Underwear and hand luggage packing for Vietnam

[AnonApril24]

We’re going to Vietnam for 2 weeks in July, hand luggage only. I have a few questions I’m hoping you lovely people can help with….

• what’s the best underwear for quick drying/wicking/dealing with groin and boob sweat (menopausal)
• anyone done hand luggage only and want to share their packing list? 🙏🏻
• am pear shape, top 12-14, bottom 16. Any tips on easy light cool and quick drying clothes??

thank you lovely people in my phone!! :)

I love cubes, but wish I had a few the same size instead of sets that are all different sizes!

I went to Vietnam last May with only carry on. It was very humid so I recommend you pack clothes you are comfortable in and that are lightweight. You can get washing done very very cheaply every couple of days. I packed a black silk dress which could be worn day or night, 2 shorts (1 linen), 1 skirt, 3 cotton tops, 3 bras, 6 undies. Easy!

Seconding packing cubes- and if anyone has got any recommendations for robust ones that would be very helpful. The cheapy ones I have have all got broken zips now.

Start in Hanoi, end in Ho Chi Minh. Stopping at halong bay, hoi an, hue, na Trang on the way. No plans yet except our flights in and out of country!

Who are you flying with? Not all airlines have the same hand luggage amount, this could help with suggestions of how much you can cram in.

And re medications, yes a copy of your prescription and original containers should be carried. Also depending on which stop overs you have some everyday drugs here are banned, just in case you are stopped, so best to check.

Thank you for this! We have a teenage daughter and want an adventure, so thought backpacks, easy to move to different places etc. plus we like the challenge of hand luggage only - I may buy a hold-all out there if I get much to bring home!

Patterned tops and dresses are good. Sweat and stains don’t show up so much!!!

Don't skip Ha Long Bay, honestly!

Interesting. Loads of people say it’s amazing, but loads also say it’s dirty and full of litter and crowded!

Ok I'll clarify - don't skip Ha Long Bay, visit to take an overnight 'cruise' on a traditional Junk out in the bay. Amazing scenery, it's a heritage site for a reason 🫶

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/672/

We went to Vietnam in July/August 2018. It was great! you'll have a ball, and lovely food! It was hot and humid, but not as bad as, say, Singapore, so keep the clothes cotton/linen, thin and light.

We went to Ho Chi Minh - great restaurants and there was a night market/food market with lots of street food stalls, cheap beer and open tables, with raucous live music, which was a lot of fun. We took a day trip on the Mekong which involved biking across the islands visiting various micro-businesses, a river trip and a delicious lunch on board. We took another trip by boat to the tunnel complex where the Viet Cong had a stronghold. You can fire AK47s at a range there and again, a brilliant lunch is included. The city itself is very exciting - the People's Palace is a beautiful mid-century modern building set in a pretty park, the history of the war is a great exhibition. We didn't do the food tour by scooter, but that looks like great fun.

Hoi An is lovely, although I was disappointed in the 'tailors'. I had visions of getting beautiful copies of Chloe shirts but they seemed mostly devoted to kitting out Australian families in identikit fruit-themed shorts and shirts co-ords. My in-laws did a tour of the main market and a cooking lesson when they went a few months later, which they loved. We stayed in a beach resort for this phase and got a shuttle bus into Hoi An, so this was more of the chilled, swim in the sea, get a massage phase of the holiday for us before we flew to Hong Kong.

Back to the clothing: by the time I'd spent two weeks washing and wearing the thin light capsule wardrobe I'd organised for Vietnam, I was feeling a bit scruffy in Hong Kong. So I bought a couple more items at that point. So if you think that might be you, maybe take an outfit that is more city restaurant/fancy shopping centre appropriate.

Have just come back from Vietnam with tweens

My suggestions

July will be hot and humid pretty much everywhere. Take cotton and linen.

Laundry is very cheap and quick. But not for delicates. So take stuff that isn’t precious and can be washed at any temp and tumble dried. Cotton again.

Plan your day so you do the sights morning and late afternoon. Middle of the day spend at a pool/beach/cafe. This will avoid the worst heat and the worst day tripper crowds.

I strongly recommend taking a wheeled bag rather than a backpack so you aren’t carrying a sweaty bag in the heat. There was nowhere that I thought “a backpack would be easier”. Unless you are planning mountains and overnight treks.

Shoes: Tevas are ideal.

Make sure you and your DD have some longer more modest clothes - for temples you are expected to cover knees and shoulders.

Bring something you can cycle in

Re Halong Bay: pick a cruise that goes to Bai Tu Long Bay rather than Halong Bay - it looks the same but is way less crowded and dirty. Indochina Junk and Remea Cruises go there, NB they get booked quite early.

Lan Ha Bay is also a less crowded area although busier than Bai Tu Long. The Lan Ha Bay cruises tend to include a hike/bike on Cat Ba island so depends if that appeals.

2 night cruise is more relaxing and allows you to get further from the busy areas. However, I would check the weather at that time before committing 2 nights to it.

This is what I do. Take one box of everything with my details on, flatten it and then get rid of everything else (instructions etc) .... although that said, I've never ever been questioned about my meds and I've been to a lot of obscure and not obscure places.

I'm currently living somewhere where you don't need a prescription to buy most medication (including my epilepsy meds) but I get one anyway (as a pdf) as then I can expense it. However even if you do have a prescription they just give you the boxes without any personalisation on them so I still have my flattened NHS boxes for travelling incase I am stopped.

In terms of packing we went to Central America for 3 weeks with hand luggage size rucksacks because we wanted to use the local buses, so it can definitely be done, you just need to be ruthless. I assume you will be checking them in as hold luggage so can be over 100ml etc. The one thing I wouldn't skimp on for this sort of trip is DEET (insect repellent) and high UVA/UVB sun cream, I buy all of that in the UK and leave it at the end if necessary. This is because I wouldn't want to risk my health unnecessarily using "unknowns" whereas for most other stuff you can either go without or it's not going to kill you if you go a few weeks without it. Also, if you don't already have one, get a dry sock for electrical gadgets and on the way out use it for bug spray, suncream etc so they don't leak over your clothes.

Take one box of everything with my details on, flatten it and then get rid of everything else (instructions etc) .... although that said, I've never ever been questioned about my meds and I've been to a lot of obscure and not obscure places.

This is what I do as well, along with printout of prescription list and contact details for my GP practice.

I have been questioned but rarely and having an excess of documentation closes the conversation pretty quickly.

I also check the regs in advance for every country I go to as I have some items which are illegal or only partly legal in a number of countries. Some will allow an exception certificate for tourists but it needs ordering in advance.

For clothing, thin drip dry non iron dresses/tops/shorts and something for when arms and legs need covering. At home I live in trousers but in hot humid climates the kind of loose baggy summer dresses that Hush, Cos and others produce work well.
For underwear - Sloggi’s cotton pants are the fastest drying I've found for travelling and the roll up very small. Can’t advice on boob sweat - poached eggs here 😀

Packing cubes !

Oh also don’t be shy of backpacking, its amazing how little you really need when travelling. We backpacked everywhere when young and one of my DC spent three months touring SE Asia with one small standard sized rucksack. Its a lovely part of the world, you will love it.

When I get a prescription filled the chemist keeps it. Are people like photocopying their prescriptions before picking them up?

You can get Airism knickers in Uniqlo that are quite good at being non sweaty. Similarly the no vpl types from M&S and Tescos

Find a facebook group for the Camino de Santiago, or have a look at the packing section on www.caminodesantiago.me/community/ Those folk are walking for around 30 days carrying a pack of less than 10kg. They have packing lists and must haves, and good to haves and so on. It might be helpful if you are moving around with backpacks.

I know it's not the same type of travel, but you might find something there.

You won’t get your meds checked entering Vietnam. You can buy most things over the counter there anyway.

I'd look at Uniglo for most of this—it's fairly hard-wearing, especially in laundry. Their Airism range is massively popular in SE Asia because it works well in the climate, and you can do a lot of mix-and-match across the ranges.
Must-haves include a good non-transparent sarong that will double as a scarf/skirt for temple visits, waterproof bags so if your swimsuit doesn't dry before you move on, nothing else gets damp, and make very sure your walking shoes are worn in before you travel! And I'd recommend staying in one place for 2/3 nights in the middle point, get everything laundered properly at the hotel to restart the second week.

I am finally going in October. Can anyone advise on travelling with cocodamol and transiting through Dubai? No prescription. Usually carry a few in case of a killer headache .

Agree best to get laundry done rather than washing. Nothing ever dried when we were in Sri Lanka . Laundry is usually cheap.
But I’m not travelling so light as op.

Vietnam didn’t check medications (or anything else in any detail) when we entered 6 months ago (but YMMV)

Ha Long Bay is amazing and not dirty or full of litter that I saw, although it was just after a v bad typhoon so there was debris in places. Parts of it are crowded - mainly the closer in areas reachable by day trip. Take an overnight cruise that goes further out and you will leave the crowds behind. Definitely don’t skip it.

Do a night food tour in Hanoi that takes in train street. It’s a fun if slightly nerve-wracking experience!

Clothing-wise it will be hot and wet. Loose fitting cropped trousers, cotton or linen loose tops, loose cotton dresses, make sure some things cover shoulders and knees. You can buy a cheap lightweight plastic rain poncho while there, they are everywhere (I recommend cutting the plastic sleeves off).

And honestly in Ha Long Bay even the crowded parts, it’s just that you can see other boats. Like lots of places you go. The scenery is still spectacular, so even if you only have time for a day trip I’d still say it’s worthwhile.