Vietnam Travel Forum

Hi,
We are planning to vietnam 6 days 5 nights . I want to see Hanoi, halong, Sapa, (May be Hoian) any suggestions for a good tour operators in Hanoi.
Thanks in advice!

Hi, I am singaporean, am going to vietnam for a short holiday, my girlfriend who is a vietnamese give me an address to visit her at Huyen thap muoi. Is there such a place? Is there any hotel at this place? Is there a travel agency there? Can someone give me the hotels and travel agencies name? What are the attractions and place of interests there in tinh dong thap? I will greatly appreciate any help. Best regards.

Hello!!

Now that I've got my Hue trip planned would like to ask for advice on Hoi An. We move from Hue to Hoi An and planning to stay for 2 nights then fly back to Saigon via Danang.

Any suggestions on what to do? Among all that I've read, I am interested in the My Son half day tour, is there anything else I can piggyback on that tour on the same day or will My Son be tiring? Also, any hotel suggestions? WOuld like to keep the budget around $25-40/room.

Thanks so much for your help!

Jekie

I've read some previous VT tips regarding ODC and they seem to be generally favorable so I intend to book an overnight cruise with them. To have a confirmed booking however, their terms in their website stated that they need not just my credit card details but also my 3 signatures.

Since I'm suppose to divulge credit card info, I need to know if this is a reliable company and if others who have toured with them had no booking problems.

Thanks for any replies.

Hello!!

Planning a trip to Hue and was wondering if anyone can help me plan the places to visit in Hue. We are a group of 6 adults and would want to go around by ourselves so that we don't need to be rushed instead of going on a packaged tour. We will be in Hue for 2 nights then we move to Hoi Ann for another 2 nights before heading back to HCM.

Are there any not to be missed places? We are interested in historical and adventure type of activities. Do you think it is better to hire a car/van to take us around on specific places of interest? Also, are there any places between Hue and Hoi An that we can pass along when we move to Hoi An?

Your inputs will be highly appreciated!

Best,
Jekie

Hi guys, any idea if Karibon mask is avaiable outside of Vietnam ?

Hi everybody!

Need suggestion for a hotel very close to the airport. we arrive Saigon past midnight of Oct29 and was thinking of taking the 7am flight to Hue so would need a cheap but clean place to crash for a few hours.

Thanks in advance!

Jekie

This may have been asked and answered several times, but I still haven't found a clearer direction/instruction on how to cross overland from Hanoi to Luang Prabang. And some entries are quite old.

I am a female traveling alone in October. From Bangkok to Siam Reap to PP to Saigon to Hoi An to Hanoi to Luang Prabang to Vientiane to Chiang Mai and back to Bangkok. But with this route, the vaguest one was with the Hanoi and Luang Prabang route. Please, i need info on this one. Would really appreciate. Thanks! :)

Several operators offer 1-day tour which includes about 4-5 hours on the junk, sailing and visiting a couple of caves. returns to Hanoi about 8 p.m.
Has anyone done this? Any comments?
thx

I am planning to go to Vietnam in November this year. I am entirely ignorant when it comes to Vietnam geography- it is a very impromptu decision.
I am wondering if anyone has any advise as to where I should go in Vietnam? I have no idea!
I am planning to go for 10 days mid Novemeber...any thoughts?

I am debating bringing a laptop to Vietnam. I'd like internet access to plan ahead and stay in touch. Is wi-fi readily available? free? fee? I will go to HCMC, Hui An, Hanoi and a few other smaller cities. I will save myself the weight if access is not readily available. Thanks.

Hi please tell me if I should take a 3D2N or a 2D1N tour for Halong Bay. Thank you.

Day 1
- Reach Hanoi at about 1400
- Hoan Kiem Lake
- Water Puppet Show

Day 2
- 3D2N Halong Bay tour

Day 3
- 3D2N Halong Bay tour

Day 4
- Come back from Halong Bay and proceed to Sapa

Day 5
- Sapa

Day 6
- Night train from Sapa (Lao Cai) back to Hanoi

Day 7
- Hanoi city tour and proceed to Hue in the evening

Day 8
- City Boat tour in Hue

Day 9
- DMZ tour

Day 10
- Morning bus to Hoi An

Day 11
- My Son Cham Holyland tour

Day 12
- Morning bus from Hoi An back to Hue
- Night bus from Hue back to Hanoi

Day 13
- Hoa Lu & Tam Coc tour

Day 14
- Leave Hanoi

Please give some advice/suggestions for my itinerary.

I'm afraid that if I stay too long in Sapa, I may fall sick after going back to lowland areas. so I choose the 2D3N tour for Sapa. Is it enough to see the highlights there?

By the way, I'll be travelling alone. Is the itinerary safe for solo female traveller?

Thanks a lot!

Hello All,

I'm posting on behalf of Buffybird (who is too busy travelling just now)

Heather & her hubby are spending 5 nights in HCMC, and want some ideas on day trips. They are interested in military-type things, and other than suggesting Cu Chi, what else is close enough to do in a day?

Does anyone know if it is possible to book a day trip to Long Tan, for example?

Thanks!

Hello everybody and apologies for the cross posting, but there isn't a forum for South East Asia in general.

My laptop has all but died and needs to be replaced in the next couple of weeks. Currently in Vietnam, then transiting through Malaysia to Indonesia. I'm not looking for a top of the range model because I'm travelling for some time to come and it will be knocked about quite a bit - I honestly don't expect it to last much more than a year, so the very cheapies are what I'll be looking at.

Does anyone travelling through these countries recently have any experience on where will be the cheapest to buy? Flying out of all 3 so VAT refunds not a problem if I spend enough to warrant one.

Thanks in advance

My friends and I are spoilt for choice between a trip to

1. Perfume Pagoda,
2. a city tour,
3. Tam Coc (Inner Halong Bay),
4. Hanoi - Bich Dong Cave and
Thung Nang - Capital Hoa Lu,
5. Hanoi - Cuc Phuong National Park
6. Kenh Ga Hotspring - Phat Diem Cathedral.

We can pick two from the above. Any suggestions or recommendations (taking into account the heat in Hanoi at the moment)? Thanks.

Hi, the following are the places that I'll be going in this coming December.

Hanoi -> Halong Bay -> Sa Pa -> Hue -> Hoi An -> Ho Chi Minh City

1. Is this route ok?
2. At least how many days should I spend in each place?
3. Is HCM Mausoleum closed in December?

Thanks a lot! :)

Has anyone used ODC Travel Company for Hanoi day trips and Halong Bay boat trips? I would like to read reviews about them, whether they're a good operator to sign up with.

I would appreciate if anyone has other good local operators to recommend. Thanks.

C

I’m reading that Chanh Hung night fish market have moved to another place. Does anybody knows this new place and what is their address or is it still close to Cholon?

We're thinking of hiring a car and driver to take us from Hoi An to Dalat (and later from Dalat to HCMC). Which will be the most scenic or interesting route, road 14 then 27, or 1A as far as Phan Rang? Or is this a bad idea altogether?

I went to the www.indochina-junk.com web site, having decided on the Red Dragon tour, e-mailed them, and got a reply from a "tropical-sails.com" e-mail address. Are these two companies the same thing?
I always prefer dealing directly with the supplier and avoiding middle-men, so there is no finger-pointing if things go wrong.

Would anybody be able to recommend a good tour company in Vietnam. We are only there for 2 weeks and will fly in and out of Hanoi. We wanted to go to Sapa and the Bac ha markets, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and Hue. We would have liked to have visited Ho Chi Minh but I don't think time will allow.

After reading reviews here and at other sites, we have pretty much decided to book with Indochina Junk for a trip late July. We are my wife and I, our 6 year old daughter, and my mother-in-law - all experienced travellers.

1. From the Indochina Junk web-site, I think I've figured out that the Red Dragon and the Princ are of similar quality in terms of luxury, except that the Princess has fewer cabins and more varied itineraries. Could someone advise if I have this wrong? Are there other differences between the junks?

2. I have read about different cabin sizes on the Red Dragon - would it be possible for all four of us in one triple cabin with a cot, or something, or are we looking at getting two cabins? Similar question about the Prince.

3. Most interested in this one: has anyone sailed on any of these boats recently, as in, the past month? Are they still as good as most other reviews say they are? No major changes?

Thank you.

So I'm arriving in Ho Chi Minh City tonight (this morning) at 12:30 am. I've got a flight to Da Nang tomorrow at 11:30 am. I'm not sure what to do in the interim. I've heard that you can't sleep at the airport - Is that true? Also, I'm not able to book hostel rooms online because it's too late. I'm thinking about finding a room when I arrive, but do I have any other options?

Anyone has fashion boutique, tailor (for the local wear "ao dai") and restaurant recommendations for our holiday in Hanoi? Thanks.

Would anybody be able to tell me which airlines fly from Hanoi to DaNang? I know Vietnam Airlines do but are there any others? Thank you

I posted about booking online with Vietnam Airlines ,which still waiting for an email from them .my booking transaction was not compelted for some reason (never had that problem which any other airline)
I called SFO office and even vietnam but still no etickets.
Was wondering has anyone book online with jet pacific airlines an aussie airline but has domestic flights in vietnam.
Does anyone know the visa fee for single entry for 30 days .Called and email vietnam embassy and web site no mentions of the fee.
Thank you

I will be in Ho An from 30th September to 3rd Oct 2009

Can anybody tell me if the full moon festival falls during this time?

Many thanks

I will be in Vietnam for ~ 14 days. We are flying into the north, doing a day in Hanoi, maybe a day in Sapa, a couple of days in Halong Bay, and then heading to the middle of the country to do Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An. After that, we're heading to Cambodia. I can either fly out of Saigon or out of Nha Trang to get to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We originally planned to head from the middle down to Saigon, but after reading some great reviews about Da Nah, Hue, Hoi An and Nha Trang, I'm thinking it makes more sense to spend extra time there instead of Saigon.

Thoughts?

Thanks!!

Will be arriving in Vietnam Ho chi minh, end of Jan 10, is 6 nights enough to see main attractions, can anyone advise me of the must sees and any nice beaches near to Ho chi minh and how long would it take me to get to Hanoi from here on local transport or could I get a driver for a few days cheaply?
Many thanks in advance