Anyone been to Vietnam?

[JasonTindallsTan]

Hi all,

I’ve just booked a multi centre trip to Vietnam with DH, DD (22) and DS (16).

4 nights Hanoi
4 nights Danang
5 nights Hoi An.

Anyone been, any advice? Any must sees/do?

We’re going in July which I’ve been led to believe should be alright weather wise. Please don’t disabuse me of this notion 😂😂

We went in October. I loved Vietnam! We did 3 nights in Saigon with a trip to the Mekong Delta, then 3 in Hanoi with a Halong Bay trip. The highlight for me was a motorbike tour round Hanoi. Our guides were fantastic; loads of local knowledge and took us down many of the backstreets and alleys to see the real Hanoi.

We then went to Bali to relax for a week. Vietnam is mad; chaotic, busy, hot but fabulous. I’m jealous, I really want to go again.

You’re all making me even more excited. Interested in the idea of a motorbike/moped trip, DS would love it I think. Although the idea freaks me out a bit safety wise as well.

We went last March and loved it. In Hanoi go and see the Water Puppet Theatre. It is hilarious. We also went to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum because it is unique (other than Lenin but I doubt we’ll ever get to Moscow).

Approximately 2.7 to 2.8 million American military personnel served in Vietnam during the conflict, with the highest number of U.S. troops in the country at one time peaking at roughly 543,000 in April 1969. The total number of U.S. military personnel stationed in Southeast Asia during the entire Vietnam era was over 3.4 million.

some history for you all

The Cu Chi Tunnels are a vast underground network near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, used by the Viet Cong during the French and Vietnam Wars for shelter, communication, and launching guerrilla attacks, featuring living quarters, hospitals, and command centers, now preserved as a war memorial where visitors can crawl through modified tunnels and experience wartime conditions. These tunnels, once stretching over 200km, offer an insight into Vietnamese resilience, showcasing ingenious defense tactics like hidden entrances and ventilation, though conditions were harsh.

We are going next August. Currently pencilled in - Kuala Lumpur, the fly to Nha Trang then to hoi an and then most likely da nang
can’t wait!

Best place on earth! I’m so jealous 😢 Have a fab time.

Lovely trip, but five days in Hoi An is potentially way too long unless you’re in a really nice hotel for loafing about. Isn’t Hoi An a taxi ride from Danang anyway?
You’ll have nice hot sunny weather in disperse with some showers

Dry season in Central Vietnam (Danang, Hoian…) but wet season in North (Hanoi…) at that time.

If anyone is able to recommend a tour operator to book a trip like this, I would be really grateful. im not sure if that is allowed on here or not.

I’ll attach the agent I booked through, you can find them on Facebook, this isn’t the first holiday I have booked through them so I know they are legit and helpful.

We’ll be ready for a few pool/beach days by then definitely and won’t get bored - I’ve done a fortnight in the same hotel never leaving once before 😂

The OP got quite a bargain, but it is also v v easy to book it all yourself (i did). Only slight difficulty was internal flights as sometimes they won’t accept credit cards when you are outside Vietnam (not sure why). But Vietnam airlines was ok.

I was in Vietnam last March. It was incredible. Halong Bay is absolutely stunning- if you can possibly extend to stay a night in the water it would be magical. Hanoi is great fun can be quite an overwhelming assault on the senses- and traffic, whizzing bikes, strong smells on every street corner, huge crowds, incredible flavours, music, bustle, markets…. I did an amazing motorbike restaurant tour. - with women drivers (reassuring as I was traveling alone female). I was whizzed to six fascinating eateries, introduced to Vietnamese cuisine and got a tour of the city at the same time.

best thing I ate there was at the cafe restaurant where Obama ate. The main meal he had (can’t remember the name) was incredible- mounds of fresh herbs, with sizzled spices, beef and fresh noodles. You can look it up easily I am sure.

You aren’t going there, but for anyone interested, the north around Saapa had the most mind boggling scenery I have ever seen (along with Halong Bay). Utterly stunning. Enjoy!

I spent a few months in Vietnam but I wasn't there in July. Do be aware that it has quite distinct climatic zones: the south (where you aren't going anyway) it can be very much two seasons - monsoon rains and not monsoon rains, whereas the north is typically much cooler and seasonal. I was up in Sapa one December - bloody cold!

I love Vietnam, probably my favourite country that I've visited, partly because it's so varied.

Central Vietnam is great in our summer months.

Hoi An and Danang are v close, Hue is definitely worth a visit: the Imperial City, the tombs etc.

My Son was amazing, we went from Hoi An. Also did a great ‘eco tour’ from Hoi An round the fishing villages. And bike tours round the herb village. The bonkers Ba Na Hills park was fun, spectacular cable car to get there. We arranged all this with a cheap taxi from the corner shop by our hotel.

Loved Vietnam. The food is glorious.

We did a similar trip a couple of years ago and loved it. Definitely try to fit in bai tu long bay if enough time (like Halong but quieter), cooking class at basket boat cafe in Hoi an plus trip on a basket boat, food tour in Hanoi (we used Hanoikids which is a voluntary organisation and offers free tours (you pay for their food and if you want can also make a contribution to the organisation)), trip to Sunworld (very Instagram). Food wise we loved Bep Hen in Da nang and cha ca than long in Hanoi for the catfish (local delicacy)

We used Trailfinders for our trip, it was a guided tour of Vietnam and Cambodia and we added on a week in Bali to relax after the very busy time. We were able to tweak the itinerary while we there depending on the weather and how we felt each day, which really worked for us. We were also able to use an airline of our choice to get to Hanoi rather than the (more expensive one) they initially suggested, which saved us several hundred £’s.

I forgot, we also did an overnight on the Mekong Delta and My Son, learning about the culture was fascinating and I’d never thought of myself as someone who would enjoy the cultural side of somewhere to the extend I did there.

We don’t usually use a tour operator but this one was a bit daunting hence using Trailfinders but if when we go back, I’d have the confidence to self plan and book.

I can’t wait to do all the research and googling on the stuff suggested. Would people suggest trying to book trips/experiences/tours in advance or just doing it when there on the hoof?

Oh yes - we did a food tour in Hanoi as well. We did it the day after we arrived as we thought it would be a good way to get our bearings. I would definitely recommend that. We booked that in advance and also our overnight stay in Halong. Everything else is easy to book/arrange there. We even ended up just booking internal flights the night before due to the problems booking from overseas.

Also, download the grab app (their version of uber). Taxis are incredibly cheap. Sometimes if we were going out somewhere for the day (and it was a bit remote), we would just negotiate for them to hang around for the day and bring us back. It was incredibly cheap - so much so that I gave them extra as I didn't want to feel I was taking advantage!

I could rave all day long about Vietnam!

Sorry to hijack as feeling stressed about “monsoon” weather. Central Vietnam will be ok for dry weather? Other option is Bali?…

Everything I’ve seen suggests central Vietnam is warm and dry at that time of year.

However we went to Mexico last year at the same time in their ‘rainy season’ and the weather was amazing. Sunny and humid with the odd impressive downpour/thunderstorm which passed as soon as it came on for the most part. Just to reassure you a bit about this type of weather.

@Mistymagic77 and @Nomorepants

We did a 10 night/11 days North to South tour in Vietnam a couple of years ago, starting in Hanoi and ending in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). It was fantastic and every day was an action packed adventure!

You can see our itinerary with the small group tour company we went with (Intrepid Travel) in the link below. You can also do this tour in reverse, and also add on Thailand and/or Cambodia too. In fact we were so impressed with Intrepid that last September we went on a safari in Botswana with them:

www.intrepidtravel.com

Highly recommended!

Bali in July is right in the middle of dry season, it’ll be very hot - 30+ degrees & humid and it’s peak tourist season. Not sure on central Vietnam as we went in February last year.

Can anyone recommend best spots to locate for a chill family holiday in vietnam with a bit of sightseeing . Have been to Thailand lots mostly pre children but would like to visit somewhere else that is not going to be too hot in the summer months and not too hectic - neurodiverse kids.