Vietnam

tech

Hi Looking to head to Vietnam for 2 weeks with some friends, in Jan

Would 2 weeks be enough or should we try to go fro longer? Is there much to see and do there?

Also I think you need jabs and a visa?

Tks

wallpaper12

You will definately need more time than 2 weeks to see all of Vietnam, a month would be best if you wanted to hit all the main tourist spots. Vietnam is a lot bigger than people think.
You can apply for a visa online and collect at the airport if you are flying in, this is probably the cheapest way to do it.

For vietnam you will either start in Hanoi or Ho Chi minh from my experiences the majority of people were going north south but there was still a good few going the other way too.
I will give you an idea of the main tourist places in Vietnam.

You could start by spending a few days in Hanoi, one or two would probably be the max at the start as it is quite over whelming. Hanoi is the base for trips both to Halong Bay and Sapa which would both me 2 or 3 days each and after each trip you will have to return to Hanoi so the time in Hanoi adds up.
After Hanoi head south on the overnight bus to Hue, think its around 12 hours maybe spend a day or two here then its a 4 hour trip to Hoi An.
Hoi An is amazing, one of my favorite places in Vietnam. You can get clothes made here and the beach a couple of miles from town is one of the nicest iv ever seen and virtually deserted during the day.
After hoi an its another overnight trek to Nha Trang, this is the kind of beach party town of Vietnam but watch out there is a high chance of being robbed here. From here you can head to Dalat or mui ne, i cant remember which is first. Dalat is an adventurous place in the mountains while mui ne is another beach town.
After these you can head to Ho chi minh, which is amazing loads to do here along with visits to the cu chi tunnels and overnight stays in the mekong delta.

I think that pretty much sums up the main highlights of vietnam so as you can see no way could you visit them all in 2 weeks and would probably even struggle to see them in a month!

Capri

Re the visa - I'm married to a Viet so I have a 'Residency visa' that allows me to come and go freely but before I got that I found applying to the Viet Embassy in London could take 3-4 weeks, the on-line visa seems to be done thru a travel agent and they email you a letter with a reference no. that you present at the airport.
The way I used to travel was Dublin - Abu Dhabi / Dubai - Bangkok - Phnom penh, then get a visa at the Viet Embassy in Phnom Penh in 24hrs for US$40, then I'd get the HangChau express boat down river to Chau Doc and get a Hue Nghia ( pronounce - HUE NEE-YA) coach to my town in the Mekong Delta but you can get a coach from Phnom Penh to SaiGon direct, or you can fly Bangkok - SaiGon with AirAsia if you have a visa.

IF you want a 'relaxed' holiday I'd suggest - DUB to PhnomPenh ( leave DUB 8pm - arrive Phnom Penh 9am 2 days later ( the return trip can take as little as 24hrs from SaiGon to Dublin ) having taken in an overnight in Bangkok (taxi from airport €10, hotel in Soi11 Sukhumvit €12/nt, taxi back out to Airport €10 ) Phnom penh (visa on arrival $20 ) hotel on Sisowath Qy beside river $10-15/nt, VN visa $40, bus from PP to SaiGon (you MAY be able to get a 'sleeper' bus - big fully reclining executive seats - check if they do them ) buses stop near Pham Ngu Lao in District 1 (the backpacker area ) so plenty of cheap accom. Get a map and get away from the 'tourists' ! Street Food wise - Pho Bo (pro- FAW-BAW) is beef noodle soup. Com (pro - GOM ) is rice + pork/duck/(rubbery)chicken. Bahn Bao is steamed rice bun with sausage meat and 2 eggs inside it. Bit Tet is hotplate beefsteak with egg / pate/stuffing and fresh baguette. Cafe /Caphe is iced/hot coffee - my personal favourites are Caphe Da (iced black coffee with sugar or Caphe Sua Da ( like a non - alcoholic Baileys ), you can also get Da Chanh (sweet lemon drink ) at these stands. I ALWAYS eat street food, just sit down beside the locals and enjoy it - much tastier than 'Food courts' / fast food places and no side effects. There are also mobile HotDog and Kebab stands springing up but they're not real Viet food !!
For relaxation I head to Vung Tau by boat from SaiGon ( few issues about crowding / condition of boats in local media but better that the roads ). The ferry terminal is on the Front beach,m plenty of 'tourist hotels' here and a good place if you like sunsets and prominade walks and restaurants. I stayed in the Petro House hotel on Tran Hung Dao st, just a 200m walk from the Front Beach area and theres a 'European' supermarket just a the junction beside the hotel. They will rent you a scooter for €5/day that you can use to explore the coastline more than if you walk /taxi it !! VT is like an i - the ferry terminal is midway along the right side of the i, if you motor along to the top of the i thats the hill with a big statue of jesus on it, com down the left side of the i and thats Back beach with sunrises and surf - best to go around the coastline as VT is a city and the centre part might get you confused but it's still interesting .

I've been to HaNoi / Dalat /Nha Trang - each of them is beautiful in their own way but better do the 'easy' trip first rather than a whirlwind that won't allow you immerse yourself in local food /life.