20 days in vietnam, any advice for my itinerary?
Replies: 29 - Last Post: Nov 4, 2012 10:10 PM Last Post By: mooslie
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15
I thought about staying all the time in Myanmar, but after I read a lot tripreports from this year I decides against it. Hotel prices rised up a lot in this season, will be almost impossible now to find accommodation under $20/night. There are just not enough rooms for all the travelers. You have to book every guesthouse in advance and even then its not guaranteed that you could really stay there. This is not really the kind I like to travel, don't want to feel like a beggar just to get a room.16
If you want to explore the north of Vietnam, by all means do so. However, you'll likely have quite cool weather, possibly with misty rain and I'm pretty certain most of the crops would have been harvested so places like Ninh Binh and Mai Chau won't be looking their best. Meanwhile, down south is the prefect time to go. No one is telling you what to do, just look at some climate charts and bring some jumpers if going to Hanoi, and a raincoat if going to Sapa.17
@#13 so true. Vietnam now has a streamlined 'professional' system for fleecing tourists. Burma is still naive.18
If so, why accommodation in Myanmar is so expensive and hard to get this winter?21
Just a few thoughts. Considering that most folks in this world don't have the option of leaving their hometown; going to another country "just because it's untouched" seems a rather gratuitous waste of money and time. Perhaps earmark destinations that have some interest for you historically, culturally or scenically; rather than ticking off some country that you're only interested in because it's cool and has been spared the ravages of mass-tourism.22
With untouched I mean that its in the original condition, with less influence from outside. Of course I would go there because of the culture and also untouched landscapes which will change in a few years, like in every country that opened. I'm the last one who would visit a place just because its common to go there, i try to escape these places.in China I went to places where no foreigners was before and I travel with locals to get to know how their live really is (i mean not the guides). But in China I can travel without a problem, will always find a place to sleep. A lot places in Myanmar are already sold out for the next months, so I see now chance to travel in the way I like there.
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#15 - of course you don't have to book every guest house in advance! It's not like they insist on a booking before you leave the airport (some countries do!) We head there on Sunday - and it will be very interesting - but I suspect the reality is a little different from the hype here and elsewhere. Myanmar doesn't have the infrastructure yet - most cheap hotels don't have reliable electricity, never mind a website or email address, you find them the old-fashioned way - turn up!24
Surely Myanmar will have a flood of tourist investors and hotel and resort operators are usually on the lookout for 'hot destinations' with ground floor oppurtunities.28
Hi,I've been in Sapa few time and i'm sure that is better to book a tour directly from Sapa. There is many good agency in Sapa to find what you expect. In my case i have trekking around with SapaTravelmate and is was nice, i get some no-tourist trek. So i think you will find your happyness in Sapa. And its also much cheaper to book directly in Sapa that in Hanoi.
Have a good trip
