Help me hone my Vietnam/Cambodia vacation.
September 28, 2010 12:30 AM Subscribe
Excited for Hanoi and HCMC, but what should I visit between those two lovely cities in Vietnam?
I'm planning a vacation in February for three weeks. The current (and highly tentative) plan is to fly into Hanoi and begin a three week trip south through HCMC, into Pnom Penh, end up at Angkor Wat, then fly home from Siem Reap.
My primary question is: What places in Vietnam should I see as I travel from Hanoi to HCMC. My heart is currently set on a) Hue and b) Nha Trang. I imagine I'll spend a little over two weeks in Vietnam (leaving myself about 5-6 days for Cambodia, and specifically Angkor Wat). I want to visit Hue because I've heard it's incredible, and I'd like to hit up at least one beach-y resort-y town in Vietnam. I've heard Nha Trang is pretty wonderful along these lines.
What else should I seek out along the coast, given that I'll probably only need 2-3 days in Hue and another 2-3 on some nice beach? What were your "must see" locations outside of Hanoi and HCMC?
Also, fwiw I've been to Laos and Thailand so please help with VN or Cambodia-specific advice.
I'm planning a vacation in February for three weeks. The current (and highly tentative) plan is to fly into Hanoi and begin a three week trip south through HCMC, into Pnom Penh, end up at Angkor Wat, then fly home from Siem Reap.
My primary question is: What places in Vietnam should I see as I travel from Hanoi to HCMC. My heart is currently set on a) Hue and b) Nha Trang. I imagine I'll spend a little over two weeks in Vietnam (leaving myself about 5-6 days for Cambodia, and specifically Angkor Wat). I want to visit Hue because I've heard it's incredible, and I'd like to hit up at least one beach-y resort-y town in Vietnam. I've heard Nha Trang is pretty wonderful along these lines.
What else should I seek out along the coast, given that I'll probably only need 2-3 days in Hue and another 2-3 on some nice beach? What were your "must see" locations outside of Hanoi and HCMC?
Also, fwiw I've been to Laos and Thailand so please help with VN or Cambodia-specific advice.
Definitely Hue. Ha Long Bay is superb. Hoi An was charming but a little more touristy than we wanted. Be sure to give yourself enough time in Hanoi, there's a lot to take in there.
posted by ambrosia at 12:56 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by ambrosia at 12:56 AM on September 28, 2010
I spent a month in Vietnam travelling from Saigon to Hanoi in 2002 (so my info might be a bit out of date).
Interesting cities: Saigon, Hanoi, Hue
Nice beaches/coast: Hoi An / China Beach (Nha Trang is okay, a bit tacky - Hoi An is much better), Ha Long Bay (take the boat tour)
Cultural stuff: Dalat / Central Highlands (visit montagnard village), Cao Dai temple, tunnel rat tour (fire an M16 if that's your thing), war museum in Saigon
Transport: lots of cheap tourist mini-buses to get you from A to B going North. I took the sleeper train from Hue to Hanoi, was cool
Things I didn't do but wish I had: boat tour in Mekong Delta
Hope this helps! If other people have been more recently and any of my info is out of date, please correct.
posted by runkelfinker at 2:20 AM on September 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
Interesting cities: Saigon, Hanoi, Hue
Nice beaches/coast: Hoi An / China Beach (Nha Trang is okay, a bit tacky - Hoi An is much better), Ha Long Bay (take the boat tour)
Cultural stuff: Dalat / Central Highlands (visit montagnard village), Cao Dai temple, tunnel rat tour (fire an M16 if that's your thing), war museum in Saigon
Transport: lots of cheap tourist mini-buses to get you from A to B going North. I took the sleeper train from Hue to Hanoi, was cool
Things I didn't do but wish I had: boat tour in Mekong Delta
Hope this helps! If other people have been more recently and any of my info is out of date, please correct.
posted by runkelfinker at 2:20 AM on September 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
From Hanoi, go to Hue by train. then from Hue, Hoi An by open tour bus (can be arranged by your hotel, they pick up passengers from the Hue hotels, costs $5 for the four-hour journey). May the mods forgive me for this self-link, but here's my review of the train trip from Hanoi to Hue.
posted by micketymoc at 2:50 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by micketymoc at 2:50 AM on September 28, 2010
We spent a week in VN earlier this year, first in Hanoi, then at a beach resort near Danang (Furama), with several day trips to Hoi An from there.
Hanoi: A great city. The Old Quarter alone could occupy most of a day. We also took an overnight boat cruise in Haolong Bay. It was interesting, but not sure it was worth the time (about 3 hour drive from Hanoi).
Danang: Danang was not my favorite. Perhaps as a geographic locale it's a good jumping off point, but we didn't find anything in the town itself that was so marvelous. The Furama resort was nice, but pricey.
Hoi An: A really lovely town. Touristy but not at all seedy. If I had it to do over, I would skip Danang/Furama and stay at one of the smaller hotels in Hoi An.
posted by hawkeye at 3:01 AM on September 28, 2010
Hanoi: A great city. The Old Quarter alone could occupy most of a day. We also took an overnight boat cruise in Haolong Bay. It was interesting, but not sure it was worth the time (about 3 hour drive from Hanoi).
Danang: Danang was not my favorite. Perhaps as a geographic locale it's a good jumping off point, but we didn't find anything in the town itself that was so marvelous. The Furama resort was nice, but pricey.
Hoi An: A really lovely town. Touristy but not at all seedy. If I had it to do over, I would skip Danang/Furama and stay at one of the smaller hotels in Hoi An.
posted by hawkeye at 3:01 AM on September 28, 2010
Response by poster: I should have asked this in my post, but should I plan on buying VN dong or should I expect to pay for things in USD?
posted by bardic at 3:08 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by bardic at 3:08 AM on September 28, 2010
Hoi An is great, especially if you stay a bit out of town towards the beach. Lots of good food here too, including some mid-Vietnam cuisine you won't see in either Hanoi or HCMC (although you will find it in Hue, I presume).
I'd go out to Ha Long Bay for a couple of days - it's an easy overnight trip from Hanoi, and you can stay overnight on a boat in the bay if you want. Just do your homework on which boat company you go with - there are dozens in Hanoi offering trips and plenty of potential for being ripped off if you're not careful. Asking other travellers is probably the best way to go; watch out for copycats with the same name as a more reputable place, but a different street address. It's worth the hunt, though - sailing through the giant limestone islands is pretty spectacular.
Another option, if you don't mind the cold, is to go up to Sapa - again, can be done easily from Hanoi in two days (overnight train to Sapa, 2 days there, overnight train back). The mountains and rice terraces there are pretty spectacular, and even if you're not a hiker (I'm not) walking through them is great. It will be chilly in February though.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 3:09 AM on September 28, 2010
I'd go out to Ha Long Bay for a couple of days - it's an easy overnight trip from Hanoi, and you can stay overnight on a boat in the bay if you want. Just do your homework on which boat company you go with - there are dozens in Hanoi offering trips and plenty of potential for being ripped off if you're not careful. Asking other travellers is probably the best way to go; watch out for copycats with the same name as a more reputable place, but a different street address. It's worth the hunt, though - sailing through the giant limestone islands is pretty spectacular.
Another option, if you don't mind the cold, is to go up to Sapa - again, can be done easily from Hanoi in two days (overnight train to Sapa, 2 days there, overnight train back). The mountains and rice terraces there are pretty spectacular, and even if you're not a hiker (I'm not) walking through them is great. It will be chilly in February though.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 3:09 AM on September 28, 2010
Buy VN dong. It's easier to dicker prices down if you're paying in VND; with dollars, no such luck.
posted by micketymoc at 3:38 AM on September 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by micketymoc at 3:38 AM on September 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Dong are readily available from ATMs, IIRC, though USD were also accepted in many places. However, with an exchange rate of ~17,500 Dong = 1 USD, conversions can be difficult. (As my wife said, "Don't let me buy anything after I've had a couple of beers.")
posted by hawkeye at 5:08 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by hawkeye at 5:08 AM on September 28, 2010
another vote for Hue (take the motorbike tour!) and against Nha Trang. I loved Hanoi, but also didn't care for HCMC I'm afraid. Ha Long Bay is lovely and we took a tour of the Cat Ba island national park, and the hospital cave which were both pretty interesting
posted by wayward vagabond at 5:42 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by wayward vagabond at 5:42 AM on September 28, 2010
I'm going to recommend Ha Long Bay and Hoi An as well. I'll also recommend Sapa, which is north of Hanoi (took an overnight train), but quite nice - if you think you'll have the time.
posted by backwards guitar at 5:49 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by backwards guitar at 5:49 AM on September 28, 2010
Has anyone mentioned Phu Quoc yet? I know it's not in the middle of the country and I dunno how you'd work it in between HCMC and Phnom Penh without backtracking, but it's really kind of lovely.
posted by Ahab at 9:08 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by Ahab at 9:08 AM on September 28, 2010
Here we go. HCMC to Phu Quoc, then ferry to Ha Tien and the border crossing, then moto from the border to Kep, onwards to Kampot and then either directly to Phnom Penh or get there via Sihanoukville.
posted by Ahab at 9:21 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by Ahab at 9:21 AM on September 28, 2010
I thought Hoi An was really really touristy for my tastes, but it's beautiful anyway. The cooking class there at the Red Bridge Restaurant was one of my very favorite things on my whole trip. You can also sit on the porch of the Cargo Club and have a delicious, flakey croissant and cafe sua da.
A trip to Halong Bay is a must -- it's incredible. Last year, I took an overnight tour that starts in Haiphong Bay, then you stay overnight on a private island off of Cat Ba island. You have to book this with Ocean Tours because as of last year they were the only ones with the right to stay on the island. I highly recommend doing the overnight because you get to see more. Be forewarned that in February the sea can be choppy...
If you have time, the southern city of Vung Tau is an interesting slice of southern Vietnamese life. It's a gritty but fetching oil and fishing town, but you can relax by the promenade with another cafe sua da and watch the boats and people.
To save time, fly between cities. Vietnam Airlines is great.
posted by yarly at 11:02 AM on September 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
A trip to Halong Bay is a must -- it's incredible. Last year, I took an overnight tour that starts in Haiphong Bay, then you stay overnight on a private island off of Cat Ba island. You have to book this with Ocean Tours because as of last year they were the only ones with the right to stay on the island. I highly recommend doing the overnight because you get to see more. Be forewarned that in February the sea can be choppy...
If you have time, the southern city of Vung Tau is an interesting slice of southern Vietnamese life. It's a gritty but fetching oil and fishing town, but you can relax by the promenade with another cafe sua da and watch the boats and people.
To save time, fly between cities. Vietnam Airlines is great.
posted by yarly at 11:02 AM on September 28, 2010 [2 favorites]
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Other things/places to do. The drive on the old highway (over the mountain not through it) from Danang to Hue is just beautiful. The train ride is nearly as stunning (also, there are beach resorts in between). Danang is not actually a bad place as a base, you are within 100kms of Hue, the suprisingly charming Hoi An (touristy, but actually beautiful and quaint! Also hands down the best place in vietnam to get clothes made) the Marble Mountains (amazing old buddhist shrines + war hang-outs), the famous China Beach, and the My Son ruins. The city also has lots of interesting history from war time as well. Hue is a fairly small city, so be aware that if you're staying there for a long time, beyond the imperial palaces etc there isn't a lot to see/do in town.
Heading further south, the highlands of the middle country - whilst maybe not as striking and awesome as Sapa to the north, still have plenty to offer. Dalat is a pretty cute mountain town, and there's lots of cool things do do and see both in the town (check out the catholic church where deaf children make incredibly silk embroidery), and outside (there are lots of hill tribe villages and "experiences" to be had, the awesomely kitsch Valley of Love).
posted by smoke at 12:42 AM on September 28, 2010 [1 favorite]