SanDiego1K

We've misplanned travel to Vietnam and are there during Tet. Flights are sold out for a week between Ho Chi Minh and Nha Trang. Train is sold out and we've been advised against the bus. However, we can get a car and driver for an acceptable price. Has anyone gone by road between those cities? How long did it take you? What are your thoughts about it? We will have to drop Nha Trang and reorganize the entire trip if this is not feasible.

Daawgon

Vietnamese highways are death lanes in my opinion, and that's a fairly lengthy trip up to Nha Trang. Personally, I think I would head on up to Laos instead of your idea. Luang Prabang is very very nice, and although it might be far from Saigon, it's worth the effort. You could go via Cambodia - just my 2 cents. I believe you can just show up at both borders and buy visas.

Luang Prabang is always WARM by the way!

jiejie

What are the other options on the table? My particular circle of friends and acquaintances tends to agree with me that Nha Trang is not one of the highlights of Vietnam and is eminently skippable. Making a heroic effort to get there is even worse--I think it's normally about 8-9 hours but could be worse with TET traffic. Most people advise breaking up the trip in Mui Ne. What's the rest of your trip's setup look like? Arrival and departure points fixed and firm?

SanDiego1K

I'm planning to go to:

• Phnom Penh
• Ho Chi Minh
• Nha Trang
• Hanoi

Flights into Phnom Penh and out of Hanoi are fixed. It turns out we am arriving in Hanoi the first night of Tet. Not bright. Everything will be closed.

It is at least our second trip to each city above. We have been to Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Siem Reap, Hue and Hoi An. I like SE Asia, and was intrigued by the new Sheraton in Nha Trang. I love a view, and it is reported to have an outstanding one of the beach/ocean.

I just checked and found a flight to Danang. However, we stayed at Nam Hai within the last three years or so, and had a lovely visit on property and in and out of Hoi An.

dlflyer2

If you are looking for a beach getaway, there is the brand new Hyatt Regency Danang. You can get to Hoi An, probably a 10-15 minutes longer drive than from the Nam Hai.

I like Nha Trang, but find Hoi An much more interesting.

jiejie

Can you get a flight HCMC to Dalat? Dalat is in the uplands and that region turned out to be a nice surprise--extended my planned 3-day stay there to 5 days. Even if you don't have that kind of time, it might be worth a day or so. It will be cool in January due to elevation. From Dalat, you can get a car to Nha Trang for about USD 80-100. Takes about 4-ish hours and would be far better for scenery and sanity than the HCMC-NT long haul.

As to whether you should skip Nha Trang entirely, ask this: If the Sheraton did not exist there, from your research, would you still want to go? If answer is yes, then either take the car all the way from HCMC to NT (which will be a full day lost to travel). Or try my Dalat-as-intermediate point strategy. If the answer is "no" and you're only going there for the Sheraton, then consider moving the time elsewhere entirely. As it's Tet season, I'd hesitate going too far off the beaten track since the small places are the ones most likely to have services closed entirely.

And do you have a way (flight reservation) from Nha Trang to Hanoi yet? Seems that from about Jan 20, most routes are really heavily subscribed or sold out. So intercity long-distance moving from 20th onward is going to be tricky, and you may have to take what you can get.

SanDiego1K

Yes, that is a thought, and I have made a provisional booking at the Hyatt. I've seen the beach where the Hyatt has been built, and it is quite bland. Also, the weather will be chilly in January. However, it is a sound idea and flights are available into Danang.

This is a very interesting idea. We had thought of going to Dalat on our last visit to Hoi An, and didn't feel we had time. What do you recommend there? And what about hotels?

We have been to Nha Trang and would skip it except for the hotel - and a shop where I'd like to return.

Flights are available from Dalat, Nha Trang and Danang to Hanoi, albeit in business. I still have choices though think I need to buy within a couple days.

SanDiego1K

I've committed to Dalat. Air was available in and out and it will be a new place for me. Thank you, jiejie, for your suggestion.

Now, as to a hotel, I doubt TripAdvisor's recommendation of the top hotel at $10. Who is familiar with the Ana Mandara? It has a great 2 day package that includes lots of extras. I see that the Sofitel Palace has debranded, not very encouraging.

We have two full days plus a bit. What should we plan to see?

How easy is it to get taxis? The Ana Mandara isn't in town. It appears to be an old colonial property up in the hills.

jiejie

I think you'll be happy with the decision to give Dalat a try. My visit was about 2 years ago, and I'll have to see if I can dig out my notes/info which might take me a day or so for sightseeing prioritization. I'll be back on thread later for that.

On hotels, Dalat is probably one of those places where you might have to accept a bit of imperfection, even at the best places in town. I passed the Ana Mandara on my explorations and to me, it's a bit too inconvenient a location for my taste. I don't like the feeling of being "marooned" and prefer somewhere that if I want to go walking to restaurants or cafes or something, I can. If you decide to stay there, I'd suggest either in advance through the hotel or upon arrival in Dalat town, get a driver signed up for your two days.

I stayed at the Novotel (now the Hotel du Parc) which I thought was comfortable, though not without minor flaws and it's not going to be proactive service you'll get with the top international business hotels. I had a decent sized room. It was more in my budget than the Sofitel Dalat Palace (well, now minus the Sofitel), otherwise I'd have stayed at the grande dame. I think given more convenient location and maybe a bit more predictability, I'd choose Dalat Palace over Ana Mandara. And taxis hang out near the Palace and the du Parc. As long as you can get to Dalat by early afternoon or so, you should have a chance to inspect the room they want to give you, and have time to ask for a switch if you don't like something. With both Dalat Palace and Du Parc (which are under same management, now, per my understanding), I think there's quite a bit of variability in size and room quality between individual rooms. Just think of it as part of the charm of staying in older places.

jiejie

Things in Dalat I enjoyed:
--walking around the central city and the market area (some good photos of the inside from the 2nd floor balcony looking down)
--strolling around the lake in front of the Dalat Palace hotel
--the Old Train Station (not operational, almost museum-like)
--the hillside boulevard of colonial mansions, these homes are really impressive from the French colonial days, and are still occupied
--Bao Dai Palace (one of my favorite places)
--Chua Linh Phuoc Temple and Pagoda (a little outside town, make a token donation if you go--another favorite)
--Lam Dong Museum
--peeking into some of the greenhouses at the edge of town and seeing where much of Vietnam's flowers and vegetables come from

Things that were OK but I wouldn't prioritize them on a short trip:
--Datanla Falls (but if you go, take the amusement-park like roller coaster down)
--Truc Lam Lake and Monastery
--countryside drive that goes to Lat Village (Chicken village) of weavers, though they have some decent textiles you can buy. Also usually on this drive is the Silk Factory, which is a family operation with the silkwork cocoons all the way to weaving raw cloth--interesting if you haven't seen this sort of thing before. Also on this drive are tea and coffee plantations. All of this takes about 2/3 of a day with a lunch "on the road."

Things I didn't do but you might consider:
--Scenic cable car ride (it was rainy and cold during my visit so I reluctantly took a pass on this--may also be too cold when you are there)
--"Crazy House" which is in-town. Gets mixed reviews.

With two days in Dalat, you'll find enough to do. It really has a different feel from any other place in Vietnam. Make sure you have a jacket with you for a January visit. My visit was at end of October and temps then were mostly in the 50's Fahrenheit due to elevation. With relatively little industry and traffic, you should enjoy fresh mountain air.

Daawgon

There's more to the Central Highlands than just Dalat and vicinity. Many over on Tripadvisor are raving about Buon Ma Thuot - 3 or 4 hours from Dalat. Here's Travelfish's take on the CH.

Goldorak

The Ana Mandara is a very nice hotel. But it's not up in the hills. It's on the beach. It's not exactly downtown but very close (5-10 min ride in taxi).

imm2b

Having just got back from VN and stayed at the Hyatt Regency Danang. I'd definitely skip Danang this time of the year because it's rainy season in the central coast. I second jiejie's recommendation on Dalat. I stayed at a local hotel within walking distance to the central market last time, and enjoyed it. We did the Bao Dai Palace, the Datanla falls, Truc Lam monastery, Crazy Woman House, walk around the lake etc. It was a nice visit to Dalat.

Though, I've not been to Phu Quoc, but heard nice things about it.

SanDiego1K

Are you possibly thinking of the Ana Mandara in Nha Trang? We stayed there on our last trip to Vietnam. Here's the link for the Ana Mandara in Dalat.

Sited on approximately 35 acres of suburban parkland that forms its own unique compound, the area Ana Mandara Villas Dalat occupies was originally known as the 'Bellevue Quarter', a nod to the rich French influence. Striking views of the surrounding town, countryside and flourishing vegetable fields abound from all areas of the gently sloping hillside property.

I read your comments on the Hyatt thread and it convinced me to disregard Danang in January.

Le Veranda in Phu Quoc showed up on several top new hotels of the world lists about 3 years ago. So off we went. The hotel was a great disappointment, especially at its price point, and the island was very quiet. At that point, the island was attracting budget travelers and there were few places to go outside of the hotel.

jiejie

Buon Ma Thuot is every bit of 4 hours' drive from Dalat. It's not a daytrip! If you read the OP's schedule, he's only got 2 full days + a partial. No time for BMT this round--there's more than enough in Dalat immediate area to absorb his time.

Oy. Check the map relevant to the discussion. Dalat is nowhere near the beach, it's in the hills. I think you are mixing up your Ana Mandara's.