Tod E Tosser

I will arrive in SGN the afternoon of Jan. 29, and beginning the 30th or 31st will have a few days to travel. My GF (VN resident) wants to go to Sapa. I have to catch a 10 AM flight from SGN to HKG on Feb. 3.

How long does it take to get to Sapa? Is there a closer airport than Hanoi, or must you fly there and take the train? Is it very cold this time of year? The schedule lists an early morning HAN-SGN flight that would allow me to catch my flight to HKG, but this means spending the previous night in Feb. 2.

Is this trip advisable, or should I forget it and try somewhere else? Is Halong Bay OK, or too cold? I've been to Hanoi, Hoi An, Vung Tau....I would appreciate any ideas. Beach town is OK as long as there's something else there. Would like some scenery.

mpetrik

As much as I love Sapa (easily my fave destination in Vietnam), you will be overly stressed give the above travel time frame. You would have to fly to HAN, take a taxi downtown to the station, grab a train (I usually take the overnight and it is about 8 hours), then a jeep taxi for 1.5 hours to Sapa. You would have the same experience back to HAN, fly in the reverse direction to SGN, then onto HKG.

It is amazing and worth all the above effort, but you need at least 3 days there to go on a few hikes to visit the villages in the area with a local guide.

Ha Long Bay can be good, as long as you go on a boat far from the normal routine...also there is a large dependency on the weather. It is not so great if overcast.

I have not been to Dalat (another hill town with strong French influences), but it is about 200 miles from HCMC and may prove a decent alternative to Sapa.

dlflyer2

Agree with mpetrik that SaPa would be very stressful given time constraints. It involves an overnight train each way and then the drive up and back to the mountains. I love SaPa, but it requires time.

From HCM, you can easily do Nha Trang, Dalat or Hoi An. The first 2 are driveable or flyable. You can also train HCM to Nha Trang with a 5* train and a flight back. Air or train in Vietnam are inexpensive.

SaigonCyclo

Dalat is OK, but it will also be quite cool/cold (5,000' elevation). I wouldn't drive there (6 hours). You can fly there for $54 r/t, plus $15 taxi ride into town. Nha Trang has the beach, but other than that, its mostly big city. You could try Mui Ne beach. It's a 4 hour car or train ride. Another option would be Phu Quoc Island ($67 r/t). Try La Veranda if you go.

www.laverandaresort.com

Tod E Tosser

Thanks for the help. I guess I'll save Sapa and Halong Bay for when I have more time and there's nicer weather. I like Hoi An but was there twice last year--I'm running out of room in my closets. I'll save Nha Trang and the other beach areas for another trip.

Dalat sounds interesting. Right now forecasts are predicting temps around 70. I'd like to pop over to Siem Reap, but my girlfriend is Vietnamese and turns up her nose at Cambodia--I think it's a rivalry thing.

SaigonCyclo

The Vietnamese (and Thais) feel that Cambodia is beneath them. That being said, by VN girlfriend really wants to visit Cambodia and Laos.

jimbo99

Some Vietnamese are narked at needing a visa for Cambodia (even though its available at the border).... "we're brothers" exclaimed one VN friend.... hmmm

One advantage for non-VN with their VN girlfriends is that there is less hassle sharing hotel rooms in Cambodia compared with domestic destinations.

Tod E Tosser

I was under the impression all citizens of ASEAN countries can now travel to any other member nation sans visa. Singapore folks grilled her for about five minutes but let her in.

We've never been questioned sharing a room in Hanoi or two different hotels in Hoi An. She doesn't stay with me in Saigon, but they usually make her sign in to come up to my room. And some have mentioned no guests after 10 PM or 11 PM.

jimbo99

I also thought that about ASEAN, but apparently its not so. I've also had VN friends travel to Singapore without a problem, except a few questions.

Re. the hotels. I think the practical reality is that most hotels don't enforce it - but can use it against you if you pitch up and they think you don't have much choice. Many minihotels rely on prostitution as a source of income - they pay off the police, so won't face a problem from the authorities by letting a non-married couple in. They might be genuinely worried if they think it will lead to "trouble". (Hence some will insist on ID being left at reception and will release it to the female during the night only after a phone call to the room.) Some visitors might be annoyed by this apparent intrusion without realising that the receptionist is actually doing it for their benefit as well as to register the guest.

I've had hotels refuse to take a booking - but they're quick enough to suggest you book two separate rooms. On the other hand, if you're already staying somewhere and your girlfriend arrives it seems to be less of a problem. Government run hotels are the strictest. It is actually against the law - and an ex-hotel receptionist friend of mine says that the receptionist concerned can actually be the one in court if something goes wrong. (Disgruntled wife, something gets stolen etc). In the past, nocturnal police visits were common, but this is now unusual. One Saigon hotel I know will just give a girlfriend a key to a vacant room and record her as staying there. There is no charge unless she actually uses it. A UK friend of mine who has a VN wife always carries his marriage certificate with him as he has been refused without it.

They don't care if the girl has a foreign passport. Also they never seem to worry if its a foreign female with a VN guy. (Probably just confuses them.)

So to summarise my ramble... the law does not permit it but based on my experience its widely ignored. Its most likely to be enforced by government hotels or big name resorts, new receptionists, prudish receptionists, or when they think they can force you to take a second room by refusing. I've just found it an annoying thing to worry about.

Tod E Tosser

We've settled on Dalat. Flying in, but the lone flight was fully booked for our return date. So I guess we're driving back to Saigon. I'll try and look at the bright side: there's a bunch of scenery I wouldn't otherwise have seen. What would be the best way to find a driver? What's a reasonable price for the Dalat/Saigon run?