Vietnam Planning
 

Hello travelers. I am working on plans for an August trip to Vietnam. I have a few questions so far that I'd love feedback on...

Itinerary

8/14 - Washington to Hanoi via Turkish Airways. Arrive Hanoi 3:20 pm 8/16
8/16 - 8/17 - Hanoi
8/18 - Hanoi to Danang on Jetstar. Arrive Danang 8:50 am
8/18 - Transfer Danang to Hue
8/19-8/21 - Hue
8/22 - Transfer Hue to Hoi An
8/22-8/25 - Hoi An
8/26 - Danang to Hanoi on Jetstar. Arrive Hanoi 3:25 pm
8/26 - Hanoi
8/27 - Hanoi, flight to US departs 9:25 pm

The flights are already booked, now I want to work on hotels.

In Hanoi we will use either Marriott or Starwood points. The choices are the JW Marriott or the Sheraton Hanoi. It seems that the Marriott is probably a nicer property, but the Sheraton is on West Lake, which looks to be a better location. Thoughts?

In Hue, a few places I've looked at are the Scarlett Boutique, Eldora, or La Residence. Any advice on these or others would be great. The budget isn't that important but I don't feel the need to spend more than I have to. Location would be the key as long as the property is decent.

For Hoi An, Starwood is set to open a resort in July. They are not yet taking bookings, so I'll hold off until I can figure out if we can book and use points there or whether I'll need to find something.

Another question I have is whether to look at taking the train from Danang to Hue. We arrive early, so there's clearly time and I've read the scenery is spectacular. Has anyone done this trip?

This currently plans 4 nights in Hue and 4 nights in Hoi An. Would anyone recommend a different number of nights between those two? We like food, shopping, architecture, temples, the beach, etc. Besides the main sights I want to do a food tour, a boat trip on the Perfume River in Hue, and a day trip to the Marble Mountains from Hoi An. Otherwise we are big on just wandering around!

As always, I appreciate the help :)

I notice that you only have two full days in Hanoi, 8/17 and 8/26 plus part of 8/27 day before your flight home leaves. (You indicate 8/16-8/17 in Hanoi, but you arrive at 3:20 on 8/16, so at most you'll have time to get to your hotel and find a place for dinner.) I would want more time in Hanoi, but you might not. So look carefully at your guidebooks and see if that is what you want. You do have three full days in each Hue and Hoi An. Whether to change that depends on your preferences. Hue has more history readily accessible; Hoi An is known for being charming but packed with tourists.

If it was my trip - and it isn't - I would want to consolidate my Hanoi time, perhaps by flying to DaNang immediately upon arrival in Hanoi.

Fortunately, you have enough time there to juggle your days a bit.

If you click on my ID you will find a trip report for Thailand and Vietnam. Part of our trip in Vietnam included a rail journey from Saigon to Hanoi which I think must surely cover the section you are thinking of doing. We found the scenery to be spectacular - more detail in the TR itself.

Thanks RM67, I will definitely take a look. I'm leaning towards the train instead of just a car transfer.

Kathie - I know, I'm probably not giving Hanoi enough time. My original plans were all about Hue and Hoi An. I was pretty sure we'd fly into Saigon at first, so Hanoi was a second thought. Unfortunately (or not), I've already booked my Jetstar flights, so I'm locked into the days in Hanoi. I am just hopeful that all the options in each city will be amazing.

And I'm pretty sure - you gave me great Indonesia advice a couple of years ago for Yogyakarta? Any advice on activities in Vietnam that shouldn't be missed would be great. We are the types that can wander around temples for hours :)

HANOI

Neither the Sheraton nor the Marriott are in great locations. For sightseeing, ideally you would want to be somewhere around Hoan Kiem lake/ the old quarter. Of the two, west lake is probably a little more convenient.

Lot to see in Hanoi. Depends on your interests but I would certainly pay a visit to Ho Chi Minhs mausoleum and the nearby complex. The Military museum is worth a look as is the Ethnograpic museaum, temple of literature, St Josephs Cathedral and of course a wander in the old quarter and around Hoan Kiem Lake.

Some of these places are covered in our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/ our time in Hue and Hoi An are also covered there.

HUE

We stayed at La Residence a few years ago. A very nice Art Deco hotel. The river view rooms are the best option. It is right on the river in a good location for Imperial Citadel and the river but is a 15 min walk from the main restaurant area downtown. We didn't find it a problem but it will be hot in August.

Spoilt for choice for food and temple sightseeing there. A day combining the citadel and a boat trip on the perfume river is a great option and maybe fit in a few markets. The Imperial tombs are arguably even more impressive. They are spread out so choose which ones you want to see or get a tour. We did some in a half day tour and some by bicycle. Hiring a taxi to take you around is another option.

MARBLE MOUNTAINS AND TRAIN

No need for a day trip to the mountains as they could easily be included in your transfer between Hoi An and Hue expect to pay around $50-60 with a couple of hours at the mountain. I wouldn't let the driver take you to one of the beach restaurants. We took one look at the fish sunbathing in 35c heat and moved on!

The train is a terrific 4 hour ride with great views of china beach if you get clear weather ( almost a certainty in Aug) . I wouldn't bother with first class air con, second or third is ok and the windows open for picture taking.

HOI AN

Very quaint but absolutely packed with tourists these days. For that reason I would be inclined to stay a little way out from the main town as it does get manic, especially in the evenings. I would however stay out at the beaches athe they are not that great and it is a long way into town. A day trip out through the countryside by bicycle to the beach is a nice way to spend a day. There are also the Cham ruins close by ( My Son??)

Some great restaurants there but if you want to eat at one of the famous ones (Ms Ly's etc. Then you need to book in advance. The Chinese assembly halls and merchant house are all very interesting. As I recall you need to buy a ticket which covers 5 sites in one day.


I think you have the right division of time between Hue and Hoi An. Both are very different and both are great for wandering around. As with most places it pays to have a general idea of where to wander. If you like markets, then both have very interesting and busy markets.

Like Kathie, I would have allocated more time to Hanoi as there is so much to see - just start early and finish late!

Thanks for the feedback! We will just have to make the most of the time we do have in Hanoi :)

<<<Another question I have is whether to look at taking the train from Danang to Hue. We arrive early, so there's clearly time and I've read the scenery is spectacular. Has anyone done this trip?>>>

Yep. September 2015, took the 0835 train from Danang, which arrived in Hue just under 4 hours later.

We booked 3rd Class tickets as the 3rd Class carriages have open windows which are great for the views and photo opportunities, and also it's a good way to get close to real Vietnamese people for a short while. Higher Class carriages have fixed windows which will inevitably be dirty. You can stand between carriages for taking photos, but you'll be sharing that space with smokers and the regular stream of vendors plying up and down the train.

Sit on the right-hand side for the superb views, and whatever Class you decide on you'll need to book in advance as all seats are allocated. We booked in person at Danang train station a couple of days in advance, 3rd Class ticket cost 42K dong, just short of a couple of US$. Great fun journey.

Question...Hue has an airport a few miles south of the town, so why fly to Danang? you could have had your stay in Hue, and then, if you wanted, get the train to Danang and a 40 minute taxi ride to lovely Hoi An.

I think you've made the right decision flying in to Vietnam at Hanoi. The international terminal is excellent, not overly busy, and the transfer into the city is quick. You can change money immediately after you've picked up your bags and walked through Customs. Saigon Airport, on the other hand is very busy, and the transfer into the city can be very lengthy as gridlock isn't unusual at the moment. I read in the Vietnam Post that over 1,000 new scooters are registered every day in Saigon!

Hanoi Domestic terminal isn't quite as efficient as the International one. We had a flight almost 3 weeks ago to Phu Cat [for Quy Nhon] leaving at 0740. Even though we checked in online, and had a separate check-in desk, it took an age for the queue to move along. Clearing security also took longer than it should have. I think the problem is that a lot of Vietnamese don't travel by air much, and they put silly things in their bags which slows queues down. So my advice is to get to the Airport in plenty of time. The drive by taxi from the city takes about 35-40 minutes.

We stayed in Hanoi last month for 8 nights [5 + 3] and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but the 2-wheeler traffic is manic. When crossing the road it's an ordered madness.

I agree with Crellston about the best areas to stay in Hanoi [+ French Quarter and the area close to the Cathedral, just west of Hoan Kiem Lake]. The roads around Hoan Kiem Lake are traffic free at weekends, which definitely improves the experience.

Loads to see, we walked miles and miles coming across things that you won't see in a taxi. A lot of sights close at lunchtime for an hour or two, so check the opening hours out before visiting.

I carried a compass and an half decent map to navigate the streets, but almost every street has the street name well signposted which really helps getting around.

Regarding hotels, we loved Essence D'Orient (and sister hotel Essence) in the old town. I would also consider the Apricot as it is right on Hoan Kiem lake, and if I remember correctly has a rooftop pool.

Excellent, thanks everyone.

Sealstep, Apologies for hijacking this thread! LancasterLad how did you like Quy Nhon? Worth the trip, any recs. for accomodation etc.?

I will second Essence D'Orient as a Hanoi hotel. I just checked out yesterday after a 2 night stay. The location can't be beat, smack dab in the middle of the Old Quarter. You can walk to a lot of sights within 30 minutes from here. I would return to this hotel if I make it back to Hanoi

Susiesan. Did you have a street facing room at the Essence? Was there any noise? The Old Quarter rocks after dark.

Crellston. I know my trip report is overdue. I'll post something on that thread this afternoon about Quy Nhon.

The rooms at The Essence D'Orient that face the street have doors and windows that are triple glazed, so once they are closed you have absolute silence. It's a brilliant location, masses going on all around you, and we thought the staff were lovely - see my TR for more info on why. The restaurant is pretty good too.

RM67......Thanks.

I will definitely check out The Essence D'Orient!

LL: we had a street facing room on the third floor, no balcony. Even on a Sunday night when there was lots of loud music playing we could barely hear it. But it was turned off around 10:00pm. The other night we never heard a sound.

In Hoi An, we stayed a 10-15 minute walk outside of the old town at a lovely little hotel, Betel Garden Homestay. It consists of individual bungalows, 10 rooms only, in a peaceful garden setting. There is a nice pool. The room was large with a big bathroom that had a tub and shower. We booked a cooking class and a trip to My Son from them and also borrowed bikes. One night they had a dinner for all the guests staying there that night.
http://www.betelgardenhomestay.com/index.htm
I would absolutely stay here if I'm ever in Hoi An again.

Thanks for the Hoi An hotel details! That looks like a contender.