Which itinerary Vietnam ?
 

Guide + car (driver) in Vietnam. If you could suggest any comments about itineraries, I'd be really happy.
I want to add 3 days in my current itinerary but I don’t know which part of Vietnam add on. Sapa or highlands central. My heart is torn between the two of them.
I plan this tour with a lot of advices in the forum and asking with local travel office as Vietnamstay, Tonkin Travel...

1/ Add Sapa
Day 1 Hanoi Arrival
Day 2 Hanoi – half day sightseeing
Night 2: Hanoi - Lao Cai
Day 3: Lao Cai - Sapa - Cat Cat - Su Pan - Ban Ho (Hard trek)
Day 4: Ban Ho - Nam Toong (Hard trek)
Day 5: Sapa – Lao Chai & Ta Van Villages – Lao Cai – Hanoi
Night 5: Overnight on a 4-berth A/C cabin, soft sleeper on the train back to Hanoi
Day 6: Hanoi
Day 7 Hanoi – Ha Long Bay
Day 8 Ha Long Bay
Day 9 Ha Long Bay – Hai Phong – Danang – Hoi An (Brunch)
Day 10 (Hoi An Ancient Town
Day 11 Hoi An Free
Day 12 Danang – Ho Chi Minh City
Day 13 Ho Chi Minh City - Sightseeing
Day 14 Ho Chi Minh City – Cai Lay in Ben Tre – Can Tho
Day 15 Can Tho – Lady Hau Cruise
Day 16 Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh City
Day 17 Ho Chi Minh City - Departure

2/ or Highlands center
Day 1 Hanoi Arrival
Day 2 Hanoi – half day sightseeing
Day 3 Hanoi – Ha Long Bay
Day 4 Ha Long Bay
Day 5 Ha Long Bay – Hai Phong – Danang – Hoi An
Day 6 (Hoi An Ancient Town
Day 7 Hoi An Free
Day 8: Hoi An – Danang – Buon Ma Thuot
Day 9: Buon Ma Thuot – Trung Nguyen Coffee - Ako Dhong, An Ede Traditional village
Day 10: Buon Ma Thuot – Lak Lake – Elephant ride - hill tribe villages – Dalat
Day 11: Dalat
Day 12: Dalat – Ho Chi Minh City
Day 13 Ho Chi Minh City - Sightseeing
Day 14 Ho Chi Minh City – Cai Lay in Ben Tre – Can Tho
Day 15 Can Tho – Lady Hau Cruise
Day 16 Can Tho – Ho Chi Minh City
Day 17 Ho Chi Minh City - Departure

What is the best route?

My vote is for the first itinerary. You definitely do not have enough time in Hanoi in your second one. We loved our time in sapa.

IMO though, I would add 1 1/2- 2 days in hue and take time away from Saigon or Can tho.

The first one looks best to me. You could manage with one night on Halong Bay, I'd add any extra days to the Sapa region, we really enjoyed the trekking. What time of year is this planned for ? That might make a difference for getting better weather.

I think one night on HB is good. Also one night in Can Tho is fine.

The trip is on November. We avoid traveling during winter especially if we visit the north.
I read some advices for discovering Sapa but I was wondering how rice fields are on November, still green?
Futhermore, I have heard city tours in Dalat can be boring?

We went to Sapa in October and I thought it chilly, I'm from a warm climate, so feel the cold. You might be okay with the temps. Weather.com or similar will give you average temperatures.

Whether the rice is growing then or not, (and Google might know) the scenery is stunning, with terraced fields, rugged mountains and valleys, plus an insight into a local tribal life.

I think you'll get a good taste of Vietnam, and I encourage you to try the street food (after your own due diligence/research on the possible risks) it was fine for us.

Can't help with Dalat, sorry.

You should choose the 1st Option.

Yes, Sartoric, some webpages about Vietnamese food create a feeling of enthusiasm. We reserve no restaurant on evenings during the trip, we will look for once we are in-country.

About rice fields, I have read that there is only 1 harvest in the North Mountains, rice grow up from April until September. So, in November, the rice will be cut.
In the North delta, 2 harvests (January until May and May until October). In the south delta, 3 harvests (January until May, May until October and May until January).

There's still beautifully terraced slopes, whether they're brown or green. I really can't remember if the rice was growing during our October trip, it was 5 years ago.

The mountains are spectacular. The best part for me was trekking with a hill tribe guide who led us through amazing scenery while explaining parts of a culture so very different from what I know.

I'd seen rice growing before, so it wasn't that important for me.

In Ha Noi I did the same with food, most times the street food at the sidewalk was better than sit down restaurants.

Hope your trip is fab, please let us know how it goes.

Sorry to add confusion buy adding a third option, but have you considered adding in the "Dien Bien Phu" loop from Sapa back to Hanoi?

It takes 3-5 days and could easily be added into either itinerary with a little rearrangement. just get the train to. Sapa, send few days there and either use public transport or get a car, driver/ guide to drive you back to Hanoi via DBP Lai Chau, Son La and the lovely Mai Chau ( always worth a couple of days). We have done this trip once with a car and driver and will likely be doing it again under our own stem maybe in. Nov 14 or March 15. It is little visited by tourists bit lots of interest from minority peoples and villages , to one of the largest dams in Asia and DBP itself I'd fascinating if you are at all intersted in the tragic history of the country - this is where general Giap finally defeated the French and ended their colonisation of Indochina.

Here is a link to some info on travelfish about the loop.
http://www.travelfish.org/feature/196

And a few of my own photos
http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/3/tpod.html

Buon Ma Thuot is nice enough but if found it all a little underwhelming ( possibly because the police stopped us from visiting any of the minority villages so all we really ended up doing was to drive around admiring the scenery and the ( great place to buy coffee but that it!) . Lak lake was pleasant but again no minority villages visits) maybe things have changed but do check with your operator to ensure that you will get out to the villages otherwise it just Minot worth e effort..

August is the best time to see the rice paddies at their best.

We did the loop Crellston mentioned and liked it. We had a driver. Mai Chau is really nice and you might consider a night there even if you don't do the loop.

You say your heart is torn but you have never been to these places.

I would say slow down and enjoy the trip. Ticking things off a list involves lots of packing/unpacking and moving around which means less time to enjoy it.

Novice travellers always seem to be rushing around for not much. Experienced travellers slow down and enjoy it.

Thank you, your loop 3 / 5 days is fabulous in mountains. There is another loop on the East of Sapa: Ha Giang and Cao Bang.

Hello,
In Hanoi, which is the best?
Electric car or Vietnamese cyclo?
What is the difference?

Too much tootling about for my liking so I don't really have an opinion about what is best.

For Vietnam I stayed 7 nights in Hanoi and 5 in Ho Chi Minh.

I loved Vietnam, particularly Hanoi.

"In Hanoi, which is the best?
Electric car or Vietnamese cyclo?"

I mostly walked.

I presume an electric car is a car that runs on electricity, ask whoever suggested it. This is a cyclo:

http://www.masterfile.com/stock-phot...icipal-Theatre

And watch out for crooked taxi drivers.

Itineraries by electric cars are more interesting to get an overview of the area and highlights. However, we will explore more fully on foot after.

I would like to figure out something more:
Who already attend to the performances called A O show?
There are different shows: the village, wow…
Are there differences between shows? One more acrobatic, another more musical etc

Thank you