Thailand and Vietnam - February 2017

Everynamestaken

That reminds me of a similar-ish trip I did, but I added alot more in.

I flew uk to Kuala Lumpur then onto South of Thailand, and then onto Hanoi. I only had 5 days there, so I just went to Halong Bay, and took a day trip somewhere too. If I were to add longer, I would have gone to Sappa and Hui and Hoi an too.

Any questions, feel free to PM me. I thoroughly enjoyed Hanoi, and you know you have really achieved it in life when you just walk across a road without waiting for locals or other tourists.

slinga

We spent 4 days in HCMC last April on our way back to UK.
Disappointed with the food which we were looking forward to.
And 4 days were certainly enough as far as things to see went.

It was a recce for a trip to Vietnam for a longer period so will look forward to your review Pompey Pete.
BTW we are off to Portsmouth for 4 days at the end of the month.
Intend doing all the museums but is there anything else we might look at???

PompeyPete

fifeken wrote: »

I usually leave BKK on a flight in the early hours of the morning, but book that night in my accommodation anyway. Even with a 20:35 departure, I wouldn't want to be out of my room at 11:00am with nowhere to go and freshen up. Do you have anything planned along these lines?

Yep. We'll be staying at the New Siam Riverside on Phra Athit. We'll have to vacate by 1100[?]. But they'll let us use the luggage room, swimming pool and river restaurant terrace. Obviously they'll be hoping we buy lunch.

PompeyPete

Everynamestaken wrote: »

I flew uk to Kuala Lumpur then onto South of Thailand, and then onto Hanoi. I only had 5 days there, so I just went to Halong Bay, and took a day trip somewhere too. If I were to add longer, I would have gone to Sappa and Hui and Hoi an too.

We got the train from Danang to Hue last September. One of the most scenic train trips we've done, and it only cost 34,000 VND [£1] for a 3rd Class ticket.

Stayed in Hue for 5 nights, and almost immediately got confined to indoors by a Tropical Depression, which lasted for almost the whole stay.

Then got the bus to Hoi An for a week. Stayed on the edge of the Old Town. Had a great time, especially after dark when all the lanterns came on, and the place really livened up.

Everynamestaken wrote: »

Any questions, feel free to PM me. I thoroughly enjoyed Hanoi, and you know you have really achieved it in life when you just walk across a road without waiting for locals or other tourists.

It's not just crossing the road though. Motorbikes comes at you from all directions on the pavements too.:eek:

Leanne1812

Somewhere to consider is KOTO restaurant in Hanoi. It's a charitable organisation helping disadvantaged kids learn skills. We had a great meal there.

I wouldn't miss a trip to Halong Bay. It is stunning. Our trip was very tranquil. It doesn't need to be rowdy with hordes. If I recall we paid £100 each for a 1 night cruise including transfers. The junk was lovely, we had a balcony where we chilled at night and the food on board was terrific. It's more expensive than a lot on offer but we wanted a great experience. If I recall it was Paradise cruises which took a different route to most other junks so we weren't surrounded by them.

PompeyPete

slinga wrote: »

We spent 4 days in HCMC last April on our way back to UK.
Disappointed with the food which we were looking forward to.
And 4 days were certainly enough as far as things to see went.

We enjoyed just about everything we experienced in Saigon over 6 days last September.

slinga wrote: »

BTW we are off to Portsmouth for 4 days at the end of the month.
Intend doing all the museums but is there anything else we might look at???

Sorry, off-topic.;)

Ballard

PompeyPete wrote: »

The saying..."Failing to Prepare = Preparing to Fail" is how I look at things.:)

I admire your philosophy on holidays as I like to travel around too but I find it a little odd that you plan every last detail for your trips. Being as you like to go off the beaten track I'd have thought that having a rough idea of your itinerary but playing it by ear so as to give some flexibility would have been your preferred creed.

For my trip in November I've had to make some definite plans because accommodation is reasonably scarce where I'm going but there's something to be said for getting off a bus and looking around for a hotel (certainly in SE Asia anyway).

If I like a town I can book another day there or leave a day early if needed. I've always found that this works brilliantly for me but it's obviously not for everyone and I'm in no way criticising the way that you book.

PompeyPete

Ballard wrote: »

I admire your philosophy on holidays as I like to travel around too but I find it a little odd that you plan every last detail for your trips. Being as you like to go off the beaten track I'd have thought that having a rough idea of your itinerary but playing it by ear so as to give some flexibility would have been your preferred .

I haven't planned every last detail though. I know where we want to be, and although I want to have our accommodation in place I'll be leaving how we allocate our time until we arrive at each destination.

I've also got to consider my wife. She used to follow me out of curiosity, but she appreciates a bit more planning these days.:)

Ballard

I take your point. I travelled to China & Japan with an ex-girlfriend and everything was planned in quite a lot of detail. Had we gone to SE Asia I'd have persuaded her that we'd play it by ear a little more, though.

We did consider Vietnam but she is very cautious crossing the road over here so there's no way she would have been able to get anywhere in a Vietnamese city. I did try to get her to take a rickshaw in China but she was having none of it.

PompeyPete

BLOG TIME

The following is an excellent current blog...

https://solotravellerontour.com/2016/08/03/2-once-again-scooters-streetfood-bia-hoi-in-hanoi/

...that I'll be using it as inspiration to linger and loiter in Hanoi.

The bloke who wrote it is a regular contributor to the Trip Advisor Vietnam Forum. Well worth dipping into for v.useful tips and info