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  • Planning a bike/windsurf/touring trip to Vietnam
  • BigJohn
    Full Member

    Mrs BigJohn and I want to spend about 3 weeks in Vietnam this coming January/February.

    We want to see a bit of the country, do a bit of cycling (but just fairly gentle stuff) and finish off with a week in Phan Thiet for the windsurfing. At some point we’d like to self cater, so we can try our hand at buying food locally and cooking it ourselves.

    I’ve read some of the posts on here from the last 6 months and it looks able to provide us with what we want.

    Originally we thought we would just book a couple of flights, pick our bags up off the carousel and play it by ear. Then we started looking at more organised tours – but they all seem a bit horrid (and expensive) and you probably end up going round museums and watching some poor sods getting dressed up in “traditional dress” and doing a bit of a dance for you. The highlight of one trip featured “make your own lantern!!” FFS.

    Has anybody managed the kind of thing we’re after? Finding their own way around the place in reasonable comfort but tying in with some more organised bits (like a 4-day bike excursion) en-route?

    peterfile
    Free Member

    Vietnam is an absolute breeze to just crack on and do your own thing.

    It’s cheap enough to just be able to book things on a whim, but organised enough that when you do pay for stuff you usually get what you’re expecting.

    I’ve been out the last couple of years (3.5 weeks first time round and just passed through for a week last year) and the one tip I would have is have a rough idea of where you want to go and what you want to see, then just play it by ear on the ground.

    Flights (domestic) can be booked the day before for cheap. Use that to your advantage and stay flexible.

    I can’t give you any recommendations for the specific activities you want to do, but a bit of research before you go should give you a list of people/companies to email, or even just places which would offer you the sort of things you’re looking to do.

    jambalaya
    Free Member

    I love the country and done numerous trips there over the past 15 years. I cannot offer specific advice as we did Good hotels. Have done a few cooking days inc visiting the markets to buy ingredients but always with a guide. Street food (and. Many restaurants) is so cheap it doesnt seem worth the effort of trying to self cater. We visited Phan Theit, stunning deserted beaches and some quality breeze. Its become quite a kite and windsurf venue now (we where there nearly 10 years ago). I have to say I much prefer the centre and North of the country, we got about via plane, train or taxi. The roads can be a bit of a free for all. Will try and post up some photos to wet your appetite.

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    NZCol
    Full Member

    Did a S to N trip, errr, 13 years ago on bike. best. trip. ever.
    Used trains a wee bit too with bike, hotels cheap and plentiful, did a few cooking courses which were amazing, drank lots of homebrew beer which was evil, be close to a bog when you have morning coffee.

    mrbiker473
    Free Member

    I went out there last year aswell and was meant to this year and it is easy to get out and about and do what you want. There are so many travel agencies or shops to pick from, you can walk down the street and choose as you wish.

    One thing i would say is, don’t plan to make any connection on the same day of arrival/ departure anywhere. They never arrive on time (usually atleast 4 hours late, my worst was 9 hours late) that goes for buses and trains. Also it is Chinese New Year on Monday 8th Feb(they celebrate it big time), so expect major delays and higher prices and maybe booked up hotels. When i went this year the Visa offices were closed for a week before and we couldn’t get in, that was for Visa on arrival via any websites and even at the embassy in Bangkok!

    The best place to do some biking is in Da Lat, which is in the mountains and you can tie that in with travelling to Nha Trang, fully supported decent from Da Lat to Nha Trang (they take your luggage and yourself once your onto the flat) https://www.facebook.com/Du-Lich-Da-Lat-Highland-Sport-Travel-767413836624900/?fref=ts Is who i used for different activities, mainly canyoning which was amazing and cheap!

    Pigface
    Free Member

    Just from my own experience, if you are a tall westerner with broad shoulders you will not fit in most markets 😆 one of the most pleasurable days of my life was spent wandering and squeezing into a market beside the river in Hue.

    Also I look really stupid sitting on the tiny plastic chairs at food stalls 😆

    Vietnam is bluddy brilliant

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Thanks for all the encouragement. I’ve just booked us flights – into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Min 3 weeks later. But a week before the new year (thanks for that tip). Now to start planning an itinerary. Rickety buses and uncomfortable overnight trains are at the top of my must do list.

    bikebouy
    Free Member

    What a cracking idea.. ditch the bike!! just windsurf… ahh but then again they suffer with light’ish winds don’t they?? Ok, take the frikin bike 😆

    Never been, sounds a..m…a…z…balls.

    Enjoy, send back pics.

    Git.

    butcher
    Full Member

    Finding your way around the tourist trail in Vietnam is dead easy. Unless you look Vietnamese, you’ll stand out like a sore thumb anyway and people will be lining up to point you in the right direction, for a small fee of course. But just talk to other tourists, you’ll always come across someone who is heading the opposite direction to you and can recommend places to stay. Or plenty of info online. It’s cheap, so no worries there.

    The roads are mentally dangerous, so organised bike trips sound a good idea, as opposed to just getting on a bike wandering off into unknown directions!

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Apparently it’s 5.8m weather all day long in January…

    But as I’m getting a bit old to windsurf all day long these days (this summer in Tarifa I was a bit embarrassed at Spinout when I saw how little my bill was) I was thinking *gulp* I might give kitesurfing a go. Will it still be ridiculously expensive there to learn?

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