It's probably a good idea to get to Vietnam now - before we go. We have decided that DH is working undercover for the CIA or something. He was in Seoul and Bejing in 1987 and there were political riots while he was in Seoul and the Tiannamen Square massacre the year later. A few years ago we went to Thailand and the next year there was all of the unrest and violence in Bangkok. Last Spring we went to Egypt and now that country is in chaos. So now that we have decided we are heading to Vietnam in November 2011, I'd suggest that you get there first!

At any rate, we have decided on a trip to Vietnam. I plan to read all of the trip reports here and have done lots of research already, but am always open to suggestions for hotels, tours, not to miss experiences, etc. We haven't finalized the dates since we plan to use FF miles, but we will leave somewhere in the middle of November and be gone a total of 3 1/2 weeks or so. On our way back we plan to spend about 3-4 days in Hong Kong (since the flights go through there) so that will leave us with pretty close to 2 1/2 - 3 weeks in Vietnam. General itinerary:

Hanoi (2 days)
Sapa (2 days)
Halong Bay (2 night cruise on Paloma or Bhaya)
Train to Vihn Bihn and stay a couple of nights to see that area
Train to Hue/Hoi An/Danang (probably spend about 5-6 days in that area)
Train to Saigon (2 days in Saigon)
Mekong River cruise (2 nights)

We have another couple who will probably join us. They will be coming from New Zealand and meeting us in Hanoi. Then they plan to go to Cambodia when we finish up since they haven't been there.

Any thoughts or advice is appreciated. The help of this board created a fabulous Thailand/Cambodia trip.

You need 3 days in Sapa. You should also spend at least 3 days in Hanoi if not more. While we did 2 nights on the Paloma, I would cut it down to one, given your time limitations. I'm not sure if you have enough time to go to Vihn Bihn. Do you mean Nihn Bihn?

You definitely need more time in Hanoi (I'm about to go back for the third time). I think one or two nights in Hoi An is plenty, but I'm not a shopper, and the main reason to go to Danang, aside from seing a non-tourist town, is the museum, which only takes a couple of hours. It usually rains in Hue, so you could easily cut that section down to give more time for Hanoi.

i think another day or two would be welcome in hanoi...

danang is mostly a miss i think....hoi an on the other hand is charming... we got fogged out of any arrival in hue...

Thanks for all of the thoughts. We're not shoppers either, so cutting down on the time in Hoi An might make sense. I had thought about maybe doing a cooking class there. The train is mostly our way to get from north to south. We love trains and loved the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai so that's why all of the internal travel is by train.

And I did mean Nihn Bihn - my error. We are interested in Cuc Phuong National Park and one of the books I read had recommending spending the night so that you can be in the park in the morning or evening when the primates and other animals are more awake. We also want to see the Tam Coc Valley. I know you can do it as a day trip from Hanoi also, so maybe we will do that.

As you may be picking up, we are more interested in the natural beauty of Vietnam (as well as the culture and some history). I was just reading about the Ba Be Lakes area and wondered if anyone had spent any time there? If we cut out some of the middle we might be able to add that on. We usually end up with way to much and have to cut it down !

Nothing wrong with taking the train - I've done the whole length by train. However, I do prefer the Thai trains since you get all that privacy in 2nd class. Do try for soft sleeper rather than hard, although hard is OK if can't get soft.

Could you cut out the Southern portion and save more time for the North and middle? If you have been to Siem Reap and have visited the lake there, the floating markets and scenery are very similar. While it was interesting to us, I found Hue, Hoi An, Sapa, Hanoi & Halong Bay far more interesting. Saigon's main sites can easily be done in a day and we found them far less interesting than the rest of the trip. While several people here missed Hue, we thought it was one of the major highlights and we were lucky to have good weather. If you are interested, you can click on my name and find my pictures of Vietnam.

Thanks for all of your input. I also got input from DH and we did a little more looing and have actually decided (after much debating back and forth) to go to the Northeast rather than the Northwest. The appeal of sights such as Ba Be Lake and the Ban Gioc waterfall won out so we plan to spend five days heading up to and touring that area. Two night on Halong Bay is a must (and someone on this board mentioned Indochina Junks - I have contacted them and they ha ve a great 3 day itinerary). We are planning in some "chill" time in Hoi An so any recommendations on a nice hotel with a view of water would be appreciated. I think we will still spend a day in Saigon and day in the outlying area plus a couple of days on the Mekong River. We just lengthened out trip a bit - the joys of upcoming retirement!!

Hi,
It’s not possible to see everything Vietnam has to offer in one trip – and we don’t suggest you try. What follows is a selective taste of the country’s highlights: outstanding architecture, classic landscapes and mouthwatering food and drink as: Ethnic markets, Nha Trang beach, Snake wine, Traditional music...

And who are "we"?

That's a pretty selective list, too. Snake wine? You're kidding, right? This looks more like snake oil.

We spent some time in Ba Be a couple of years ago and loved it. It is quite a drive form Hanoi 6 -7 hours and we went in April when it was quite cold and a bit wet(Novemeber will be wamer I think). We stayed in a homestay, ate with the family, the food being cooked on an open fire in the middle of the stilt house. Hosts were very welcoming and friendly provided some great homecooked food and snake wine!
We booked with Kangaroo tours in the old quarter in Hanoi.

Here is link to our blog with some photos of the Ba Be area.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...2280/tpod.html

We too did the train trip from Da Nang to Hue - one of the worlds great train journeys - fantastic value at $2 first class!

We love Hue and have spent a few days there on a couple of occasions. It is usually a bit wet and grey but the imperial city and the tombs are all worth seeing. Some of the best food in Vietnam is to be found here.

hanoi is fascinating with so much to see that IMO it deserves more than the 2 days you are allocating. I was less than impressed with Halong - pretty enough, yes but too overtly touristy for me.

For me, one of the most beautiful areas of Vietnam i hav evisited is the Mai Chau valley which we visited when driving the the last keg of the "Dien Bien Phu loop". Only a half days drive from Hanoi but incredibly beautiful and very peaceful.

A few of our photos of this area:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...ai/3/tpod.html

Have fun it is a great part of the world.

I am planning a similar trip at almost the same time (should I be worried lol)

I have decided on Mai Chau and Nihn Bihn instead of Sapa because I really did not want to spend 2 nights on a train.

You need at least 2-3 days in Hoi An

Vietnam is an amazing place to visit and is a must to visit once in a lifetime and experience the beauty of the city. Vietnam offers lot many attractions to see and exciting things to do. Hanoi will take some more time as it has lot many interesting places to visit and to cherish in the so stunning city.

"You need at least 2-3 days in Hoi An" - only true if you're a shopper. Otherwise one day is enough. Make sure you have an early car and driver to visit My Son.

It's good schedule. However, each one has different taste so all the above suggestions is just for you to consider. I myself think that once coming to each place, you can decide whether to lengthen or shorten your time there. Vietnam is an interesting country and there are a lot of things to see and feel. If you miss some thing is this trip, you can come back for another trip. That's what i often do. Just go then decide
Hope you have a safe and memorable trip