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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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 Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 8:39 am Post subject: Viet Nam |
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I really liked Sapa in north western Vietnam, as well. It will be cool in January though. Also it can rain in Hanoi in January. Both times I've been, it was around 10c to 16c. Don't miss the water puppets! Cat Ba Island (Ha Long Bay) is okay for a weekend.
I'd second Tam Coc (3 Caves), but take a pillow to sit on in the canoe. |
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jmuns
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
Location: earth
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| Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2009 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| curiousaboutkorea wrote: |
| jmuns wrote: |
| night trains and night buses, the buses are cheaper and easier to book, and you can choose sleeper or regular buses. any hostel can help you book a bus, plus you can just buy an open tour bus ticket, get on and get off in the cities you want to the whole way down the coast. |
I don't want to be a snob or a hater, but I honestly think the open bus is not a good way to see Vietnam. It seems just about all people I met who hated Vietnam (which is quite a few) took the open bus. It drops you in just the major tourist cities (Saigon, Dalat/Mui Ne/Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue and Hanoi), where the pushy touts are plentiful. Please take some other form of transport and check out some of the smaller towns and cities which are just wonderful. :) |
you are being a snob, but thats ok. you should also read the OP's post about having 1-2 weeks and wanting to go from hanoi-saigon/saigon-hanoi. not everyone has the 1-2 months you say you spent there, and if you dont then the buses are the way to go. the people i met on the buses loved vietnam as did myself. i dont want to sound like a snob or hater but do you just travel to smaller towns and cities so you can tell us about them? |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:23 pm Post subject: Vietnam |
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| Quote: |
| Please take some other form of transport |
Such as? The open tour busses were fine. I tried the trains (twice) and had a bag snatched through the unlocked/ unlockable window, at 5 am. It was on the table, because the floor was filthy. The train's bathroom was also covered in vomit & faecal matter. Other tourists I spoke to, who did NOT use open tour busses, recanted horror tales of being crammed in a private/public bus, & using their backpacks as seats, for 11 hours or more overnight. Not my idea of fun. If you fly, you miss the small towns & scenery. |
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curiousaboutkorea
Joined: 21 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 12:50 am Post subject: Re: Vietnam |
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| chris_J2 wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Please take some other form of transport |
Such as? The open tour busses were fine. I tried the trains (twice) and had a bag snatched through the unlocked/ unlockable window, at 5 am. It was on the table, because the floor was filthy. The train's bathroom was also covered in vomit & faecal matter. Other tourists I spoke to, who did NOT use open tour busses, recanted horror tales of being crammed in a private/public bus, & using their backpacks as seats, for 11 hours or more overnight. Not my idea of fun. If you fly, you miss the small towns & scenery. |
The open tour buses go to small towns?
I've never had a problem on the train, though I only took them a handful of times. They were all clean. Yes, the hard-seat cars are a bit disheveled, but not a big deal. Those hard-seat cars are probably the best way to meet people, though. When did you go? Last year the trains were all clean.
The only public buses I found to be crowded were in the Northwest (where the only other option is private hire), the rest were fine.
And open tour buses are NOT secure. I'll openly admit that I took a portion of my trip on the open tour bus. I went Saigon-Dalat, and then Dalat-Hoi An via Nha Trang. I bought the 2 portions separately. From Saigon to Dalat another guy on the bus to whom I was talking got his camera stolen from his bag during a lunch stop. Supposedly the bus was "locked."
From Nha Trang to Hoi An (sleeper) a male passenger was grabbing and harassing some female passengers until he was threatened by another male passenger.
I'm not gonna knock anybody for taking the open tour buses. Just my opinion. It's your trip, not mine. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 1:30 am Post subject: VN |
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I went to Vietnam in 1999, & again in 2001. Hoi An was great in '99, but had been spoilt by mass tourism & local greed, in 2001. They were trying to charge all tourists $5 US, just to enter the main street. Restaurants in the main street complained, & the idea was quickly scrapped. I liked Hue, the Perfume River, & the Forbidden Purple City. Dalat was so so, & Nha Trang overrated. Beaches in Thailand are better imho. HCMC was not as nice as the old quarter of Hanoi, imo.
| Quote: |
| The open tour buses go to small towns? |
Yes. Dalat, Hoi An, Hue, Nha Trang eg, are hardly major metropolises. Flying between Hanoi & HCMC, you'd miss these. And harassment of foreign females by foreign males, is not unique to the open tour busses. Could happen anywhere, in much of Asia. Solution is to stick to day travel &/or travel in pairs or groups. If one partner needs to go to a restroom, the other watches the gear.
Yes, be very careful of theft throughout Vietnam. Even your reading glasses aren't safe. Loop the strap of the camera bag around your leg at restaurants too, or you may find when you finish the meal, pay the bill & start to leave that your camera bag is gone. Along with all those great shots. Fortunately, this has never happened to me.
http://beta.trekearth.com/members/ChrisJ/photos/Asia/Vietnam/
http://beta.trekearth.com/members/ChrisJ/photos/Asia/Vietnam/page2.htm
http://www.treklens.com/members/chrisJ/photos/Asia/Vietnam/ |
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PIGFACESOUPWITHRICE
Joined: 17 Nov 2009
Location: Electron Cloud
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| Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Wow, must be so fun to go there! Have a great time! |
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Moldy Rutabaga
Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea
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| Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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I liked the trains, just because I find trains anywhere fun. You might book a train in advance online, OP. That way you will be able to choose your class. You can have a private car, or share with four, and there will be a lock on the door. They will feed you on the train and it's fun to travel at night. I find buses in Vietnam a second choice not because of safety but because the roads are rough and the ride can be uncomfortable.
I won't contradict others. I just liked Hoi An. There was a decent beach nearby (not Thai grade, but fine). You could pay for half your trip just by having inexpensive suits and clothes made in the town. I had all of my wedding apparel made there. |
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Zach with a Z
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 4:06 am Post subject: |
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will things., ie buses run or be open on Xmas? I'll arrive on Dec24rth and I don't have a ton of time. I'd hate to have a day of hotels sitting...
anyone have any idea? |
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jmuns
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
Location: earth
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| Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 4:10 am Post subject: |
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| things will be running as usual on xmas, i was there two years ago on xmas and had no problems. i took an overnite train on xmas eve, and saw buses coming and going into hue on xmas day. have fun |
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Zach with a Z
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:09 am Post subject: |
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i am getting close to getting everything sorted, but I have another question.
I am in some real time constraints, so I don't have time to waste when I am in a city to do a tour. If I show up in a city, Saigon/Hanoi, will I be able to book a tour for the following morning? I've gone to tourist meccas before, so I know there will be dozens of tour operators. So do I need to book ahead, or can I roll into Hanoi on a Thursday afternoon (for example) and find a tour leaving for Halong bay the following morning for a 2 day cruise?
thanks |
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jmuns
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
Location: earth
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:40 am Post subject: |
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| yeah you will be able to book a tour. there are so many people to book through for halong bay. just walk around to price them out and see what all they are offering on the tour. there are three classes of boats to choose from and all have different tour options. regardless, they dont let you bring alcohol onto the boat, so just bring a bunch of beers or wine or liquor in your bag and drink some in your cabin so you dont spend all you money buying there booze. |
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Moldy Rutabaga
Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea
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| Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:44 am Post subject: |
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I don't imagine any problem at Christmastime, as it is not widely celebrated. Chinese New Year is a real bummer, though. Everything will close down and what remains running will surge in price.
The last thing you need to worry about is trying to arrange a tour somewhere. You will be constantly bugged about going to Tam Coc or Halong Bay. The tour can be done in one day, but that's awfully rushed. The two day trip is more relaxed and it's fun to sleep on the boat and wake up to the sunrise. I didn't booze as I get a little seasick, but if I did it again I would bring a little spare food, as they did not feed us very much on the boat. Bring extra clothes too.
Do try to see Tam Coc. It's a day trip, and I thought it was prettier than Halong. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 5:07 am Post subject: Vietnam |
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| I stayed overnight at a good hotel in Tam Coc. That saved me a 200 mile return daytrip from Hanoi. From memory, all the guesthouses in Hanoi offered weekend packages to Halong for $25 in 2001. It might be $40 by now. Check the Lonely Planet Vietnam guidebook for current prices. You can wander around the old quarter of Hanoi yourself. It's compact, & no guide is required. Don't miss the water puppets! |
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Jove
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Location: Over the hill
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| Posted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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Most people I've met who have traveled in Vietnam love it...including myself. However, I have noticed that people who start in Hanoi and travel south, enjoy the north more; while those who start in the south and travel north end up not really liking Hanoi too much. This seemed to be a pretty consistent sentiment. People would love Saigon at the start of their trip, but feel they were consistently getting more and more ripped-off the further north they traveled.
My only trip to Vietnam started from the Chinese border in Yunnan, on to Sapa (a must see) and then down to Hanoi. It was a great route, but if you fly in to Hanoi and want to see Sapa, the overnight train is your best bet and try to get tickets before you go (check www.seat61.com for details). |
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cangel
Joined: 19 Jun 2003
Location: Jeonju, S. Korea
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| Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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I spent 5 weeks in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos last winter. Vietnam is awesome. Saigon is MUCH better than Hanoi. Hanoi is nothing but scams. I am a big guy and my friend is also big and we had 2 taxis in a row try to rip us off. NEVER put your luggage in a taxi's trunk.
Anyway, we started in HCMC and ventured north via overnight train (sleeper). Cheap, efficient, saved on a hotel...
The overnight busses are one of Dante's levels of hell... Avoid if you can. Terrible experience even with sleeper seats. The "highways" in Vietnam are filled with potholes - looks like they have been cluster bombed.
Hue is cool, Hoi An, likewise, pretty cool. Halong Bay is worth an overnight. Definitely cooler up north but I was still wearing shorts and a t-shirt in January.
Pack half as much as you think you need (everyone ends up buying t-shirts and stuff) and bring twice the cash you think you need and you will be golden.
If you take your time heading in either direction, getting a 1 way domestic ticket is quite cheap.
Have fun! |
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