Vietnam - Help me plan a spontaneous trip?
Feb 12th, 2010, 11:45 PM
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Vietnam - Help me plan a spontaneous trip?
We are four late thirties women landing in Hanoi on Monday Feb 15 at 6:30P. We leave Ho Chi Minh city on Friday Feb 26th. We have done zero planning. Suggseted itineraries? We live in and around Manhattan so we will want more time in the country than the cities. Help?
Feb 13th, 2010, 03:08 AM
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Wow, you're not leaving yourself much time. I'd suggest possibly go to HaLong Bay overnight out of Hanoi, and do a Mekong River trip out of HCMC, but you won't have too much time for many other stops as, of course, you'd be flying in-between the two, I'm assuming. For some ideas, you might want to read this (which includes a link to pictures) as well as a few other trip reports: http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...d-far-away.cfm This included some stops in the center: Hue and Hoi An are cities, of course, but rather different from Manhattan (as is Hanoi, for that matter.)
Alternately, you could stay based in Hanoi and go up into the mountains (i.e. Sapa) but it's likely to be rather rainy and cold.
Alternately, you could stay based in Hanoi and go up into the mountains (i.e. Sapa) but it's likely to be rather rainy and cold.
Feb 13th, 2010, 06:51 AM
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Amy is right, it's not possible to see much of Vietnam in just 10 days.
Another problem is that most rural areas are not geared up for tourism and transportation to out-of-the-way places is poor.
I would go along with Amy's suggestion for Hanoi. As for the south, if you don't fancy a Mekong trip an alternative would be to fly from Hanoi to Dalat, which is a smallish town at the southern end of the Central Highlands and a good base for exploring the many attractions in the surrounding countryside. From Dalat there are a couple of flights a day to HCMC.
Most people consider that a couple of days in HCMC is sufficient to see what there is to be seen. Hanoi has much more to offer, and even though it's a city it's a city like no other.
Another problem is that most rural areas are not geared up for tourism and transportation to out-of-the-way places is poor.
I would go along with Amy's suggestion for Hanoi. As for the south, if you don't fancy a Mekong trip an alternative would be to fly from Hanoi to Dalat, which is a smallish town at the southern end of the Central Highlands and a good base for exploring the many attractions in the surrounding countryside. From Dalat there are a couple of flights a day to HCMC.
Most people consider that a couple of days in HCMC is sufficient to see what there is to be seen. Hanoi has much more to offer, and even though it's a city it's a city like no other.
Feb 15th, 2010, 06:43 PM
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We spent about that much time working our way down Vietnam a few months ago. We did Hanoi, a two day/one night trip to Halong Bay, took the bus to Hue, bus to Hoi An, then flew to HCMC. I'd say Hanoi and Hue were probably our favorites, and we thought our time in Halong Bay was more trouble than it was worth. More info and pics in our Vietnam posts at http://patrinadoestheglobe.blogspot.com/
