Travelling to Vietnam (cycle, hotel, attractions, price)

[pdca]

Have you ever travelled to Vietnam? What do you think about the country? Is it good place to travel to?

[toobusytoday]

My daughter went to Hanoi last fall. She loved it and said the people there were very friendly and welcoming and the country was beautiful. And she said this after having spent most of the trip there during a typhoon!

[jessiegirl_98]

I have not, but my friend is an international event planner and has been to about 30% of the world's countries and Vietnam is BY far her favorite. She says it's very cheap (she actually has a tailor over there who makes her suits and dresses when she goes) and soooo beautiful!

[pdca]

I have heard of these: friendly Vietnamese, cheap tour, cheap tailors with handmade patterns

[Bob The Builder]

Originally Posted by pdca

Have you ever travelled to Vietnam? What do you think about the country? Is it good place to travel to?

I went last year with my family for a month. It is pretty cheap. I thought it was a bit lite on the attractions. Shopping for stuff is ok if that is what you are there for.

We did get burned very badly buying Lobsters from a fishing Island off of Nga Trang (3 big live lobsters $400). A VN family we were traveling with insisted that it was really cheap so did not bother to ask the price. Buy it from the little old lady back at the beach instead (3 small lobsters $10).

But for experience and visuals I prefer Cambodia and Thailand.

VN over promises and under delivers. The trains are slow, but the surface roads are slower. New laws slow the roads to a crawl. Roads are shared with bicycles.

Is it good? I would not be in a hurry to go back.

[pdca]

Originally Posted by Bob The Builder

We did get burned very badly buying Lobsters from a fishing Island off of Nga Trang (3 big live lobsters $400). A VN family we were traveling with insisted that it was really cheap so did not bother to ask the price. Buy it from the little old lady back at the beach instead (3 small lobsters $10).

.

Be carefull with price of things bought as travelling in Vietnam. Sometimes, dfferent prices are applied for domestic and foreign customers. Is it the same in other countries?

Originally Posted by Bob The Builder

But for experience and visuals I prefer Cambodia and Thailand.

VN over promises and under delivers. The trains are slow, but the surface roads are slower. New laws slow the roads to a crawl. Roads are shared with bicycles.

.

How about the traffic in Cambodia? is it better than Vietnam?

I have travelled to Thailand for 2 times. That's right. Services in Thailand are more attractive than in Viennam

[sasaty103]

i hope i take a vietnam cycle tour [mod]Off-Topic[/mod]

[emcee squared]

I was in Ho Chi Minh for a few days last year. Fun city to bum around, but was hot and humid as hell in the summer. I'm sure smaller towns are more fun to visit than the mess that is Ho Chi Minh.

I recommend Cambodia for a fun experience in the Far East. Nice people and a lot of history.

[BobPollard]

Moderator cut: orphaned

I've been to Vietnam. I preferred the north to the south. Sapa was amazing. Hanoi is hectic but you can find some peace. You can't overbook yourself because infrastructure is such that it takes a long time to get anywhere. Book overnight trains when possible to save on travel time (tho you will spend more money than in a hotel).

[Bideshi]

I thought Vietnam was a beautiful country even when I was there during the war. The road from An Khe through the central highlands down to the sea is breathtaking. There were so many things I wanted to see but couldn't because of the war. Yes, the Vietnamese people are very friendly. Di. Duoc lam!