Vietnam - September 2015
 

First trip Vietnam, but loads of other trips all over SEA.
Any comments welcomed...

Day 1: Arrive at 1250 HCMC with Qatar Airways
Day 2: HCMC
Day 3: Fly Vietjet to Dalat (50 minute flight)
Day 4: Dalat (Le Petit Paris and City of Eternal Spring))
Day 5: Dalat
Day 6: Dalat
Day 7: Dalat
Day 8: Fly Vietnam Airways to Da Nang (80 minute flight). Bus (60 minutes) to Hoi An
Day 9: Hoi An
Day10: Hoi An
Day 11: Hoi An
Day 12: Hoi An
Day 13: Hoi An
Day 14: Bus to Danang. Stay overnight
Day 15: Train to Hue (3 hours) - v.scenic
Day 16: Hue
Day 17: Hue
Day 18: Hue
Day 19: Train (sleeper?) to Nimh Binh
Day 19: Nimh Binh
Day 20: Nimh Binh
Day 21: Train to Hanoi (3 hours)
Day 22: Hanoi
Day 23: Hanoi
Day 24: Hanoi (possible Halong trip)
Day 25: Hanoi (possible Halong trip)
Day 26: Hanoi
Day 27: Fly Vietjet to HCMC. Overnight HCMC.
Day 28: Evening flight to London

Flights booked from LHR-SGN with Qatar Airways via Doha. Cheaper to fly into HCMC than to Hanoi.
Internal flights booked with Vietjet and Vietnam Airways. Inexpensive and website easy to use.
Visa on Arrival (US$10 for approval letter + US$45 on arrival for stamp).

That is a whole lot longer than I would want in Hoi An. Don't miss the museum in Danang.

Thanks. What in particular didn't you like about Hoi An?

If you do Halong, do more time in Hanoi. How about Sapa?

If you go to Halong, I'd add a day in Hanoi. I'd also add a day (or two!) in HCMC. Maybe remove those days from Hoi An? I believe the weather is also pretty bad in Hoi An that time of year.

Hoi An is attractive but very, very touristy. Great place if you want to have some clothes made, but there are better places if you want to feel like you're in Vietnam.

I would spend more time in Hanoi, and agree with posters above that you could cut time in Hoi An.

Sapa is very worthwhile as an alternative to Ha Long Bay. It's easy to book either of these trips only a few days in advance, you will have a better idea of the likely weather then.

In HCMC the War Remnants Museum was very moving for me.
Try all the street food !

FWIW I think you should add a day or two to Saigon, loads to see and some great food there. I would highly recommend 'Ms Yangs home stay. I would suggest a couple of days in the delta but not sure about the weather at that time of year.

Dalat is a good base for exploring the central highlands Buon Ma Thuot etc and some of the
montangnard Villages etc. but otherwise 4 days is too much.

As an alternative to flying Dalat to Danang, you could get the bus say to Nha Trang and the train from there. Good call on the Danang-Hue train ride. Great views IF the weather is kind.

I agree with thursdaysd re too much time in Hoi An. Quaint and pretty yes but overrun with tourists. A couple of days is enough unless you are looking for beach time. Apparently there is now a fee for entering the town!

Halong bay doesn't do it for me but many like it. Bali tu long is perhaps a quieter and better option.

Sapa is worth considering as is Ha Giang. If you are into trekking then you could combine Ninh Binh with a trek to some of the less visited villages. Great experience. We used Ethnic Travel in the old town.

Some more info and photos on our time there earlier this this year on our blog.

http://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/

Craig, needmorevacation, thursdaysd, sartoric, and crellston. Thanks for all that, much appreciated.
We're committed as far as Day 8, but it's back to the drawing board with the rest of the trip.
Love your blog crellston, I think I'll be giving it a bit of attention.

I've discounted doing much travel by road, due to the horrendous accident statistics in Vietnam. We survived the Prithvi Highway in Nepal between Kathmandu and Pokhara in both directions last year. But journeys like that on roads like that certainly focus your mind. So even though the action and local life is at ground level and not 20,000 feet, there are times when the head must rule over the heart.

And after reading crellston's experience of long distances on Vietnam Railways I think we'll stick to relatively short rail trips like Danang to Hue, and between Nimh Binh and Hanoi.

I rather enjoyed the trains - aside from a truly horrendous night train to Sapa - but they didn't win any prizes for comfort. They were a good way to meet locals.

Surprised by the accident statistics. Looking at the city traffic, you expect an accident at any moment, but I never saw one. My first visit (2002) I took open tour buses south from Hue with a detour to Mui Ne and I don't remember the roads being that bad. Certainly nothing like Nepal.

I found travelling by road in Vietnam reasonably ok. Much better than in Cambodia where my wife actually got hit by a car!
The one exception in Vietnam was on a bus journey back to Saigon from Cantho. 10 mins into the journey the driver switches on his iPad and starts watching a movie whilst driving!!! Karma rules in Vietnam....

I enjoyed the train journey along the length of the Reunification Express, a long held ambition - I just didn't get any sleep! To be fair , I don't sleep that much anyway but the track and suspension in Vietnam are pretty rough to say the least so it doesn't make for a comfortable ride.

A couple of short trips in the main compartments is a great way to meet and speak with the local people, but you will usually have to make the first moves as they tend to be quite reserved. Once they get going, there is no stopping them!

LL Notwithstanding your comments re road travel, have you looked at Easy Riders around Dalat?

<<<LL Notwithstanding your comments re road travel, have you looked at Easy Riders around Dalat?>>>

I've never been on a motor bike! I got put off for life when my brother was a very lucky pillion-rider in a fatal accident a long time ago.

Easy Riders does look a great way to go though...

http://dalat-easyrider.com.vn/

Thanks again [and thursdaysd].

Saigon deserves more time.

Hi.

Congrats on your upcoming trip.

Like other travelers I think you have too much time in Hoi An, even if you were to love it. I stayed 4 nights at a beautiful beach resort and still wish I only had 2 nights. For me, I would have added the days to Hanoi or Luang Prabang where we also went. Hoi An was enchanting enough but not a relaxing place if that's what you want and not authentic enough if that is what you desire. Highlights were a few lovely meals and a cooking class. Disappointments was the beach, the tailor and the crowds. It was also unbearably hot.

However, I did love Ha Long Bay. Choose your junk wisely and choose your offered activities wisely too so you can slow down and relax on the beautiful bay to see the sights. For me it was well worth one night, especially since I had a few extra days in Hanoi.

Good luck.

One more thing, I'm jealous do your time in Dalat and can't wait to hear about it.

Why no HCMC? I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but I loved it and found it exciting, authentic and had some of the best meals on the trip. There are some unique historical sights as well, though not as beautiful as Hanoi. I was so pleased to have had 3 nights there.

Take care.

LL - I do see your point. I understand that Easy Riders will offer similar trips to their motorbike excursions by car if preferred. Dalat is ok for a day or two byputvthe best of the highland is to be found out in the countryside and villages.

Agree about less time in hoi an, although I found it charming. IMO two 1/2 days would be fine in hue. We loved sapa and did not consider the train to be horrendous. In fact, we were able to get a 4 person berth and slept fine. It isn't the smoothest of rides though!

Just came across a few cautionary newspaper articles...

- Speeding buses...

http://www.thanhniennews.com/society...nam-42810.html

- Afloat on Halang Bay...

http://www.thanhniennews.com/society...bay-42818.html

- Theft on tourist boats...

http://www.thanhniennews.com/society...oat-39876.html

and a good reason to keep your 'bling' out of sight..

http://www.thanhniennews.com/society...eet-42811.html

LL - the trains will be safer than the roads, but if you want first world safety standards you need to stay in the first world.

thursday. Yep, I know what you mean, life is a risk wherever you go, even at home. I posted the links mainly as a reminder for me to read again a bit closer to our arrival date.

Trouble is, these days with stacks of info available at your fingertips, everything is there from the sublime to the ridiculous, mostly sound, often fictional, promotional, or deliberately malicious. So unless you are skilled in reading between the lines, or completely trust the information provider, then it's so easy to make the wrong decisions [I'm good at that!].

Even on this thread [and TA] people say, stay longer; stay less; I wouldn't really bother going there; Hanoi is better than HCMC; HCMC is better than Hanoi; Don't miss Sapa and Halong; The Meekong Delta is a must visit. Mind numbing, I wish we had 3 months and not just 4 weeks!

But good homework and preparation is all part of the journey. I've borrowed from our local library the latest Rough Guide and Lonely Planet Guide Book to help with the planning, but obviously won't use them as a bible [we've been bitten by some Guide Book recommendations in the past!].

Two and a half months in Vietnam and we still could have stayed longer. I guess we got used to the driving standards - almost! The one thing that the local people repeated again and again was "don't travel on the night buses". We took that advice to heart. They wouldnt do it so neither would we, despite having done this many times in South America.

In mountain areas where there is little between you and the abyss on most of the roads. Crash barriers are non existent. The Vietnamese seem to have an unshakeable belief that they will not have an accident. Despite this, I think we saw three in our first 24 hours in Hanoi!

You are right about the polarisation of opinions on Hanoi and Saigon. They are very different, but i would really find it hard to choose between the two. In sept I suspect you will get much better weather in Hanoi if that makes a difference.

I applied for our Visa Approval Letter via www.vietnamvisapro.com on Monday @ 0900, and paid the US$18 (total for both of us).

The application was immediately acknowledged by e-mail.

Received the Approval Letter by e-mail @ 0800 this morning (Wednesday), together with the Visa Application Form.

The Approval Letter, completed Visa Application Form, and US$45 per Visa have to presented to Immigration at Ho Chi Minh Airport on arrival.

Visa application form, which was attached to our Visa Approval Letter looks like...

http://vietnamvisapro.com/vietnam-vi...on-arrival.pdf

All very straightforward, and risk free.

If we want to Fast-track through the Airport then Vietnamvisapro charge US$15 per person.

Dear LancasterLad,

Weighing in on your Vietnam itinerary, just a few different thoughts and observations, and a little more about the why. My experiences in both Saigon and Hanoi were ruined by the extreme pollution, which in both cities made my eyes water so badly I was forced right back into my hostel in order to breathe. I'm not allergic to anything I know of- but I was astounded at how bad it was. Blame the motorbikes. I got a facemask, that helped a little, but not the eyes. They burned and burned and burned. I saw nothing in either city and in fact did my level best to get the H out of Dodge so that I could breathe. That took hours of driving to get out from under the blanket of smog. Remarkable.

I spent January 2014 there. Did 8 days of homestays in the far north. Found Sapa to be so touristy and the villagers so aggressive on the street that it was depressing. The villages on the way there were fantastic. Sapa, I'd never, ever go back. It's overbuilt, and they are building more and more and more and more hotels. The homestays on the way (all northwestern Vietnam) were unbelievable, the people gracious, the food fantasitic. Worth every single penny. I will say this much, our guide from the 8 day trip had a mother working in the ethnic market in Sapa, and she took us directly there. THAT was wonderful.

Hoi An is little more- to my mind- than a series of shops, and shops, and shops, and shops. Pure tourist credit card heaven. If that's your thing, stay there. If not, there are so many other gorgeous places to be. I concur with the above. One day in Hoi
An and you are quite done unless you are serious shoppers. Recommendations to stay or not stay somewhere come from our personal tastes. I like the countryside, the experiences, the adventures, the people, the stories. Shopping, one day. Enough already. You may prefer something different.

Like you I mostly flew. Although I did do the massive caves- the Nat Geo ones, you have to do some serious hiking to go see. Worth it. A train is involved to get north. Can't recall the town (sorry, I'm in Thailand right now). It's a genuine once in a lifetime expedition, and I'm not talking about the tourist caves right in town. The big ones way off Ho Chi Minh Trail. Gigantic. Mammoth Jaw dropping Worth the work to see.

Mekong Delta? Meh. I did the floating market tour. Very touristy. It was okay. Nothing mind-blowing. You get carted around to see this that and the other, the guides seem very bored, and I don't blame them. If I had it to do again, I'd track down a solo operator and ONLY go see the floating market, as the sun came up, when it's most active. Forget the tour if you don't like schmaltzy touristy stuff. I don't.

My last suggestion is that you invest in a little time to learn a few key Vietnamese words before you go. This is harder than you may think. Vietnamese is much harder than Thai. I hired a family member from the family that does my nails and yard, the one who is a computer teacher. Weeks of work. You have to study where the air flows through the mouth, tongue and throat to get the accent and pronunciation right, and listening to tapes is useless if you want to be understood- or I should say that it sure didn't work for me with Rosetta Stone. My friend was kind enough, and patient enough, to drill the key phrases so that I went prepared. Boy it was worth it.

My advice is worth the air it's written on. My fondest moments happened in the far north in the hilltribes during the homestays. As a Vietnam Era vet, it was most meaningful for me. I had some real challenges, valuable ones, on this trip. One lesson I learned was to have more phrases under my belt. The other lesson I learned in spades was to not trust a tour operator to provide adequate gear. If you like to do epic things (and I do), grill the operator in advance about everything. I didn't. Oh my goodness, lesson learned. Priceless.

You'll love the food. Adore the people. And you will laugh out loud at the language of the car horn (you'll remember this if you ever sit in the front seat with a Vietnamese driver) and also, who really rules the road. Starting from the right: the bulls, the cows, the carts, the people walking with them, the cyclists weaving in and out of them, the motorbikes weaving in and out of the people, the carts, the bulls, the cows, the cyclists, all of this forcing any car to pass them which means the car is in the middle of the road on the center line, and so is the oncoming car, or truck or semi,. and everyone's horn is blasting away, and on they come closer and closer, and at the last minute four motorbikes swerve right in front of your headlights, and....

Welcome to Vietnam. Just wait til you drive around the tight curves on the mountain roads!

Have fun.

Great itineary - if you need any recommend for the hotel or travel agent then do not hesitage to ask me
Good luck

Why do you plan to go to Ninh Binh, not Sapa.
In my opinion, Sapa, or Ha Giang is more attractive than Ninh Binh with variety of Ethnic Group and original daily life.
Moreover, there is Mt. Fanxipan that is the highest mountain in Indo-china at Sapa. It is really breathbreaking scenery.

We've decided to leave Hanoi and the north of Vietnam to next year, and mix it with a few days in Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. So we're sticking to the South and Central Vietnam on this trip.

All accommodation and flights are booked [and paid for], and this is our final itinerary...

Day 1: Arrive at 1250 HCMC with Qatar Airways
Day 2: HCMC
Day 3: Fly Vietjet to Dalat (50 minute flight). Dalat
Day 4: Dalat
Day 5: Dalat
Day 6: Dalat
Day 7: Dalat
Day 8: Fly Vietnam Airways to Da Nang (80 minute flight). Danang
Day 9: Danang
Day10: Danang
Day 11: Danang
Day 12: Train to Hue. Hue
Day 13: Hue
Day 14: Hue
Day 15: Hue
Day 16: Hue
Day 17: Bus or train/bus to Hoi An. Hoi An
Day 18: Hoi An
Day 19: Hoi An
Day 20: Hoi An
Day 21: Hoi An
Day 22: Hoi An
Day 23: Hoi An
Day 24: Fly Vietjet Danang to HCMC. HCMC
Day 25: HCMC
Day 26: HCMC
Day 27: HCMC
Day 28: HCMC. Evening flight to London via Doha

Accommodation, all comfortable B&B has come out at...

HCMC (District 1) - Hong Han Hotel. £31 for 2 nights

Dalat - Dreams Hotel. £94 for 5 nights...

Danang - Rainbow Hotel. £78 for 4 nights...

Hue - Mondial Hotel. £122 for 5 nights...

Hoi An - Travel Lodge Hotel for 7 nights. £136 for 7 nights...

HCMC (District 1) - Duc Vuong Hotel. £86 for 4 nights.

Expenditure so far for both of us...

Return Flights - LHR ro SGN £864
Internal Flights x 3 - £189
Hotels (27 x B&B) - £547
Visas inc authorisation letters - £72
TOTAL = £1,672 (cUS$2,508)

So with spending money, we should come in at around £3,000.

jhubbel. I completely missed your long and interesting posting [blush]!

Congratulations, Lancaster!! It must feel great to have it all decided at last! Already looking forward t oyour report. No North?- Darn, we coulda had a mini Fodors gtg!
Quite true what you said about sorting through vastly different recommendations!

Can you take a flight into Hue instead of Danang or is the airport still closed? Hue to Danang to Hoi An to HCMC (fly from Danang) doesn't require as much backtracking.

Marija. There's no direct flights from Dalat to Hue.

We're looking forward to a few nights in Danang. It's often overlooked by people rushing north to south [or visa versa], and we want to see what the weekend Dragon Bridge performance is all about.

As we'll be taking the atmospheric and scenic 3rd Class train from Danang to Hue, and probably the open tour bus from Hue to Hoi An, then hopefully it won't feel as though we're backtracking.

Off to Heathrow soon. Flight @ 1505.

Got an e-mail off Qatar Airlines a couple of days ago telling us we've only got 55 minutes between flights tonight at Doha. Arr 2355 and Dep 0050.

A bit tight, but as both flights are with Qatar Airlines I'm chilled about it.

Hope you have a great time LL. Good luck with the connection!

Bon voyage!!!!!!

No problem with the connection. Infact take-off from Doha was delayed by 2 hours!

VOA was simple enough, took 20 minutes.

Walked to Domestic Terminal, and a Mai Linh taxi to District 1 cost 144,000 dong + 10,000 dong airport fee, which translates to £5.

Have a great trip! Looking forward to reading about it!

My 2c worth - cut a day from Hue. A very quiet place. Add an extra day to the latter part of your trip.

Happy Travels. I loved Viet Nam.