Anyone been to Vietnam? We're going in September.

shannonhill

I highly suggest that you see the Cu Chi tunnels- I'm not sure if that's the way it's pronounced.

vegasvisitor

We went to Ho Chi Minh City in January this year, then we flew on to Bangkok and stayed in Hua Hin then Bangkok. We had been to Thailand before and wanted to try something a bit different. We were glad we did, we loved it and would definitely go back.

Have you arranged hotels yet, or still in early planning stages? We flew with Emirates and stayed at New World Hotel Saigon, which we found to be very good and well located. We were close enough to the part of town nearer the river, and also the backpackers area.

I'll try to offer a few suggestions of what to do, but all depends on what you like really.

Independence Palace - try to see this, very good.
War Remnants Museum - very informative, but a bit gruesome in places.
Post Office - definitely walk in and have a look, same designer as Eiffel Tower.
Notre Dame - again worth a look
Ben Thanh Market - good for a browse
Pham Ngu Lao St - have a wander in the evening (backpackers area, quite an atmosphere)
Caravelle Hotel - this is my top happy hour recommendation. Hotel has about 3 happy hours, you could bar hop in there between them. Definitely try to do the rooftop bar in there, it overlooks the Continental Hotel from one side on the outer area. Amazing! And nice drinks, reasonable during happy hour too.
Botanical Gardens - nice for a wander if you're out walking early and have time.

There are plenty more things to see and do in Ho Chi Minh City, we enjoyed it very much. Can't comment on weather but January was supposed to be the good time to go, and I still found it quite warm at about 35 celsius.

Aubrey_Thicket

Thank you to all who posted 'useful' comments on this. We are still in the planning stage. We have discovered that there is literally so much to do that there is a danger of becoming exhausted. Thousands of helpful people have commented on masses of different sites so it literally is a huge job sorting out what's best to do and where's best to go without killing yourself through travelling.


Thank you again all

Doshwaster

Aubrey_Thicket wrote: »

Thank you to all who posted 'useful' comments on this. We are still in the planning stage. We have discovered that there is literally so much to do that there is a danger of becoming exhausted. Thousands of helpful people have commented on masses of different sites so it literally is a huge job sorting out what's best to do and where's best to go without killing yourself through travelling.

Yes, the big danger in planning a trip like this is trying to see and do too much. Vietnam isn't the easiest of countries to travel around and you don't want to spend half of your time there stuck in bus or airport.

Some of the best times you can have in Vietnam is just grabbing a (tiny) chair at a streetside cafe and watch the world go by.

PompeyPete

Doshwaster wrote: »

Some of the best times you can have in Vietnam is just grabbing a (tiny) chair at a streetside cafe and watch the world go by.

Me too. Those undersized plastic chairs are prone to collapse under you though.:o

PompeyPete

PompeyPete wrote: »

I think the current 15 day visa exemption for UK passport holders is only valid until the end of this June, and a decision on whether it will be extended is awaited. Daft if they don't extend though.

The 15 day Visa Exemption has been extended until 30 June 2017. Announced on the FCO Travel Advice website yesterday...

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/vietnam/entry-requirements

Arrival and departure dates both count against the 15 days.

Your passport should be valid for a minimum of 6 months on the date you enter Vietnam for you to be eligible for the 15 day visa exemption. And Immigration might ask for proof of onward travel.