VIETNAM HOLIDAY REVIEWS
Vietnam
Still tarred with the brush of America’s involvement in its internal struggles almost half a century ago, Vietnam is fast gaining a reputation as one of the 21st century’s most fascinating tourist destinations. Characterised by work-worn farmers in pointed hats wading through rice-paddies, Vietnam is a scenically beautiful country of mountains, forests and sandy beaches.more
Still tarred with the brush of America’s involvement in its internal struggles almost half a century ago, Vietnam is fast gaining a reputation as one of the 21st century’s most fascinating tourist destinations. Characterised by work-worn farmers in pointed hats wading through rice-paddies, Vietnam is a scenically beautiful country of mountains, forests and sandy beaches.more
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Halong Bay - Cuong Pham Ngoc. Date of travel: Jan 2008
Ha Long Bay is the World Natural Heritage site, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. With its picturesque blend of land and sea, this one of the world's most precious beauty spots.
Ha Long Bay is the World Natural Heritage site, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. With its picturesque blend of land and sea, this one of the world's most precious beauty spots.
Vietnam - Sue Anderson. Date of travel: Oct 2007
We are two women in our late 60s who wanted to go to South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. We looked in vain for an organized tour that would go to all the places we wanted to see. There were none. So we sent inquiries to several travel agencies in Vietnam. Discover Mekong was by far the most responsive. Nguyen from Discover Mekong was wonderful! She always answered our emails immediately and had a very good understanding of English. She and Discover Mekong are based in Hanoi but she planned our trip in all three countries. We began our tri in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). We arrived after a 24 hour trip to find a driver outside of customs at 9:30 PM with a sign that had our names on it. He drove us to our hotel. What a culture shock! There were motor bikes everywhere! More bikes than cars. The motor bikes were supposed to stay to the right but they didn’t always do so. Our driver took it all in stride. We had told Nguyen that we didn’t need a fancy hotel but we did want a room with our own bath. She put us at the Vien Dong Hotel which was wonderful and had a good dining room. When we made our plans we had assumed that we would be connected with tours already organized in the various places we were going. We quickly realized that instead we would have our own private guide and driver! We had an afternoon tour the next day of Saigon. It is a very busy, noisy city and not very attractive. The next day we had a full day’s tour which included the Chu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple. Both are well worth the trip outside the city. During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong were hiding in the tunnels while the Americans were right above them and didn’t know they were even there. We arranged to be at the Cao Dai Temple for their noon service which was fascinating. I wish I had understood it better. The next day we were up at 3:30 AM for a 6 AM flight to Danang. The flight was an hour long and a guide was waiting for us at the airport at 7AM. She took us to the Cham Museum in Danang which is excellent. Then we drove south stopping to climb Marble Mountain which has many temples on it. Bring lots of water! We finally arrived in Hoi An about noon and were given a tour of the main street and 4 of the old buildings. We were then taken to our wonderful hotel-Vinh Hung Resort. It was a welcome quiet retreat from all the motor bikes but only a 10 minutes walk to the center of Hoi An. The resort was right on the river with a huge swimming pool and a lovely restaurant. The next day we had a half day trip to My Son, the Cham holy place and a former capital. It was pouring down rain but the ruins were amazing. We even saw a bomb crater that had destroyed one of the 9th century temples. We awoke the next morning at the lovely resort to find the river side of the resort flooded as well as the street in front. The resort took us and our luggage by boat to Hoi An where our guide and driver were waiting for us. We drove to Hue over a very foggy Hai Van Pass to Hue. That afternoon we toured the Citadel, Forbidden City and Palace. Because of all the rain, we had to take off our shoes to wade through ankle deep water to enter the Forbidden City. The next day it had stopped raining and the Perfume River was low enough that we could take a boat to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda which is right on the river. Then our driver was there to take us to the Minh Mang Tombs where a former king is buried. In the afternoon we flew back to Ho Chi Minh City. The next morning, we met our new guide and driver to begin our trip to the Mekong Delta. It was about a two hour drive to the boat landing where we got on a small boat with just us, our Mekong guide (Tao) whose English was excellent and our guide from Ho Chi Minh. We went to a rice popping factory and then down some canals. We had lunch at the home of a former Viet Minh soldier. Then we went to a plant nursery which was owned by a former advisor to Ho Chi Minh. It was very easy to see why the Americans had such a hard time in the Mekong Delta- it is dense jungle. Our boat trip ended in Vinh Lang where our car and driver were waiting for us. We drove to a ferry dock were we got out of the car and waiting with all the motor bikes to get on the ferry. Our car went on another ferry and we met on the other side of the river. We spent that night in Can Tho. It is a very nice town right on the river. It has a lovely riverside park and a huge statue of Uncle Ho. The next morning we walked to the boat dock in the park and took a 3 hour boat ride to see two floating markets. They are literally boats selling fruits and vegetable in the river. We came back to Can Tho via a canal. We had lunch on the balcony of a restaurant overlooking the park and river. In the afternoon we drove to Chau Doc, a town right on the Vietnamese/Cambodian border. This was the one hotel (Song Sao Hotel) that we would not recommend. The Victoria Hotel would have been much better. Tour Operator: Discover Mekong
We are two women in our late 60s who wanted to go to South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. We looked in vain for an organized tour that would go to all the places we wanted to see. There were none. So we sent inquiries to several travel agencies in Vietnam. Discover Mekong was by far the most responsive. Nguyen from Discover Mekong was wonderful! She always answered our emails immediately and had a very good understanding of English. She and Discover Mekong are based in Hanoi but she planned our trip in all three countries. We began our tri in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). We arrived after a 24 hour trip to find a driver outside of customs at 9:30 PM with a sign that had our names on it. He drove us to our hotel. What a culture shock! There were motor bikes everywhere! More bikes than cars. The motor bikes were supposed to stay to the right but they didn’t always do so. Our driver took it all in stride. We had told Nguyen that we didn’t need a fancy hotel but we did want a room with our own bath. She put us at the Vien Dong Hotel which was wonderful and had a good dining room. When we made our plans we had assumed that we would be connected with tours already organized in the various places we were going. We quickly realized that instead we would have our own private guide and driver! We had an afternoon tour the next day of Saigon. It is a very busy, noisy city and not very attractive. The next day we had a full day’s tour which included the Chu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple. Both are well worth the trip outside the city. During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong were hiding in the tunnels while the Americans were right above them and didn’t know they were even there. We arranged to be at the Cao Dai Temple for their noon service which was fascinating. I wish I had understood it better. The next day we were up at 3:30 AM for a 6 AM flight to Danang. The flight was an hour long and a guide was waiting for us at the airport at 7AM. She took us to the Cham Museum in Danang which is excellent. Then we drove south stopping to climb Marble Mountain which has many temples on it. Bring lots of water! We finally arrived in Hoi An about noon and were given a tour of the main street and 4 of the old buildings. We were then taken to our wonderful hotel-Vinh Hung Resort. It was a welcome quiet retreat from all the motor bikes but only a 10 minutes walk to the center of Hoi An. The resort was right on the river with a huge swimming pool and a lovely restaurant. The next day we had a half day trip to My Son, the Cham holy place and a former capital. It was pouring down rain but the ruins were amazing. We even saw a bomb crater that had destroyed one of the 9th century temples. We awoke the next morning at the lovely resort to find the river side of the resort flooded as well as the street in front. The resort took us and our luggage by boat to Hoi An where our guide and driver were waiting for us. We drove to Hue over a very foggy Hai Van Pass to Hue. That afternoon we toured the Citadel, Forbidden City and Palace. Because of all the rain, we had to take off our shoes to wade through ankle deep water to enter the Forbidden City. The next day it had stopped raining and the Perfume River was low enough that we could take a boat to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda which is right on the river. Then our driver was there to take us to the Minh Mang Tombs where a former king is buried. In the afternoon we flew back to Ho Chi Minh City. The next morning, we met our new guide and driver to begin our trip to the Mekong Delta. It was about a two hour drive to the boat landing where we got on a small boat with just us, our Mekong guide (Tao) whose English was excellent and our guide from Ho Chi Minh. We went to a rice popping factory and then down some canals. We had lunch at the home of a former Viet Minh soldier. Then we went to a plant nursery which was owned by a former advisor to Ho Chi Minh. It was very easy to see why the Americans had such a hard time in the Mekong Delta- it is dense jungle. Our boat trip ended in Vinh Lang where our car and driver were waiting for us. We drove to a ferry dock were we got out of the car and waiting with all the motor bikes to get on the ferry. Our car went on another ferry and we met on the other side of the river. We spent that night in Can Tho. It is a very nice town right on the river. It has a lovely riverside park and a huge statue of Uncle Ho. The next morning we walked to the boat dock in the park and took a 3 hour boat ride to see two floating markets. They are literally boats selling fruits and vegetable in the river. We came back to Can Tho via a canal. We had lunch on the balcony of a restaurant overlooking the park and river. In the afternoon we drove to Chau Doc, a town right on the Vietnamese/Cambodian border. This was the one hotel (Song Sao Hotel) that we would not recommend. The Victoria Hotel would have been much better. Tour Operator: Discover Mekong
Halong Bay - Ekidna. Date of travel: Sep 2007
The train from Sapa gets back into Hanoi at about 5.30 am. What do you do at such an early hour? Tonkins organised a “wake-up” cyclo ride for us around the Old Quarter and the lake. Nga, who handled all our arrangements met us at that early hour herself which was lovely and the ride around the lake enabled us to watch the people exercising – just fascinating. At a reasonable hour we also nipped back to our hotel where our luggage was stored and changed our Sapa back pack for our Halong Bay bag. The cyclos then dropped us off at the café at the “top” of the lake and we had breakfast - most memorable for the very yummy mango juice. I think it was a great way to fill in those few hours. We were amazed by how many people were up and about at that early hour and the various activities they were engaged in. Particularly fascinating were the number of people tearing up newspaper ready to wrap around rose blooms as they came in from the flower market. Our transport to Halong Bay arrived at the café and we finally got to meet Maz 1 and her daughter with whom we had arranged to cruise Halong Bay. The 3 hour drive seemed to pass very quickly as we talked, laughed and shared details of our travels thus far. Erica and I had originally been booked on Dragon Pearl but changed our arrangements to try the brand new boat – the Bhaya and we are so glad we did. (Not that Dragon Pearl wouldn’t have been lovely – but for the same price we were lucky enough to get a taste of absolute luxury.) The two mother/daughter duos were the only passengers on the Bhaya until later in the day when a speed boat brought a Spanish couple and their teenage son to join us. We hardly saw this family as they returned to the mainland at 7.00 am the next morning. Overnight on the Bhaya was part of their very crowded itinerary. The boat is just beautiful. All cabins have a big window to take advantage of the view and are fitted out timber furniture, silk bedding and modern bathrooms with granite benches etc. Roses and a welcome message from the young French manager and his crew completed our first impressions. The dining room was gorgeous and food was fantastic. Maz’s message to the boat that she is unable to eat seafood had not got through and although this seemed to have them reeling it was only for a few moments and they coped beautifully with some lovely alternatives. So many people have mentioned number of boats at the wharf and the mad clamber over them to get to each one. When we first arrived we though we must have been in the wrong place as we could not see any other boat – just Bhaya, anchored a short way out. We were transferred from the wharf to the boat on the Bhaya runabout which was also used to explore a number of caves and the fishing village. Until the next morning we rarely saw another boat. We seemed to either go to the fishing village and various caves at a different time or Bhaya used other locations. The only boat in sight when we anchored for the evening was the Emeraude. Most of us had a swim – the water was warm and clean – no sign of rubbish. We had begun to think we were the only people in the world until our last little cave trip early next morning. We rounded an island and there in front of us was a whole flotilla of boats – many names that I recognized from my research and a few I had never heard of. As we passed through on the runabout boatloads of people were also getting into runabouts to make the journey through the cave and into a beautiful but hardly peaceful(with all the runabouts including ours) lagoon. Around all these boats the water was cloudy and full of rubbish. We were glad we didn’t go swimming in this area. Only downside of this trip is that Erica did not feel well (we suspect it was from food we ate at Bac Ha). She spent part of the afternoon in bed but we decided that if you are going to get sick you may as well do so in the lap of luxury! From her bed she had the most beautiful view and at least I had someone else to play with while she was recovering. She felt well enough to join us for dinner and then we sat up and watched the movie Indochine on a big screen the staff set up in the dining room. All in all this was one of the highlights of our trip – even for Erica! Halong Bay is magnificent but to experience it surrounded by such luxury was incredible – not the sort of experience we would usually be able to afford. So glad we were able to be one of Bhayas early customers at such a great price. We were lucky indeed!
The train from Sapa gets back into Hanoi at about 5.30 am. What do you do at such an early hour? Tonkins organised a “wake-up” cyclo ride for us around the Old Quarter and the lake. Nga, who handled all our arrangements met us at that early hour herself which was lovely and the ride around the lake enabled us to watch the people exercising – just fascinating. At a reasonable hour we also nipped back to our hotel where our luggage was stored and changed our Sapa back pack for our Halong Bay bag. The cyclos then dropped us off at the café at the “top” of the lake and we had breakfast - most memorable for the very yummy mango juice. I think it was a great way to fill in those few hours. We were amazed by how many people were up and about at that early hour and the various activities they were engaged in. Particularly fascinating were the number of people tearing up newspaper ready to wrap around rose blooms as they came in from the flower market. Our transport to Halong Bay arrived at the café and we finally got to meet Maz 1 and her daughter with whom we had arranged to cruise Halong Bay. The 3 hour drive seemed to pass very quickly as we talked, laughed and shared details of our travels thus far. Erica and I had originally been booked on Dragon Pearl but changed our arrangements to try the brand new boat – the Bhaya and we are so glad we did. (Not that Dragon Pearl wouldn’t have been lovely – but for the same price we were lucky enough to get a taste of absolute luxury.) The two mother/daughter duos were the only passengers on the Bhaya until later in the day when a speed boat brought a Spanish couple and their teenage son to join us. We hardly saw this family as they returned to the mainland at 7.00 am the next morning. Overnight on the Bhaya was part of their very crowded itinerary. The boat is just beautiful. All cabins have a big window to take advantage of the view and are fitted out timber furniture, silk bedding and modern bathrooms with granite benches etc. Roses and a welcome message from the young French manager and his crew completed our first impressions. The dining room was gorgeous and food was fantastic. Maz’s message to the boat that she is unable to eat seafood had not got through and although this seemed to have them reeling it was only for a few moments and they coped beautifully with some lovely alternatives. So many people have mentioned number of boats at the wharf and the mad clamber over them to get to each one. When we first arrived we though we must have been in the wrong place as we could not see any other boat – just Bhaya, anchored a short way out. We were transferred from the wharf to the boat on the Bhaya runabout which was also used to explore a number of caves and the fishing village. Until the next morning we rarely saw another boat. We seemed to either go to the fishing village and various caves at a different time or Bhaya used other locations. The only boat in sight when we anchored for the evening was the Emeraude. Most of us had a swim – the water was warm and clean – no sign of rubbish. We had begun to think we were the only people in the world until our last little cave trip early next morning. We rounded an island and there in front of us was a whole flotilla of boats – many names that I recognized from my research and a few I had never heard of. As we passed through on the runabout boatloads of people were also getting into runabouts to make the journey through the cave and into a beautiful but hardly peaceful(with all the runabouts including ours) lagoon. Around all these boats the water was cloudy and full of rubbish. We were glad we didn’t go swimming in this area. Only downside of this trip is that Erica did not feel well (we suspect it was from food we ate at Bac Ha). She spent part of the afternoon in bed but we decided that if you are going to get sick you may as well do so in the lap of luxury! From her bed she had the most beautiful view and at least I had someone else to play with while she was recovering. She felt well enough to join us for dinner and then we sat up and watched the movie Indochine on a big screen the staff set up in the dining room. All in all this was one of the highlights of our trip – even for Erica! Halong Bay is magnificent but to experience it surrounded by such luxury was incredible – not the sort of experience we would usually be able to afford. So glad we were able to be one of Bhayas early customers at such a great price. We were lucky indeed!
Sapa - Ekidna. Date of travel: May 2007
After our cooking school lunch we had a wander around West Lake and Tran Quoc Pagoda. West Lake (HO Tay) did have lots of dead fish floating on top as one fellow Tasmanian recently posted. (Hoan Kiem Lake was fine). Many people were fishing and our guide for the day said that often the local people did not understand (and even if they did they did not worry) about the pollution but often only fished for food for their pets – usually a cat. We then visited Van Phuc silk village which we thoroughly enjoyed and purchased some ties and a few scarves and I bought two pieces of beautiful fabric. On this trip we saw lots of shops where dog meat was the main commodity – quite large ones laid out for sale. I can’t quite get my head around dog farms for meat but I guess it is really no different to the way we fatten up our various legs of lamb or chicken breasts – just a different cultural expectation. Later in the afternoon we drove to Bat Trang – the pottery village. I wasn’t all that impressed with this experience but Erica who had done extensive ceramic work in Year 12 really enjoyed it. We really liked some of the things that were being made but were not very impressed with the selection in the community outlets. Prices were also much higher than what we had seen in Hanoi. We still managed to spend some money and bought a tea set and some very interesting vases with a crazed finish. We certainly didn’t spend a fraction of our tour guide’s previous guests – a young couple from USA who bought over $2000 US. Maybe that was why the selection was so poor! That evening we went to Brothers Café for dinner – fantastic. It started to rain while we were there and it was fun to see people being shepherded over to the buffet from their tables under umbrellas held by the waiters. We were able to have a shower in the “shower room” of the Hong Ngoc and while we were waiting for our car to take us to the station Erica decided to just slip down the road to see if she could purchase something to take on the train. When she hadn’t returned when we were due to leave I started to panic. Thank heaven we had set up mobile phones for each of us the day before because we certainly needed them! She had taken a wrong turn and in the dark – even though she had a map she kept moving further away – not closer to the hotel. Easy to do in the Old Quarter! In the end she found a corner, gave me the street names and after 15 minutes our driver managed to find her. Wouldn’t really have been a problem had we not been heading to the train. We booked a whole cabin (4 beds so we didn’t have to share) on the train (Kings Express) and it was luxury compared to my experience of overnight trains in Thailand. The most difficult thing was actually finding the train at the station! There was a clean western style toilet down our end of the carriage although as I discovered in the middle of the night, one of the staff had a fold up bed set up preventing access so I had to journey down to the next carriage which wasn’t so clean, nor western! Sapa – just beautiful! Early morning drive up the mountain. Some mist but no rain. We weren’t able to check in to our hotel until 9-ish so breakfast at a café and a wander around the market (it was Saturday). Our guide for the two days was worried that it was going to rain (dragon flies were flying low – apparently when the air is heavy with moisture they fly low and that is how many people predict rain) so we decided to leave our “trek” till the afternoon. Of course it didn’t rain at all and we had a lovely wander around the town and lunched at Baguette and Chocolatte. Our hotel was Chau Long: big rooms and fantastic view from right outside our door. The bar and restaurant were also quite nice. The restaurant was very crowded next morning but we were able to make our selections for breakfast and take them back to our room and as we had a lovely sitting area we enjoyed that more than sitting in the actual restaurant. A delightful surprise was a rose and postcard on our pillows when we went to bed on the Saturday night. Our “trek” was fun – only about 3 – 4 hours but enough for us on such a hot day. As is usual practice we were accompanied by a number of black hmong girls and young women who we enjoyed talking to and they loved the fact that we were mother and daughter. A number of the girls were Erica’s age and already had two or three children. They thought she was a bit slow not even being married yet although they seemed pleased she at least had a boyfriend! They left us when they realized we really weren’t going to buy anything from them (we didn’t take money with us) but we were soon picked up again by a new group further on. We took some beautiful photographs – so easy with such amazing scenery – and I got some great shots of people returning from the market, working in the rice fields, making incense, kids playing on the side of the track etc. On Sunday we left early for Bac Ha market which is quite a drive but well worth it. It was nothing like any other market we visited although there is a tourist section. We had been told that it was “spot the local” these days at Bac Ha but it was not like that at all. The colours of the costumes of the Flower Hmong were fantastic and again the camera worked overtime – more beautiful photos – mainly of people. The animal section of the market was amazing although probably past its busiest and most interesting time by the time we got there. It was interesting watching the men “try before they buy” at a tobacco stall, checking out the Chinese medicinal herbs and observing the people as they sat and gossiped over lunch. Later we went to a village and saw how they make the very potent alcohol and our guide also took us to visit his cousin’s farm on our way back to Lao Cai (probably to kill some time). He was hoping to help them supplement their very meager income by working with them on building a tourist refreshment stop as their land included a fast flowing stream which was fed by a beautiful waterfall within easy walking distance. He thought if they could make $20 a day from this venture it would improve their lifestyle immensely. Back at Lao Cai we got a glimpse of China over the river and after a shower in some sort of “hotel” we enjoyed dinner at a very busy restaurant near the train station. At the station we kept very quiet about the fact we had a 4 berth cabin for just the two of us as there were many people unable to get tickets back to Hanoi.
After our cooking school lunch we had a wander around West Lake and Tran Quoc Pagoda. West Lake (HO Tay) did have lots of dead fish floating on top as one fellow Tasmanian recently posted. (Hoan Kiem Lake was fine). Many people were fishing and our guide for the day said that often the local people did not understand (and even if they did they did not worry) about the pollution but often only fished for food for their pets – usually a cat. We then visited Van Phuc silk village which we thoroughly enjoyed and purchased some ties and a few scarves and I bought two pieces of beautiful fabric. On this trip we saw lots of shops where dog meat was the main commodity – quite large ones laid out for sale. I can’t quite get my head around dog farms for meat but I guess it is really no different to the way we fatten up our various legs of lamb or chicken breasts – just a different cultural expectation. Later in the afternoon we drove to Bat Trang – the pottery village. I wasn’t all that impressed with this experience but Erica who had done extensive ceramic work in Year 12 really enjoyed it. We really liked some of the things that were being made but were not very impressed with the selection in the community outlets. Prices were also much higher than what we had seen in Hanoi. We still managed to spend some money and bought a tea set and some very interesting vases with a crazed finish. We certainly didn’t spend a fraction of our tour guide’s previous guests – a young couple from USA who bought over $2000 US. Maybe that was why the selection was so poor! That evening we went to Brothers Café for dinner – fantastic. It started to rain while we were there and it was fun to see people being shepherded over to the buffet from their tables under umbrellas held by the waiters. We were able to have a shower in the “shower room” of the Hong Ngoc and while we were waiting for our car to take us to the station Erica decided to just slip down the road to see if she could purchase something to take on the train. When she hadn’t returned when we were due to leave I started to panic. Thank heaven we had set up mobile phones for each of us the day before because we certainly needed them! She had taken a wrong turn and in the dark – even though she had a map she kept moving further away – not closer to the hotel. Easy to do in the Old Quarter! In the end she found a corner, gave me the street names and after 15 minutes our driver managed to find her. Wouldn’t really have been a problem had we not been heading to the train. We booked a whole cabin (4 beds so we didn’t have to share) on the train (Kings Express) and it was luxury compared to my experience of overnight trains in Thailand. The most difficult thing was actually finding the train at the station! There was a clean western style toilet down our end of the carriage although as I discovered in the middle of the night, one of the staff had a fold up bed set up preventing access so I had to journey down to the next carriage which wasn’t so clean, nor western! Sapa – just beautiful! Early morning drive up the mountain. Some mist but no rain. We weren’t able to check in to our hotel until 9-ish so breakfast at a café and a wander around the market (it was Saturday). Our guide for the two days was worried that it was going to rain (dragon flies were flying low – apparently when the air is heavy with moisture they fly low and that is how many people predict rain) so we decided to leave our “trek” till the afternoon. Of course it didn’t rain at all and we had a lovely wander around the town and lunched at Baguette and Chocolatte. Our hotel was Chau Long: big rooms and fantastic view from right outside our door. The bar and restaurant were also quite nice. The restaurant was very crowded next morning but we were able to make our selections for breakfast and take them back to our room and as we had a lovely sitting area we enjoyed that more than sitting in the actual restaurant. A delightful surprise was a rose and postcard on our pillows when we went to bed on the Saturday night. Our “trek” was fun – only about 3 – 4 hours but enough for us on such a hot day. As is usual practice we were accompanied by a number of black hmong girls and young women who we enjoyed talking to and they loved the fact that we were mother and daughter. A number of the girls were Erica’s age and already had two or three children. They thought she was a bit slow not even being married yet although they seemed pleased she at least had a boyfriend! They left us when they realized we really weren’t going to buy anything from them (we didn’t take money with us) but we were soon picked up again by a new group further on. We took some beautiful photographs – so easy with such amazing scenery – and I got some great shots of people returning from the market, working in the rice fields, making incense, kids playing on the side of the track etc. On Sunday we left early for Bac Ha market which is quite a drive but well worth it. It was nothing like any other market we visited although there is a tourist section. We had been told that it was “spot the local” these days at Bac Ha but it was not like that at all. The colours of the costumes of the Flower Hmong were fantastic and again the camera worked overtime – more beautiful photos – mainly of people. The animal section of the market was amazing although probably past its busiest and most interesting time by the time we got there. It was interesting watching the men “try before they buy” at a tobacco stall, checking out the Chinese medicinal herbs and observing the people as they sat and gossiped over lunch. Later we went to a village and saw how they make the very potent alcohol and our guide also took us to visit his cousin’s farm on our way back to Lao Cai (probably to kill some time). He was hoping to help them supplement their very meager income by working with them on building a tourist refreshment stop as their land included a fast flowing stream which was fed by a beautiful waterfall within easy walking distance. He thought if they could make $20 a day from this venture it would improve their lifestyle immensely. Back at Lao Cai we got a glimpse of China over the river and after a shower in some sort of “hotel” we enjoyed dinner at a very busy restaurant near the train station. At the station we kept very quiet about the fact we had a 4 berth cabin for just the two of us as there were many people unable to get tickets back to Hanoi.
I love Vietnam - Ba. Date of travel: Jan 2007
Mekong Delta: We bought our ticket for the boat ride from PP. I cant remember how much it cost us now. All of the tourist offices and guesthouses can arrange the ticket for you. You can either get the express boat (which I think goes straight from PP) or you can get the slower boat (which is cheaper) but you have to get a bus before the boat. We went for the cheaper option! The boat was like a barge boat and the ride was very pleasant. It took us a couple of hours to the border. We were taken off the boat and we had our Cambodian Visas stamped. We then got back on the same boat and we were taken to Vietnam immigration where we changed boats. The guide takes you through customs and tells you to sit down. He takes the passports and gets them checked. We also had to pay a "quarantine" fee (only 2000Dong). We then got on another boat for a couple of hours and arrived in Chau Doc. Very pleasant town, we stayed for a couple of nights and did a day tour which took us round the floating village, minority village and sams mountain. Ha Long Bay: I was disappointed with it. You have to be careful who you book the tour with as there is so much competition and they may lie to you! We were supposed to get kayaking included but we didn't. The food portions were very small and they weren't a very friendly bunch. The other tourists on the boat were great and we all had a good laugh. We went at a bad time of year as the visibility is poor. The best time of year to go is between May and November when it's clear blue skies! I recommend that you pay a little bit more for the tour and go through your hotel as they are usually more reliable. Website: we used http://www.guidevietnam.com as our guide.
Mekong Delta: We bought our ticket for the boat ride from PP. I cant remember how much it cost us now. All of the tourist offices and guesthouses can arrange the ticket for you. You can either get the express boat (which I think goes straight from PP) or you can get the slower boat (which is cheaper) but you have to get a bus before the boat. We went for the cheaper option! The boat was like a barge boat and the ride was very pleasant. It took us a couple of hours to the border. We were taken off the boat and we had our Cambodian Visas stamped. We then got back on the same boat and we were taken to Vietnam immigration where we changed boats. The guide takes you through customs and tells you to sit down. He takes the passports and gets them checked. We also had to pay a "quarantine" fee (only 2000Dong). We then got on another boat for a couple of hours and arrived in Chau Doc. Very pleasant town, we stayed for a couple of nights and did a day tour which took us round the floating village, minority village and sams mountain. Ha Long Bay: I was disappointed with it. You have to be careful who you book the tour with as there is so much competition and they may lie to you! We were supposed to get kayaking included but we didn't. The food portions were very small and they weren't a very friendly bunch. The other tourists on the boat were great and we all had a good laugh. We went at a bad time of year as the visibility is poor. The best time of year to go is between May and November when it's clear blue skies! I recommend that you pay a little bit more for the tour and go through your hotel as they are usually more reliable. Website: we used http://www.guidevietnam.com as our guide.
Vietnam Travel - Carolyn and Tony Herrick. Date of travel: Sep 2006
A huge thank you for the help with organising our recent trip to Vietnam. We had a wonderful time, thoroughly enjoyed every minute and have been singing the praises of the country and Vietnam Royal Tourism since we returned. It was the best holiday we have had in years. Everything went so smoothly, Do was a joy, quietly organised and NAm and Viet both great sources of knowledge and good fun. Nothing was too much trouble for any of them. They were all great ambassadors for Vietnam Royal Tourism.
Vietnam - 21 day tour! Recommended! - James Allen. Date of travel: May 2006
21 days tour of Vietnam arranged by Responsible Travel, using a tour provided by Gecko Travel. The tour starts in Hanoi and takes in Hue, Hoi An, My Son, Lak Lake, Whale Island near Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta. Not a good start to our holiday, as we landed in Hanoi and our luggage ended up in Cambodia. However, we got it back later the same day!! Vietnam is an excellent place, and our tour with Gecko is recommended. We were on a ‘small group’ tour which for the month we went was just the two of us. Our guide Tuyen was an excellent guide, he knew his stuff about the places we visited, and ended up being a good mate. We also had a fair amount of time to do what we wanted by ourselves, so it was a good mixture. The tour itself included the Water Puppet show, Hanoi University, Ho Chi Minhs mausoleum and house, Museum of Ethnicity. Trip down the Perfume River in Hue (a trip to the Citadel wasn’t included, but we had enough time in Hue to go ourselves anyway), a tour of the DMZ and Vinh Moc tunnels. Tour of Hoi An and the My Son Champa ruins. Right in the middle of the holiday we went to Whale Island, stayed in a bamboo hut right on the beach for 3 days of snorkelling, canoeing and just good old fashioned sunbathing! After this we went in to the Central Highlands and Lak Lake to stay in a traditional M’Nong home for the night. The family cooked fresh ‘Elephant ear’ fish out of the lake. We recommend it!! We had a visit to Yok Don national park for a hike and an Elephant ride, before a 10 hour drive into Ho Chi Minh City (air conditioned mini bus, we had the chance to have a lie down and sleep for most of the journey!). We stayed for couple of days in Ho Chi Minh (Even watched the European Cup final at 2 am with a crowd of people, the nightlife is hectic but friendly in old Saigon!). We had 4 days in the Mekong Delta which included the floating market, a homestay, and a Rice Wine with Mr Tiger at the Fruit farm, before heading back to Ho Chi Minh City for a couple of days. Got to say we loved this tour, and recommend Gecko (and Tuyen as a guide obviously). Downsides? Er… the train ride from Hoi An to Nha Trang arrived two hours late, and managed to lose another 3 hours on route which made it a looooong day. But they sold ice cold beer in the last carriage!!
Backpacking Vietnam - Chrystal Symons. Date of travel: Mar 2006
We travelled from Saigon to Hanoi in 3 weeks finding our own way. We had an amazing, culturally rich and sometimes confronting experience. My advice? Use the Lonely Planet guide and you will be fine. With a little care we never had a moment of illness and were only scammed by local cyclo and taxi drivers once or twice. Gorgeous temples, bustling markets, sun drenched beaches, friendly bartering, yummy delicacies and the French influence make this place an interesting travel destination. Tour Operator: Self guided
We travelled from Saigon to Hanoi in 3 weeks finding our own way. We had an amazing, culturally rich and sometimes confronting experience. My advice? Use the Lonely Planet guide and you will be fine. With a little care we never had a moment of illness and were only scammed by local cyclo and taxi drivers once or twice. Gorgeous temples, bustling markets, sun drenched beaches, friendly bartering, yummy delicacies and the French influence make this place an interesting travel destination. Tour Operator: Self guided
CHOOSE A DESTINATION IN VIETNAM
| Hotels in Vietnam | User Rating |
| 5-Star Hotels | |
| Daewoo | | * * * * * | |
| Hilton Opera | | * * * * * | |
| Melia | | * * * * * | |
| Sheraton | | * * * * * | |
| Sofitel Metropole | | * * * * * | |
| 4-Star Hotels | |
| Democracy Hotel | | * * * * * | |
| Elizabeth Ha Noi Hotel | | * * * * * | |
| Fortuna | | * * * * * | |
| Horison | | * * * * * | |
| Nikko | | * * * * * | |
| 3-Star Hotels | |
| Zephyr | | * * * * * | |
| Asean International | | * * * * * | |
| Green Park | | * * * * * | |
| Heritage | | * * * * * | |
| Other Hotels | |
| Hanoi Pacific Hotel | | * * * * * | |
| Emeraude Classic Cruises | | * * * * * | |
| Sofitel Metropole | | * * * * * | |
| Vietnam Tours | | * * * * * | |