Need help for planning Vietnam trip

hi,

My wife and i are planning a trip to Vietnam next April and we are thinking of the following destinations:

1. Hanoi

2. Sapa

3. Ha Long

4. hui

5. Hoi An

6. Ho Chi Minh city

7. Mekong Delta trip

8 Cu Chi tunnel and Tay Ninh

we have a following questions

1. How long is enough to see all listed above? We are thinking of 10 days trip. Is it enough? We would like to spend a week in Cambodia and then move to Vientiane for 5 days and then to Bangkok for 2 days before fly back home

2. We are thinking of Valentine Junk and Jasmine. Which one is better?

3. Can we get visa at the airport on arrival? How to do that and how much?

4. What%26#39;s the weather like in April? We enjoy scuba diving in Hoian. Is it possible?

6. What%26#39;s budget per day? Is it better to reserve the package tour in advance than to book on arrival?

All your help will be high appreciated. Thank you

Need help for planning Vietnam trip

Hello Stuartau,

You need at least 15 to 17 days to visit all mentioned places. You may consider to skip one or two destinations if you can%26#39;t extend your time in Vietnam. 5 days in Vientiane is too long, 3 days is more than enough.

I prefer Valentine Junk because it is smaller size.

You can get visa on arrival. The cost is around US$20 per person, may be more. You can order this with any tour company in Vietnam.

April is the best time to visit Vietnam. It is a bit hot in Hue and Hoi An but hot is better than get wet, I think. April is also good for diving in Hoi An but the best place for diving in Vietnam is Nha Trang.

It%26#39;s hard to tell about budget because it depends on level of service you have. In my opinion, you%26#39;d better to book your tour/services in advance.

Please let me know if you have any further question.

Need help for planning Vietnam trip

Hello,

it would be nice to see Vietnam in April. if your time is limited, 10 day vacation covers must see places Hanoi, Halong, Sapa, Hue, Hoian, Saigon - Mekong delta

you should book flight trip to save your time.

Halong boats are not much different if you book a deluxe one, not for backpacker class.

budget/ per day goes around from 100 - 200 US$ depends on much accommodation 2*, 3*

it costs more if you book luxury accommodation

You should book your plan in advance for your convenience. Should think about some travel agent have good offers

We did basically the trip you mention for Vietnam in 3 weeks and we felt rushed. You need to either drop some destinations (and I would suggest dropping Laos) or add more time.

One week for Cambodia will allow 2 days in Phnom Penh and 3 days for the temples in Siem Reap.

We have some pics, maps and stories here... www.bobandjanette.com of Cambodia and Vietnam which may prove useful.

Happy %26amp; safe travels

You will need at least another five days in VN to cover all your destinations, and even that will be at a run.

Visa on arrival is a bit more involved for Australians. You have to get a letter of approval from an accredited travel agency, which will cost generally about $US25pp, plus international transfer fees. You take the letter, two passport photos and $US 25pp in clean crisp American notes (they apparently accept NO other form of payment) to the VOA desk at the airport in VN when you arrive. This may take half an hour or so to process depending on how many people are there.

Conversely, you can download a form from the VN Embassy in Australia, fill it in, post it off with your passports, extra photos, a SASE and a money order for $65pp to the VN Embassy in Canberra (use registered or Priority Post for trackability for this and for your SASE), and they post it straight back to you with your visa neatly pasted in. Present it on arrival in VN and in abojt 2 minutes you%26#39;re through. With exchange rates as they are it works out pretty close to VOA.

I also think you need about 15 days to visit all the places as mentioned. I have done exactly as your plan and It was just right, you can travel by many ways flight, car, train.

If I have to skip some places I would give Cu Chi tunnels and Tay Ninh a miss.You should save more time for Vietnam, It is a wonderful country.

Vicki

we had 2 weeks holiday in Vietnam with Keytovietnam company in December and we had our trip arranged almost similar to what you are planning to do now. Everything was well organized. We had a trip to Halong on Valentine junk with upper cabin, that%26#39;s so perfect and food was excellent (be careful not to open the window if you choose this junk because of oil smell). We also got visa arranged by this company but not sure how much because it%26#39;s all inclusive in our package. We also got scuba diving lesson in Hoi An with Cham Island Diving Center (Mr lodocovic is a excellent men there). Hope that this helps your plan.

I travelled to Vietnam last March...I started at Saigon and went to Hanoi...my base was Phnom Penh as i have a daughter living there...Spend 3 days in saigon...one day for the tunnels ...one day for the Mekong Delta...and one day for Saigon...I flew Vietnam airlines everywhere...cheap...clean and very efficient...flew to Danang...taxi to Hoi An...bus to Hue ....flew to Hanoi....spent 6 days there...had good accomodation.Did it all online......

1; 23 days in Vietnam...week in Cambodia...2 days in Siem Reap

2; I did the day trip to halong Bay

#: for Vietnam get your visa in your country...ie for me it was NZ...for Cambodia...get it at the airport....have a passport photo of yourself...and $20 US....the Vietnamese visa was $90 NZ

3; April is very hot in Cambodia....you are looking at 40c plus

Book your tours when you get there ...much cheaper

Sports Hotel in Hue was great...Thien Thanh hotel in Hoi an was great also...anymore help ..let me know

Thank you for all of your useful information. However we can not extend our holiday because of limited time for holiday. We%26#39;ve decided to leave Sapa, Tay Ninh and Cu chi behind for our next holiday. And we%26#39;ve asked Keytovietnam travel company arrange our 10 days package. We trust our trip will be very nice and we are happy with the itinerary planned by them

if you get to laos - you could go up to vang veing for a few days and have a few days in vitienne as well ( if 5 days all you have ) Vang veing only 4 hrs by bus and a lovely spot for tubing// kayaking / bike riding amongst the karsts