Hanoi Travel Forum

We plan to visit Vietnam in May and will fly into Hanoi, continue to HCMC before heading home. We would appreciate any suggestions on the Hanoi leg as follows:

Day 1. Arrive Hanoi past noon, check into hotel with plenty of time to explore.
Day 2. Hanoi - full day.
Day 3. Hanoi - full day. Overnight train to Sapa (2D/3N).
Day 4. Sapa. Overnight in Sapa.
Day 5. Sapa.
Day 6. Hanoi - full day. Arrive around 6am.
Day 7. Halong Bay (2D/1N tour). Overnight in Halong Bay.
Day 8. Hanoi. Arrive back late afternoon.
Day 9. Morning flight to HCMC.

We have probably 3.5 days in Hanoi. Is the plan do-able? What will the 'must-see' that I'll be missing......with such short time in Hanoi.

My own personal opinion would be that 3.5 days in Hanoi is too long. Once you have seen Uncle Ho's mausoleum, Temple of Literature and maybe a museum or two, there's not much else, depending on how much time you might like to stroll around the old quarter, look at the markets etc.
My cousin did a day trip down the coast to the Perfume Pagoda & Ninh Binh to do a boat trip thru some caves (Tam Coc), which he enjoyed.
I would have prefered the extra day in HCMC, myself.

Bugger! I'm there for 6 days Betska! Guess I'll have a look at day tours too. But then, we've got the baby...so we do everything at a really slow pace. I wonder if the Perfume Pagoda trip would be too much for him? Sorry...I've butted in...

No no no, Budgie,
That's just my opinion, I was hoping more people may have entered into this discussion with their own views...you might love Hanoi!
One thing that I did mean to mention, was that my coz. went to see the water puppets, and really did enjoy the show.
Bring your notes/guide books on Saturday & we'll discuss more!
betska

Agree with Betska in the sense of having enjoyed HCMC more than Hanoi. However, I do like the sound of that itinerary. Excellent choice having 2 days at least in Sapa. Many treks to do and can also do overnight homestay. Could even do three days with 1st overnight at hotel in Sapa and 2nd overnight homestay at Ta Van, for example.
Also good doing overnight on Halong Bay cruise - that could be extended to a 2-nighter if you wish.
I can recommend the daytrip from Hanoi to Tam Coc and Hua Lu. Did not do the Perfume Pagoda as I think you pretty much get a similar experience to Tam Coc. I rate both Sapa and Halong Bay as better adventures than Tam Coc.
Hope this helps.

Did Hanoi , much prefer Saigon for the extra time. I saw Halong Bay which was great but now I have no reason to go back to Hanoi.I am back in Vietnam in May and no way heading for Hanoi.No didnt like it.Saigon rocks! 8 nights of pure Saigon Bliss.At $463.00 AUD return I may go once a month.

Yes. that is a doable plan. You will find plenty to fill in you time in Hanoi. I loved walking the streets of the Old Quarter, this fills in heaps of time and is very interesting. I also did quite a few tours that were good, and quite a few on my own. The City Tour was well worth doing, you will find different ones to choose from with your interests. More info on my pages.

Firstly, thanks for all the replies.... betska, JohanIsWeg and balhannah.

The 2 group tours most definitely to join, are Sapa 2D/3N and Halong Bay 2D/1N.

We need recommendations on which tour operator to go with? Read that sinhcafevn.com is popular and has reasonable prices.

Must we book the tours in advance or book only when in Hanoi? Will the tours be cheaper compared to online booking?

We were wondering whether it makes any difference with any operator as most are likely "middlemen" so thought of just going with the cheapest available.

You needn't book tours in advance, there are dozens of travel agencies to choose from when you are there, and they are close together. Prices do vary for the self same trip, most they can't vary, except like Halong Bay cruise (Luxury, budget, etc) Perfume Pagoda is a pilgrimage, and when you arrive, you will walk past lots of eateries with all types of animals that the Vietnamese eat. This was the only place that I saw that in Vietnam. It is different altogether to Tam Coc, but you go on the same route some of the way, then branch off. Both of the tours were good, different and very interesting.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions and help. Will be heading there in May 09.

Day1: Arrive Hanoi at night.
Day2: Hanoi
Day3: Hanoi-Halong. Overnight in Halong
Day4: Halong-Hanoi-LaoCai. Overnight on train
Day5: LaoCai-Sapa. Overnight in Sapa
Day6: Sapa-Bac Ha-LaoCai-Hanoi. Overnight on train
Day7: Hanoi
Day8: Hanoi-HCMC
Day9: HCMC
Day10: HCMC-Mekong Delta. Overnight in CanTho
Day11: Mekong Delta-HCMC
Day12: HCMC
Day13: HCMC
Day14: Depart HCMC.