Useful and practical tips for organizing a travel to Vietnam. What are the places not to be missed, how to get around, what to book first and some tips on where to sleep.
A green land, narrow and long, slightly curved and with wonderful landscapes. Chaotic and fascinating cities, with a long story to tell. But not only.
Going to Vietnam means getting in touch with a tenacious and proud people, who never gave up on difficulties, recovering from a history of bloody wars. The road is uphill but the Vietnamese face it with great courage.
During a trip to Vietnam you can experience many different experiences, which together will become a small album of beautiful memories. Over the course of 15 days we trekked in the underground caves, slept in tents on a deserted beach, sailed on the murky waters of the Mekong, trampled ancient ruins, explored the countryside in the company of grazing buffaloes and sipped drinks on top of modern skyscrapers.
We tried to get to know all the faces of this country by drawing up an itinerary that allowed us to touch its most important points, from north to south, slowly sliding towards its more modern and western side.
These are the steps we have decided to include in our tour:
Day 1: Flight to Hanoi
2nd day: Hanoi
3rd day: HaLong Bay
4th day: HaLong Bay - Hanoi
Day 5: Hanoi Flight - Dong Hoi - Phong Nha-Ke Bang
Day 6: Phong Nha-Ke Bang
Day 7: Phong Nha - Hué
Day 8: Hué - Hoi An
9th day: Hoi An
10th day: Cham Islands
Day 11: Cham Islands
Day 12: Danang Flight - Ho Chi Minh City
Day 13: Mekong Delta - Can Tho
Day 14: Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh City
15th day: Flight to your country
Sapa is a very popular place among tourists and I am sure it is a charm, a place where you can see the rice terraces, the villages, the Hmong tribes up close and go trekking through breathtaking landscapes. learn more about sapa travel and tours from Hanoi with overnight train
But we had only 2 weeks and a certainty: the desire to go to Vietnam we had come looking at the report of National Geographic on the spectacular caves of the national park of Phong Nha-Ke Bang, which houses within it the largest cave of world, the Son Doong Cave. It is not yet a very tourist destination, at least for us Westerners, it is not very easy to reach and must stop at least 2 days. To visit the caves and enjoy the rural life that developed in the villages of central Vietnam, we gave up on Sapa. But if you manage to put it on your itinerary, the better.
I wrote this article on the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Reading it could help you better understand the type of experience, so that you can decide whether or not to include this stage on your journey.
Travel Agency or do it yourself?
As usual, we preferred to organize most of the trip by ourselves, booking almost all travel and accommodation from home before leaving. However, sometime you just want someone or a travel specialist tae care of everything for you.
How we travel through Vietnam
We have taken planes, cars, buses, trains and boats.
In particular:
- transfer by bus to HaLong + boat
- Hanoi - Dong Hoi flight
- Train from Dong Hoi to Hué
- Transfer by car from Hué to Hoi An
- Boat to the Cham Islands
- Flight from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City
- Transfer by car to Can Tho
Accommodations / hotels in Vietnam
We chose to stay in a good hotel, giving us some luxury taking advantage of generally favorable prices.
We spent a night in a boat in HaLong Bay and a tented camp in the Cham Islands, accommodation included in the our tripadvisor tours of vietnam
Here are our hotels, with the dollar price to be considered a double room per night:
- HANOI: Essence Palace Hotel, $ 47 nice and in a great location;
- PHONG NHA: Phong Nha Farmstay, $ 51 in the countryside, with pool and sunsets over the rice fields;
- HUE: Imperial Hué, $ 93 a thousand and one nights;
- HOI AN: The Residencia Hoian Boutique Hotel & Spa, $ 56, cute and within walking distance from the center;
- HO CHI MINH CITY: Liberty Central Saigon Citypoint, $ 103 the most beautiful of the whole trip. Rooftop bar, pop corn factory and rooftop pool. Ask for a room on the upper floors, you will have a great view!
Eating in Vietnam
Tasting the typical dishes of Vietnamese cuisine is a journey into the journey. It ranges between sweet flavors, spicy flavors and spicy seasonings. Delicious soups, meat and spring rolls.
All this, however, deserves a separate chapter.
