Vietnam - All of September

DUKE

Pete et al, I'll be keeping my eye on this thread to gain info We almost went to Cambodia & Vietnam last December, but decided on Costa Rica at the last minute. So maybe this December.

PompeyPete

Teralin (#51).

Thanks for the detailed information.

I've got the latest copies of Rough Guide and Lonely Planet [borrowed from our local library], and will be making plenty of notes before we travel.

Dalat sounds like one of those Marmite places, so we'll wait and see. Hopefully, we'll be staying at Dreams Hotel, which gets consistent good reviews on TA, Booking.com, and Agoda.

The airport Domestic Terminals sound fun and typically disorganised. Always best to conduct any differences of opinions with a smile on your face, and just treat it as part of the travel experience.

We're in a bit of a void at the moment. Most flights booked, and VOA letter sorted out. So have got over 3 months to sort out exactly what to do after Hue, our accommodation, and do plenty more homework.

Jaffa_cake

PompeyPete wrote: »

Got bored the other day, saw great vfm flights [£433] to HCMC with Qatar Airways, and off we go...

Day 1: Arrive at 1250 HCMC with Qatar Airways
Day 2: HCMC
Day 3: Fly Vietjet to Dalat (50 minute flight)
Day 4: Dalat (Le Petit Paris and City of Eternal Spring))
Day 5: Dalat
Day 6: Dalat
Day 7: Dalat
Day 8: Fly Vietnam Airways to Da Nang (80 minute flight). Bus (60 minutes) to Hoi An
Day 9: Hoi An
Day10: Hoi An
Day 11: Hoi An
Day 12: Hoi An
Day 13: Hoi An
Day 14: Bus to Danang. Stay overnight
Day 15: Train to Hue (3 hours) - v.scenic
Day 16: Hue
Day 17: Hue
Day 18: Hue
Day 19: Train (sleeper?) to Nimh Binh
Day 19: Nimh Binh
Day 20: Nimh Binh
Day 21: Train to Hanoi (3 hours)
Day 22: Hanoi
Day 23: Hanoi
Day 24: Hanoi (possible Halong trip)
Day 25: Hanoi (possible Halong trip)
Day 26: Hanoi
Day 27: Fly Vietjet to HCMC. Overnight HCMC.
Day 28: Evening flight to London

Flights booked from LHR-SGN with Qatar Airways via Doha. Cheaper to fly into HCMC than to Hanoi.

Internal flights between HCMC-Dalat, and Dalat-Danang booked with Vietjet and Vietnam Airways. Inexpensive and website easy to use.

Visa on Arrival (US$10 for approval letter + US$45 on arrival for stamp).

So our first 8 days are committed [as far as Danag/Hoi An. But everything else is fluid. I'm not sold on Halong Bay or Sapa, which is one reason we've decided on Dalat for a few days. Is Hoi An too long?

Any comments gratefully received.:)

Hi Pete,

Have you booked the internal flights and stuff?

Why not rent a pair of 125cc semi-auto motorbikes.

By saying "WE" I guess wife or partner?

Easy to do Saigon, up the coast all the way, over Hai Van pass, then to Hai Phong.
Get the ferry to Cat Ba Island.
Stay a few days
Then ferry back to Hai Phong, and its just a few hours ride into Hanoi.

We did it 2 years ago, loved every day of it.

Very easy.

Hotels generally knock on the door, ask room prices.
Mostly 7 USD to 15 USD per night
Fuel 1 GBP per bike per day.
Riding days about 15, relaxing 15 days.

Any questions,,,,,,,,,,,,,

JC

PompeyPete

Jaffa_cake wrote: »

Have you booked the internal flights and stuff?

HCMC to Dalat, and Dalat to Danang flights booked.

Jaffa_cake wrote: »

Why not rent a pair of 125cc semi-auto motorbikes.

My eldest brother was a very lucky pillion rider in a fatal motorcycle accident a long time ago. Put me off motorised 2-wheelers for life.

We've travelled round SE Asia a lot, and I've lost count of the number of road accidents I've seen along the way, many involving tourists on two-wheels.

Plenty of cautionary tales and warnings on the Trip Advisor forum for Vietnam (+ all the other SE Asia forums), and the following is a good detailed piece to read for anyone thinking of hiring a motorbike in SE Asia...

http://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/Malaysia/Do-I-Need-A-License-To-Ride-A-Motorbike-In

Another reason to be careful...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g293918-i7560-k8375505-Warning_Grim_but_true_Road_safety_on_Koh_Samui-Ko_Samui_Surat_Thani_Province.html

Jaffa_cake

OK, I can understand your concern.

We had no accidents, or close coming togethers.

The most difficult part was for us, getting out of Hanoi, and on the Road to Hai Phong, to get the ferry to Cat Ba.

Sure, it's not for every one.

We were living in China, and took a 1 month break to Vietnam, so perhaps our driving / riding in China may have conditioned us, and gave us additional awareness.

Enjoy your selves.

vette

Doshwaster

PompeyPete wrote: »

We're in a bit of a void at the moment. Most flights booked, and VOA letter sorted out. So have got over 3 months to sort out exactly what to do after Hue, our accommodation, and do plenty more homework.

If you are flying VietJet then take their published schedules with a huge pinch of salt. Like in the rest of SE Asia, weather can cause big delays and I turned up for one flight and the flight number on my reservation didn't even exist - though they happily put me on the next flight and I spent 3 hours drinking with some German backpackers in the airport bar.

PompeyPete

Doshwaster wrote: »

If you are flying VietJet then take their published schedules with a huge pinch of salt. Like in the rest of SE Asia, weather can cause big delays and I turned up for one flight and the flight number on my reservation didn't even exist - though they happily put me on the next flight and I spent 3 hours drinking with some German backpackers in the airport bar.

Our Vietjet flight from HCMC has an ETD of 1125.
So I'll be ready for the first drink of then day by then if the flight's delayed.:beer:

PompeyPete

Time for an update.

We've decided to leave Hanoi and the north of Vietnam to next year, and mix it with a few days in Bangkok and Kanchanaburi. So we're sticking to the South and Central Vietnam.

I've been busy booking accommodation, and this is the new [almost final] plan...

Day 1: Arrive at 1250 HCMC with Qatar Airways
Day 2: HCMC
Day 3: Fly Vietjet to Dalat (50 minute flight)
Day 4: Dalat
Day 5: Dalat
Day 6: Dalat
Day 7: Dalat
Day 8: Fly Vietnam Airways to Da Nang (80 minute flight). Danang
Day 9: Danang
Day10: Danang
Day 11: Danang
Day 12: Train to Hue. Hue
Day 13: Hue
Day 14: Hue
Day 15: Hue
Day 16: Hue
Day 17: Hue to Hoi An.
Day 18: Hoi An
Day 19: Hoi An
Day 20: Hoi An
Day 21: Hoi An
Day 22: Hoi An
Day 23: Hoi An
Day 24: Fly Danang to HCMC. HCMC
Day 25: HCMC/Meekond Delta?
Day 26: HCMC/Meekong Delta?
Day 27: HCMC
Day 28: HCMC. Evening flight to London via Doha

I haven't booked any accommodation in HCMC yet. I'm trying to average out at about £20 a night for B&B. We're slightly over budget, but as breakfast is included then we're happy with that.

This is what I've booked so far, so just got the topping and tailing to do...

Dalat - Dreams Hotel. £94 for 5 nights...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g293922-d582986-Reviews-Dreams_Hotel-Dalat_Lam_Dong_Province.html

Danang - Rainbow Hotel. £78 for 4 nights...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g298085-d2035400-Reviews-Rainbow_Hotel-Da_Nang_Quang_Nam_Province.html

Hue - Mondial Hotel. £122 for 5 nights...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g293926-d1930434-Reviews-Mondial_Hotel_Hue-Hue_Thua_Thien_Hue_Province.html

Hoi An - Riverside Impression Homestay. £160 for 7 nights...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g298082-d4339772-Reviews-Riverside_Impression_Homestay-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.html

Expenditure so far for both of us...

Return Flights - LHR ro SGN £864
Internal Flights - £135
Hotels (21 x B&B) - £454
Visas inc authorisation letters - £72
SUB TOTAL = £1,525

Still to book...

Flights Danang to HCMC - about £50
2 nights B&B on arrival in HCMC - about £45
4 nights B&B to finish off in HCMC/Meekong Delta - about £90
SUB TOTAL = £1,710

Spending money to cover everything else - about £1,500 (max)

FINAL TOTAL for 4 weeks £3,210 for 2 of us.

PompeyPete

teralin wrote: »

We did a tour of Vietnam and Cambodia a few months ago and decided to spend four days in Dalat. It was the only place that we regretted going to. The place has little interest or beauty and the traffic is almost as bad as Saigon.

Planning is coming along nicely.
All internal flights booked (3), and v.inexpensive.
As are all the hotels, 6 in total. Apart from 2 of them I've booked with Agoda. The other two I've booked direct with the hotel.

The following is a blog posted yesterday on Trip Advisor about a recent stay in Dalat...

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/stefan79/1/1435529699/tpod.html

...and it's really made my day!

1trainer1

We love Vietnam, I went three years ago and at the moment it was the best holiday we ever went on.