Pretty sure there were typhoons this August and September 2024 that caused extensive damage.

indeed, so much in mind i forgot about typhoons

We will most probably go in April, very warm but convenient for us to go this period, even prices seem a bit higher

I find this weather site useful when planning travel: https://www.weather2travel.com/vietn...limate/?r=home

April is a better choice traveling throughout Vietnam, ideally South to North.

Typhoon season is over in Vietnam for now. one of my fav places in SE asia!

everything is booked
We can't wait to go :)
It will the first time in Asia for our daughter and she will be celebrating her 7th birthday in Vietnam :)

please be safe with her.

eat at the bigger restaurants. save the street food for when she is older.

I love VN, but it's not the most sanitary place in the world.

yes, 3 hours before departure, is a requirement in VN, especially Saigon. Do not mess around.

I asked this on another thread (have deleted it), but I think this thread is better to ask this question. Thank you.

We are going to be in Halong bay in December, to celebrate a significant anniversary. Just want to do a day cruise, as we will only be there for one day. Jade Sails has been recommended. We are happy to give it ago. On the official website the price was US$119 pp but some have said it would be cheaper to book through a third party. We checked out viator and the prices were all over the place - from $30 to $130 pp for what appeared to be the same cruise with the same itinerary. Some have also mentioned klook.com - their prices were $90 pp. What are the risks of booking thru these third parties?

no risk

my sister travelled a few months ago with friends, they made separate bookings for the day cruise. She booked with Klook and her friends booked a few days later with their travel agency, inclusions were identical. Everything went fine.

Thank you for your reply. I will book through Klook - not sure about viator (if I book the cheapest, they may not honour the booking?)

I have already used both, never had an issue. The operator is selling to several platforms, the price may vary depending on the commission each takes and the volume generated. Same goes for hotel rooms, prices vary (booking, expedia, etc). You can book the cheapest with no risk

I am planning a trip to Vietnam in March 2026. We will by flying into SGN from Cambodia (SAI) and departing from HAN to USM via BKK. We are looking at a 7:45 pm arrival into SGN, and about a 10:30 am departure from HAN. Are the various "fast track" services for arrival and/or departure worth it? There seem to be a lot of them; any recommendations?

Multi question here..as this prompted a second.

1. Flying into SGN on my JAL flight, I intend to fly on later that morning to PNH/KTI on Vietnam Airlines. Will I be able to stay in Int'l terminal w/o going thru security (no checked bags planned)...meaning can I get a single entry visa for Vietnam as after my trip to PNH to see killing fields, et al and heading back to Vietnam (probably Da Nang as entry point)....or will I need to get a multi-entry visa? I ask b/c I can't recall the country but the flight was forced to go thru customs before heading on and going back thru security

2. (Note: have a positioning flight from HAN to SGN the day prior) w/ 3 hrs prior, and I have a 7.50AM flight from SGN to NRT. Is/Are there good hotels around SGN airport. I'm primarily a "Marriott guy" and stayed at the Sheraton(downtown) but didn't always have the best of luck getting a Grab early in the morning (granted it was 5am, not 3am) so not sure about getting up at 2am and hoping for a Grab on a Sunday night/Monday morning and getting to the airport in time. So, if my thesis is correct, what's a good place around SGN airport to stay? (Yes, I could fly home from HAN, however, scored an amazing Biz ticket from SGN, and haven't yet been able to replicate from HAN unfortunately)

I asked this very question to the tour operator when in VN 2 years back and said the bus/boat has X spaces, they give Y spaces to each of A, B and C "reseller sites", and a day or 2 before the tour begins, they may/may not grab back the "seats" if they need them for the operator to sell. So it was kind of "first come first served" in regards to the actual operator perhaps selling the seat that the re-seller may "have", but forced to give up, if space runs out. So, unless you're on some tour where there is some up & extra you have to pay for, everyone gets the same. The only hiccup could be is if you have a last minute change, it may be more convoluted to get it handled/whatever.

All that said, I've liked viator, and they handled things very smoothly and even communications within a couple hours of the tour start time were answered super quickly. For the smaller re-sellers, you may very well have to pay up front via some shady looking means, whereas viator is via CC most times (sometimes it's paid when picked-up) and you can cancel very easily too.

Lastly, w/ Viator, if you have some credit cards, you can get portal credits when you book thru them, thus making making it "cheaper" whereas those resellers aren't covered by say Capital One Shopping, et al. Also, I received incentives to book more trips thru Viator after booking the first a day or so later....making it even cheaper.