Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Josie1995]

I'm heading to Korea this summer to teach for 10 weeks at a summer program. After the program is over, I'd like to travel to Vietnam for about 1 1/2 weeks. As I"m a solo traveler, I was thinking about joining a tour. Does anyone have any suggestions about tour companies or packages? Thanks!

[Golden Lama]

There're many options for entering into and travelling through Viet Nam, but for a tour package from outside, I wouldn't know.

I would, however, suggest that you extend your available travel time to three weeks and do it on your own. Even as a solo traveller, it's a piece of cake to pick up a travelling companion - or companions for that matter - when you're in the country.

Once you're in the country, get a ticket on TM Brothers and travel the country by bus.

What are your plans on entering, i.e. where will you enter, and do you have any extra time?

I spent about six months in the country and really enjoyed it. We travelled the entire length of the country twice and have gone back a thrid time.

Fill me in on your rough itinerary and I'll see what suggestions I might have up my sleeve.

[chiaa]

I am heading there in a few weeks and have checked out:

et-pumpkin.com (IE only)

Cheap and pretty cool. I am thinking of doing the three day Halong Bay tour where you sleep on a junk over night. I have heard great things from a few people about it.

There are a couple of more URLs for tour operators in the Lonely Planet Southeast Asia guide.

[ajgeddes]

If you are going to be up in Hanoi, and you don't mind spending the cash, you should use www.handspan.com to take some tours. Their tours are much better than every other companies, but they do cost a little more. However, if you go to Halong Bay with them, you get to take a boat like this.

[ajgeddes]

Also, the nice thing about that boat is that each room has its own bathroom, shower and air conditioner, which is nice in the scorching heat. It is nice spending the nights in comfortable beds with A/C when you are trying to sleep.

[chiaa]

That boat does look much nicer than the tour I posted above. But, do you think/know if it is worth the $90 more considering that you are only on the boat one night and not two?

[deessell]

When you go swimming in Halong Bay remember that you are swimming in sewerage. They empty the tanks while you are swimming.

[ajgeddes]

My earlier message got deleted, so here it is again.

To me it was definitely worth it. Every other boat on the bay is exactly the same. They are small, with a small kitchen, crappy rooms and one bathroom.

This boat has great rooms, a nice dining room, a first-rate chef that made amazing food, a good bar that was open up until midnight (or 11) and they would also make you food. It is incredibly hard sleeping in that heat in the summer, so you need the A/C. It's luxury, however, you have to pay for it.

I also used the same company to go to Sapa. Again, they were more expensive, but they really took care of you. They have nicer rooms on the train that other people can't use, and you get your own personal guide to take you where you want in the mountains.

Anyways, if you are trying to save money on your vacation, use a cheaper company, but I never try to be cheap on my holidays.

[chiaa]

Thanks soooo much for the info! You sold me when you mentioned how great the chef is. I have also heard it's great jumping off the top of it. I will go on that boat in a few weeks and report back.

[ajgeddes]

FYI, you can't jump off the top of it, that sucked.

The Chef kicked ass, they buy fresh seafood from little boats that pull up beside the big boat, so it is super fresh. I don't know how he could make squid and shrimp taste so good.

Another thing that kind of sucks about Halong Bay is that it is full of jellyfish. I didn't get stung, but I was close.

[Josie1995]

Thanks guys for all the helpful info. I still haven't planned out my trip in detail, but I would really like to travel in Vietnam if I can only choose one country. I am going to be in South Korea for most of the summer, with a round trip ticket back to the U.S. so I would need to buy a round trip ticket from Seoul to Vietnam. However, when looking at Expedia, I saw that these tickets were almost a thousand dollars. Needless to say, I was a bit dispirited after reading this. Do you travellers who have been to Vietnam have any advice on how to snag cheaper tickets?

[Golden Lama]

The cheapest way to enter Viet Nam is overland, unfortunately.

Entering via China, i.e. a cheap flight from Seoul to Beijing and taking a train down to Northern Viet Nam would be an option to make this happen.

The cheapest flight that I ever had into the country was a two-for-one deal on Bangkok Airways. Pretty sweet as it was business class, so both of us flew for a total of about $400 American dollars (one way). However, I don't see how that could possibly help you if you're flying from Seoul.

When you're in Korea, check out the recommeded travel agents on this forum and see what they can scare up for you. You might be surprised, I know I've been. Sometimes, what I find on the internet is halved when I get a price from an agent.

[chiaa]

[ajgeddes]

Last summer, I got a round-trip ticket from Seoul for $330USD. I bought it online at www.daum.net.