First Time Vietnam
 

Have been following the different threads about Vietnam...
We are planning our trip for March starting in Hanoi, ending in HCMC. Questions:
Is 3 weeks enough/too long?
Is it best to take the train/tourist bus to make our way from N to S or is it better to fly to the different places?
Should we arrange for tours from here or when we arrive?
Are 4 or 5* hotels a must or are less expensive ones clean also?
We fly via UAE. Is it worth stopping over for 2 days?

Any other heads ups - dos - don'ts are appreciated to make this a memorable experience.
Thank you.

Three weeks is plenty of time to see a few different areas. I spent a month there last year and I could go back for another month and still not cover all I want to see. You can spend a few days in both Hanoi and HCMC and fill in the rest with a couple of cities/beach spots in between. I would recommend Halong Bay and Hoi An as definite places to consider but there are a few other spots I didn't get to that people mention around here (Mekong Delta and Nan trang).

The train is an aquired taste IMHO. It's definitely doable and itself an experience but not the most comfortable or efficent mode of transport. Hanoi to Hue is an overnight 12-hour journey so if you are looking to maximize your time I'd suggest flying. The only train ride I would suggest you take is between Hue and Danang (or vise versa). It's about a 3 hour ride and has stunning views of the ocean as you slowly climb the mountain range between the two spots.

Bus travel in Vietnam is also an experience. It's fine for a short 2 or 3 hour trip to a smaller city but anything beyond that would not be fun! Most of the minibuses I took I would categorize under 'harrowing' but still interesting.

I'd leave the tour booking until you get there unless it's something really specific you'd like to see. There's plenty of different tour companies in Hanoi and HCMC who speak English and you can probably negotiate a good price in person. I'd just do some research of the tours you'd like to go on prior to going.

Outside of one night at the Hanoi Sheraton (very nice) I only have experience in budget/mid-range hotels ($30-40US/night) and they were fine. I don't recall any bad experiences and I always had clean rooms and good A/C (you'll want that). Staff was always friendly and I could always find a cheaper hotel in a decent location.

I cannot comment on the UAE layover but if you like architecture I'd consider it! :)

Dos and don'ts:

Try lots of street food
Don't watch the road while riding a minibus
Wander away from the main tourists areas in the bigger cities (within reason).
Use lots of sunscreen!

Have a great time!

Vietnam has many places to visit as Sapa, Hanoi, Halong, Hue, Hoian, HCMC. I think 3 weeks are enough to visit these places. We stayed at 3 stars hotels and all are fine with good price, it depends on your budget but we have more choices, I would rather to spend money to visit more places than staying expensive hotels, only need them when you relax on the beach.

Domestic flights are not expensive and easy to book but train is new experience. Dont like tourist bus because they can speak english and too crowed.

We did a three week tour two years ago going from the north (Hanoi, Sapa, Halong Bay) to the middle (Hoi An) and ended in HCMC.
I thought 3 weeks was just right for us. It generally gave us enough time in different locations to take it easy a bit and walk the neighbourhoods without having to go-go-go all the time. However, I would consider adjusting some of the days here an there, in particular, the overnight cruise in Halong Bay (quite the effort to get out there and back for just an overnight cruise) and a few more nights in Sapa since the region was quite interesting.

We flew N to S on Vietnam Airline. Quite nice planes.
We took a train to Lao Cai and it ok but really bumpy. Our minibus rides were a bit crazy (the traffic, passing, etc) and somewhat uncomfortable. Riding the train and minibus were interesting going through towns and the countryside and I'm happy we did it. But I'm also happy that we took planes for the longer stretches.

If you're not picky, I suppose you can buy tours there but you are wasting a bit of time researching on the fly and finding a place to buy them while gaining a flexibility in your itinerary.

We're budget/value travelers and we stayed in what I'd consider 3* boutique hotels for around $30-$50/night, most of which included breakfast (which were generally not bad at all). We found them clean with decent amenities (ie wifi). No problems with friendly front desk staff speaking English.

Thanks to everybody for responding with helpful information; much appreciated! Any concerns re picking up a bug when eating street food radnub? We'd love the authentic experience, but are just a bit cautious. Do you take anything along just in case?
One thing I forgot to ask is about mobile WiFi. We rented a devise last year in Japan which was invaluable. I'm reading that buying a SIM card in Vietnam is a good way to go. We used it a lot for train schedules, maps and to book accommodation without having to look for a hotspot. What do others do. Thanks again.

3 weeks is really the minimum amount of time that I recommend for a north to south trip in Vietnam. Traveling here is pretty easy, but you should prepare for it by doing extensive research. I've been to VN 7 times. and am also coming to Hanoi again in March. I recommend domestic air travel since trains are still on the crude side, and none too clean. Road travel should be avoided as much as possible.

The 3* hotels here are wonderful. I've booked myself at the Hanoi 3B Homestay in Hanoi for a $29. suite during their sale, but prices there are still very low - great reviews! You can travel entirely on your own or use the services of a good local agent - I recommend my wonderful agent in Hanoi, Mr. Diep Tran of Vietnam Tour LTD - a very responsible and generous travel agent.

We picked up a Mobifone sim for 220,000 dong at the Hanoi airport. We probably could have paid less in town but didn't fret over $10-15 purchase. I can't remember the data allotment but I'm pretty sure I chose something that would have allowed us (allowed mobile hotspot tethering) pretty heavy usage over the 3 weeks we were there.
Pretty happy with the coverage as I was able to do a video call over google hangouts while walking up back up from Cat Cat village near Sapa.

Aside from the discomfort of traveling via roads, the higher-than-average chance of getting into an accident is something to consider.

For me, air travel all the time.

(Train's not even on my radar)

No one wants to waste a day or two getting sick on vacation so I understand your hesitation. My boyfriend and I each got sick once however we were there for 30 days. If it helps his issue probably came from this restaurant in Hanoi and for me I probably got it from a street vendor in Hoi An so who's to say what's better. Our doctor gave us Dukoral that we took a week or so before we left on our trip which probably helped and we had 'emergency pills' (I don't remember their name) that we brought with us in case our illness got really bad (it didn't).

The best thing I can say from personal experience is try a vendor that offers hot food like pho or find street vendors in busier areas where the food might not be sitting out too long. I've heard also to stay away from vegetable toppings as they may not be washed in the cleanest water. Hope that helps!

Hi All

What's the optimal way to get a Vietnam visa ?

Thanks

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...?highlight=voa

Info on Vietnam VOA.

Thanks again for the advise about the food and the travel. Really helpful!

Visas on Arrival are very efficient but you do potentially get bogged down waiting for the visa once you land at the airport. We did the VOA and were slow to get off the plane so I think we waited about 30-45mins at HAN which wasn't too bad. We may have lucked out though because we seemed to get our passports back before others waiting.

I wouldn't necessarily discount getting a visa before you leave if you have a consulate or embassy in the town where you live and it's convenient for you to drop your passport off.

Be careful of pickpockets. They're pretty skilled over there, and tend to work in teams.

I did my three week trip in the opposite direction (south to north) some years ago. The backpacker tours were so cheap then (about $30/day with lodging and meals) that you couldn't save much money going independently. My biggest two were 3 days in the Mekong Delta (overnights in Cantho and Chau Doc) and 2 in Ha Long Bay. Buses were charters, but one broke down and the guide put us on the public bus. A traffic cop saw that there were foreigners, stopped the bus and the guide had to pay a "fine." It was a bit cramped and there were chickens and other livestock.

Intercity transit was always slow, even if on time. Don't apply western thinking to travel times and distances.

I had my food bout around Hoi An, which slowed me down for a day or two. Still made it out to My Son.

Also lots of cheap daytours out of HCMC and Hanoi that were worth it, like Perfume Pagoda and that river, and the Caodai holy see and the Cu Chi tunnels.

I normally don't do the tour thing that heavily, but it was so cheap with Vietnam and it removed hassles so much that it was hard to resist. You'd also see the same bunch of people along the way. I was pretty conventional with HCMC for a few days, the Mekong Delta tour, Da Lat for a day or two, Nha Trang (back in the days of the legendary Mama Hanh boat tours), Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, and Ha Long Bay.

I loved the Hotel Metropole (Sofitel) in Hanoi was fabulous. Lots of history and not your standard chain hotel that looks the same in every city you stay in.

I just booked tours when I got there.