We're contemplating a week in Vietnam on our next Asia trip. I would appreciate all thoughts on the most effective and interesting places to spend this week. Thanks in advance.

upon arrival make sure you tell the immigration officer of your anti-war activities...

All I'm looking for is information so that I can pretend to make an informed decision. The Statute of Limitations covers all of my youthful activities.

I would definiately go to Hue and Hoi An and Hanoi but I'm not sure a week is long enough. I guess 3 nights Hanoi and 2 each in Hue and Hoi An is doable. I actually had less time in Hanoi (2 nights) and while I would have liked more, the two full days were enough to see quite a bit, but not if you want to take a day trip to say Halong Bay.

If it's any consolation, my anti-war activities didn't keep me out of VN, in fact, it may have helped me to get in ;-)

Laurie-if you had to choose between Hue and Hoi An, which would you pick?

Hue.

I suppose I should elaborate a bit as to why I would choose Hue. The royal tombs alone make it worth the trip, for me, they were the highlight of VN. Hue also has a Forbidden City, modeled on the one in Bejing but for my money, much nicer. It's smaller and much less crowded and very enjoyable to walk around in. You can also go inside many of the buildings, unlike in Bejing, where everything is roped off and because of the crowds, you barely get a peek in.

Hoi an is a very charming town and you should try and get there but if you have to choose one, I'd go with Hue.

Laurie-Thanks. What is the travel time between Hanoi and Hue. What hotel would you recommend in both? I'm sure I'll post further requests, but you can get your 2 cents in early.

I believe the travel time was a couple of hours by car, we were there in 2000 so I can't remember exactly for sure. I wouldn't stay at either of the hotels we were at. They weren't bad but nothing to write home about. The nicest hotel in Hue at the time was the Saigon Morin but it wasn't on the Perfume River. We were on the river, which was very nice but I'm sure there are some new hotels there by now.

Gpanda, we went to Hanoi a few years ago. We had wanted to do Hanoi, Hue and Hoi An, but the time we were going (November) is great weather in Hanoi but torrential rains in Hue and Hoi An. We ended up spending a week in VN, all in Hanoi, and delaying the Hue and Hoi An part of the trip for another time.

Hanoi is a charming city (with chaotic traffic) and there is plenty to do to keep you busy for a week, especially if you do one of the overnight trips (Halong Bay or Sapa). The old part of town is very interesting, there are quite a number of wonderful museums, great crafts shopping, and good food. Any time we were "off the tourist track" we were the only Westerners there.

Kathie-we are contemplating going in the last part of November. What is the usual weather like in Hue and Hoi An at that time? Thanks.

June through October is the raniest in all of VN. That said, we went in Sept and had only one day of very light rain.

I preferred central VN to both Hanoi and Saigon.

Because VN is a long, thin country, the weather patterns differ fairly dramatically from one area to the next. I like www.weatherbase.com for really complete weather info. You can check each city you are visiting. On many other weather sites, they average temps or rainfall over the whole country, which washes out the differences that will really matter to you. One of the stats I found was that in one out of every three years, there is significant flooding in November in central VN (Hue, Hoi An).

When in Hanoi check out www.hostelworld.com for a guesthouse or hotel. I stayed at Central Stars Hotel & they organised my trips to Halong Bay and Sapa. Personally Sapa is so much more amazing than Halong Bay...the weather's perfect. Sunny and more than clear in the day and the nights are crispy and they give u plenty of bed linen to keep u warm. Stunning!

GPanda,
We went to Vietnam last year, concentrating on Hanoi and Central Vietnam (Hoi An). Hanoi is so charming, in a frenetic sort of way...We loved just walking in the park which surrounds the Lake in the old section of town. The shops and shopkeepers are interesting, too.
Hoi An, while touristy, is very interesting and "manageable". Unfortunately, My husband used the time here as his "down time" and we missed some of the interesting real life outside the World Heritage Site. So we're going back next month to spend 4 days there and the surrounding areas. We're also going to Hue this time, so we'll let you know. Mixed reviews on that city due to unpredictably wet weather and modest accomodations. That being said, we are going for just the reasons Laurico stated. We are staying at a brand new hotel there .."The Renissance" (not sure of spelling) I think. We'll post when we return. We're also going to Saigon---it gets terrible marks as a tourist destination. That being said, it reflects much of what's "new" in Vietnam and warrants a cultural look see. We are using a travel agency for Vietnam. It is very expensive to book Vietnam Airlines from here. Travel Agencies in Vietnam will get you "in country prices" , and won't charge til you arrive. (same with hotels, and their rates are better than what you can do on your own). We've used VietnamStay and have been very pleased. (both last year and for this upcoming trip). Here's another tip: For in country flights in Vietnam, fly business class. It buys you way more than a seat on the front of the bus. You get to use their lounge in the airports ("free drinks, snacks, and light lunch served&quot ---and with unpredictable flight departures, you could be stuck awhile. Also you get through the lines faster, and your luggage load is not as limited. Best of all, it's about $20-30 more than a regular seat for many short hop flights, like Hanoi to Danang, and you can't beat that.