Aga_Rozek

Hi, going to Vietnam in Jan. Please tell me what you think about this plan:

1. 12/01 landing in SGN
2. 13/01 sleeping in SGN (next to airport) flight from SGN to DaNang -> going to Hoi An
3. 14/01 Hoi An
4. 15/01 Hoi An
5. 16/01 Hue
7. 17/01 Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
8. 18/01 Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
9. 19/01 morning flight from Dong Hoi to SGN and then bus to Mui Ne
10. 20/01 Mui Ne
11. 21/01 Mui Ne
12. 22/01 Mui Ne
13. 23/01 going back to SGN
14. 24/01 Mekong Delta
15. 25/01 Mekong Delta (coming back to SGN)
16. 26/01 flight back from SGN to Europe

Thanks a lot!

bwiadca

What time is your flight landing at SGN? Why staying close to the airport?
Uber from the airport to District 1 is about $3-4. Ride from the airport to D1 takes about 20-30 minutes depending on traffic.
Entire D1 is walkable. You can see a lot things in 3-4 hours.
Just watch for the motorbikes on the sidewalks Enjoy your trip.

sandy86

Look quite good. From Saigon I took train to Mui Ne, it about 5 hours. Agree with Bwiadca, you can stay at hotel in city center Dist 1 because from airport to central about 15 minutes, more things to see than stay near airport. We stayed at Mekong Lodge in Mekong Delta one night and visited early morning floating market, quite interesting.

Also if you have time, do not miss Cu Chi Tunnel. Only half day there, many things to see how local survive in the past

Aga_Rozek

The thing is that we will be landing around 6 pm and the flight is next day around 10 am And probably will be tired after 16 hrs trip. But thanks, will consider that one.

Other thing - what you think about visiting Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in January?

invisible

Be careful and flexible with intra-Vietnam flights, unless it is VN flights and if your intra-Vietnam flights are via JetStar - be EXTRA careful. Canceling/delaying and changing schedule, even moving flights forward is common occurrence. Do not book any flight which departs first or last because they are most likely to be cancelled.

Aga_Rozek

Thanks for the info @Invisible. Haven't bought it yet, but will keep in mind that no first or last flight.

Could you please tell me what if a flight is cancelled there? Would they let you in the next flight etc like in 'normal' airlines?

acrophobia

Looks good. I personally prefer the north to the south, but these are mostly interesting places to visit. I happen to hate Hoi An (very touristy and inauthentic), but it is pretty and you're only there a couple days. Enjoy!

acrophobia

Actually you might consider two days in Hue rather than two in Hoi An. Hoi An is very small, very touristy, and doesn't have very good food. In Hue, you can spend nearly an entire day exploring the forbidden city alone, and another day seeing the city itself. There are also a number of interesting local dishes there if your travel is driven by Cuisine at all.

Since you'll be roughly in the area, the Da Nang peninsula is also very nice. The intercontinental resort there is one of the most impressive I've stayed at anywhere in the world, and right down the road, overlooking the water is an incredible, unsung Buddhist temple that you can easily spend a couple hours seeing. The Intercontinental is also home to Maison 1888, which is on par with some two and even three star Michelin restaurants I've been to. Food for thought.

CrazyInteg

I think you can chop a day off Mui Ne and add it somewhere else. Unless you're a wind surfer.

Aga_Rozek

Guys, thanks a lot for your suggestions!

I've planned 2 days in Hoi An because I hope for some beach time (January is around 25C) What you think?

acrophobia

The Intercontenental DaNang goes right up to the beach; in fact the main bar has a retractable wall that they drop when the water/waves get too high. I don't think of Hoi An as being very beachy. If you can get one of the cabins at the intercontinental I'd do that instead. I've been lucky enough to stay at a lot of world renowned hotels, and this property ranks very high for me.

manneca

I wish I had spent more time in Hue (just did a day tour). Spent a couple or 3 in Hoi An and enjoyed it. Took a cooking class which was fun.

There's always next time!

invisible

Yes, it is called SOL. You basically will have to buy something on a spot from another airline.

If you have time, read here what Jetstar has done to the ITIN I had with them last year
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other...aling-lcc.html
And other Jetstar story
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other...eats-sold.html

maverick17

You're at the tail end of rainy season and beginning of dry season. So there are sometimes rough seas. You might get some good weather, or you might get cloudy days or a little rain as it's been a very wet year so far. Either way you can still go to the beach, but the sea might not be suitable for swimming.

I liked Hoi An, and many I know like it there.

susiesan

Isn't this trip right in the middle of Tet? From everything I have read if you don't already have flight tickets and hotel reservations you may not get them due to the crowds. I had initially planned my trip for January but once I learned about Tet I moved it up to the end of February, after the Tet and Vietnam New Year festivities are done.