Hi all,
My partner and I have just booked tickets to Hanoi on the 2nd Feb 2011 and have just realised that TET begins on the 3rd. We were originally planning on staying in Hanoi for 3 nights before heading to Halong Bay, some people have advised us that it will be better to stay in Hanoi longer until the TET celebrations die down as many tour operators close down. How difficut will it be to get a Halong Bay tour for say the 5th and 6th Feb??
Also we were planning on taking the overnight train to Hue around the 8th, will transport still be jam packed or is it advisable to book a flight now from Hanoi to Danang?
Reply to this Dear JayZee,
Welcome you to Vietnam. the TET celebrations is from 1st Feb to 7th Feb., 2010 (28 th Dec to 5th Jan Lunar Calendar). From Hanoi, I think it is still easy for you to take tour to HaLong Bay on 5th Dec., 2010.
Regarding Overnight train to Hue around 8th that is really difficult for you because Vietnamese in the North of Vietnam (Ha Noi and surrounding provinces) will be on train to Saigon for working/their job. Every year is as this way. You will face the same matter with flight to DaNang City.
The best is to book air ticket or train ticket now but I think it is too late.
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Thu Nguyen
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Reply to this Flights and trains will be packed out, and potentially fully booked by now. Check out Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar to find out. These are the two domestic airlines in Vietnam at the moment.
There are, however, a multitude of open tour buses that travel this route that should be available. They often put more buses on at this time. We travelled around Dalat and Nha Trang last year at Tet and got both buses and hotels. Some hotels and restaurants are shut, others are working on reduced staff. The same deal goes for tour operators. Many stay open to cater for the backpacker/tourist market.
An alternative to a Halong bay tour is to do it yourself. You can get a bus from Hanoi to Haiphong, and a bus/boat combination ticket to Cat Ba Island, in Halong Bay. From there you can arrange a cruise around the bay. Again, it could be busy with domestic tourists, so book a hotel in advance if you do decide to do that.
Hope this helps.
Kate
Reply to this Thank you both very much for your posts.
we have booked accommodation in Hanoi and I am going to book the flights to DaNang now while there are some left.
Your help is very much appreciated
Zania
Reply to this There are still loads of travel agents in Hanoi still working during those days. Well, I agree that you should book the tickets as soon as possible, otherwise there will be no tickets.
The traffic will not be jammed during the Tet holidays if you are in big cities coz everybody goes home to celebrate the Tet. The road will be free, but after main days of Tet (after Feb. 8th) people will be rushing to their normal work, rushing to the big cities; so there can be jam in some places.
However, you shouldn't be worried because your travel agent will take care of you carefully. They are always beside your steps.
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