Fred

I am thinking about going to Vietnam. What is a good time to go weather-wise? I heard the summers are miserable b/c of the rainy season and the heat.

Second, where should I go? I heard Hanoi shouldn't be missed, I am also curious about China Beach and the jungles up north where they discovered that new mammal. Any suggestion? Also, is 10 days enough?

Thanks,

Fred

nicola

I visited Vietnam in 1995.
It is a wonderful country; people are very nice and friendly.
I strongly advise you to visit Vietnam during the winter season as summers are miserable (it rains a lot). However, I should inform you that in the northern part of the country the weather is not so good ( there is a "baby monsoon" ).
Hanoi is very interesting.
You absolutely have to visit the HALONG BAY which is simply marvellous ( "Guilin on the sea").
I reccomend you to apply for ther Vietnam visa well in advance.

edna shum

I was in Vietnam in June ofl997 and again in the month of April this year. Do not go in April. It is the hottest month. Right now it is monsoon time so prepare for rain. Jan may be a better time to go. Hanoi is a must, as well as Ho Chi Minh City. If you like the beach, Nga Trang is beautiful. Prices are very low in Vietnam. The country is very poor. You can stay in a decent hotel for about $30.00US per nite.. I enjoyed the Mekong Delta area very much. I was in Dong Thap province and found the people very friendly. Do not expect too much as far as tourist accommodations. Just enjoy the people and the scenery. Transportation is dificult there--mostly bicycles and motorbikes. Food is good -fresh vegetables and seafood, rice and noodles.

mt

Given the underdeveloped transport infrastructure and that there are so many fascinating parts of Vietnman, 10 days is definitely not enough unless you limit yourself to either the north or the south. With your time limits you'd be best off taking some of the tours rather than travelling independently. The tours are loosely structured and predominantly just get you from point A to B and arrange accommodation. If you are interested in the jungles go to Sa Pa, Bac Hai etc right up near the Chinese border - but remember that just this can eat up 4 days. I found the standard of accommodation very good - the cheap hotels US$8.00 were clean and basic but with attached bathroom, fan, phone. If you want to go up market there are excellent 4 star hotels - very cheap by Western standards. Always bargain for hotels - you can easily get a good discount. Hanoi is fascinating - China Beach is a bore - just a beach but it is adjacent to the Marble Mountains - wonderful range of Buddha's and pagodas. and just down the road from there 30ks is Hoi An. Bargain the taxi drives to give you a good rate to get to Hoi An. The local bus takes a couple of hours to do the short trip.

vigdis

I agree with tm above. Ten days is not enough to cover both the north and the south. We went to Vietnam around Christmas-time and found the weather nice in the Hanoi area and really warm in Saigon (the southerns still call it Saigon), but the rain sent us out of Hue before planned. All these places are great, including Hoi An. If you visit cafes like Green Bamboo and the Darlings in Hanoi, and for instance the Singh cafes in other cities, you'll get reasonably priced food, get advices from other travellers and be able to buy tickets and tours. You don't have to book anything in advance (like hotels, train tickets etc.) For 10-12 dollars you get a decent room with bathroom,with aircondition you may have to pay 17-20 dollars. The roads are terrible. We changed from train to bus in Hue, and on one stretch of the road we spent 16 hours on distance that probably would have taken 4-5 hours on decent roads. Don't expect to much of the beaches/sea at this time of the year (December), we found it to cold. Enjoy your trip!

Mai le

Message:Hello! I was born in VN ,If You like to go to VN for holiday , the best month is from (01 to 03)weather not too hot , ofcouse you go to Vn You <BR>couldn't have accept what You see ,what You get, food in VN verry nice and friut too , the best is coconut juice and seafood ,allso in february We has <BR>VIETNAMESE new year You will have alot of fun. <BR> BYE <BR>

Wyb

Hi, <BR>I spend four weeks in Vietnam, october last year and I must say, it was just enough. Shorter is, in my point of view, not possible. You can't see enough of Vietnam in only ten days, I'm sorry. The best way to visit Vietnam is to start in Ho-Chi-MinhCity and tha travel to the north, passing dalt, Nga Thrang, Hoi An, Hue and Hanoi. Actually, that's the trip every tourist makes, so you don't need to much info in advance. Don't forget the Mekong-delta and hill tribes near the Chinees border (they're fun!). Thanks to the travel-cafe's like, Sinh-cafe and Kim-cafe it's very easy to travel through this beautiful country. You will find these cafe's in the backpackers area of HCM-city, which it called Pham Ngao Lau, or something like that. This area is a good place to start your trip, thanks to the travelcafes, because also because there are a lot of cheap comfortable hotels, filled with fellow-travellers who can give the information you need. Good Luck <BR> <BR>Wyb