Well as a first time traveller i thought it may be a good idea to ask for this, i cant read anywhere on my post that is asking for a female in particular Nor looking for any sort of sleezy business, but thank you for assuming I appreciate your valued input and being generalised

I read the same!

Why?

I'm perhaps an old cynic, but I always read between the lines of these posts and imagine that it's female company that's being sought. Might be wrong, but there's no reason to need someone to show a traveller around in Vietnam, much less travel with them. It's all easily done solo and there's plenty of people to meet along the way.

Hi I am going to Vietnam in May, would like to find someone to show me around and possible travel with me.

Why? It is a very easy country to get around independently alone. My impression/experience very safe, very easy. (I've recently come back from a few months in SEA incl. Vietnam travelling alone and I'm in my sixties - so age is not really relevant.

"Alone" is not isolated. You will meet plenty of other people of all ages so you will have plenty of socialising.

Yes, Cat ba is closed because of some cases in Haiphong ; Halong City is not closed, some operators continue their cruises, some not. Some hotels and restaurants close here and there for lack of clients ; many others now bring antiseptic soap to the clients upon arrival. I have not heard of any hotels or restaurants refusing clients. One must be very careful about numerous "hear-say" !Nobody worries here, including me.

Plenty of people are going there on their own as the DIY is not difficult. Use the dedicated FB who is much more adapted to find a travel buddy : Lonely Planet Travelers group.
If you want a guide, check inside a guidebook and contact a travel agency there.

Michel

Just to clarify, the cancelled cruises were in Cat Bà not in Halong

I've been in Myanmar now for 3 weeks. It's quite strange really- it's almost like the virus doesn't exist here. I've not heard it mentioned once in the entire time I've been here and life goes on totally as normal.

I'm cycling in Vn at the moment and have had no problems getting food or hotels. Ridden from Danang to Saigon over the last month. When checking in to a hotel in Vung Tau, I was asked if I was Chinese, which I think was a joke (I'm white Anglo Saxon). I also had my temperature checked getting on boat from Vung Tau yesterday, that's about it.

I heard one report (second hand) of cyclists being refused accommodation. Don't know what was status of the couple. I believe one was Vietnamese one foreigner. I also read on a Google hotel review of someone being denied a a hotel. She posted that it was racial profiling and she was a UK citizen. The use of the term racial profiling suggests she may not have been white and it could be more of an ethnic thing (Chinese?). Without details who knows.

Post #34 implies there are lots of problems. I'd be interested to hear more detail about those FB posts, rather than just vague references "plenty of reports" ??

Given that Euros are now attracting attention, things may become a problem. However Saigon is teeming with Western tourists and the locals seem very happy to have them.

I head off into the Delta area tomorrow, so I'll just have to wait and see.

Hello, I'm right now in Vietnam, something changed here since 5th of March when someone in the in the Hanoi's Hotel reception asked us to fill in a form declaring where we had been for the last 15 days and they requested us evidences (flight tickets) about it(same happened in Ha Long, where we found some people with their cruises cancelled because the government closed the area). The order came from the police/government. We arrived to Tam Coc 3 days ago, we found the street food market closed with two policemen on the door and the hotel in front of us saying "closed by quarantine...", at that time we saw ourselves sleeping under some Tam Coc's bridge but we were lucky it was just this single case. We went to Trang An yesterday afternoon, we were the only ones there, the Tam Coc boat tours have been cancelled and only few restaurants remain open.
I wouldn't be worried about the virus itself if I were close to come to Vietnam but about the government's decision. Vietnam is a great place to visit, it's so beautiful... But these situations are not funny at all, please be sure you are mentally prepared for every decision the government can take before coming here otherwise your trip can be a nightmare.