DCtrAAveler

Hi everyone. Thinking of making a similar trip to that of the OP in early July. I'll have probably 8 nights (3-11 July) to play with and would like to see both SGN and HAN. I'm toying with the idea of a beach destination as well, possibly near Hoi An/Hue for additional sightseeing outside the cities - not sure best place to target. Thoughts on ideal breakdown? 2 nights in each of the major cities and 4 somewhere in-between? Or, would I be better off skipping a third destination and spending 4 nights each in SGN and HAN?

Also, I'll be in SGN over my birthday. Any recommendations for a special occasion restaurant, preferably local cuisine, possibly with a view?

Appreciate all advice. Thanks.

Suzzin

Following! We're doing a similar trip in August. I was thinking of a beach in Thailand but I'm worried about monsoon season, so if there's a beach recommendation in Vietnam that would probably work better.

ijgordon

We did a front suite on the Paradise Elegance, which is the larger steel ship (vs. wooden junk). The Peak is the more upscale one that's all suites and all-inclusive (alcohol) with "butler" service. I think the Peak was twice the price and we actually prefer larger/less intimate boats (the Peak has only 8 suites I think).
I highly, highly recommend Paradise in general, I'm sure Peak would be great if that's what you're looking for but we loved the Elegance. Keep in mind that on a 1-night cruise you'll only be on the ship for about 22-23 hours.

I would also highly recommend the seaplane flight from Hanoi. It doesn't save you all that much time (because they make you get to the airport relatively early) but you do get to avoid a 3-4 hour drive through the countryside, even if you get a nice private car. And a tip - you can book the seaplane one way, and sometimes if they have spare capacity on the day of the return they'll sell you a discounted ticket. Just make sure they cancel your car service from Halong to Hanoi and book something for you from the Hanoi airport back into the city or wherever you're going.

hxhbk

Assume that you are first time visitor to Vietnam. If correct, I think 3 destinations in 8 nights is a bit cramped. I would forego one of the 3. With Da Nang (home base for Hue and Hoi An), you can also make international flights for your inbound or outbound trip. If you are a repeat visitor, than 3 destinations in 8 nights is not unreasonable.
For the special occasion restaurant in Saigon, it depends on your like for Vietnamese or Western food.
For Vietnamese, I suggest l'Aura de Nam Ky (the Southern Aura, translated from the French words). Very nice interior decor on the ground floor upon entry, as the typical living space of a wealthy southern (read Mekong delta) family. The chef/owner is one of the top finalist in the 2015(?) Vietnam Master Chef competition. Go on youtube and see the promo video. The older lady in the video is the chef/owner.
For French gastronomy, I recommend le Jardin des Sens, 3-courses or 5-courses set menu and you will not go wrong.
These 2 restaurants are both expensive places but in my opinion a good place for special occasion.

DCtrAAveler

Thank you very much for the recommendations. I'll check out both of them.
Still evaluating options for the trip overall and may scale back to just visit HCMC and then Can Tho in the Mekong Delta (to check out the new Azerai property).
Cheers.

mordy2000

Thanks! We've been to Hong Kong a few times and never had the desire to go to Macau. Sadly, Macau is the entire reason for this trip in the first place as I have a company event/conference I have to attend. We'll "prepare" for Macau by seeing parts of Vietnam first

mordy2000

We've been leaning towards the Paradise, so this info is great -- thanks! We prefer more of the quieter approach so it sounds like the Peak is a good choice for that.

I saw that option! Looked interesting -- but getting the wife (nervous flier) on a small plane is highly unlikely. Even a Gulfstream

Suzzin

We are going to Hoi An this summer, it sounds lovely. Would you recommend staying on the river or the beach?

erik123

Stay in town as that will be much nicer in the evening and there are better hotel options. The beach is only 10 minutes away by cab.

mordy2000

Just wanted to update the thread. In the end, the wife and I made the decision to choose Japan. To be clear, it wasn't a comparison -- totally different as folks here have pointed out -- more along the lines of logistics, type of activities we're looking to do, etc.
Thanks to all who have shared their advice and opinions!

Annalisa12

Thanks for the update.

passionforhotels

The Halong Bay 2d1n trip is a bit misleading. By the time you get there, embark etc it's already early afternoon. Then you cruise that afternoon before tying up for overnight. The next day you're back in Halong Bay by mid-morning. You're barely 24 hours on the boat, so it's more like 1d1n. My only regret with Vietnam was not choosing a two-night trip.

Can't think of any reason to go to Nha Trang unless you like to party and Ibiza isn't on your travel plans this year. Hoi An and Hue are fabulous.

Cris L