VietNam & Cambodia short trip
 

Hello all,

First, let me preface that I have read many of the threads on these countries, and I already know you will tell me we are trying to see too much. But we have short attention spans and like to get a flavor of a place, and trust me, every trip we take is "too short" by Fodorite standards!

My husband, adult son and I will be visiting VietNam and Cambodia in July or August. We are working with Tonkin Travel and will have drivers/guides to make the most of our time. We are active and like to hike, bike, see nature, and eat local foods

Right now our itinerary is:

Hanoi - two nights, inluding food tour, city tour, incense village and a short stop at train street (these last two were just suggested by our travel agent)
Ninh Binh - one night - we go from Hanoi to Hoa Lu, Trang an, Mua cave kayaking
Halong - one night cruise
Hoi An - two nights including a farm tour, fishing and snorkeling (all suggested by the travel agent)
Saigon/HCMC - two nights including food tour, city tour, Mekong delta, and Cu Chi tunnels
Siem Reap - two nights
Phnom Penh - one night

Specific questions -

1. there are a lot of attractions that seem somewhat hokey to me. Is this is a good way to get a glimpse of everyday life in VIetNam -- for example, the farm visit, fishing, incense village. Any experience with any of these?
2. Is the snorkeling something special? I am thinking maybe the agent suggested it as an "active" option. Really we are fine to just walk around a lot and don't want to add an activity just to seem active..
3. Since I have to cut something.... Is Saigon worth it if we are already seeing a city in Hanoi? Also I am super claustrophobic and not sure I can handle the tunnels. I had thought they would be spacious but the photo in the brochure shows somone climbing out of a TINY hole in the ground!
4. Similar question for Phnom Penh - if we only have a day is it worth a tour of the killing fields and prison (anything else?)
5. Should we swap Hoi An for Hue? It seems Hoi An may be stressful...
6. We were originally three nights in Hanoi but the agent suggested swapping one for Ninh Binh for a change of pace. Seems close so the only downside would be a little extra hassle of checking out/in hotels.
7. I am a big runner - anyone have any suggestions on options to go for a run in any of these places?

Thanks in advance and please don't savage my whirlwind touring style!

Specific answers:

1. If by "hokey" you mean staged for tourists, then yes these places are very hokey and won't provide a very good insight into the everyday life of the Vietnamese people
2. I am ( or used to be!) a keen diver and , IMO the snorkelling around Hoi An is pretty average at best. Personally, I wouldn't wast my time. Some of the islands offshore may have better visibility but I would think of it as a nice boat trip rather than anything else. Want something active? Then borrow a couple of bikes and head out to some of the smaller villages around Hoi An .
3. Saigon is very different from Hanoi. I love the city and have spent a lot of time there over the years. The main sights like the Reunification Palace, Opera House, Notre Dame , War Remnants Museum etc. are in close proximity to one another and so can be seen in one very full day, but there is a lot more to see. The food there is exceptional and very different to the north. The Cu Chi Tunnels frankly, are a tourist trap. The sections you can visit have been excavated to meet the needs of large westerners but are still tight. Not the place to be if you suffer from claustrophobia (I sympathise!). Given the time you have allocated there, I would skip and ad to Hanoi or Phnom Penh
4. I struggle to see how you would have a full day in Phnom Penh. Unless you have a late flight out you will barely get a half day of sightseeing. You could just about fit in Tuol Sleng and Choueng Ek by hiring a Tuk Tuk and driver for the day but the Central Market, Russian Market and Silver Pagoda should also be on your list f you have time.
5. I would! Hoi An gets jam packed with (mostly Chinese) tour groups visiting from the mega hotels which stretch for 20 kms or so up the coast. This can make it pretty unpleasant at the busy time . Around midday is the quietest time when the tour groups are elsewhere. Personally I would opt for Hue. The Imperial Citadel and Tombs are spectacular and, being a larger city , the effects of tourism are diluted. You could see a lot in a couple of days or even one full day.
6. Ninh Binh is very pretty but it is a 3 hour drive there and back from Hanoi plus, as you say, time spent checking in and out of hotels. There is a huge amount to see in Hanoi and with 2 nights, you will only have one full day so I struggle to see how you will fit in all the mains sights. NB and HB are in the same direction form Hanoi so I suppose you could go from one to the other to save bit of time.
7. Pollution is a big issue in big cities like Hanoi and Saigon so I probably wouldn't bother there (though it could be ok on the day. Given the places you are like to be staying, in Hanoi I would take look at a run around Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter. Lots of local do it in the early morning . It is also fun join one of Tai Chi groups who are about in the early mornings.

I am not going to savage your travel style but would urge you to check out the actual arrival and departure times. Travel does take time in Vietnam and realistically you will lose half a day each time you change location. The impact is less if your flights are early morning or late afternoon but if the happen to be around midday or even mid morning, you could end up losing virtually a whole day. Vietnamese tour operators are not the greatest for thinking these things through.

Some unsolicited advice.

For a change of pace in the north , consider dropping Ninh Binh and Ha Long and look at a couple of days in somewhere like a nice lodge the Mai Chau Valley for a taste of rural Vietnam .

Consider taking the overnight train from Hanoi to Hue. It may sound counter intuitive, but you could save a lot of usable time by travelling overnight. Trains leave late and arrive early

Here is a link to our blog which covers some of our travels in Vietnam including all the places you mention. There are also set entries for Cambodia (though I never did get around to posting bout Angkor Wat!). https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/

Finally, do check out the weather in July and August. Fine for Central Vietnam but not great for the south and north. I find this tour operator website very helpful for weather issues https://www.selectiveasia.com/vietna...s/weather/july

Crellston, thank you so much for your detailed reply (and all of your advice to others on this forum!). I did read some of your blog last week and found it useful. I will keep it as a resource.

I think we will swap Hoi An (with its farm tour etc) for Hue, and we will look into the overnight train. I will read up on that train on this forum, as I saw lots of references good and bad but had not focused on them.

Regarding flights, I have not seen the actual schedule (since we have not selected dates), but the sample itinerary seems to envision early morning flights. But perhaps, as you note, that is wishful thinking.

The weather is a very good point. We originally planned this trip for 2020 when we were limited by my son's school schedule. We have a bit more flexibility this year before he starts his full time job in September, but the US summer months always seem to work best. I guess I was aware of the rain but thought optimistically it would mean less crowds. Have you visited during the rainy season, and is it really a deterrent? I will revisit schedule and try to make late May work - fingers crossed!