Where to go in Vietnam

Vietnam is a country most people have heard of but until recently few have had the opportunity to visit. It was not until the early 1990s that the first intrepid travelers started arriving. Things have come a long way in the past decade and visitors from all over the world are now discovering what a hidden gem of a country Vietnam is. Brilliant green rice fields, exotic temples and pagodas, grand colonial buildings, bustling city streets, thatched bamboo huts, grand colonial buildings, exotic temples and pagodas, deserted sandy beaches, breathtaking mountain scenery, conical straw hats, colorful ethnic minorities, graceful women in ao dai tunics, delicious cuisine, great out door activities luxurious hotels, stunning resorts and more, much more, it’s all here in Vietnam. Reply to this

Thanks for your reply. We are flying into Danang on the 5th November and we fly out of Saigon on the 17th November.

How far by road is Hoi An to Nha Trang. And is Danang close to Hoi An.

I was thinking of staying at either Danang (let me know if it is worthwhile) or Hoi An and then doing a day trip to Hue. Then fly from Hoi An to Hanoi and then fly back to Saigon.

Is Nha Trang worth the visit. I have heard that Dalat is nice where would this fit in to the above places as well as Mui Ne

What is the best airlines for cheapest tickets to use?

Love all the help you can give me. Reply to this

Thanks so much for all your wonderful information. I will now try and plan an itininary for us.

Another way I thought we could possibly do this trip.

Arriv Danang stay at Hoi An for 3 days, then bus it to Hue for a day or two from there fly to Hanoi 3 days fly to Dalat for day or two then bus it to Nha Trang 2 days and then fly from there to Saigon 2-3 days and then fly home via KL to Sydney.

Please let me know if this is too much to fit in over two weeks and if so what should I skip out?

Thanks again
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Hello,

I am planning to travel in Vietnam please tell me what is the best places to see there.

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Thanks so much everyone for all your information. I am definitely going to try and see Dalat, Nha Trang as well as Halong Bay ...

In reading blogs I see that most people are getting ripped off with taxis from Airports to hotels can anyone give me a rough idea on what to pay for taxis from the below places to hotels.

Danang - to hotels in Hoi An
Hanoi to hotel in city
Dalat to hotel in city
Saigon to hotel in city

Also what is the best company to use to travel from Hoi An to Hue over the Pass and prices as well.

Any information will be great.
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Hi Kate,

Thanks so much for all your information it has been so helpful. Looked up flights using Vietjetair and their pricing is unreal ... so will definitely be using them to do the in between flights.

Cheers for now
Carol Reply to this

Hi Lan,

Would love some information of what to see in Saigon, love the markets as well as shopping centres selling copies of famous shoes/bags etc.

Below is what I want to see and do whilst in Vietnam for 2 weeks -My husband and I who are in our late 50's are off to Vietnam for 14 days early November and would like to see as much as possible at the following places: We are seasoned travellers and went thru Malyasia on our own steam i.e. hiring car etc, but dont really want to drive in Vietnam as they ride on the opposite side fo the road to us

As we have basically only 2 weeks to see the following places, any recommendation’s will be greatly accepted.

Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Dalat, Nha Trang, Saigon

Flying into Da Nang from KL, and fly out from Saigon to KL ... so need to work a good way off seeing everything and not going to the same place twice. Also dont want to waste too much time on very long buses/trains if there are cheap airflights to the same area. Dont mind a bus or two for 3 hrs etc but not for the long haul.
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Kate has given you plenty of excellent advice although I'd just like to add a few extra pointers.

Get out of DaNang as quickly as you can. Admittedly, the beach in DaNang is one of the best I have seen in Vietnam, otherwise, there isn't really much of interest there apart from the Marble Mountains. Head for either Hoi An or Hue. Hoi An can be reached from DaNang in about an hour or so. I travelled by local bus being as my wife is Vietnamese, but there are plenty of tour companies that will provide you with a more luxurious service. Hue is 4 hours away and you can get there by bus or train. The train weaves its way slowly along the coastline and some of the views are simply amazing, whereas the bus goes through a tunnel under the hills.

Hoi An gets flooded out on average every 2 years. The last flood was in 2011, but as Kate said, the end of Oct beginning of Nov is usually when the floods happen so keep your eyes on the weather report. Be very careful when buying clothing or footwear in Hoi An. I was there two weeks ago and found to my cost that the workmanship can be shoddy to say the least. One of the tour guides told me that a woman from Australia ordered 30 pairs of shoes and when she went back to pick them up only a single pair could be considered as being acceptable.

From Hoi An or Hue you can visit the Cham temples at My Son, the DMZ and Bach Ma nature reserve.

In Hue, you will find the famous Hue Citadel. I would also recommend the 1 day boat trip with guide along the Perfume River (280,000vnd for 2 people) which will take you to an assortment of temples and tombs (entrance prices excluded). If you desire, most hotels will also organise an hour long evening trip on the river (120,000vnd) where you can enjoy some 'Ca Hue' or traditional Hue singing.

After that, I think it would be a good idea to head south. The weather remains warm and balmy in this part of the country for most of the year, even if monsoon weather threatens. Nha Trang would be your next best bet. You can either take the train, a bus or a flight with Vietnam Airlines from DaNang although be aware that domestic flights land in Cam Ranh which is around 40km south of Nha Trang.

In Nha Trang there is a resort called Vinpearl (land) with a cable car that takes you across giving you excellent views of the bay.

You can then take a bus to DaLat (5-6 hours) which is well known for its cool weather, floral magnificence and French architecture. Finally, jump on the bus to Saigon (6 hours). The most reliable private bus companies are Mai Linh or Phuong Trang. Alternatively, you can hop over DaLat and fly directly to Saigon.

Hope this helps :)

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I've always been highly delighted with the clothing that my tailor makes for me in my home town, however, it seems that a certain amount of contempt has bred in Hoi An, simply because so many tourists travel there.

I'm sure there are tailors in Hoi An who can do a good job. All I am saying is be careful where you go and shop about. You might want to consider reading some of the Hoi An blogs if you haven't already done so. You may find some useful tips and information among them. Reply to this

To be honest with you Carol, you won't need more than two or three nights in each place, being as there aren't that many things to do in each location.

Hoi An is really very small and one entire day will be enough to see everything, if you want to order clothing then you will need to stay an extra 24 hours as this is the amount of time they need to produce it. Generally, you will need one fitting, but again, it all depends on the tailor. You always have the option of taking off on a local tour during the 3 days you are there.

As far as Nha Trang is concerned, there is nothing really of interest in the town, except a couple of nice buddhist monasteries. Vinpearl and the beach are the main draws, so if those kinds of things are not for you, I would skip it, rather than stress yourselves out trying to pack too much in.
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