Vietnam 2024

[Vkcs20]

Hi all

We are going to North Vietnam in August.

Started doing my research and planning a luxury cruise on Halong Bay.

So many cruise companies and most of them with good google and TripAdvisor reviews.

Narrowed down my list to Aspira, Orchid, Doris, Mon Cheri, Genesis and Paradise. Most of them are around $650 for a 2 night cruise. Has anyone done a cruise with these companies? Or any HaLong Bay cruise? Any feedback?

Will be spending some time in Hanoi and Ninh Binh too, if anyone has got any experience to share. Most welcome.

We did a tour with Mercury Travel. In Hanoi we did a Tuk Tuk tour and went to a water puppet show Also the old prison and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Ha Long Bay we were on Victory Star an ancient junk boat with sails so different to the usual boats. As part of the trip we did kayaking and trip to caves and around bay. Food was amazing.
Can’t give advice on Ninh Binh but stayed in Hoi An which was lovely before going further south

Thank you for sharing! 👍

Sapa should be considered due to its rice terraces.

We did Doris - it was great!

Trying to revive this thread as looking for advice re Vietnam specifically the tours offered.

Our agent suggested cycling trips in Ninh Binh/Tam Croc, Hue AND Hoi An but I think it will be a bit of an overkill.

For anyone who knows, which out of these three places would be best for cycling from a scenery (beautiful, calm etc) perspective AND less / more strenuous (DH is not a lover of getting on a bike ;) ).

Any other suggestions for these three places?

Finally, is 1 nigh in Hulong Bay enough?

And, if you had to choose between Hue and Hoi An, what would it be (I'm travelling with DD/DS mid/late teens).

Thanks

You can do a bit of cycling in Tam Coc and Hoian.
1 night for Halong Bay is still ok.
Between Hue and Hoian, I personally pick Hoian (You should check out whether Hue or Hoian appeals to you). If you have time, do both.

I'm off to Vietnam tomorrow so will report back in a couple of weeks.
We're doing the 2nt Doris Cruise, glad to hear you liked it @AgentProvocateur

Our intinerary is:

Hanoi 2 nights
Halong 2 nights
Overnight train to Da Nang
Hoi An 3 nights
Phu Quoc 4 nights
Hanoi 1 night

@dinhoecotour thanks, helpful.
Yes, please @StoneColdAlibi I'd like to hear what you think!

I would choose Hoi An over Hue.
we have done a couple of Vespa tours in Vietnam which were great fun and dcs really enjoyed thrm
https://vespaadventures.com/
One night in Halong Bay is fine imo.
I have visited Vietnam about eight/nine times- such a fabulous place.

Off tomorrow too! Again will let you know.
Hope Stonecoldalibi that you have a great trip!

@Vkcs20 it’s not the right time to cruise along healing bay in August / they often get cancelled.

You too!

We spent 5 days in Hanoi but could happily have spent longer. We thought Hoi An was overrated. Yes it's pretty but there is no need to spend more than two nights in that area.

Thanks for this! We are very keen to do Ha Long Bay/Lan Ha Bay so I think we might risk it. Are the cancellations due to the weather?

We already booked the flights/work leave now so will have to risk and hope for the best 😔

Our itinerary

12 Aug - 02 Sept (20 nights)
(15) Vietnam
(5) Hong Kong

13 Aug - Hanoi (6) arrive late 7pm
19th Aug - Cruise Ha Long (2)
21 Aug - Ha Long (2) - Watson hotel/Yoko Onsen hot spring
23 Aug - Ninh Binh/Tam Coc (2+3)
28 Aug - 02 Sept - Hong Kong (5) arrive late 23pm

Report back from Doris Cruise - really good. They look after you very well and the boat is lovely. I'd definitely do 2 nights, which we did, just to really soak it up. The trip to Viet Hai on bikes was a highlight and you don't get to do that on the 1nt option.
The food is reasonable, but compared to elsewhere in Vietnam it's a bit underwhelming. But I think that's just what you get on a cruise.

Really liked Hoi An, we stayed at a great hotel called Hoi An Odyssey which is a 15 min walk from town - I'd recommend a bit of distance so you can have peace and quiet!

Currently enjoying our last night in Phu Quoc before heading back to Hanoi tomorrow and then home on Saturday.

Thanks for the review 👍

Back and had a wonderful time.
Hanoi was fascinating- but chaotic and busy! We felt slightly overwhelmed on the first day but it ended up being very easy to get about. Interesting sites to visit. Lots of good restaurants and bars - amazing inventive cocktails at Ne cocktail bar! We stayed very close to the lake in the old town - really nice to escape from the non stop traffic and wander round the lake. I would recommend a guided tour - really interesting to talk to locals about their life experiences.
(We personally found Hanoi cheapest and easiest place to get clothes washed. Other tip, think carefully about what you take - temperature can vary greatly week to week and between different areas.)
We didn’t try cycling in Hanoi - roads too chaotic for us!

We loved Halong Bay trip - only did one night, wish we’d done two! It made a very chilled contrast to Hanoi.

We loved Nimh Binh area - stayed at a very peaceful resort just outside Tam Coc (very much a backpacker/tourist town). Best place to cycle round out of our stays - roads much quieter, very flat, some good cycle tracks. Lovely lush green landscape, very atmospheric. You can do different little boat trips from Tam Coc, but we did a glorious one at Van Long nature reserve (where they filmed Kong, Skull island!)

@kidyounot2 Had one night stopover in Hue and saw the citadel which is quite impressive but much of it is a reconstruction. In hindsight we would have definitely skipped Hue, as it meant extra travelling and yet another hotel entailing the nightly hunt for what I needed from the suitcases.
I personally would pick Hoi An over Hue. We did find Hoi A very touristy and very busy, but lots of people find it fun - lots of attractive looking coffee shops and bars, boats with lanterns hanging, clothes/gift/leather shops. Plus it’s a few km from a glorious long stretch of sandy beach, (can walk for miles) and you can get out and cycle in area. (Again very flat). Look for a hotel that’s at least 10 minutes walk from the old town where reviewers comment on it being peaceful!

You will need quite a few jabs - our local GP has a travel clinic and did most jobs free. Worth checking a few months ahead if possible. Rabies jabs are recommended- current shortage - so again sort sooner rather than later!
I normally get badly bitten by mosquitoes - Jungle Formula max strength worked really well!

I wish we had also looked at going north of Hanoi to mountains - various people really recommended it.

Hope you all love your trips. We will be going back!

I do think that 6nts in Hanoi will be too much though, unless you are mostly doing day trips out of the city? The air quality is really bad and my husbands asthma was triggered by it. It's an amazing place to experience but after a couple of days I found it sensory overload.

Thank you for such a detailed review!!! 👍

We have now changed our itinerary (again) and going Sapa for 3 nights

Hanoi, will be a bit of sightseeing, massages and restaurants mostly for us.

@Vkcs20 You definitely don't need 6 nights then. I'd say 3 or 4 at a push.

@Vkcs20 Really pleased you are now going to Sapa - heard glowing comments about it. Plus you are evidently going at perfect time of the year to see the rice fields (and patterns) at its lushest /most colourful, plus the best temperature. I think it will make a great contrast to the heat and bustle of Hanoi…

We found some of the Hanoi restaurants very touristy and food only ok / very geared to Western taste. We did really like the Met chain - although they are quite bright inside, and there were lots of tourists in them, we thought the food delicious and the staff great. We also did a street food tour which we loved. Vietnamese food was definitely a highlight of the trip….
I agree with @StoneColdAlibi that you don’t need 6 nights in Hanoi - especially as it will be far hotter when you are there. An air conditioned bedroom will also be crucial!

Avoid night buses (Private car, night train or day bus is safer).
Also, you should check the weather again once in Hanoi before heading to Lao Cai (Sapa).