to do this trip? I'm thinking we should focus on either the North or the South, I'm not sure how we could do both. Of course, then we'll miss the whole middle of the country. The choice is overwhelming!Thoughts on how we can organize an itinerary? We're mostly interested in culture, food, scenery, not so much in shopping and laying on the beach etc.
Thanks!

You could do 3-5 days Hanoi (maybe throw in a daytrip), 2 days Halong Bay on an overnight boat and 2-3 days Sapa if you like mountains and villages and walking/hiking. That's close to what we did, plus 3-4 days in Hoi An and we loved it! Hanoi is too cool. Don't miss it!

Thanks Peep!
Did you book it all before you got there, or after? Did you go with a tour, or solo? How did you get down to Hoi An?

if you do the north,and planing to take a trip to hoian, the best way to do it is to go by air from hanoi to danang and take a cab to hoian.hoian is great, so take a few days there,and bring a large empty bag,there are tailors every where. the beach outside is great,and you will have no problems of finding hotels. there are a lot of great restaurants down by the cannal.. if you planing to go from there to bangkok, i think that thai airways have a direct flight from danang, if not you have to fly down to saigon and change plane there, but you can find that out on www.thaiairway.com, or www.vietnamairways.com.
enjoy vietnam, great country, friendly people, and great food.
cheers..

sorry, did now see that you are not a beach person, but when you are in hoian, rent a motorbike from your hotel and drive around to look at the landscape,,its great.

I would also recommend the north.Try
a search on
kangaroo cafe
and
handspan travel.

They are "positioned" above the backpacker crowd but still excellent value.

Thanks!
Anyone here use Handspan? Their website looks very professional and the trips are still affordable...

I've used Handspan to cruise Ha Long Bay twice, last year and again 6 weeks ago. It was good last year but even better this year. The boat is newer and larger, with en suite wc/showers. The meals are fantastic and the staff is very friendly. We booked 2 days ahead at the Tamarind Cafe on Ma May in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. It was well worth the $55 per person, and once you see some of the other boats you'll see why. Hanoi is a jewel. Get away from the Old Quarter and wander around the area south of the Opera House. Stop at a bia hoi shop and don't miss the cafes/bars near the cathedral. In Hoi An, rent a moto and cross the bridge that's just east of the market. There are several restaurants 2-3 km across the bridge, right on a river, with few if any tourists. Check out the cooking class at the Hai Scout Cafe. It's a half day and starts with a market visit and then a short boat ride to an open air kitchen. 2 nights in Hoi An should suffice. http://www.fodors.com/forums/images/...button_alt.gif

Mark-
Thanks for the info. The Handspan tour does look like one of the best.How much time did you spend in Vietnam?I'm just trying to figure out how to divide up the days, given our limited time. Did you go to Sapa? I'm hearing mixed things about it.

We spent 12 days in Vietnam and spent time in Hanoi, Halong Bay (one night), Hoi An and HCMC. We really liked Hanoi so spent 5 days there. HCMC is just another big Asian city, but some people prefer it to Hanoi because it is bustling where Hanoi's charms can take a while to unfold. Hue might be a nice option. I was there last year and really enjoyed the outlying areas. But 2-3 days is all you'd need. Hue is a 4 hour bus ride along the coast from Hoi An. Haven't been to Sapa but have also heard mixed reviews. If you have to choose north or south I'd recommend north based on our experiences as well as from what I've heard from others. One option might be to fly from Hanoi to Luang Prabang in Laos from Hanoi and themn to Da Nang (near Hoi An). Flights can be tricky to arrange but LP is fantastic.

We did several Handspan trips in 8 days in the north. Found them very good..a little more expensive than the backpacker outfits..sinh cafe etc but worth it. The aussies at Kangaroo cafe are also good...i believe Handspan was a spin off of Kangaroo cafe.

Hanoi is great..unique much better imho than the modern concrete jungles of Saigon and BKK etc.

We enjoyed Sapa...view across to Fansipan from our room at the green bamboo..good walks..get to the Bac Ha market on a sunday morning.Would love to do the Sapa-Dien Bien Phu loop and into Laos if and when they ever open the border.

Johnhj_au-
Thanks for the handspan info. Could you let me know which trips exactly you did with them? Did you do a trek? Was your visit to the Bac Ha market their "add on" trip?
Part of me is a little hesitant to do this portion as we spent 3 days doing something similar North of Chiang Mai in Thailand a few years back. I'm wondering if it would just feel like a repeat.
I think their Halong bay trips look like the nicest ones I've seen. Did you do that too?
Thanks!

yes we did a handspan,two night 3 day ha long bay trip....1 night on the boat,1 at cat ba town...just like mark described..very good.I believe kangaroo or handspan have a sea kayak trip also..could be good.

we had a handspan guide up at Sapa...if you go up get the Victoria sleeper on the train. Chang Mai is a joke compared to Sapa/fansipan etc. Sapa is getting fairly commercial but still has the flavour of the old french colonial hill town. well i guess you know what chang mai is like..my wife was at chang mai in the 70's she said sapa etc in 2000 was better,

we did a long day walk down the valley that separates sapa and the fansipan range and the guide came down in his russian jeep and picked us up.He took us over to Bac Ha on the sunday am to the Bac Ha market.

My wife has dragged me to markets from Bangalow to Annapolis Royal...let me tell you ...the riot of colour of the flower hmong people and the buzz and activity of that market was fantastic....they couldn't give a damm about us aussies..that market was going on as it had for centuries. Dog and pig sales and all.
Chang Mai...you have to be kidding!

for more feedback try the vn board at
www.lonelyplanet.com

Johhj-
Thanks! We actually had a great experience in Northern Thailand, but this was in 1998 and we did a private tour rather than one of those backpacker cheapies where the goal is to smoke opium. We had a guide and we stayed in one village, instead of trekking from place to place. We were the only tourists there and had cooking classes over an open fire in the village leader's house. But I know what a nightmare those treks can be and I was afraid the Sapa ones might be the same. My goal is not to gawk at the "natives", if you know what I mean. I know we'll always be outsiders, but I don't want it to be like a trip to the zoo.
Thanks again. I'll look further into going to Sapa.

Hi Kristina! We booked it all in advance and traveled on our own. we flew from Hanoi to Danang and had our hotel send someone to pick us up at the airport.

Hoi An is a fascinating town and a shopping mecca. The vendors are very persistent! There are really fabulous sights to see there like the old meeting halls and old merchants' houses. Plus you're close to Marble Mountain, My Son and China Beach (just a beach).

We booked our Halong Bay cruise at the Tamarind Cafe, too. I think it was Handspan tours for the overnight on the boat trip. It was great!!! The food was wonderful and it was a lot of fun. The cabins aren't plush and it's a bit like camping but it was really cool.

We took the overnight train to Sapa in the Victoria Hotel's car. Nice!! Very nice. We loved hiking around Sapa. You can hire a guide when you get there and decide then where you want to go, on day hikes or overnight to villages. We did 2 day hikes and thought it was really a great experience. Shop around a bit for a guide because we found prices varied a lot. If we hadn't been into hiking, I don't know if we would've enjoyed it so much. Sapa is a really small town and it doesn't take long to see it all. If that's the rainy season, it might not be so good for hiking?

I know what you mean about Bangkok. Love it!