10 days from Hanoi to Saigon.
My boyfriend and I are going to Vietnam for 10 days end march/april and unfortunately cannot stay any longer. We fly into Hanoi and fly out of Saigon so have those 10 days to travel to the south.
Could anyone help with essentials to see/places to visit and how to get there? and what to skip?
I think we def want to go to Halong bay and Hue but what else is a "MUST" ?
I've heard that travelling down from the north takes up a lot of time so perhaps any advice or info on sleeper trains? How much are they? How long do they take? From where to where to go?
Any advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks
Reply to this My husband and I did Vietnam for 3 weeks in June 2010. You can check out our trip on our blog page under Pre Honeymoon.
I would recommend Hanoi as your starting point to Sapa, Halong Bay do 1 night on the boat skip Cat Ba island, fly to Hue or Hoi An..we liked Hoi An much better than Hue, fly to Saigon and hit up the Mekong River Delta if you have time.
10 days will be pushing it but you can get a good feel for the country and yeah and the food is AMAZING!!!
Reply to this With such a short amount of time, I would suggest flying some of the journeys e.g. Hanoi to Hue, then take a bus/train from Hue to Hoi An/Danang and then fly from Danang to Saigon. You can get very reasonably priced flights at Jetstar Asia and Vietnam Airlines.
Thus, you would start in Hanoi, spend a day or so there and go overnight in Halong Bay. Then fly to Hue, spend a day or so there before taking a bus or train to Hoi An. There you can not only explore the old town and get some clothes tailored, but also go to the beach. From Danang, fly to Saigon and spend a couple of days there, perhaps go on a trip to the Mekong Delta and/or the Cu Chi Tunnels.
Have fun.
Reply to this with 10 day, you can visit many places beautiful in Viet Nam,
Day 1: arrival Hanoi
Day 2: Halong with one night on board
Day 3: Halong - Ha Noi
Day 4,5: Hanoi - Hue by flight to explore Hue sush as Imperial Citadel including Flag Tower, Ngo Mon Gate, Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons, Thai Hoa Palace, forbidden Purple City. Then we move to Thien Mu pagoda – the Hue’s symbol . From Thien Mu we take dragon boat trip down stream to Trang tien bridge and enjoy sun set on Huong river. Dinner cruise on dragon boat with Hue folk .
Day 6: Fly to HCM city, explore HCM city
Day 7,8: HCM - Mekong tour: ( 2D/1N) cruise to visit Cai rang floating market. The market is filled with small boats darting through the water as vendors buy and sell their wares. Cruise through small canals and stop at a fruit orchard to taste some of the succulent fruits of the Mekong Delta.
Day 9: Fullday city tour HCM city,
Day 10 : departer.
If you have more free times, i think that you should make a tour through Viet Nam. if you have any question lets contact me.
Have a good trip
Reply to this Thank so much everyone ! Lots of tips there.
I have a few more questions regarding inland travel.
Is it expensive to fly the short journeys? (eg from Hanoi to Hue) ?
My boyfriend has a fear of flying and is already dreading the long flight to Vietnam.
Are trains that slow and terrible?
Also, in regards to hotels and tours would you suggest to book in advance or is very last minute better? Like, we arrive and we rock up to the nearest tour guide and haggle ? I a not sure if I should book too many things in advance. Any advice on that?
Reply to this Flights are pretty cheap internally Check out Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Asia and Vietjet for prices.
Trains are not so awful, just slow. You can do overnight train journeys, but you need to book them a couple of days in advance to get a sleeper bed. You can also do overnight journeys by sleeper bus, - basically a bus with a lot of beds in it. It's not that comfortable, especially if you are tall, but if it's better than flying for him?
I would book your first couple of nights in advance, and then do it as you go. The best deals are in the country. When you arrive in a place you can ask to be taken to your hotel of choice and see if they have rooms. Alternatively you can book online as you go on websites like Agoda. I would do tours as you go, from your hotel or travle agent near it. It really is very very easy to travel around Vietnam. You don't need to do an organised tour.
Reply to this I agree with Rat on the Road. Have a vague plan of what you would like to see and do but I wouldn't book to much as it is cheaper to book tours within Vietnam.
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