Vietnam - 7 days from HCM
 

I am seeking itinerary suggestions. We have 7 days in Vietnam, which does not include 2 travel days. We fly in and out of Ho Chi Minh - Christmas week - Dec 2015. We are a family of 2 adults and 2 children, ages 3 and 6. Our priorities are cultural experiences and natural beauty, although leisure for the children is important too. Off the beaten path ranks high for us, although the children may limit us somewhat. We are willing to rent a car, if that is recommended.

So, the question is how many days in Ho Chi Minh? Should we include a Mekong Delta day trip or overnight or skip altogether? Which other city or cities north of Ho Chi Minh would you prioritize given our time constraints. I am thinking we can only get to one or possibly two cities outside of Ho Chi Minh - we might consider a domestic flight or train ride, if need be.

Thank you!

If your air tickets are not yet purchased, I urge you to consider flying into HCM and out of Hanoi, or vice-versa. Depending on where you are coming from, there shouldn't be much price difference, and it will allow you to travel more efficiently in this long skinny country. Hanoi has somewhat more history on display, being the capital city. It is also the base for an overnight visit to Halong Bay (an alternative to the Delta.) The major cities are connected by competing, low-cost airlines, led by Vietnam Air, and would seem essential for a tight schedule.

With just a week, you need to choose a base and focus on that area. It looks like you have chosen HCMC. If you can change your flights, I'd choose Hanoi - plenty to keep you busy and interested for a week in/around Hanoi. I'm sure that is true in the HCMC area as well, but I haven't spent time there. While flying into one city and out of another usually makes good sense, with so little time, (and with two children) I don't think I'd try to make it to Hanoi as well as HCMC.

I understand your comments. It seems many people have rated Hanoi higher than HCMC, as far as interest. I do not think we can change our international flights at this point - they were booked with frequent flyer. I think we can probably manage one roundtrip domestic flight. So, the question would be whether to fly to Danang/ Hoi An for a few days or fly to Hanoi for a few days?

We were in Saigon over the Christmas period and had a great time. We had planned to be in Hanoi but after several weeks of dull, grey damp weather we decided to head south. Hanoi undoubtedly has more to see/do than Saigon but, that said, Saigon was great over the xmas period as there were lots of celebrations/lights etc.

Traffic in both cities is nerve wracking at the best of times but I am not sure I could rest easy with two young children in tow! Hue or Hoi An would be a lot less stressful and there is a lot to hold your interest in both places. The chances are that the weather won't be beach weather at that time of year ( it wasn't this last year). A trip north on the train might be fun for the children?

The delta is a good option. We liked both Can Tho for Cai Rang Floating market ( an overnight stay needed) and Ben Tre for the small canals and local industries ( could be done as a day trip).

I have not done a trip report as yet but we have posted some more info and photos our recent trip to Vietnam on our blog

http://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/page/2/

Great advice, thanks. If we fly up to danang. Is it possible to drive or take train back down to HCM and possibly see the dunes at Mui Ne or just have more time to see the countryside? Again we do not have tons of time.

I think it will be too tight.

It is probably possible, but unrealistic. For Muie Ne / phan thiet you would need to get off at Binh Thuan and then get to Mui Ne. Trains ar not that frequent so I think you would wast a lot a lot of time in transit.

Home /farm stay in Mekong Delta is great . The one we stayed on had fruit trees, pet ? Snakes . The children would like the boat trip to the farm and around. One of the highlights was seeing the school children walking along the edge of the River at 6.30 am eating baguettes on the way to school.

That sounds cool. Northie, did you book home stay in advance through a tour operator?

I have been working in Hochiminh for nearly 3 years and there are a lot of places to go. As your schedule, I can give you my favorite activities
- city tours + cu chi tumnel: 1 day
- Binh chau hot springs: 1 day
- Mui ne is a good choice, very nice beaches and resorts: worth for 3-4 days
- Mekong overnight cruises 2 days 1 night: visit a village to see how they make coconut candies, fruit picking..., right a small sampan...

I think it's enough for your kids :)

We were on a tour - the only one I have ever done. It was World Expeditions. I'm sure there are tour operators out of HCM

Any thoughts on:
Dec 23: arrive HCM; catch evening flight to danang
Dec 24: full moon festival in hoi an
Dec 25: hoi an or danang
Dec 26: hoi an or danang
Dec 27: fly to can tho
Dec 28: cai ring market tour out of can tho
Dec 29: bus to Ho chi minh
Dec 30: Ho chi minh
Dec 31: fly home

? Does this look like good itinerary? Domestic Flights are cheap on viet jet air

Hi all, we are a couple travelling to Vietnam in dec15 for a week.... Its really confusing to choose an itinerary as there seems to be so much to see. One option we are thinking of is Hanoi ----> halong bay -----> Nha trang
Option 2 - HCMC-----> mekong-----> a beach or hue

Any suggestions are so so welcome!! :-)

Thanks in advance!

sg, please post a thread of your own asking your questions. You've posted on several other people's thread which makes it less likely that people will see your questions.

I had 6 day in Ho Chi Minh city,there are many activities in thi places including shopping in Ben Thanh market, visiting museums.. moreover, you can visit and taste food in China town. From Ho chi Minh, you can easily visit Ho Chi Minh outdoors.