Vietnam in five days?
 

I know it's not much time, but I have 6 nights to spend on a trip in mid November and I was thinking Vietnam. I was thinking Hanoi-->Halong Bay-->Hue. Does that sound adequate time wise? Could I get a good "taste" of the country? Spent much time in Japan and China already and want to see more of Asia. Considering Taiwan too. Any help is GREATLY appreciated! Love culture , food, history etc.
Thanks

5 days is a good amount of time for one stop. I'd choose Hanoi (as it is very wet - often flooding in central VN in Nov). You can go to Halong Bay during your Hanoi stay, plan to spend a night on a Junk. You could opt for a day trip to the perfume Pagoda as well, if you wish, but Hanoi itself has lots to offer. There is plenty to keep you busy - lots of good food, too.

I agree with kathie.

I assume we can travel by ourselves, no tour guide necessary, correct? We travelled in China by ourselves and did fine. a tour agency suggested flying to Saigon for a day and a half...would that be worth it?

Yes, you can easily do this on your own. I wouldn't fly to HCMC for a day an a half - better to spend your time enjoying Hanoi. Tour agencies always seem to want you to cover a lot of ground, but of course, that detracts from getting a real feel for a place.

Once again, kathie has given excellent advise.

Halong Bay was absolutely stunning, but it will eat up a fair bit of time getting there and back on those crazy highways. If I just had 5 days I would stay in Hanoi. There's heaps to see and do.

Now it's a 10 trip so I can include Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
Thanks to all
Guide books on order! More questions to follow

Great! That will be a wonderful trip!