So we’re thinking of spending a month in Vietnam, (probably mid Nov to mid Dec), and I’ve just begun to do some research. I know there’s tons of resources out there, but always like to hear from personal experience.
So my questions are:
What was the best meal you had?
What was the best beach you were on?
What was the best attraction you visited?
Did you take any trains? How were they?
Got any tips?
(Nothing is 100% yet. Myanmar is still in the running! But I thought this was a good place to start!)
Thanks in advance for any info you’re willing to share!
What was the best meal you had? My first night in the Hilton Hanoi Opera, in their Ba Mien restaurant. It was incredibly cheap compared to other five star hotel restaurants in Asia, where I otherwise usually exceeded my expense allowance. I only spent a few nights in Hanoi, and didn’t have a bad meal, but hotels really can dress up otherwise plain food.
What was the best beach you were on? No beaches there.
What was the best attraction you visited? Downtown Hanoi itself is an attraction, and I especially enjoyed the street life around Hoàn Kiếm Lake at night.
Did you take any trains? How were they? Sorry, no.
I don’t mean to be unhelpful; this was a business trip, and an unusually short one at that. I did enough that I envy you, though, and hope to be able to return as a proper tourist at some point in the future! Have fun, and good luck!
Joining thread because I’m off to Vietnam in mid Nov as well! Couldn’t resist the ridiculously cheap air-fare, and of course, that’s enough excuse for a holiday.
But have only got as far as ‘Land at HCMC aiport’ in formal planning. Tossing between Nha Trang and Phu Quoc as actual destinations with a possible train from HCMC to Nha Trang if we end up there. Don’t like to do a lot of moving around on holidays (lots of day trips though) as hate losing time in transit for relatively short vacations.
So yep, any advice you give to elbows will be taken by me as well.
I spent about a year in Vietnam:
What was the best meal you had?
Many good meals. None really stand out in my memory, but I do remember thinking that I rarely ever had a bad meal in Vietnam. Vietnamese food is sometimes similar to Chinese food, but generally healthier with a lot less oil.
European foods can be great in Vietnam. Probably the French influence.
What was the best beach you were on?
Nha Trang, but that was the only beach I visited.
What was the best attraction you visited?
Dalat is a city, not an attraction, but I did enjoy my time there. Cool weather in the mountains with many fresh fruits.
Did you take any trains? How were they?
Twice. Sometimes like riding a mild roller-coaster. The track is very bumpy and the train bounces and groans. Not bad, but worn and somewhat dirty. Meals served, but did not try. Flying can be as cheap as $17, tax included. I used skyscanner.com for airfares.
Got any tips?
Yes. You will be overcharged everywhere. Even convenience stores and pharmacies will try to charge you double or triple. Don’t be shy to negotiate or ask for a lower price, it is normal there. If money is involved, you are probably being overcharged.
No tipping in Vietnam. Tipping is thought of as being foolish with money, not as being generous.
The food was good everywhere, especially if you like Vietnamese food. The pastries were very good as well, but the bread was usually weird and bad.
I didn’t try the trains or beaches, as we were on a tour bus. To travel around town, you can get rides on the back of mopeds, which was fun.
My favourite place to visit was Hue, partly because you can cycle around the town, and they have amazing fabric and dressmaking shops. The Mekong Delta was also cool. The Cu Chi tunnels, used by the Viet Cong during the ‘American War’, were memorable.
Thought of this too late to edit my original post.
Shops with posted prices are fine.
If you go to the open air markets then you should negotiate heavily, it is expected.
You can start at 20% of the quoted price and work from there.
Many convenience stores and pharmacies don’t have posted prices, and you will most likely be asked to pay more than the local price.