Travelling through Vietnam

Hello drblue,

Since I m living in Ho chi minh city now, I saw your plan and had a quick thought about days you will stay in HCM city. I am afraid that day 14 you go within a day adn you wil be tired. I think so. Day 12 and 13 is fine ^^.
Hope it helps

Drblue,

Your 2 weeks plan seems too much. I guess you have to fly from the north to central then to the south. However, for the provices around (i.e: HN to Ha Long then Sapa, etc.) you have to take bus/train which may take time and not sure the schedule fits your plan. In my opinion, too many places to go which may not bring you anything but tiredness. You should consider skipping few places.

i think you should limit your destinations. Just pick up the places that you think are the most impressive like Halong Bay or Sapa. Your plan is really stressful because you will never know what will happen during your trip, as things are not always  as they appear. If u r in Halong, i reccommend a 2-day and 1-night tour, its worth seeing the beautiful caves, islands and u can do kayaking, too. And in Danang, you should visit Bana Hills then u can make your tour to Hoi An, definitely worth seeing at night, especially near the river. Just some of my ideas Hope u can figure out sth to make your trip better

Welcome to Vietnam!
Yeah, it's a bit tight schedule. Better you should cut some place from the schedule or extend your time. With a half month visa exemption it may be difficult to extend. So just cut some. Otherwise you cannot enjoy the real beauty of Vietnam. It's very clear that traveling is tiresome even though you intend to use airplane 
Hope you will enjoy your trip to Vietnam!

Amen to what Aibiet and Charma noted. Your trip is far too compacted and it appears you have not favored in travel times when not flying. As for the Cu Chi tunnels, those could easily be missed and more time added elsewhere. I assume you are aware that it is 700 miles by air, and over a thousand miles by road, from Saigon to Hanoi. Likewise, do not presume your rail trip to Sapa will be some leisurely journey in some fancy sleeping car, unless you've reserved berths in one of the Victoria hotel chain cars. More than likely, you'll  be wedged into a Vietnamese sleeper car with steel bunks and very thin mattresses (really, mats), possibly with heavy smokers. If I recall correctly, the rail trip from Hanoi to Sapa took over eight hours. (You detrain at Lao Cai and switch to a small bus.). It was an interesting, but not relaxing, night trip. Railroad cars to Hue were far superior, with reclinable seats you could nap in.

Thank you for your reply.
Sounds like I'd better to give up the southern part of Vietnam and focus on Hanoi / Sapa area.
One more quick question please.
Because of the security reason, I was recommended to bring as small amounts of cash as possible and use credit card for the most of time. How widely are credit cards accepted in Vietnam? Are they acceptable for small hotels, restaurants and purchasing train / open bus ticket?

Thanks,

For most people, the Southern part of Vietnam, i.e. from Hue south, is the most interesting. It's where the Nguyen state Viets came in contact and interacted with the India-influenced Cham and Khmer kingdoms, as well as the tribes of the Central Highlands. It's also where modern Vietnam was forged between the 1600 and 1900s. So hopefully, you're trip up North won't be your only holiday in Vietnam.

As for credit cards, they are commonly acceptable in places where tourists gather, which certainly incudes Hanoi, Sapa, and Ha Long. You will find the occasional backpacker place that prefers cash, but even most of those take credit cards. As for rail and bus tickets, many hotels and travel agencies will gladly sell you those, obviously getting a cut. Be aware that the Hanoi rail station can be a mob scene with employees, travelers, and ticket scalpers hustling to get (or sell) their tickets. Best to purchase your tickets ahead of time, and not at the last minute.

We found a really interesting bar/pub where both locals and tourists gathered on a side street up from the entrance to the Sapa public market. Looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. If it, or some offshoot, is still around, you might enjoy the ambience.

Here's wishing you a good trip.

Lirelou,

It will be Hanoi airport where I will be arrived in and Da Nang airport for my leaving. So the destinations are Hanoi, Sapa, Halong, Hue, Hoian and Danang which I find most interesting tourist spots. I work in IT industry. I don't know why but I have strong feeling that my job allows me an opportunity to visit HCMC in near future. Until then, I will leave the southern part of Vietnam for better.

Thank you for your information.

Ago 6 months, i and my ex bf traveled: Da Lat, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Quang Binh, Ha Noi, Sapa in 20 days. u dont hate me if i help u arrange abit ur schedule? lol

Day 3: From Vinh Ha Long bay, let's go straight to Sapa. With Hanoi, one day in the frist day, it's enough.

In Sapa, let's try to come there in Saturday, bc at that time, u can join love's market in night. It's interested cuture point of ethnic minorities. Everyone come love's market to find love; even, if u married, u can come there to find ur ex gf or ex bf .... however, no sex lol

Day 6: let's Sapa, come back Hanoi and go straigh Hue . u can leave Sapa at about 5 pm, come Hanoi at 4 am and go to Hue at that time.

In Hue, i think, one day is enough . So, u'll have 2 nights and 1 day in Hue.

So, day 7, u're in Hue.

Day 8, from Hue, u book a tour go Quang Binh. U can go Phong Nha cave or Paradise Cave. i came Paradise cave. It's romantic and amazing

Day 10, in Hoi An, let's stay a night in there. Hoi An, in night, look more beautiful.

Have a nice trip

Hanviet87,

Thank you. It is very helpful.
For those who have been both Sapa and Dalat, How different are two towns? I will visit Sapa for 2 ~ 3 days. Do you think it is worth for me to visit Dalat too?

Dalat and Sapa are mountain cities. But Sapa is wild while Dalat is romantic. Everyone often call Dalat is city of thousand flowers

If u love wild beauty, u should choice Sapa; if u love romantic beauty, u should choce Dalat.

I think, u can visit Sapa in 1 day with treking tour, and one day for Dalat in real, one day with treking will make u so tired u joined treking tour in Sapa 2 days and i lost 2 kg ))

Dalat, warmer and larger town. A lot of French architecture still left over. A Bus ride to Nha Trang is three hours, to Ban Me Thuot (the coffee capital) is about two hours. From Ban Me Thuot you can take a city bus out to Ban Don and ride the elephants through the national part. You catch the bus right n front of the city flower park. Half hour ride out and back, about 15,000 dong. You can also catch buses to Saigon and Phan Thiet. Lam Dong Province museum is actually worth a hour or two, with exhibits on local tribes (Koho and Ma, old spelling) as well as a 7th Century A.D. Hindu temple unearthed near Bao Loc, when the upper Donnai was ruled by the Cham people. The lake near the center of Dalat is a pleasant place to walk around at late afternoon and evening. Warm by day, cool by night. The Railroad station makes for nice photos, though I've never seen the trains run. There's also a golf course, the first in Vietnam, built especially for the emperor and still in operation. Most also visit the emperor's summer 'palace'.

Sapa. Good for trekking, all up and down. Local H'mong and Dao peoples very different from the Malayo-Polynesian influenced Mon-Khmer peoples around Dalat. More Tibetan in looks. Lao Cai is about 30 kilometers away. Tam Duong to the west is a bit closer, but you have to cross the mountain range to get there. There are some Thai peoples that way. Definitely chilly in the winter months. They had snow this past January.

Bottom line: Sapa is a great 'been there, done that' place. Dalat's a nice enough place to go back to.

Anyone up north willing to enlighten us on Tam Dao, the old hill station?