vietnam trip
 

We will be traveling to Vietnam next Feb on a cruise with one day stopovers in Ho Chi Min,Nha trang and Hue/Danang,does anybody have any ideas on what to see the oranised tours are a bit pricey for us,but this trip is a tester for the future.Also we have a 2day stopover in Singapore and Hong Gong,be great if anyone can help us.swintonion.

In Saigon most of the main sights are all in or close to District 1. Highlights include the Independence Palace, The War Remants Museum and maybe Ben Than market. The opera house and Notre Dame Cathedral are worth a look from outside and the Post Office next to the cathedral is worth a look inside. The Jade Emperor Pagoda is also worth a quick visit.

In Hue the main sites are the Imperial Citadel and the Imperial Tombs and a trip on the Perfume River. Easily done by taxi or a group tour. Cost should be in teh region of $20_50 pp for a day trip by bus. A little more by taxi.

Some info and photos can be forum in the vietnam section of our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/

Nha Trang has some Cham ruins just outside the city which and the harbour is worth a look. Apart from that I really wouldn’t bother getting off the boat! Da Nang is also a place where I wouldn’t spend too much time but the marble mountains just outside is worth a couple of hours. Again some photos etc. on our blog. If you like seafood there are som great fish restaurants along china beach.

I agree with crellston except I would absolutely visit the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Danang. Certainly no need for a tour to do that.

I suggest picking up a copy of Lonely Planet or Rough Guide which will tell you how to get around these places on your own. Or use google maps.

dear crellston,Thankyou very much for your information,i certainly will take it on board.

Dear thursdaysd,I will pickup a lonely planet,i did not how close we docked to the places.thank you.

Thursdaysd.....Hi. I think that the Museum of Cham Sculture only really interests people who are really interested in that sort of stuff. I thought it was just another dusty museum with little character, or anything to interact with.

Different folks, etc. I thought it was fascinating. I saw it early in my time in SEA and it was a totally new aesthetic.

We stayed at the inexpensive Rainbow Hotel for 4 nights, immediately facing the river in Danang. We had the Penthouse room, which has a fantastic roof terrace with panoramic views right across to the South China Sea, and left and right up and down the river. All the bridges are illuminated at night, and when the Dragon Bridge comes to life at 2100 on weekend nights it's a spectacular sight. The promenade was also busy in the evenings with all sorts of fun going on.....by day fairly nondescript. We were on the 6th floor, but the hotel has a lift.

That was mid-September time. Beautiful weather during the day and evening. But each night late on the heavens really opened up, accompanied by very strong winds.

I think we paid something like the equiv of US$25 a night for the room including breakfast, with pre-ordered breakfast brought to our room to enjoy on the roof terrace. Great vfm.

From Danang we travelled to Hue by train, spectacular scenery on the train [sit on the right hand side]. We were washed out in Hue for almost 5 days during a Tropical Depression.

erictran,Thankyou ever so, it is good to be armed with plenty of info to choose from.any info on Singapore for 2 day stop over.thanks

Swintonion.....have you invested in any Guide Books? Treat them as a friend and not as a Bible, and you'll get lots of really useful information. Also use the wikivoyage web pages for individual destinations.

This a v.good one for a short stay in sterile expensive Singapore...

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Three_days_in_Singapore

Stacks of good stuff there.