Vietnam Itinerary - 19 days in Feb/March 2007
 

We will be arriving in Hanoi early on 2/21/07 and departing out of Saigon on 3/10/07. The Hanoi and Sapa hotel and train reservations are booked already due to our plans to travel to Sapa with friends who are already in SE Asia and because I have heard that booking ahead is a good idea around the time of Tet.

2/21 - 2/23: Hanoi (Hong Ngoc 1 Hotel)
2/23: overnight train to Sapa
2/24 -2/27: Sapa
2/28: arrive back to Hanoi on train early morning, begin overnight on junk boat (Buffalo tours?) trip to Ha Long Bay.
3/1: return to Hanoi, fly to Danang, transfer to Hoi An
3/2-3/3: Hoi An
3/4: Train or Fly to Nha Trang
3/5-3/6 : Nha Trang
3/7: Bus or Train to Saigon, overnight Saigon (stay w/friends)
3/8: Mekong Delta overnight (homestay?) Con Tho
3/9: Return to Saigon, overnight with friends
3/10: Fly home to Portland, OR in the afternoon.

Now I am beginning to question whether we should skip the beach and explore Hue and/or Dalat instead. We have recently been to the beaches of Hawaii and Costa Rica and are hoping to enjoy the cuisine, scenery and culture of Vietnam... without rushing too much. All ideas and suggestions are welcome! I've been reading this forum for a few months now and realize that similar questions/itineraries have been mentioned. Thanks!

This feels rushed to me. I'd be inclined to drop both Hoi An and Nha Trang (where I didn't think the beach was that great in the first place) and add more time in Hanoi plus Hue. It will probably rain in Hue, but the town is very atmospheric anyway. The food is great everywhere.

i think it is way too rushed....most of your time is spent travelling from one place to another...

I agree, slow down and experience a bit of VN. I loved Hanoi, and would recommend that you have some time there rather than just use it as a base to Sapa and Halong. Your first two days you'll be contending with jetlag. You're spending more time in Sapa than in Hanoi!

I'd definitely skip the beach, but do pause and consider what you want most from this trip. As is, you'll spend most of your time in transit, except for your four days in Sapa.

I think we've decided to skip the beach, add another night in Hanoi and 2 nights in Hue. We will fly from Hanoi to Hue and from Danang to Saigon so this should save some transport time. I'd like to wait until we arrive to reserve hotels, flights and transportation for the portions of the trip after Ha Long Bay. We want the flexibility to alter the itinerary towards the end if it seems to rushed. My husband is a chef and we eat at Vietnamese restaurants frequently. Please suggest some favorite restaurants or food experiences we must try! Thanks.

I would skip Nha Trang, but not Hoi An. The town is the reason to visit, not the beach (beach is nice, but it's not Hawaii or Costa Rica). You live in Portland, so you seen much more spectacular forest and waterfalls than Dalat has to offer, so don't bother.

A few restaurants you should try in HCMC are:

Tib
Temple Club
Xu
Nam Phan
Mandarin
Quan An Ngon