Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊

Vietnam - any recommendations?





Stumpy Tim

Well-known member
My favourite country to visit. Where to start?! I love Ho Chi Minh City, and make sure you spend some time at Halong Bay. You also have to do the Cu Chi Tunnels. I didn't particularly enjoy Hanoi, but some people prefer it to HCMC.

You'll love it, it's fabulous
 


tricky

Member
Jul 7, 2003
229
Reigate
I only spent a week in vietnam and found it too commercial and western after spending a fortnight in cambodia which was far more fascinating. However, I did spend a few days in ho chi minh which was alright and used that as a base to visit other places. Went to the cu chi tunnels, which were used by the VC, but the trip was quite uninspiring especially as the tunnels we went in had been expanded massively to make them large enough for foreigners. The tour also finished with the chance for fat americans to fire m16's at targets. Really enjoyed a trip from ho chi minh down to the mekong - lots of small boat trips to islands where you could sample a whole range of foods. Finally went to Phu Quoc island down to the south for a few days on a beach - it was really nice, very quiet and chilled and hardly anyone around for miles.
 


Seagull kimchi

New member
Oct 8, 2010
4,007
Korea and India
My favourite country to visit. Where to start?! I love Ho Chi Minh City, and make sure you spend some time at Halong Bay. You also have to do the Cu Chi Tunnels. I didn't particularly enjoy Hanoi, but some people prefer it to HCMC.

You'll love it, it's fabulous

Thanks, Halong Bay sounds great. Any good guesthouses you can recommend in HCMC or Halong? Bit claustrophobic so not sure about the tunnels!!
 






Seagull kimchi

New member
Oct 8, 2010
4,007
Korea and India
I only spent a week in vietnam and found it too commercial and western after spending a fortnight in cambodia which was far more fascinating. However, I did spend a few days in ho chi minh which was alright and used that as a base to visit other places. Went to the cu chi tunnels, which were used by the VC, but the trip was quite uninspiring especially as the tunnels we went in had been expanded massively to make them large enough for foreigners. The tour also finished with the chance for fat americans to fire m16's at targets. Really enjoyed a trip from ho chi minh down to the mekong - lots of small boat trips to islands where you could sample a whole range of foods. Finally went to Phu Quoc island down to the south for a few days on a beach - it was really nice, very quiet and chilled and hardly anyone around for miles.
Cheers - I've been to Cambodia and Laos 3 times and loved the laid back atmosphere..Phu Quoc sounds like my kind of place..did you stay anywhere particularly nice?
 


tricky

Member
Jul 7, 2003
229
Reigate
Sorry - can't remember the name of the place where I stayed in phu quoc but it was a bit of drive from the airport. It only had 8 basic chalets scattered about and was run by a german/ vietnamese couple.
 






Stumpy Tim

Well-known member
Thanks, Halong Bay sounds great. Any good guesthouses you can recommend in HCMC or Halong? Bit claustrophobic so not sure about the tunnels!!

At Halong Bay I spent a few days on a boat, and loved it. To be honest, it's been 11 years since I went to HCMC as a tourist so can't remember where I stayed. I went a few times afterwards on business, but stayed in nice hotels which isn't going to help.
 








saafend_seagull

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
13,883
BN1
Halong bay yes. Very good, go on a two night boat trip.

Hanoi worst city ever been to. Got done over by locals 3 times in the same day. There is also **** all to see there Not happened anywhere else in Asia !
 


Ian Bairds Fist

Active member
Nov 26, 2003
867
Kingston-upon-Thames
My favourite country to visit. Where to start?! I love Ho Chi Minh City, and make sure you spend some time at Halong Bay. You also have to do the Cu Chi Tunnels. I didn't particularly enjoy Hanoi, but some people prefer it to HCMC.

You'll love it, it's fabulous

Ditto - Hanoi's like Croydon on a dull December morning. Just use it as a base camp for going to Halong Bay. Nha Trang on the coast is nice for a chill out. Hoi An is pretty remarkable at night with the lanterns. Don't spend too much time in Danang, new city with limited history. It's pretty much all about HCMC and the Mekong Delta/tunnels.
 








PoG

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2013
1,117
I went in April this year and traveled north to south, it was the most amazing holiday I've had. The places we visited were:

Hanoi - Stayed here http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g293924-d1180566-Reviews-Hanoi_Elegance_Ruby-Hanoi.html
Halong Bay - Booked with http://www.indochina-junk.com/ and stayed on the Dragon's Pearl.
Hue - Stayed here http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g293926-d623907-Reviews-ORCHID_HOTEL-Hue_Thua_Thien_Hue_Province.html
Hoi An - Stayed here http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g298082-d3913966-Reviews-Vinh_Hung_Emerald_Resort-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.html
HCMC - Stayed here http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293925-d2218493-Reviews-Beautiful_Saigon_3_Hotel-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html

I enjoyed all the places we visited but liked HCMC the least. You must visit Halong Bay, the Chu Chi tunnels and the Hai Van Pass, I would also recommend these guys. We spent the day traveling from Hue to Hoi An on the back of their mopeds. They took us to a number of beautiful sites and kept us fed and watered (with beer), the route was the same as Top Gear over the Hai Van Pass. We also traveled from Hanoi to Hue by overnight train, I recommend it to everyone because it is one hell of an experience but it isn't for everyone! I would also recommend doing the foodie tour with these girls , it was a fantastic experience cruising HCMC on mopeds with a really nice group of girls. We ate all kind of lovely food and if you're brave enough you can try the specialty Balut egg.

Hope that helps, any questions just ask.
 


Trufflehound

Re-enfranchised
Aug 5, 2003
14,104
The democratic and free EU
I went in the early 90s just after it reopened to Westerners for the first time since the war. Bloody hard work. Everyone assumed all white folk were Soviet military advisors and treated you like dirt (thus returning the favour for the way the Russians used to treat them). You had to register with the police on arrival, and regularly got refused entry to hotels, unless you learned the phrase "Tôi không phải là Liên Xô" - I am not a Soviet.

I like to think it's a bit easier now.

But I will always be in awe of how they managed to fit 50 passengers into a transit van-sized bus - no exaggeration.
 











Paying the bills

Latest Discussions

Paying the bills

Paying the bills

Paying the bills

Albion and Premier League latest from Sky Sports


Top
Link Here