Vietnam aka: Viet Nam

I am so excited. I am going to Vietnam tomorrow. It will be amazing. Thank you life for this opportunity to travel and to experience this wonderful country.

I agree with Mary that the people of Vietnam can be annoying. Personally, I found them unbearable. In addition, Vietnam does not have must-see sights like Angkor Wat. So I would leave Vietnam out of your SE Asia itinerary unless you have lots of time to spare. Other people I’ve talked to share my thoughts — one couple I met in China had left Vietnam early, after visiting only Saigon, because they were so disgusted with the people.

Vietnam is a magnificent and beautiful place. I can’t wait to go back.

has anyone here done a trip to the mekong delta? which is a better combination- cai be/ vinh long or my tho/ben tre. we are looking at this day tour offered to us and not sure which is better..

also, any good restaurants/ dining options to offer?

Catba and Hanoi are definitely worth visiting! It’s also great to see the mountainous areas in Catba by renting a motorbike!

my friends and i wanna take a daytrip on the mekong delta- is mytho/ben tre or cai be/vinh long a better place?

also, is vung tau worth the visit?

we wanna do a day tour. where can we find a budget day tour with a guide to take us around?

I grudgingly say that Vietnam is worth visiting. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and also because there are some amazing sights to see (and the souvenir shopping is pretty great, too). However, the Vietnamese people feel entitled to your money, without even having to do any work for it first. I was really unimpressed to have Vietnamese people demand tips from me, especially since this is not traditionally a tipping culture. I was doubly unimpressed to have a Vietnamese person complain about the size of an un-asked-for tip (about US$1, a pretty good tip for Vietnam). I also got very sick of being harrassed on the street by motorcycle drivers want to take you on a tour, but then again, I met other travelers who did not have that same experience as me. I think it was because I was a single girl walking alone that they felt like I was an easy target, but it did get on my nerves after awhile. Hoi An was an amazing place. No hassles from anyone in Hoi An and the people there were extremely nice. People-wise, it was probably the nicest place in Vietnam (although the people in Dalat were amazing as well). Hoi An is also the place you want to go if you want to have anything hand-tailored. I had three winter coats made in Hoi An and when I got back to Canada, I was complimented on all three of them. Also, if you’re interested in taking a Vietnamese cooking course, Hoi An is the place to go. Dalat is really nice, too. If you make it to Dalat and if you’re into adventure type stuff, do a canyoning tour with Hardy Dalat. They’re maybe not the most popular adventure company in Dalat, but they put on one hell of a tour and they are a lot of fun. I definitely recommend that.

I’d say that Vietnam is a fantastic country with lots to offer, but money-hungry Veitnamese people have an unfortunate tendency to ruin that for tourists.

Hello! My boyfriend and I have just scored teaching jobs at a primary school in Saigon. We are very excited and leaving really soon. We have three weeks before we start to familiarise ourselves with the country and take a much needed holiday.

We want to do it mostly on our own with day tours here and there. With 2-3 time frame we really need help from people who have done it with tips on where to go how to get there and tips on what to do! Basically we want a relaxing holiday as much as possible with mix of backpacker accom and luxury we want to go to the mountains the beaches wouldn’t mind a bit of cycling or motorbiking any help or if anyone can give us an itineray – anything – I’d be most grateful

Sharni

It’s been almost two years since I was in HCMC, but I can tell you that I still miss it—someone once said that everywhere in Asia smelled the same—like diesel and incense, and that’s what I remember best about Saigon. I lived there from 2004-2006, and there are so many stories that I can tell—from karaoke, to getting into a motorbike accident and driving from Cholon market to the hospital, to the rice paddy fields in Hoi An and the hotsprings in Nha Trang. Saigon is a wonderful place… Just keep your wits about you, your money in your bra, and negotiate as best you can in your best Vietnamese.

- Take the train from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi (at least a bit of the way…). It takes between 32 and 42h and costs 26 US$ (approx)…