Vacationing in Vietnam

[Fafine]

Originally Posted by subordinate

damn, that's a lot of money to bring into Vietnam. Especially for 2 weeks.

Could be giving to family?

[guurl]

planning to go to mui ne and nha trang or phu quoc this time during my two week stay
sand duness!!

[Gerbs]

What would you guys do if its your first time in Vietnam and your staying for 3 weeks?

[guurl]

^ explore the country. dont just stay in one place because it gets super repetitive and boring if you do unless you have family there
go to the mekong delta, nha trang, hoi an / da nang tours, or fly up north and explore hanoi + ha long bay. wont cost you too much to travel around anyway. at least 60-80 dollar one way flight

[subordinate]

Originally Posted by guurl

^ explore the country. dont just stay in one place because it gets super repetitive and boring if you do unless you have family there
go to the mekong delta, nha trang, hoi an / da nang tours, or fly up north and explore hanoi + ha long bay. wont cost you too much to travel around anyway. at least 60-80 dollar one way flight

Just came back from Vietnam.

If you can book in advance and have a schedule. But your plane tickets right now.

I stuck with Vietnam Airlines, because of their great record. And free check-in.
If you booked early and got a super deal, some flights could be as cheap as 400,000 dong. If you were spontaneous like me, and night before.... it was 1.5 million dong at times.

The Mekong Delta, you'd need a night, 2 days for that. The day tour is a joke.

But in 3 weeks, you can accomplish a lot.

In 10 nights roughly, I did Hcm (mekong day tour), hoi an (2 nights) - toured around the island village, went to dong hoi by train, went to paradise/dark cave (worth it), then hanoi for 4 nights (did a tam coc/hoa le day tour..don't do it...you need a night/2days to really experience the area)

The hanoi one was a bit longer than expected because I had to cancel SAPA, since weather wasn't great.


But three weeks will afford you alot of time to enjoy the country. Have fun. I went solo and had a blast. I also felt incredibly safe. I mean, there are also tons of female solo backpackers.

[guurl]

just went to can tho, crossed by soc trang, bac lieu and down to ca mau to visit cha diep (father francis truong buu diep) then back up to can tho to the floating markets

[Rallydrv]

bump.

guys post updates on ur recent trips.. where to stop between ho chi min, hanoi

[Rallydrv]

booked, via united but on ana metal for 2

yvr-ho chi min

hanoi-manila (not incl._$500 cad via cebua air)

manila-tokyo (2 night stopover)
tokyo-yvr


TotalCA $1,375.22

[subordinate]

Originally Posted by Rallydrv

booked, via united but on ana metal for 2

yvr-ho chi min

hanoi-manila (not incl._$500 cad via cebua air)

manila-tokyo (2 night stopover)
tokyo-yvr


TotalCA $1,375.22

From Hanoi you could go to Ha Long Bay or SaPa/Hai Giang or Ninh Binh, depending on how long you plan on staying in the area.

Domestic flights are cheap so you could be flexible with your itinerary. I saw this deal as well, was tempted on going back again next year. Hmm.....


Where to stop between HCM And Hanoi? Tons of great places,

Da lat (coffee/tea plantations, waterfalls, hikes),
Hoi An (Tons of tourists, make yourself a nice suit) and nice night market festivals of sorts. Also Hoi An had awesome food.
Hue - Original Capital city, so tons of citadels and monuments and great different variation of food.
Mui Ne (South of HCM) - for a more beach like.
Ca Ba Island (I read people preferred this over Ha long bay).
SaPa (over night train and 1 hr bus) from HaNoi - for a country like setting.
Hai Giang (Just past SaPa) - Also Country like and less tourists.
Dong Hoi/Phong Nha Park - for Caves. I found the city of Dong Hoi very quiet/not many tourists, nice quiet environment. About a 1 hr bus ride from Phong Nha caves/park.

[Nlkko]

Heading to Nam next week. Probably staying with the family in Saigon. Anyone knows a decent late hours/247 full equipment gym in town?

[scottsman]

Star Fitness Saigon
Fit 24

google search and those came up. Might want to find somewhere close to where you are staying though.

[Gerbs]

Just came back from a 10 week back packing trip in SEA. Backpacked Vietnam in 3 and a half weeks and I felt like it was still rushed. I started in Hanoi > Phong Nga > Hue > Hoi An > Nha Trang (full of Russians) > Dalat > Mui Ne > Ho Chi Minh. I took the sleeper bus to each city and it costed roughly 5usd to 15 usd. Vietnam is such a beautiful country and was probably my favourite out of the 6 countries I've been to. The highlight of Vietnam was renting a scooter in Hue and taking a 9 hour ride with stops through the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An.

[scottsman]

Gerbs what hostels/hotels did you stay in during your time in HCMC?

Cheers.

[Gerbs]

The hangout/hideout, they are a sister/brother hostel. They hosted a pub crawl almost every night. The hangout has a more relaxed vibe compared to the hideout. The party is at the hideout and everyone at the hangout head to the hideout together at around 10PM. During the days where I did cultural stuff I actually stayed new saigon hostel/hotel and split a private room for about $25ish/night.

[Vansterdam]

Originally Posted by Gerbs

Just came back from a 10 back packing trip in SEA. Backpacked Vietnam in 3 and a half weeks and I felt like it was still rushed. I started in Hanoi > Phong Nga > Hue > Hoi An > Nha Trang (full of Russians) > Dalat > Mui Ne > Ho Chi Minh. I took the sleeper bus to each city and it costed roughly 5usd to 15 usd. Vietnam is such a beautiful country and was probably my favourite out of the 6 countries I've been to. The highlight of Vietnam was renting a scooter in Hue and taking a 9 hour ride with stops through the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An.

nice! Im planning to do something similar in a few months. Starting from Saigon then head south all the way to Can Tho, then making my way back up North via train or bus and go all the way up to Sapa then back to Saigon. gonna be making a ton of stops of different citys and tourist spots along the way.

Hope I can do lots within the 3 weeks lol. The new Lonely Planet Vietnam guide just came out a few weeks ago. still waiting for mine in the mail before I plan my trip.

open to suggestions on city/places/things to do/see/eat/stay if any of you guys got any suggestions

[Gerbs]

Rent a scooter or a motorbike and Bike from Hue to Hoi An or Hoi An to Hue. Driving through the Hai Van Pass with a bunch of backpackers I met was the highlight of the trip. Roads were super fun to drive on and the scenery is amazing. One side is the Ocean other side is a view of the whole city of Denang. If your in Hoi An / Denange make a trip out with the scooters to Lady Buddha, Monkey Mountain, Marble Mountain. I can make a list of things I did in the cities I went to if u like.

[Hehe]

Planning to head there during new year's time with family. Haven't decided which city to go.

Any recommendation on a good plan for 1 week as a family who have never been there?
We'd be with in-laws and baby... so, nothing like hiking or anything physical. Just to enjoy the culture, food and some sightseeing.

Also, would it be hard to get by with Chinese/English?

[DragonChi]

Was there a temple at the end?

That pass is super fun!

DSC01144 by Vince Wong, on Flickr

DSC01159 by Vince Wong, on Flickr

[Gerbs]

It's like ruins from the Vietnam War at the top I believe.

[J89]

Round 2 this year. Anyone going to be in Saigon on the first week of October?

[scottsman]

Come by my Brewery, We should be opening at that time.

[Gerbs]

Brewery in Saigon?

[Nlkko]

Man traffic is crazy these days. Scooters, cars, makeshift vehicles from all directions. Feel like I'm gonna die every time I get a scooter ride. Hot as fck too.

Hehe - there are transport service, for something like two fiddy, you can get a driver(who can also be your guide) driving you around in SUVs (7 seaters) for a full day to wherever you want. Might want to mix in some flying (pretty cheap) to save time and see more places.

Also bring with you toilet paper.......... Toilets in some places don't have paper... Even hotel's are French style (bidet). I learned the hard way.............................

[scottsman]

The Craft Beer scene is picking up not only in Asian but in Vietnam as well. In October/November I am opening up a 500sqm (1500sqm build out) Craft Brewery and Restaurant in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, near to the market in District 1.

We got the brewer from Amnesia in Portland.

[J89]

Post the address here when you can and I'll come through for sure

Also can anyone give a tip where I can rent a scooter? And usually how much is it per day.

Thanks.