[Closed] Anyone done Vietnam? ( tourist info, not hunting VC )

What sort of stuff do you like doing? How long are you going for? Will you be doing the north or south? If you're only there for a few weeks you probably won't have time to do both.

Anyone [b]done[/b] Vietnam?

Sorry, carry on. 🙂

You weren't there, man.

Excellent country, fantastic people, cheap food and beer, ****ing crazy driving (I mean balls out demented)

Not got time to elaborate at the moment but will try this evening.

Best holiday we ever had. We went on trip organised by Exodus, so look at their website for the places they visit.

One highlight was going to the Chi-chi tunnels, and for a few dollars you can try a real AK47 at a target range, and for a few more a massive machine gun!

I was in Ho chi Minh, Phu Quoc, Hanoi, Ha Long, Hue and Hoi An in November.

Incredible place, it really really is.

Top tips:

stay flexible. we booked all of our domestic flights the night before travel and rarely paid more than £40 for each leg.

the real value hotels are in the 3* category. we stayed 5* most places because we thought $100 a night for a room was great value for the standard of hotel (which it was). but after a while we realised the 3* in Vietnam is generally of a much higher standard than elsewhere in Asia. We were getting nice hotels for $25 with grand buildings, air con, excellent service etc. If you want to splurge, go for it, but keep in mind that the cheaper hotels are probably the best overall value

safety - vietnam felt like the safest place I've travelled, even when we got into situations where you thought "hmmm, this could go wrong", nothing ever happened. BUT, my mate was stung in a scam in Ho Chi Minh on his last day for a huge sum of money...so as with anywhere else, just keep your wits about you. It's far far safer than most english/scottish cities IMO.

motorbikes - ride everwhere you visit...except for Ho Chi Minh. We rode everywhere, even between cities, but I had far too many close calls in Ho Chi Minh. my mate is living there and even when on his bike I never felt safe at all. it is absolutely crazy. But, riding around everywhere else is great. You can hire bikes for peanuts and they don't care what condition they come back, there were no thailand style scams for damage.

food - eat all of it! I don't think I had a a meal that did make me go "wow!"

drink - some pretty decent beer actually. the cheap cheap stuff in Hanoi is a bit grim, but it's only 10p a glass and lets you hang with the locals.

people - so so friendly. even in the cities. it's odd, if you die in the street they will just step over you, but if you show a bit of interest in them they'll be your best pal. The people out in the more rural areas are what made the holiday for me, they were incredibly hospitable, helped fix broken motorbikes, fed us, showed us round their houses etc. Intereact with as many as you ca, even if that's just sitting and having a beer with them

Places to visit:

Ho Chi Minh - a bit like any other big asian city, but incredible all the same.

Phu Quoc - brilliant wee "tourist" island, still very underdeveloped. We got a 5* beach cabin for about $100 a night. Amazing fish markets. Hire a motorbike and ride right down the south of the island and visit some of the villages and ports through the jungle. We ended up at a tiny fishing port for sunset after riding through the jungle for hours. A local restaurant cooked us some fish we'd just watched them drag off the boat, before the little village came alive at night. We were the only westerners there and it was like a mardi gras! Without a doubt one of the best days of my life.

Hanoi - some people love it, others hate it. I thought it was great. We were visiting another mate who works for the french embassy so he showed us around. Great for sightseeing and some excellent restaurants and bars.

Ha Long Bay - beautiful, but it's a major tourist trap. took away from the experience a bit for me (yes, I appreciate the irony here). If there was one part of the trip i'd cut off if I had to, it would be ha long bay.

Hue - didn't get to see to much, it was flooded so we needed to get out asap. Trains were stuck so we hire motorbikes and rode over the highlands to Hoi An.

Hoi An - One of my favourite places on earth. I was supposed to stay here for 2 days, ended up changing my flights and staying a week. Some excellent 5* hotels for reasonable money - it's a great place to relax. I don't know what it is about Hoi An, but everyone says is, it's special. You must go to Soul Kitchen at An ban beach at night. Sit in a cabana, drink cocktails and enjoy the breeze while looking over the moonlit ocean 🙂

Ahhhh, I can't wait to get back.

I did it a few years ago now. flew into Hanoi and a traveled south to Ho Chi Minh City using trains and buses. Just booked the flights and the first few nights accommodation in Hanoi after that just made it up as we went along. Really enjoyed Hoi An and Hue along with Halong Bay. Nah Trang wasn't my cuppa. Would have like to get up to Da Lat in the mountains for the wine.

As peterfile says above really.

I did in 2002 but I would imagine that quite a bit has changed since then, Hanoi was great and ha-long bay is worth seeing even if it is touristy. Saigon is mad but entertaining, the vietnam war museum isn't a particularly nice experience

Hue and Hoi-An are great because they are a little more off the beaten track so will give a more realistic view of the Nam

the beaches are winner

Lonely Planet is a pretty accurate guide (they can be bought cheaply when there)

Pretty much the above.

Folks lived in HCMC for nearly two years - I popped over and spent some time there and in Cambodia.

Genuinely incredible place.

However, as said above, it's been noted by ex-pats in HCMC that petty crime is on the rise and becoming more common, so keep your wits about you. It's never been a huge problem by all accounts, but it seems that in the past few years it has become a little bolder as tourism has risen.

Not been to the north, but the Cu Chi tunnels are worth a visit, take a look at the post office in Saigon (central HCHM), take a moped taxi (you too can be part of the moped shoal as it moves round pedestrians crossing the road) and check out the markets. Military museum is fascinating, showing the war from the Vietnamese perspective. The Temple Club is a wonderful taste of colonial Vietnam if you can find it too.

Food is amazing. A-MAZE-ING.

Have fun!

I should add, despite what the vietnamese will tell you (they tell you anything you want to hear in order to get you to part with a few $$$), it is illegal for a tourist to drive/ride in vietnam. Which means you are not insured in case of an accident. Also, don't injure yourself outside ho chi minh. There is a "hospital" on Phu Quoc where a few guys are pretending to be doctors. I'm not joking and it's not that uncommon!

Good climbing off Kat Ba island in the north if you like that. Bit like Halong Bay but quieter. Train was fun from Saigon or Ho Chi Min to Hanoi. Chi tunnels are interesting but a bit spoiled by lots of backpackers blowing their wads because they've never fired a gun before. Found the North very dollar grasping. Prefer Thai people and food myself.

Hoi An ---- my favourite place in Vietnam.
and 12p local draught beer

prepare to be extorted at every turn though if you look like a tourist

I would echo everything above, i cycled south to north in 2003 and it was a superb trip. I did stick to the backroads though so had a less touristy experience.
It was cheap, the food was great and the beer was cold and almost free. Hoi An was lovely as was Hanoi. Great country go and enjoy.