Hi people,
5 sleeps to go. Still playing with that itinerary in my head.
Would you trade a day in the Mekong for a day in Hue?
My current thoughts are to do a 3 day Delta Adventures tour to Mekong, which means as it doesn't return to HCMC till c1830 I'd have to take the late train ex HCMC arriving Hue 1636 according to Seat 61.
So I'd have two nights in Hue but only one full day. Is that enough?
Should I make that a 2 day Mekong tour to get an extra day in Hue?
Or should I just visit the Mekong under my own steam? That's the preferred option but what could I realistically do/see in 3 days independently?
Any feedback on Delta Adentures, or ideas on how to go about 2-3 days doing your own thing in the Mekong would be much appreciated.
Thx.
ninataka
1
muzzman
IMO Delta Adventure is an excellent BUDGET tour operator. You will be with a large group of people. The tour I went on with them to the Mekong Delta was very well run - we stayed in very nice hotels and the guide took us to an EXCELLENT restaurant in Can Tho - the fried squid was about $1 and the most delicious I have ever eaten.
2
ninataka
Thx Muzzman - but may I ask - was the $1 squid the highlight of your trip? What else was memorable (I'm not a foodie).
All opinions are valuable, but once upon a time you could be sure that respondents here were on the same wavelength. No longer. This branch (all of TT really) has been hijacked by the car and driver brigade (best not to say which nationality - you can guess). So I need to know a bit more about you to work out if your advice is relevant to me.
Would you care to say where you stayed in HCMC? How much you paid for it? Where else did you go and how did you get there?
That will tell me whether you are on the same page as me.
Thx
3
telephoto
If you do a Mekong Delta tour research it carefully.
Many of them you spend a lot of time on a bus or in a bus station. In particular the cheap tours, they share buses betwen 1, 2 and 3 day tours, which means you are on one bus out of HCMC. At a transit point you will exchange half you passengers from other tours etc etc all day long. You should be spending time on a boat, not on a bus.
There was one tour which advertised when I did it:
"More boat, less bus" and "Mostly by boat"
I was happy with them, but I re-did the trip recently and just got any old tour and spent most of the time on a bus.
4
viet_reg
Yeah, although I enjoy relaxing in Hue, I think you would be better off doing what it takes to get that extra day in the delta. the more time in the delta the further you get and IMO the more intriguing it gets.
take on the major sights in Hue only eg. palace then a mausoleum or two in the afternoon and you should be right.
5
mrmookie
<blockquote>Quote
<hr>So I need to know a bit more about you to work out if your advice is relevant to me. <hr></blockquote>
I'm a 73-year old cross-dressing monkey from Kansas, and I have herpes. Do you want my advice?
6
muzzman
I stayed at Annnan and it was $25 a night. $25 very well spent as the rooms were wonderful and the staff even nicer. What I am is a flashpacker - I can stay in a $50 a night place or a $5 a night place. I can take an expensive boat tour like Handspan or a cheap tour like Delta Adventure Travel.
If you have more money and are willing to spend it, then DO NOT take Delta Adventure tour. If Delta is in your budget then take the tour as for what they are charging, NEXT TO NOTHING, you are not going to find a better tour.
Will you take my advice now?
Have a great trip in Vietnam!
7
mikeymike
I wonder why you want to plan your trip so narrowly ?
Why rush ?
Just see how it goes, once you arrive.
Be flexible !
Let it unfold as you go!
RELAX !!
ONE LOVE !!
Mike
8
violets
Good advice Mike. 2 nights in Hue is definitely not enough. Maybe you can cut some places from your itinerary and spend more time at fewer places.
9
ninataka
Muzzman - Thx again. And I owe you an apology for my first reply. The TT has changed a lot in the last few years, but that's not a good enough reason to be rude to you.
I am trying to keep costs down. Spend a bit more here; spend a bit less there. But I'm definitely not in the cheap as possible bracket any more.
A flashpacker, I guess, like you.
Mikey - the plan is in my head. Nothing booked except the flight and 2 nights' accommo in HCMC. I wish I were setting off for a three or six month wander but this time it is a 15 day holiday. The internet has changed it all. Once upon a time I would just have flown in, having read up a bit, and have taken it from there. Now there is so much information that you get sidetracked - not into cramming in as much in as possible, just into using the info to make the best use of the time available.
So Hanoi was definitely not in the picture when I bought the flights. Now it is. And I need to buy train tix and maybe plane tix on my first day in HCMC.
I guess I'll decide when I get there, and maybe return to Plan A - ie no Hanoi, and 5 days in the Delta doing my own thing.
Cheers, and thx for taking the time to read this.
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