3 Weeks in Vietnam

Rmulvany · 12-06-2019 9:35pm #1

Hey,

Myself and my girlfriend are planning a trip to Vietnam, we want to go for three weeks.

The plan will be to split it into North, Central, and South, giving 1 week for each.

Has anybody got any advice for us?
- When would be the best time of the year to go, would some months be wash outs?
- Recommended must see, and must skip places?
- Did you use any agencies to organize the trip, or was everything organized personally
- Who are the best companies to go through to book flights Ireland - Vietnam

Being Irish we're used to a bit of rain but we would like to not spend the three weeks in torrents.

Thanks in advance for any advice

Muahahaha · 15-06-2019 8:25pm

Must sees both are in the north- Halong Bay and Sapa. Be careful of what cruise boat operator you choose for seeing Halong Bay, some are decent and others are awful

3 weeks is the perfect amount of time to see Vietnam. But if you can find cheap flights consider spending a couple of days at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, it is one of the highlights of all of Asia and is not that far out of your way when you're already in Vietnam.

ozzy jr · 15-06-2019 8:28pm

If you do the Chichu tunnels (I may have spelt that wrong) near Ho Chi Minh City, and you really should, take a speed boat to them rather than sit on a bus for a couple of hours.

twignme · 15-06-2019 8:51pm

Just be aware that because of the distance and geography, the weather in the north can be quite different to the south dependent upon the time of the year.

I’m very envious of your three weeks and agree with Muahahaha that a trip to Cambodia is a good idea if you have time and budget. Remember you will need a multiple entry visa for Vietnam if you are thinking of doing that. If you are flying into and back home from Hanoi don’t forget to factor in the internal flight from HCM and it’s a different terminal for domestic and internal flights in Hanoi which occasionally can be a hassle. I have always organised my own trips and used Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights, I’ve found Vietnam Airlines to be excellent.

_blaaz · 15-06-2019 9:16pm

twignme wrote: »

Just be aware that because of the distance and geography, the weather in the north can be quite different to the south dependent upon the time of the year.

I’m very envious of your three weeks and agree with Muahahaha that a trip to Cambodia is a good idea if you have time and budget. Remember you will need a multiple entry visa for Vietnam if you are thinking of doing that. If you are flying into and back home from Hanoi don’t forget to factor in the internal flight from HCM and it’s a different terminal for domestic and internal flights in Hanoi which occasionally can be a hassle. I have always organised my own trips and used Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights, I’ve found Vietnam Airlines to be excellent.

What is best site to organise.from for a solo traveller....generally looking for guidelines mainly

twignme · 16-06-2019 10:54am

_blaaz wrote: »

What is best site to organise.from for a solo traveller....generally looking for guidelines mainly

I would use multiple sites, once I had decided my budget for each element such as travel, accommodation, food, activities etc. If I was doing it on the cheap I would google something like 'solo backpacker accommodation HCM' or if I was feeling flush it would be 'unusual places to stay'. I look at homestays or places where you get to know the culture. I just keep researching and find planning is one of the joys of travelling alone, for instance knowing what each part of HCM is best for mainstream and which is favoured by single travellers who are prepared to go cheap. Where the artisan areas are, the best place for a coffee where you can plug your laptop in and stay and linger.
Best thing I discovered last year were the Sleep Pods in Hanoi airport which I used for a long delay between flights from Vietnam to Laos. Small but perfectly formed with clean sheets, aircon, water and power for €35 and worth every penny.

Evenstevens · 18-06-2019 3:32pm

I would definitely recommend the Cu Chi Tunnels if you can get the there. They were one of the top highlights for me. Fascinating. Also loved Hue and Hoi An. Food in Vietnam was amazing.
I did Vietnam/Cambodia trip with Intrepid. I didn't enjoy the Cambodia leg too much but Angkor Wat is well worth seeing. The Killing Fields are also worth a trip but a sobering one. I was there in March and it was high 30s but I adjusted well enough to it.

Triceratops Ballet · 18-06-2019 3:49pm

I'm just back from 3 weeks in Vietnam /Thailand. Temp was high 30's and very humid we only had 2 major downpours.

I did a group tour with g adventures which was good so as not to have to book all the place to place transport myself.
Highlights were Hue, Hoi An, and the Cu chi tunnels (our guide was a former soldier in the south Vietnamese army during the war, and had worked with the Americans at Cu chi so was able to tell us personal stories about his time there which was fascinating) we also did a motorbike tour in Hue which took us all around the area through rice paddies etc, a definite must.
I found the people in Vietnam fantastic so friendly and helpful and genuinely interested in telling tourists about their country. The food is amazing, really simple and hearty but so tasty and flavourful and really cheap

Rmulvany · 19-06-2019 8:31am

Thanks everyone for the feedback, seems like there is some very useful information above, we will go through it again tonight.

I have a keen interest in world history so I will definitely be interested in the tunnels, trips to Cambodia, etc.

Seems like weather is going to be uncontrollable, especially travelling the length of the country, so we will have to toughen up a small bit

Rmulvany · 06-08-2019 1:34pm

Question for those who have been to Vietnam
Regarding the injections (malaria, cholera etc.)

Where is recommended to get them, Pharmacy, Doctors, TMB?
Is there a list of the ones we should be getting
Who is best to talk to about this
Is it going to be as pricey as google has told me?

shanec1928 · 06-08-2019 1:38pm

Rmulvany wrote: »

Question for those who have been to Vietnam
Regarding the injections (malaria, cholera etc.)

Where is recommended to get them, Pharmacy, Doctors, TMB?
Is there a list of the ones we should be getting
Who is best to talk to about this
Is it going to be as pricey as google has told me?

TMB will usually have all vaccines in stock seeing as its their purpose, the rest would have to order them in. Also depending on the how long till your trip will depend if you need a rushed dose.

yes its not cheap

Woden · 06-08-2019 1:43pm

This was good in Angkor Wat: https://www.grasshopperadventures.com/day-bike-tours/angkor-sunrise-discovery-bike-tour/

This was good in Ho Chi Minh: https://vespaadventures.com/

This was good in Hoi An: http://www.vietnam-bicycle.com/

whomenonotme · 16-09-2019 10:02am

Question for people who are back from recent trips to Vietnam and Cambodia - did you spend cash using local currency? Worth bringing US dollars?

Rmulvany · 16-09-2019 11:33am

whomenonotme wrote: »

Question for people who are back from recent trips to Vietnam and Cambodia - did you spend cash using local currency? Worth bringing US dollars?

Interested to hear the response, I know that US dollars are accepted there but we are planning on just getting Dong

Rmulvany · 16-09-2019 11:40am

Thanks to everyone for the responses above, we have a rough itinerary for the 3 weeks.

-Hanoi
-Halong Bay
-Ninh Binh
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
-Hue
Vinh Moc Tunnels
Hai Van Pass (Bikes)
-Hoi An
-Da Nang
Sun World Hills (Hand Bridge)
-Na Trang
-Dalat
Elephant Falls That Voi
Vinpearl Cablecar
-Phu Qhoc Island
-Ho Chi Minh

We haven't really factored in the time to travel between areas but hopefully we can still see the majority of what we want to see.
Getting the injections this week in the local GP. We shopped around and this was the easiest option

finbarrk · 16-09-2019 12:16pm

I'm stopping off there next Monday. On the way home from the Rugby. Ho Chi Minh.

stratowide · 16-09-2019 12:47pm

whomenonotme wrote: »

Question for people who are back from recent trips to Vietnam and Cambodia - did you spend cash using local currency? Worth bringing US dollars?

I used a revolut card to withdraw local currency in Vietnam.They will accept dollars no problem there.If I was going again I would bring some small denomination dollars.

On entering immigration in Hanoi airport they will look for dollars or dong in cash.Saw a few people without either.Dont know how they got on.
The ATM Is on the other side of passport control.

The ATM's give out dollars in Cambodia AFAIR.
Think I used dollars all the time there.Usually got small change back in riel though.A nuisance really.

ozzy jr · 16-09-2019 2:51pm

In Cambodia make sure your dollars are in good condition, mint if possible. They'll go through each one in detail. If there's creases and tears they'll refuse to take them. They'll give you your change in the local currency.

damowill · 16-09-2019 5:03pm

Rmulvany wrote: »

Thanks to everyone for the responses above, we have a rough itinerary for the 3 weeks.

-Hanoi
-Halong Bay
-Ninh Binh
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
-Hue
Vinh Moc Tunnels
Hai Van Pass (Bikes)
-Hoi An
-Da Nang
Sun World Hills (Hand Bridge)
-Na Trang
-Dalat
Elephant Falls That Voi
Vinpearl Cablecar
-Phu Qhoc Island
-Ho Chi Minh

We haven't really factored in the time to travel between areas but hopefully we can still see the majority of what we want to see.
Getting the injections this week in the local GP. We shopped around and this was the easiest option

If you can include it, you should go to Sapa in the North, and do a trek/homestay with some local tribes people. Its an amazing experience. You can take the night train there and back from Hanoi, with a choice of accommodation. Beds were comfy and not what id imagined. It was the highlight of my trip to Vietnam, you wont regret it

For me, Northern & central Vietnam is much nicer than the south and the people are much friendlier

3 Weeks in Vietnam

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