Advice for a 3 weeks holiday in Vietnam (August 2010)

Sounds like a great trip. I would however recommend sticking with the north for this trip and include Sapa

1) Night trains are a great way to travel. You save money on accomodation and don't waste any of the precious few days you have. If you decide to head south I recommend a flight from Nha Trang to HCMC to save time.

2) Yes is safe to travel alone. Vietnam is a very easy place to travel and the people really friendly. I never booked accomodation in advance but always had in mind where I wanted to stay (either from LP or other travellers recommendations) so as not to rely on taxi touts. Might be a good idea to book your very first night in advance just for peace of mind. The last thing you want after a long flight is to search for accomodation.

3) Nha Trang is a great place to spend time. Didn't dive there so can't answer that. Yes is very touristy.

4) Hue and Hoi An deserve more than a day each. At least 2 days each minimum. Hue you need a whole day to tour down the Perfume River and visit the many tombs and another day to visit enjoy the city and visit the Citadel. Hoi An is a great spot to visit the Cham ruins of My Son and the town itself is just so lovely.

For Halong Bay I would recommend booking a tour in Hanoi which will include transportation there and back and a night on a junk, or a 2 night trip with one night on a junk and the other night on Cat Ba island. All tour agencies in Hanoi will offer this, and is a good way to meet new people at the start of your trip.

So:
3 days Hanoi
2-3 days Halong Bay
2-3 days Sapa
2 days Hue
2-3 days Hoi An
4 days Nha Trang

Hello,

Below are just my personal opinions:

1- Various modes of transport are now available in Vietnam and it's easy to move between major points of interest. Personally I would always recommend anyone traveling from north to south and vice versa to take a domestic flight instead of train for more time and comfort. It does cost more but is worth it. Trains are a good choice for shorter legs like Sapa, Hue and Hoi An.

2- Socially and politically I found Vietnam to be the safest among the ones I've been to. You may encounter scams/touts here and there but you will soon get used to and know how to handle it after a few hours of arrival. It's advisable to book your first night accommodations and possibly arrange hotel pick-up before leaving home in case you arrive late in the evening.

3- If you're just looking for a decent beach, Mui Ne is way better than Nha Trang, but Nha Trang is the best diving place in addition to the Cham Island in Hoi an.

4- Your itinerary, basically you're on the right track and nothing would be too rushed. I just think you're spending too much time in Ho Chi Minh city. 3 days would be perfect for the city itself and Cu Chi tunnels. The other 2 days should be spent on the Mekong Delta.

5- As #4

Happy planning!

Hi
Our first trip to Vn was in August 2004 for 18 days, and your itinerary is certainly do-able, but a couple of tips -

• August is a low season in Vn so no need to pre-book anything before you get there, in fact we found it is better not too as it gives you far more flexibility to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves and cheaper to arrange when you get there. Hotel prices are negotiable if you just turn up. Plenty of tour offices and hotel options to book when you get there

• don't do the train to Halong Bay (day 3) you can easily arrange a 2day/1 night tour from Hanoi when you get there

• be very wary travelling on the night trains (especially Hanoi to Hoi An), everyone I know that has done that trip ended up having luggage/passports stolen, then lost days of travel getting items replace. Internal flights are relatively cheap in Vn, will save you alot of time and won't cost you much more as accomadation is very cheap .

• allow at least 4 days in HoiAn/Hue, it is too good to rush, maybe even a bit longer and do your diving in HoiAn. Take the bus (approx $4 & 3-4 hrs) from Hue to HoiAn for one of the most scenic trips on earth, you'll get to see mountains & beaches!

• do a 1 or 2 day side trip to the Mekong from Saigon as it is definately worth seeing, other than that you won't need much time in Saigon.

Your budget should be more than ample if staying in budget accomadation even if you include several internal flights and a couple of tours.

Interesting itinerary. My thoughts...

1) Avoid using the open tour buses if you can. Trains are safe and cheap. Just to balance #3 I have never known anyone being robbed on a Vietnamese train in 5 years of living here. Internal flights are cheap.

2) It's safe to travel alone in Vietnam, be aware but don't feel that everyone who starts up a conversation with you is out to scam you, they aren't, Vietnamese are still curious about foreigners.

3) Nha Trang is visually beautiful, sandy beach with islands in the bay and mountains behind. It is primarily a tourist destination for Vietnamese, foreigners are usually encamped in one small area.

4/5) I urge you to try to squeeze Sapa in. It's more than 'just' ethnic minorities, it is stunning mountain vistas and mists rising from valleys. The hill tribes add to the exotic location. It remains one of my favourite places in SE Asia. You need only a couple of days in HCMC, there isn't a lot to see here, other than the Mekong Delta, etc.

august is very busy,
it is raining in HCMc and the south, but not central and north

i have not heard anyone robbed on the trains, year 16 here, and run a guesthouse/resort

from hue to hoian, make sure you go over the pass and not tru the tunnel

I would say take the tour from Hanoi to Halong Bay. I would spend more time in the north than HCMC, go to Sapa for 2 or 3 days. Yes you can fly from Hanoi to Hue. Take the Airport bus from Hanoi airport, avoid the taxis there. You need one more day in Hue or not worth stopping there.

correct about Hue

Agree about Hue. Superb city with great places for a casual stroll away from the tourist bits. If you intend to do the citadel, and tombs and temples you need at least two days.

I notice HCMC five days and Hanoi just two.
Hanoi is more intersting and in parts beautiful. I would suggest a bit more in Hanoi. It is not just the OQ and mausoleum areas but the city has so much. I met a couple last year who had intended to spend five days in Hanoi. They said they were adding at least nine to make it fourteen days there.

Thank you very much to you all for your nice comments and appreciations.
I am now rebuilding the whole plan a little bit with some changes that come from your recommendations. When it's ready I'll post it here in case you still have more feedback!

I'm thinking of skiping Nah Trang and doing my diving in Hoi An (Cham Island) and this is a major change since I have to wait some hours (one day or so) after diving without taking any plane. Then I would go form Hoi An (Dalat) to HCMC by plane. This changes the last part of my itineray (the first part would change also by including Sapa and modifying a bit Halong Bay... you'll see).

I was told that I might consider skiping completely the diving thing. A friend told me that diving is not so good in Vietnam and that I should use the days to do more visits and not sticking to a certain place. He recommended me that I should take the diving course next year in a country where diving is really one of the greatest thing (Egypt for example). I'm not sure on what to do since I thought staying some days in a diving place would be nice to meet people and relax a bit of travelling that much. In addition, I took the "Discover Scuba Diving" two summers ago in Kho Phangan (Thailand) and I really enjoyed it! But obviously I need a minimum of diving quality conditions (clear water and so on which might not be at it's best in Vietnam during August, maybe). Any opinion?

See you guys! Keep in touch!