A few of us are planning a short trip to Vietnam this October . We’re going to Hanoi first, then a cruise to Ha Long Bay, back to Ho Chi Minh City Saigon for two days then to the Angkor Wat . Then back to Bangkok.
Any recommendation s on where to stay,what to see,what to eat and where? Will eat anything but not too spicy … i get the trots
A big suggestion I can make for Halong Bay, which truly is stunningly beautiful, is don’t skimp on the cost. There are hoards of agencies in all price ranges trying to grab the tourist dollar, and some of the reports about the lower end of the scale are horrifying – rats, filth, a year or two ago one boat even broke apart suddenly in the middle of the night and sank, with some deaths.
Your hotel or guesthouse will try to pressure you into a Halong Bay cruise, as they get commission from various agencies. There’s no telling what the quality will be – maybe good, maybe bad – so don’t fold. Ourselves, we like Ocean Tours and recommend them highly. About in the middle range of prices. Completely professional. Very friendly. We did one of their 3-day/2-night tours of the bay, staying one night in the bay on a boat, which they own, and one night on an island at a resort that they also own. The “resort” was pretty basic but okay. Still, if we had it to do over again, we’d probably go with the option of two nights on the boat. But it was still all good. This is the place we recommend to everyone.
For Angkor Wat, I would recommend spending at least four days but certainly no less than three, assuming you have the time. It’s easy to while a way a whole week wandering around.
Also, the only accommodation recommendation I can readily give is for Ho Chi Minh City. We like the Indochine Hotel.
Moved to IMHO (from MPSIMS).
Thanks ** Siam Sam ** . We’ve booked for a two day one night cruise at Ha Long and are not skimping on the cost. I’ll look up your recommendation for HCMC , website looks good. Time is a constraint, alas , so we can only spend a day at Angkor Wat. It was only researching this trip made me realise the complex was so vast.
Any other inputs welcome , especially what to do in HCMC ?
I lived in Saigon for four years, and it’s a comfortable city to live in, but not all that great from a tourist standpoint. You should see the City Hall (former presidential palace) and the whole square there around Nguyen Hue, Le Loi, and Dong Khoi streets. Try the ice coffed at either Highlands or Trung Nguyen (there are thousands of these) or be more adventurous and try a non-chain store. Some of the best are around the Turtle Lake (Ho Con Rua), which is really just a fountain. Most tourists also like the Ben Thanh market. I don’t actually like it much anymore, but the food stands around it are a good place to eat at night. You could also see a water puppet show if you missed it in Ha Noi. If you have more time in HCMC, book a day trip to Ben Tre in the Meikong area.
Ha Noi is beautiful in October. The center is the Sword Lake, Ho Hoan Kiem, and the adjacent Pho Co, old district. If you’re lucky, the red phuong flower trees will still be in bloom and also the purple bang lang. Another popular area is where Ho Chi Minh’s tomb is, as well as the presidential palace, Ho’s house on stilts, and the One Pillar Pagoda (Mot Cot). I also am very fond of Van Mieu, the temple of literature.
Ha Long bay is beautiful and you should definitely go there. However, Sapa, in the mountains is one of my favorite places on earth. It’s time consuming to get there though. I would say try to get to Nha Trang too, my number one favorite place on earth, but in October, it may be gloomy, and that ruins the effect. Well, save it for your next trip!
I don’t know if my old comrade Old Seabee is still active here, but you can try to contact him by PM. He has lived and worked in Vietnam for many years and could probably give you a lot of information.
Yes, the water puppets in Hanoi, that’s a good show. Another suggestion is the old Hoa Lo Prison in the Old Town. It’s been turned into a museum. That’s the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” of Vietnam War days and worth a look. John McCain’s flight suit that he was wearing when captured is on display. (Or they say it’s his.)
The Cu Chi Tunnels near Ho Chi Minh City are interesting. You can book a half-day tour out to there.
It’s a pity you’re not going to central Vietnam. I know some good places to stay in Hue and Hoi An.
Thanks everyone so far . Looks like there will be a lot of things to do. Cu Chi tunnels is a definite possibility .
Does anyone know if one can do a bikini trip (covering the main points ) of Angkor Wat within a day.? That is to say land there in the morning, leave at night.
I believe you can find agencies in the nearby town of Siem Reap who will do this for you. But a single day really is a shame. Imagine, if you will, visiting Disneyland for just an hour.
Angkor Wat was a sort of bonus. We didn’t realise it was so accessible from HCMC . However Air Asia mucked things up. We booked many monThs ago at a discount, to find a sudden announcement that during this, month they are only flying at night. This has cut off half a day from each end of our schedules . Maybe next time . We’re not too far away .
No matter. At least you’ll see some of it, and even a glimpse in person is better than nothing. Ask at your accommodation about a day tour. If they don’t book tours themselves for the commission, then they should be able to steer you to an agency in town. If you did have more time, it would be a simple matter to hire what’s called a “remorque-moto,” which is a little motorbike with a small carriage attached, for a few bucks a day to drive you around to different sites and wait for you. But for a single day, best to have something formal arranged.
Are you flying AirAsia into Siem Reap? Bangkok Airways has had a monopoly on that airport for years, but I heard the monopoly was going to be broken. It used to charge so much that it was actually much cheaper to fly into Phnom Penh and take a bus the rest of the way.
Just to add: Damned AirAsia! We rarely fly them, because while their rates are great, their flight times always seem to be so inconvenient.
Our earlier bookings were at convenient times . The new times are scandalous . They were for arrival at Bangkok and departure . We’ve booked Fly Vietnam to Hanoi and HCMC. Not fixed the Siam Reap thing yet . We might consider the Phnom Penh option if it’s not too long.
Thanks again for your useful posts .
A good website for Cambodia was Tales of Asia. It’s run by Gordon Sharpless, an American journalist and long-time resident of Cambodia. But I see now that it’s not been updated for a couple of years. Not sure what’s up with that, but you might try e-mailing him, as he’s a veritable font of information. He also owns and operates the Two Dragons Guesthouse in Siem Reap. I met him once years ago, but he would not remember me I’m sure.
There’s also boat service between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It’s not as nice as it sounds, as you really don’t see much. It’s a fast boat, and you’re stuck inside, and it sits rather low. But it is pretty fast; I recall the poor shlubs who insisted on riding on the roof were soon banging on the craft to get in, it was bouncing around so much. 
All of these depends on your interests, but since I love history, the Cu Chi tunnels were great in that it brought home to me the reality of the Vietnam War in ways others have not. When you realize how close to Saigon the tunnels were, then it puts the war into another perspective. My Taiwanese wife didn’t really like them as much. Holes in the ground for her.
I second (or third) Sapa, much nicer than HCMC and Hanoi is lovely too. The French were in the north for a while and left a pleasant legacy.
Just a word of warning; the phrase ‘Walking ATM’ I think was born in HCMC. Take care of your purse/wallet/camera there.
And in Hanoi, one of the world’s top 10 pickpocketing cities (although we never had any trouble there.)
Vietnam airlines now has a service and we’re taking that. We’re also getting a day trip to Angkor starting with a boat trip to to Bayong .
We’re definitely going there. I got interested in this topic after reading Frederick Forsythes "Avenger " which had some references to the Tunnel Rats.