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Old Jan 26, 2015, 8:19 am
  #1  
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Vietnam two-week itinerary help

Hi everyone,

I have two weeks booked in Vietnam in March and need some help from some experienced Vietnam travellers with regards to itinerary.. So far this is what I have planned...

Day 1: Arrive HCMC at 7pm stay over night near the airport as no flights out any later than 7pm...
Day 2-5: Fly to Nha Trang for 4 nights
Day 6-10 - TBC
Day 11-15 - Phu Quoc
Day 16-18 - HCMC (Mekong delta for a day trip)

It would be great to get some advice on other places or best modes of transport between places.

We like beaches, good food, relaxing experience and some city time to explore.

Look forward to your advice.
Etting is offline  
Old Jan 26, 2015, 2:53 pm
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WoW...it sure is a long 16/17 or 18 days trip to

mostly secondary cities. To a country you have never been to.
I can understand the beach part of the trip. But so far, your plan to me miss out on all the wonderful sights of Hue, Hoi An, Hanoi etc...
But again, to each his own. Hopefully you'll find some wonderful fish sauces in Phu Quoc .
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Old Jan 26, 2015, 3:19 pm
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The new plan looks like this....

HCMC - fly to Hoi An
Hoi an to Hue
Da Nang to Hanoi
Halong Bay
Fly to Phu Quoc

Plan?

Maximise times on the ground

What's the weather likely to be like in Mid March in Hoi an?
Etting is offline  
Old Jan 26, 2015, 4:23 pm
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Originally Posted by Etting
The new plan looks like this....

HCMC - fly to Hoi An
Hoi an to Hue
Da Nang to Hanoi
Halong Bay
Fly to Phu Quoc

Plan?

Maximise times on the ground

What's the weather likely to be like in Mid March in Hoi an?
Your previous plan was better.
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Old Jan 27, 2015, 12:27 am
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What makes the first plan better?
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Old Jan 27, 2015, 7:19 am
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Hoi An is a tourist trap. Halong Bay is ho hum. Hanoi is a bit of bore compared to HCMC.

Just my personal opinion.
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Old Jan 27, 2015, 5:29 pm
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You can skip Ha Long Bay...

Originally Posted by 5khours
Hoi An is a tourist trap. Halong Bay is ho hum. Hanoi is a bit of bore compared to HCMC.

Just my personal opinion.
And check out a more relaxing trip to Trang An or Truong An.
You can do the scenic sightseeing in small row boats...The mountains along the river are just as spectacular.
And to compare HCMC and Hanoi : it's really a matter of personal tastes.
I personally find the people in Hanoi much more polite and less "sanguine" than the Saigonese. If you can understand them, it's MOFO this, MOFO that.
Thus the Vietnamese themselves say : the people from the North are hypocrite and the people from the South are just loud mouth.
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Old Jan 27, 2015, 7:54 pm
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I really liked hoi an. Wish I had more time in hue. Could have skipped ha long bay. Loved sapa. Spent some time in the Mekong biking
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Old Jan 30, 2015, 6:50 am
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Originally Posted by Etting
The new plan looks like this....

HCMC - fly to Hoi An
Hoi an to Hue
Da Nang to Hanoi
Halong Bay
Fly to Phu Quoc

Plan?

Maximise times on the ground

What's the weather likely to be like in Mid March in Hoi an?
There are flights from Hue airport to Hanoi...You don't need to go to Danang to fly to Hanoi.
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Old Feb 3, 2015, 10:26 pm
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Originally Posted by manneca
I really liked hoi an. Wish I had more time in hue. Could have skipped ha long bay. Loved sapa. Spent some time in the Mekong biking
My vote for Sapa as well, amazing sceneries and the culture experience are very unique. Hoi An is a very quant little town and amazing food.

There are so many threads on FT about the Saigon/Hanoi debate. As Keller281 said, it's very much a personal tastes. Some hates Saigon and loved Hanoi or vice versa. Most of my western friends who have been to VN loved Hanoi more so than Saigon, but both places have their uniqueness, if you have time, try both just to experience it for yourself. Personally, it's Hanoi for me, Saigon gives me a headache
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Old Feb 4, 2015, 12:00 pm
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I would suggest to stay in south and central Vietnam. Saigon is awesome! You can do Saigon - Flight to Danang - drive to Hoi An (1 night), drive to Hue (1 night), flight back to Saigon, drive to Cai Be, board sampan for Mekong trip (1 night), take speed boat from Rach Gia to Phu Quoc and enjoy Long beach - flight back to Saigon
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Old Feb 5, 2015, 4:22 pm
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In Phu Quoc, you can rent scooters for cheap. We got ours for $7 for a full day. Some renters are better than others, who are looking to scam you (plenty of info on TripAdvisor). If you do this, make sure you take plenty of pics and video of the bikes before you accept them... they'll try to claim that you caused damage. Other than that, it's a fantastic way to see the island on your own time.

Where are you headed to after Phu Quoc? I personally like hopping on the PQC-VCA puddle jumper, spend a while in Can Tho, then taking a bus (Phuong Trang, $8, 3 hours) to Saigon.
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Old Feb 7, 2015, 4:36 am
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Originally Posted by VNAFlyer
Where are you headed to after Phu Quoc? I personally like hopping on the PQC-VCA puddle jumper, spend a while in Can Tho, then taking a bus (Phuong Trang, $8, 3 hours) to Saigon.
I headed back to SGN with an ATR of VN. Very cheap and fast. Can Tho is great! ^
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Old Feb 9, 2015, 2:07 pm
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This is the current plan.... Happy to take any advice before I start booking things up

Day1 - Arrive in HCMC and fly straight out to Da Nang for Hoi An

Day 2,3,4,5 - Hoi An

Day 6, fly to Hanoi

Day 7, Halong Bay

Day 8, Hanoi

Day 9, Fly down to Phu Quoc

Day 10,11,12,13,14,15 - Phu Quoc

Day 16,17, 18 - HCMC

Day 19 - fly to Dubai for two days

Day 21 -Fly home
Etting is offline  
Old Feb 9, 2015, 4:51 pm
  #15  
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Originally Posted by Etting
This is the current plan.... Happy to take any advice before I start booking things up

Day1 - Arrive in HCMC and fly straight out to Da Nang for Hoi An

Day 2,3,4,5 - Hoi An

Day 6, fly to Hanoi

Day 7, Halong Bay

Day 8, Hanoi

Day 9, Fly down to Phu Quoc

Day 10,11,12,13,14,15 - Phu Quoc

Day 16,17, 18 - HCMC

Day 19 - fly to Dubai for two days

Day 21 -Fly home
Where are you coming from? There are a few carriers that fly directly into Da Nang (DAD), so you can skip the international>domestic connection at SGN.

Likewise, there are flights directly from DAD to Hai Phong (HPH), which is closer to Ha Long than Hanoi is.

However, you'll have to go to HAN for the flight to PQC.

Personal preference, but I would find 6 days in Phu Quoc to be excessive. I would spend more time in Saigon, or spend a couple of days in Can Tho (VCA, there's a direct flight from PQC) before taking that bus I mentioned back to SGN.

Anyway, hope you enjoy your visit!
IceTrojan is offline  


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