Three Weeks In Vietnam

El Director

Hi guys. Myself and my wife are going to Vietnam in June for three weeks. We are flying into Hanoi and making our way south to HCM. I would appreciate any advice and tips as to what to do and see.

Thank you in advance.

mx5ire

Hi

First things first - i would suggest getting the current Trailfinders South East Asia brochure, it gives a good few pages of detail on Vietnam, where to go, good hotels and some good local tour suggestions.

In each of the cities Hanoi and HCM, i would absolutely suggest taking bicycle Tours, day or evening, or both. They are quite simply a brilliant way to see the cities, and guides will take you off the beaten track and you will get to see places / sights/ people that you simply would not see if you stick to the standard big 4 or 5 sights in each city. To my mind, hands down the best way to really see a city.

Both Hanoi and HCM are well worth a few days, not sure if you have done big Asian cities before, but they are just heaving masses of life and sight and smells, and both have great historical sights, e.g in HCM, the Presidential (Independence) Palace, Binh Tay market, War Remnants museum, Cao Dai temple, jade emperor pagoda and Notre Dame cathedral etc etc.

Eat lots of street and market food, particularly if you are on a cycle tour, the food in Vietnam in general is great. HCM has some really cool rooftop bars in the hotels, the Caravelle hotel rooftop is famous as war journalists used to stay there, and the bar is just a nice place to hang out.

Up north Ha Long bay is spectacular, quite touristy, but well worth the visit. You could stay up there on a boat, or just commute up from Hanoi. Boat tour or kayak, just gorgeous.

In the middle, you have a must see in Hoi An town. A beautiful UNESCO heritage town, amazing ancient architecture, the old shops and temples and some great food. Do an evening cookery course there. Oh and the famous covered bridge. I would say stay out of the town in one of the beach hotels, some really nice ones there, get some beach time, and get hotel shuttles into the town itself. Cycling the local area is great too, in and around paddy fields, again, a great way to see the place.

The city of Da Nang is close to Hoi An, and worth a look too, witness the huge american airbase there, Pagodas, and the beach is good for a city too. The local marble mountains are good to visit too.

Hue is a must see as well, the old imperial city and walls, and various pagodas etc.

Nha Trang is worth seeing, an older resort with some good history, lovely beach but a bit costa del sol for me. Further south is Mui Ne, a smaller beach resort but quieter and good for some sit down time.

Hope some of that helps....

El Director

mx5ire wrote: »

Hi

First things first - i would suggest getting the current Trailfinders South East Asia brochure, it gives a good few pages of detail on Vietnam, where to go, good hotels and some good local tour suggestions.

In each of the cities Hanoi and HCM, i would absolutely suggest taking bicycle Tours, day or evening, or both. They are quite simply a brilliant way to see the cities, and guides will take you off the beaten track and you will get to see places / sights/ people that you simply would not see if you stick to the standard big 4 or 5 sights in each city. To my mind, hands down the best way to really see a city.

Both Hanoi and HCM are well worth a few days, not sure if you have done big Asian cities before, but they are just heaving masses of life and sight and smells, and both have great historical sights, e.g in HCM, the Presidential (Independence) Palace, Binh Tay market, War Remnants museum, Cao Dai temple, jade emperor pagoda and Notre Dame cathedral etc etc.

Eat lots of street and market food, particularly if you are on a cycle tour, the food in Vietnam in general is great. HCM has some really cool rooftop bars in the hotels, the Caravelle hotel rooftop is famous as war journalists used to stay there, and the bar is just a nice place to hang out.

Up north Ha Long bay is spectacular, quite touristy, but well worth the visit. You could stay up there on a boat, or just commute up from Hanoi. Boat tour or kayak, just gorgeous.

In the middle, you have a must see in Hoi An town. A beautiful UNESCO heritage town, amazing ancient architecture, the old shops and temples and some great food. Do an evening cookery course there. Oh and the famous covered bridge. I would say stay out of the town in one of the beach hotels, some really nice ones there, get some beach time, and get hotel shuttles into the town itself. Cycling the local area is great too, in and around paddy fields, again, a great way to see the place.

The city of Da Nang is close to Hoi An, and worth a look too, witness the huge american airbase there, Pagodas, and the beach is good for a city too. The local marble mountains are good to visit too.

Hue is a must see as well, the old imperial city and walls, and various pagodas etc.

Nha Trang is worth seeing, an older resort with some good history, lovely beach but a bit costa del sol for me. Further south is Mui Ne, a smaller beach resort but quieter and good for some sit down time.

Hope some of that helps....

That's bloody awesome...thank you so much for taking the time!

mx5ire

You are welcome - its a brilliant place to visit - just do your research before you go. Cycling in the heat can be hard work, but its well worth it.

downtheroad

I'd recommend Easy Rider if you are interested in a day or 2 motorbike tour. http://easyrider.vn/

These guys picked us up, 1 person per motorbike, and took us on a wonderful tour from Dalat to Hoi An (if I remember correctly - it was a good few years ago now). They can take luggage on the bike too. A really cool way to see the countryside and they are very safe drivers if either of you are nervous about travelling on a motorbike.

Definitely eat as much street food as possible, it is amazing and for nothing. Sit on the streets of Hanoi enjoying bia hoi (local beer) and watch the world go by.

Cu Chi tunnels near Saigon are worth a visit for the history.

It's one of my favourite countries I've visited, highly recommend. You'll have a great time spending 3 weeks there. The poster above has given a great run down.

stargazer 68

I have never been - will some day!
My daughter went and had an amazing time. She did the tunnels and also a moped food tour - which she said was fantastic.

https://vespaadventures.com/

These are the ones she used but there are lots of them. Francis Brennan did it in his RTE programme.

woodchuck

Both Sapa and Halong Bay are my top recommendations. You can get to both from Hanoi, but they're in opposite directions, so just take that into account when you're planning your itinerary.

To make the most of the limited time we had, we got the overnight train to Sapa, spent one night in a hotel and then got the overnight train back to Hanoi. That meant we had 2 full days in Sapa. We also saved a little money on accommodation by sleeping on the train 2 nights!

El Director

Thanks folks. Very helpful! I’ll post here our plan and also I might update where we went and how it went as we go along.

First Up

I recommend you find some video of how traffic operates (especially in Hanoi) before getting on a bike. Even walking across streets is not for the faint hearted.

CageWager

I split my time between Dublin and Da Nang.. its well worth a visit and often gets passed over as it is very close to Hoi An but you should do both. When in Hoi An, I stay in a really cool little spot called Zen Boutique Villa which I’d highly recommend.

fred funk }{

Search YouTube for Harold Baldr.

Mrcaramelchoc

Op would you mind telling me how you are flying there?its hardly direct from dublin is it?and if you don't mind how much the flight is?I'm thinking if going myself but ill be going solo.

First Up

OP, I assume you have familiarised yourself with visa procedures?

The J Stands for Jay

El Director wrote: »

That's bloody awesome...thank you so much for taking the time!

Totally agree with that person, but I would add Sa PA to that itinerary. Hiking in the mountains with indigenous guides.

El Director

First Up wrote: »

OP, I assume you have familiarised yourself with visa procedures?

Not really actually! I knew there was something but it slipped my mind again!

El Director

Anyone know if there are any shots we need to get?

heffo500

El Director wrote: »

Not really actually! I knew there was something but it slipped my mind again!

I went to Vietnam last September, if you go on to the Department of Foreign Affairs website you will find the Vietnamese Government website link for applying for the Visa, took about 2/3 days for approval and was about $25.

There are loads of sites if you Google it to apply for the visa but they're a rip off, just use the official website.

Ha Long Bay

heffo500 wrote: »

I went to Vietnam last September, if you go on to the Department of Foreign Affairs website you will find the Vietnamese Government website link for applying for the Visa, took about 2/3 days for approval and was about $25.

There are loads of sites if you Google it to apply for the visa but they're a rip off, just use the official website.

Here is the official website for the e-visa. Once you apply they usually issue it in 2-3 days.

https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/trang-chu-ttdt

First Up

El Director wrote: »

Not really actually! I knew there was something but it slipped my mind again!

You need to sort it. You can do most of it online. There are companies that offer meet and greet services as part of the Visa process but I don't think they help much.

I think there are more reliable sources of information about vaccinations than a forum on Boards.

heffo500

El Director wrote: »

Anyone know if there are any shots we need to get?

Myself and the girlfriend got our shots with the Tropical Medical Bureau, they will offer discounts for Students and if you have the VHI.

I think it was one visit and cost approx. €120-150

heffo500

We did this tour below with G Adventures and it was excellent, if you wanted to go the organised tour route.

https://www.gadventures.com/trips/explore-vietnam/AVHNG/

One of the highlights for us was Mai Chau sounds very similar to Sapa and not too far from Hanoi.

Ha Long Bay

Another thing to bare in mind is the weather it will be wet season in parts.

https://www.selectiveasia.com/vietnam-holidays/weather/june

El Director

Mrcaramelchoc wrote: »

Op would you mind telling me how you are flying there?its hardly direct from dublin is it?and if you don't mind how much the flight is?I'm thinking if going myself but ill be going solo.

So, we are flying Dublin => london => Bangkok => Hanoi. Same on the way home except leaving from HCM. That cost €755 return, only booked two weeks ago and leaving on the 10th June. I used Sky Scanner to find my flights.

Tipperary animal lover

Hi El, u need to make an itnerary with only 3 weeks you'll have a lot of traveling, don't forget the jetlag is a bitch, get your visa from vietnam visa pro.com also make sure to download entry/exit form have that filled out before you arrive plus one passport photo also $50 to pay for visa, this is much cheaper than applying to embassy in London, you will have to try bo kho, bo ne and the pho street food at its best, hoi an da lat holang Bay Sapa most see places, we go to nha trang every year for years, the center is a ****e hole full of russians/Chinese so your better of skipping here ( we rent an apartment about 7 miles from the center it's very local lovely peolpe if we want some western comforts we go the city but not to much), quy nhon is a lovely quiet city not many tourists it's like nha trang once was but you really need a bike to get around, mekong delta is another good trip once ya hit saigon, change money at the airport enough to get ya through a few days, try change money at gold shops they give the best price.... I'm rambling Here but just back from dinner and a load of saigon beer, hope this helps it's a fantastic country

First Up

El Director wrote:

So, we are flying Dublin => london => Bangkok => Hanoi. Same on the way home except leaving from HCM. That cost €755 return, only booked two weeks ago and leaving on the 10th June. I used Sky Scanner to find my flights.

You are travelling to a tropical communist country in a little over a month and you have done nothing about visas or vaccinations. Are you sure you are cut out for this sort of thing?

The Black Oil

El Director wrote: »

Anyone know if there are any shots we need to get?

I got Typhoid and Hep A on advice of visiting my GP, I'm heading to Vietnam later in this month. And a prescription for malaria tablets. I was in Thailand before and had been vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis too, but that didn't need to be boosted this time. I have a yellow booklet with a record of what vaccines I've had - label of the shot, GP's signature, date of immunisation, etc. GP also recommended a first aid kit, stuff for diarrhoea, repellent, electrolytes, etc. Common sense, really. There was talk that some of the larger places bulk buy vaccines which might make it hard for your GP/pharmacy to get stock. The likes of TMB can probably sort you out too.

My visa authorisation came through after a day or two.

blackvalley

Just back from three weeks in Vietnam . Absolutely fabulous trip . Flew into Hanoi from where we visited Sapa and Halong bay both very touristy but well worth a visit . Originally I had priced and planned that part of the trip myself which was coming in at about Euro 500 but then stumbled across a great company called " Swallow travel " who for only slightly more will organise that complete week for you starting with meeting you at the airport and ending with dropping you back to the airport at the end of the week.
We then flew down to Ho Ann with Vietnam airlines for a few days then on to Nha Trang for some beach time before flying to Saigon where we once again used swallow travel for a trip to Meikong delta .
For all the internal flights we used Vietnam airlines who we found to be great value , efficient and on time .
Great trip
Fabulous friendly people.
Great food.
Great value for money.
Enjoy.

CageWager

El Director wrote: »

So, we are flying Dublin => london => Bangkok => Hanoi. Same on the way home except leaving from HCM. That cost €755 return, only booked two weeks ago and leaving on the 10th June. I used Sky Scanner to find my flights.

It’s no good to you now but for anyone else reading this, the best options for Flights are either Qatar Airways or Cathay Pacific. I’m flying over myself on June 4 and I’m going Dublin > Doha, Doha > Da Nang for €690 with Qatar. I could have alternatively gone Dublin > Hong Kong direct with Cathay Pacific and then gotten a cheap local carrier (Jetstar/HK Express etc.) the rest of the way.

El Director

First Up wrote: »

You are travelling to a tropical communist country in a little over a month and you have done nothing about visas or vaccinations. Are you sure you are cut out for this sort of thing?

don't worry First Up, it's not my first rodeo! Work is always mad busy so planning time is limited but I always seem to pull it off! Besides the madness is half the fun for me :P

El Director

Tipperary animal lover wrote: »

Hi El, u need to make an itnerary with only 3 weeks you'll have a lot of traveling, don't forget the jetlag is a bitch, get your visa from vietnam visa pro.com also make sure to download entry/exit form have that filled out before you arrive plus one passport photo also $50 to pay for visa, this is much cheaper than applying to embassy in London, you will have to try bo kho, bo ne and the pho street food at its best, hoi an da lat holang Bay Sapa most see places, we go to nha trang every year for years, the center is a ****e hole full of russians/Chinese so your better of skipping here ( we rent an apartment about 7 miles from the center it's very local lovely peolpe if we want some western comforts we go the city but not to much), quy nhon is a lovely quiet city not many tourists it's like nha trang once was but you really need a bike to get around, mekong delta is another good trip once ya hit saigon, change money at the airport enough to get ya through a few days, try change money at gold shops they give the best price.... I'm rambling Here but just back from dinner and a load of saigon beer, hope this helps it's a fantastic country

Sounds awesome dude! Thanks for that and enjoy your stay, it has wet the appetite here I must say!

El Director

blackvalley wrote: »

Just back from three weeks in Vietnam . Absolutely fabulous trip . Flew into Hanoi from where we visited Sapa and Halong bay both very touristy but well worth a visit . Originally I had priced and planned that part of the trip myself which was coming in at about Euro 500 but then stumbled across a great company called " Swallow travel " who for only slightly more will organise that complete week for you starting with meeting you at the airport and ending with dropping you back to the airport at the end of the week.
We then flew down to Ho Ann with Vietnam airlines for a few days then on to Nha Trang for some beach time before flying to Saigon where we once again used swallow travel for a trip to Meikong delta .
For all the internal flights we used Vietnam airlines who we found to be great value , efficient and on time .
Great trip
Fabulous friendly people.
Great food.
Great value for money.
Enjoy.

Thank's for that! It sounds brilliant. Can't wait to sit down now and get planning...so much to do, so little time! :cool: