Would suggest Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa and Hoi An. HCMC is an interesting place but not hudely Vietnamese, you could be in a number of large Asian cities. Mekong Delta though is nice if you have time.

Hi - we have 5 days in HCMC in January - arrive Sunday night, leave Friday afternoon - any good day trips? Thanks

If you are interested in history then there is a lot to see in HCMC which you CANNOT get in any other city in Asia.

Most large cities in Asia don't have French architecture either...

Depends on what you are interested in.

I would take a 2 or 3 day trip to the Mekong Delta if I were you. Many take just a day tour, but most of that day is spent on the highway coming and going. You want to be in the Delta very early to see the floating markets which begin at dawn.

One thing that I did in Saigon was to book the free Saigonhotpot student tour (run by university kids to practice their English) - a real highlight of my stay. I do prefer the far more interesting city of Hanoi.

Go to the website for Saigonhotpot and follow the instructions to book - give them several weeks notice. In Danang the group to book with is Danangkids, and in Hanoi, you want Hanoikids.

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Hanoi Private Guide Suggestions?
 

My situation is somewhat similar to gpeso8's (the OP)...first-time visitor to Hanoi, looking for advice.

I plan to visit Hanoi (first time in VN, not first time in Asia) for about 7 days in late January / early February. Looking for suggestions for a reasonably-priced private driver/guide for Hanoi and the surrounding area.

Some here have suggested student guides (Hanoikids), but I'm also interested in more "seasoned" guides.

Middle_Seat you'll have a great time. To make things easier on arrival I would recommend finding lodging and transport from the airport before your trip. Also prearrange the tour guide, if possible, and get a set grand total price.

Vietnamese people are nice, however they are constantly looking for a way to make an extra buck. Much more so than other countries in the region. I don't really hold that against them, but it does get old fast. They are somewhat new to tourism and they are trying to attract anyone and everyone to anything that they can think of.

Vietnam is a fun place, especially if you've previously been to other countries in the region. I can't wait to go back.

I know what you mean, but strangely I disagree. I have been coming here since 1993. My observation is that tourism was seen as being very important, especially during the early 1990s. But now Vietnam has moved on - there is alot more money here. Many of hotels and resorts are filling up with local tourists. The country is making its money from other industries.

I feel it was "new" to tourism in the early 1990s, but 18 years since my first trip I'm now sitting in a hotel in Hanoi. Very little has changed. The same scams/quality of service/reliability issues. I don't see much improvement and I don't think anything will change soon. Yes, there is some "progress" (flash new resorts on the southern coast, big name hotel chains etc), but it's all painfully slowly. Mainly, I think, because tourism is just not a priority and there's plenty of domestic tourism to keep people busy.