Vietnam Travel Forum

Hi

Im thinking about traveling to Phan Thiet area in October, any idea what the weather will be like? Finding it hard to find out from any travel sites.

Many thanks...

We are going to Saigon December 18th and then onto Cebu PI the 23rd. We come back to Saigon on Jan 14th. Our round trip tickets are from Atl to Saigon and back, so we have to enter the country two times plus I would like to take a bus to Cambodia, so we will need tourist multi entry fro 30 days. What is the best method of getting our visas? We have to get the visas before we leave?
What is the smartest and safest way to purchase visas?
Thanks

Hi,

I'm planning to take a train from Nanning in China to Hanoi in a few months time. I've read that there is a morning train departing from Nanning to the border, where you can take a taxi to the border itself. Similarly on the other side you can take a taxi to the local train station in Dong Dang. The train to Hanoi seems to take a very long time, in my opinion - does anyone have any experiece with other means of transportation from Dong Dang to Hanoi? How much do you think a taxi would cost, and how long would it take? Any busses going that way?

Thanks, I appreciate the help!

Hi . We are planning a trip to HCMC for late October and have been looking at some hotel booking sites. Has anyone used the reservation service through Vietnam Hotels & Travel Service or by the other name of Asia Pacific Travel. We planned to book for 3-4 nights then look at other hotels whilst there as it's our first trip to Vietnam. Any info would be appreciated.
Cheers

Rob

We will be in Vietnam in two weeks time. We will be there for three weeks at the moment have not made too many plkans other than the first four days in Hanoi then we leave from HCMC three weeks later. Have asked many and have conflicting advice about whether or not to take precautionary Malarial medication. What is everyones view?

anyone know the daily schedule for Cty KIM MA (Q5) sai gon to VL?

Hi everyone,

Can I get the visa to enter Vietnam when arrivng at Hanoi airport? Or do I have to get the visa before arriving in Vietnam?

We will be travelling to HCMC in August and were wondering if we would be able to exchange GB pounds travellers cheques in the banks there?

Have other tourists ever gone on their own back to do the Mekong Delta tours and hired their own drivers/boats? Each tour I read about seems to do the same things, but we don't particularly want to do the floating markets (having already done all this in Thailand). If we do this, can the boat operators take us to the other places mentioned in the tours?
Thanks in advance
Leigh

I am going to Vietnam in August for a relaxing week then a tourist week. I was wondering where a good place to stay in Hoi An would be for a relax.

Is the beach nice?
Or do the hotels in the city have nice pool areas?

We will be going to Hue and Hanoi after that, but thought Hoi An would be interesting but still near a beach so you could relax.

I have conflicting advice about whether to pre-book a hotel in Hoi An and a flight to Hoi An from HCMC now, or wait until I arrive in HCMC in August.

Some say cheaper once you get there
Some say more than 30% more expensive if you don't pre-book
Some say internal flights are cheaper but hotels more expensive

1. Do you recommend pre-booking internal flights
2. Do you recommend pre-booking a hotel in Hoi An

Thanks for your advice in advance.

Hi,

I will have 1 day in HMC at the end of my Cambodia tour. I arrive late afternoon on 06/10/08 and I fly out at 8.30pm on 07/10/08. Does anyone have any suggestions on "must sees" in the city that can be accomplished in one day? I know it's not a lot of time but I'll come back and tick Vietnam off my list in another trip.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Hi all

Does anyone know any tour operators that do 2-3 day tours of the mekong delta starting in either Phonm Penh (or Chau Doc), and finishing in HCMC? All the ones I've seen start and end in HCMC.

Thanks for any suggestions!
Mike

Hi,
Can someone please tell me how to travel from HCM to Hui An and then to Hanoi ?
What are the local airlines and their time schdule and fare between these 3 places ?
Is HCM to Hui An further or Hui An to Hanoi ?
How long does it take to travel by train?

Thank you

Ckpeng

Hi all!

need some suggestions regarding train services to Sapa. I'm soooo tempted to book the Victoria Express, but it's waaayyy too expensive.

Anyone with experiences on these trains? I was looking at Royal and Livitrans trains.... are they any good?

thanks!!

I'm looking for the cheapest flights from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City. Does anyone know what airlines do this route and if there are any low cost airlines that do this?

I am looking for the cheapest company that does domestic flights in Vietnam. I have heard that it should be fine to just go and book on the day from Vietnam Airlines however we are travelling around Christmas/New Years and don't want all the flights to be full so would prefer to book them beforehand. Does anyone know

1) are domestic flights within Vietnam likely to be full during the Christmas/New Year period or will we be okay booking once we get there?

2) what other airlines offer domestic flights within Vietnam and can we book online with them?

Many thanks!

Hi there me and my mate are travelling in vietnam over the next few weeks and are looking for some tips.

Basically we fly into hanoi on 23rd july and are wondering about getting to halong bay for no more than 2/3 days... we are looking to spend as little as possible but still have a good time. does anybody know how much and who we can book with?

After hanoi/halong bay we are going south to Hoi An/Nha trang before going into ho chi minh city. we will be travelling by train (any advice on this?)
When we are in Nha Trang/Hoi An we are wondering if there are any islands we can get to that we can stay in like a beach hut for a day or two? and what other things would you advise doing in these places and ho chi minh city?

Also how do we book from ho chi minh to phnon penh?

Would appreciate any advice/tips on anywhere in vietnam (travelling from 23rd july to 5th August in Vietnam) then cambodia until 11th August
Chris :)

i need help regarding feedbacks and contact numbers of Hanoi Guesthouse. Thanks in advance.

hey all,
Does anyone know if I can bring snake wine into the U S? I leave HCMC on Monday, kuala lumpur for two nights, bali for two weeks, then home via a layover in Tokyo. Can I bring the snake wine into all of these places, or would I do better to ship it? Thanks for any answers!

Help needededdd....

End August would be bringing my 7 month old baby to HCM.

SOme things that i would like to know :
1. Is the tap water at HCM drinkable?
2. Is there any good and affordable accomodation to recommend? Any budget serviced apartments to recommend.
3. Would like to make day trips from HCM. Any recommendations??
4. Is it possible to do a day trip to Hoi An? with a 7 month old baby? How do i do it?
5. What are the sightings that i should not miss out at HCM?
6. Where are the places that i can get branded overuns for my child and adults??

Thanks.

4 of us are travelling to Vietnam in August - what is the best way to get from Da Nang airport to Hoi An Beach Resort hotel? Any recommended taxi companies? Any hints/tips? Any idea of price for 4 and luggage? Thanks

I will be going to HCMC this weekend and am wondering what is the 'unofficial exchange rate' for US dollars and Singapore dollars at the gold shops? I know the bank rates are 12,000+(Singapore dollars) & 16,000+ (US dollars). Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

Hi
I am doing a mini tour of SE Asia this august. I fly inot Hanoi, Vietnam on the 3rd August and fly otu of the area from Bangkok to Hong Kong on 19th August. Hence i have 2 weeksto get from hanoi to bangkok. I was thinkign of goign thru Luang Prabang, Laos into Chiang Mai and then down to Bangkok. However i am not sure abotu the time and ease of the route
Does anyone have any advice or other routes to recommend ie. vic HCMC etc

cheers
steve

I am planning to visit Vietnam in Jan 2009 with my exclassmates, all are male. We are keen on adventuring and trekking. I have read about Topas Ecolodge and Cao Son Ecolodge, it is quite new to me, especially Cao Son Ecolodge.

Plz advise me more info about this!

Thanks in advance

I have reading about this new mall - has anyone visited this place recently? IF so, where is it and is it easy to get to and what sort of goods does it sell?
Thanks
Leigh

I have heard that Levi's have opened several stores in Vietnam now. Can you advise the location and if they are a decent price (compared to Australia). Or does anyone know where I can purchase 'cheap' Levis.
Thanks
Leigh

I will be travelling to Hanoi with my husband and parents for a holiday from 12th August to 26th August.

This is our first time to Hanoi and I have heard many good things about it. Can someone recommend where we should go and how long we should stay in each of the place? Which hotel would you recommend in Hanoi?

I also understand the mountains and Halong Bay are good places to go and not to miss. Is it better to do a two day one night trip to Halong Bay or do you think I should go for a three day trip (with overnight on the boat)?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Pls help. My husband will be in Da Nang on july 14. He plans to go to hanoi on the 16th. Whats the cheapest way to get there? is it also possible to travel by land to get to hanoi from da nang? How long is the travel time if ever?

I'll be in vietnam for 3 weeks in August, landing in HCMC. I want to travel by car north to Hanoi, then back. We'll have 3 people, including a vietnamese citizen (so no language problems), and want to keep the plans flexible. Is this a reasonable plan, and does anyone have any recommendations for a driver or agency? Thanks for all the fine advice in the past.

Oh, and I wouldn't mind hiring secondary local guides in some of the areas.