vietnam in January, some questions.
Replies: 12 - Last Post: Nov 26, 2012 1:51 AM Last Post By: yetaonthemove
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vietnam in January, some questions.
Hi all,have been reading many of the posts and have a few questions for people who've been to Vietnam.
thinking about heading there for 2 weeks in Mid jan for the honeymoon (couple in mid 30s, cant sit on a beach for too long, want to see sights, need to be doing things, dont want 5 star luxury, would rather unique and traditional as well as clean / comfortable accom) and wanted to know:
- In central / south, what can we expect the weather to be like - hot, overcast, cloudy, wet?
- Dont want to much travelling so was thinking of a mix of 3 areas: Hoi An and surrounds, Ho Chi Minh and surrounds, then finally some time in Phu Quoc chilling on a beach, does this sound do-able with too much hassle in 2 weeks?
- bestm ethod to get around from these 3 areas - flights, trains or buses.....?
- looking like the flight in / out would be into / out of HCM, does that make sense given the above?
- If we're over there in Vietnam, are we missing out on making a small alteration to the plan to see somewhere we should defo go to?
And finally....
If you could recommend 1 place to stay, and 1 thing to do in these areas... what would it be?
Big thanks all, much apreciatted!
A.
1
I think 3 places you pick are ok. Normally i would recommend two more places Ha Long Bay and Sa Pa but at mid Jan it will be cold and misty there. Only thing is after arrive in Ho Chi Minh and visit around you have to take the flight to Hoi An and then fly back to Ho Chi Minh for another flight to Phu Quoc. I will take MeKong in stead of Phu Quoc. Arrive in Ho Chi Minh, take a tour around with Cu Chi Tunnel and Mekong then fly to Hoi An for the rest before flying back to Ho Chi Minh for the flight home. For easy to make the alteration if you do not know much here i think you should pick a good Travel Agent and tell them what you want.Have a good trip.
2
3 places doable in 2 weeks.Fly from Da Nang to HCMC and return. Buses and trains are a nightmare.3
January is ideal time to visit Ho Chi Minh city because this month is dry season and the temperature is around 27 degree (not too hot). I think 2 weeks for three places is enough but I prefer Phan Thiet to Phu Quoc although it quite far (200km from Ho Chi Minh city only reached by bus, it takes about 6 hours). Hoi An is charming old town teems with tailors, shoes shops, lovely bars and great restaurants, perfect for a honeymoon. To get Hoi An you may take a flight from Ho Chi Minh city to Da Nang then take a car to Hoi An (30 km from Da Nang). Ho Chi Minh is just enough for a day tour, should spend 2, 3 day to Mekong Delta to Can Tho or Chau Doc. In Hoi An you could try tours to some surrounding villages as: Tra Que, Thanh Ha, Kim Bong, Cam Thanh. Hoi An is also famous for cooking class.3 star hotel in Vietnam is quite good and clean, you could find many on Tripadvisor.
4
^ Forget Phan Thiet -5 hours gruelling bus trip there and the same punishment coming back.For what? ...wind & sand dunes!
OP just focus on your original plan.
As far as hotels Trip Advisor is crammed full of biased B/S-reviews from friends, family, staff and guests who have had favours or discounts. Completely unbelievable.
The ratings are B/S as well-whoever milks the system the best rises to the top!
5
To all above,Many thanks for taking the time to read, and post - much apreciatted by me!
we're now looking like this:
- Fly into HCMC, overnight just to get back to airport next day to..
- head down to Phu Quoc for 4 days (looking at Freedomland as like the 'vibe' it seems to have, plus collegue been there). Want to go here to chill out and kick back, not after banging nightlife, or hoards of Brit / Israeli / German students; looking for beach, warm water, great food & downtime.
- From there look to fly to Hoi An for a few days (nmore chilling, wandering around, sights, eating, and no doubt some shopping for the other half).
- Back down to HCMC and spend rest of time there / Mekong Delta (usual stuff in the city, and some of the touristy places in the delta - tunnels, villages, more food etc).
- Fly out of HCMC back home..
Have heard you can do a cpl of nights on a boat up into Cambodia, anyone got any suggestions for this?
#4 - yes, hotel reviews do seem a bit hit and miss, so if anyone has suggestions for HCMC and Hoi An i would be grateful.
Thanks all,
A.
6
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g298082-d666600-Reviews-Hai_Au_Hotel-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.htmlIs a great little hotel on a budget in Hoi An. It's the perfect distance between old town where the bars and restaurants are, and the beach. We intended to stay in hoi an for two days and ended up there for a week because we loved it so much! It's got gorgeous vietnamese food. This hotel were just so friendly and helpful!
In Hoi An you can rent a bike for like 80p per day. We spent most our time on bikes there, it's a good way to get round. I recommend the bike tour of the delta islands to see the 'real' people of Vietnam.
Halong bay is the other place you should really visit. You can do a 2-3 day cruise which involves climbing a mountain, visiting an island with monkeys on it, kayaking in the sea, seeing some amazing island formations... This was one of my highlights in Vietnam!
7
OP is visiting for two weeks and all the 'experts' expect him/her to just throw a few other places to visit.OP stcik to your schedule-enough for two weeks.
@#6 above-a bit on the nose to post a link to another opposing forum (online competitor). Ver y unethical.
Tripadvisor is full of biased cr*p anyway, with fake reviews and B/S from staff and owners posting their own reviews. If a bad review is posted TA will consult with their 'members' i.e. the hotels reviewed and half the time delete the bad review. TA will also give your private information (which they promise not to divulge) to their member in their discussions about a negative post.
10
This may be too late but I just got back from a trip to Vietnam and Laos with my husband. We were constantly on the move so our itinerary may not work for you--happy to share if you are interested. We visited HCMC for two days (including a half day tour to Cu Chi tunnels) and found that was enough. We stayed at Ma Maison, which is outside the city center (district 3). It's an easy bus or cab ride to everything and the staff is amazing--generous and eager to help. The hotel is a converted house that's been in the owners' family for generations and the rooms are beautiful. From HCMC, we went to Phu Quoc and stayed at Freedomland for two nights and wish we could have stayed longer. The owners are wonderful, the food is amazing, the property is a short walk to an often deserted and beautiful beach, scooters are easily rented from a house at the edge of the property...Quick note: we contacted both Ma Maison and Freedomland directly to book b/c booking sites showed no availability. Hope this helps. Have an amazing time!
11
About tripadvisor, sorry but I have done a comment and i didn't get any discount or whatsoever to do it, it was just that I liked very much the hotel where I have been in Madagascar, that I wanted to share, and thou I genuinely trust other people to do the same ! so please for the one "spiting" on forums written by travellers, show a little bit more respect to the users !I am going to Vietnam in the next 2 weeks, so I will give you my feedback, I start with Saigon and will take a plane to Hanoi, then I have 2 weeks and a half to fullfil with exiting travels, so more to come !!!!
All the best for your trip !
y
12
hello, I am definitely interested by your trip, i am going alone to vietnam in 2 weeks, and funny but initially I was about to book laso Ma Maison, but now it is too late I booked my Hotel in saigon.I have 17 days in-situ, I would like to fly to hanoi, and then come back slowly back to HCMC with few days total rest on the sea !
please please tell me more about your trip !
many thanks and kind regards,
y
