Trip report - travels with my daughter

I returned from a 15 day trip to Vietnam 3 days ago and as these forums were helpful to me in planning my trip, I thought I’d share my story. Hopefully this will not be too long, but I want to add some of the detail that would have been helpful to me had I known before I travelled.

About us

I am a forty something mum who travelled with my 15 year old daughter, leaving hubby at home to cope with the other kids alone. We are both well travelled, mostly budget to mid range price range, and prefer to find our own way rather than be on organised tours. For both of us this was our first trip to SE Asia, and for me the first time I had travelled without my husband in 22 years.

The plan

Having taking the advice of many friends who had been to Vietnam plus the excellent advice offered by these forums, I decided to pre-book my first 2 nights accommodation in Saigon (with airport pick up), a flight a couple of days later to Danang (with airport pickup) and four nights accommodation in Hoi An. Apart from that, I worked everything out with no problems as we went along.

The itinerary

We spent our first 2 nights in Saigon, did a two day tour of the Mekong staying overnight in Can Tho, spent another night in Saigon after the Mekong tour, flew to Danang and spent 6 nights in Hoi An (we had thought we’d stay 4 but extended), flew to Hanoi and stayed one night, did a two day 1 night tour of Halong Bay, returned to Hanoi for one night, flew back to Saigon for our final night then departed for Sydney via Darwin late the next day.

Our hotels

We chose the Luan Vu Guesthouse in the backpacker area of Saigon for our first 2 nights accommodation, and as they stored our luggage while we were in the Mekong, returned to stay another night before flying to Danang. This had to be one of the cleanest places I have ever stayed. We opted for the room with window for $27US per night which included a basic breakfast. The hotel also organised an airport pickup which cost $14US (although later in our trip we paid 100,000dong (less than $10A) in a metered taxi for the same ride).

The guesthouse is located in a little side alley away from the main strip so it is a little quieter. This is basic accommodation at a budget price but the staff will welcome you warmly and look after you well and I didn’t pay any money up front, just sent emails. The location of the guesthouse is perfect for those wanting to stay in this vibrant area of the city.

In Can Tho (Mekong Delta trip) our accommodation was part of the package provided by the Sinh Cafe (yes the real one I checked). This was a non-descript hotel, perhaps a little fancier than the Luan Vu but not cleaner. The only downside was that it was a long way from the riverside, requiring a taxi ride (ie/much too far to walk).

In Hoi An we opted for the Than Binh III hotel, the one with the central pool with amazing mural, paying for a ‘deluxe’ room fronting the street with small balcony for $45US per night including breakfast. They also organised an airport pickup and return for $16US each way. This was also an excellent choice in a location handy for walking to tailors, cafes and the ancient town. We usually opted for pushbikes rented from the guy out the front for 2,000d (less than $2A) per day each. The hotel was great and had a regular western style bathroom although water pressure was poor in the shower. Again, I paid no money up front - just confirmed with emails – but be aware they will ask you to pay in cash (no credit) to settle your account.

In Hanoi I stayed at the Saigon Prince 2 hotel, found on the Vietnam hotels website the day before at a rate of $40US per night including breakfast. There seem to be dozens of hotels in Saigon all called the Prince. If anyone wants further details let me know %26amp; I will find the address. This hotel was clean, quiet and cooked a good breakfast to order. It also had a lift which was important at this stage given we’d spent the previous 6 days shopping in Hoi An.

On our return to Saigon, we opted to go a little up market and splurged $110US for a night at the Metropole. I booked this when I first arrived in Saigon – 2 weeks previously – and went for the ‘business deluxe’ room as it had a window. It was fantastic having a pool in Saigon and somewhere to lounge around for the following day as our flight did not leave until 10.20pm. If you are travelling with a child, a hotel that has a pool is a godsend. Despite what we’d heard, Saigon can be (and was) hot in February. In fact it was around 30 degrees Celsius in both Saigon and Hanoi when we were there last week. The hotel was all that it promised, good service, enormous buffet breakfast and services such as bag storage and allowing you to shower and swim before a late evening flight. The only downside of this hotel is that it is located a little far from the activity and cafes of the backpacker district, and I did not feel as safe walking back to the hotel after dark.

Our tours

We did 2 day 1 night Mekong Delta tour for $38US each with Sinh Cafe which was at the budget travel end but perfectly acceptable. For us 2 days was enough – but remember I was travelling with a 15 year old.

The highlight was the night spent in Can Tho when we boarded what we thought was a stationary boat/restaurant which suddenly cast off and took us on a slow tour of the river at night. On board were three levels of diners, around 400 people, and we were one of only two tables of westerners. The menu included mouse, frog, eel, weasel, tortoise and everything else you could imagine so with the help of a Vietnamese family at the table next to ours we ordered tofu. The on board live entertainment – both Vietnamese pop songs and traditional singers – just made the evening priceless.

From Hoi An we took a one day trip with Cham Divers to Cham Island. This is a tropical treat and included a snorkel/dive on a small reef with coral (not many fish though) on the way there and lunch. The highlight was walking to the fishing village on the island which, so far, is untouched by tourism. No-one tried to sell us anything which was very refreshing. The island is owned by the army so it is more difficult to travel here without a tour as a permit is required, but it is not impossible.

Our other tour was a 2 day 1 night cruise of Halong Bay booked the day before with Columbus Travel. I wanted to be on the Pinta junk ($97US each) but as it was full, they gave me a ‘last minute’ rate of $129US each for our own private junk the smaller Nina. Being Valentine’s day this was the ‘romance’ cruise so my daughter and I were surprised with fresh flowers – although I requested no guitar serenade during our dinner. Again, no problems with this tour we were given what was promised although be prepared for the bumpy ride to and from Hanoi. We met up with the Pinta junk on the Saturday night for a karaoke party. Lots of fun especially as there were other Aussies on board. Unfortunately my daughter fell sick as this point so spent the next day sleeping in the cabin, but pre-armed with prescription medicine from home she was better within 24hours.

Planes

We flew Jetstar for our international flights and also for 3 domestic flights within Vietnam. I booked one of the domestic flights from home, then the remaining 2 flights online myself while in Hoi An. Despite the never ending criticism of Jetstar domestic flights in these forums, I have no complaints. In fact on two occasions the Vietnam airlines flights were announced as being delayed but all Jetstar flights left on time. We did have a delay in landing in Hanoi, although this was an air-traffic management issue not the fault of the airline. The cost of my flights was $19US each from Saigon to Danang, $25US each from Danang to Hanoi and $52US from Hanoi to Saigon. The cost of similar flights with Vietnam airlines was considerably more given I booked only a couple of days ahead.

Other transport

Thanks to the advice of these forums, I was not taken by any taxi scams during the entire trip. In fact, I found it really easy to get around. We had a pickup pre-arranged for our arrival – which I recommend to anyone in a similar situation as mine (novice to SE Asia and travelling with a child), but by the time we got to Hanoi we just found our own way to the city by jumping in the Jetstar shuttle bus (bright orange outside the terminal 2,500d each (less than $2A each)).

We opted not to try a cyclo – especially after talking to others who were ripped off $150A for a half day trip around Saigon. All other times we used taxis we either had the hotel call them, or in Saigon we looked for legitimate cabs and checked they had a functioning meter. We paid no more than $2-$3A for any of our cab rides – except for trips to the airport which in Saigon cost 100,000d (less than $10A). Hotel staff will give you an estimate of how much a cab fare should be which is useful to know before you hail a taxi.

Shopping

Pretty much ‘same same’ everywhere we went, except for a greater concentration of arts and tailors in Hoi An and it seems more concentration of shops selling western clothes (in tiny sizes) in Hanoi. Personally I’m not one for the fake handbags and clothing brands. We had a few things tailored in Hoi An – although this is a hassle having to return for fittings – but my favourite purchases are the silk from the fabrics market in Hoi An and the water puppets we picked up in Hanoi %26amp; Saigon.

For us the best experiences were:

* Saigon – the backpacker district, war surplus markets and the war museum (very moving)

The surprise dinner cruise in Can Tho

* Hoi An – the lantern festival, stumbling across a local school concert, seeing the Prince of Japan in the ancient town and cycling to the beach and through the paddy fields

* Cham Island – no other tourists, not being asked to buy

* Halong Bay – our own private junk

Sorry about the length of this ramble but I just wanted to put it all out there in the hope it will help someone else. I’m off now to sort the photographs.

Trip report - travels with my daughter

Just new to these forums and welcome the information. Many thanks

Trip report - travels with my daughter

Fromaus,

What a fantastic read %26amp; great information! - we leave in 6 weeks. Glad you liked HoiAn- how did you book your tour for Cham Island? Did you just go to a tourist shop there, %26amp; do you bargain the rate?

We are staying at the Metropole, after cancelling a couple of other hotels, as we really want a pool in the hot weather. Glad you thought it was fine,

Cheers,

Sandy

PS Did you enjoy Vietnam, and did you meet any rats?!

Hi Sandy

In my efforts to give all the facts I forgot to mention that we absolutely loved our trip. Everywhere we went was a new adventure and everyone we met (locals and tourists alike) were friendly and helpful. Perhaps travelling with a tall blonde child helps.

We booked with Cham Divers in Hoi An a day before the trip as the weather report looked good - and you want good weather as it is an hour and a half trip each way (21kms)to Cham Island. I%26#39;m not entirely certain of the price - maybe $70A each I think. We didn%26#39;t haggle as the owner is a friend of a friend and he had already done us a huge favour by confirming our accommodation and airport pickup. The Cham Divers office has recently moved and is one block back from the riverfront on Nguyen Thai Hoc street.

Aside from the mice on the menu in Can Tho, we only saw a couple of rats - in the Ben Thanh markets and in the war surplus markets. The locals laughed at us sceaming and said %26#39;no problems no problems%26#39;!!

As for the Metropole, nice hotel, great pool but would be better one block closer to the action of Pham Ngo and De Tham streets. We tried the massage at the hotel spa on our final day. A bit of a shock to have a woman in a tiny red miniskirt and high heels straddle my back then walk on it (without the heels fortunately!). Fortunately my daughter had opted for the foot massage only.

Excellent trip report! What kind of luggage did you take with you and was it easy to travel with? I%26#39;m glad you found it easy to navigate in the city. Did you experience bad mosquitoes?

fromaus,

I really enjoyed your trip report :-))

Thanks for the useful information.I was glad to hear you enjoyed your holiday!

Don`t you remember the name of that boat/restaurant in Can Tho ?

This kind of experience is what I`m looking for !

:-))

Thanks,

zskin

Thanks Fromaus

My sis in law and I are hoping to get to Vietnam in Sept or Oct after a visit to Japan.

We travelled around Italy by train for 4 weeks but I was a bit concerned about trying Vietnam and was considering a 18 day tour booked from AUS. Now I will print off your travel info and we will see if it suits...didn%26#39;t think of Jet Star as domestic flights in Vietnam...your junk on Halong Bay sounds great as did the surprise floating restaurant in the Mekong...I%26#39;d forego the frogs etc too!

Not sure about the weather around Sep, Oct as I believe the monsoons are around but seems it is a popular time also...

Will see

Niec

Hi all

We travelled with one regular suitcase each and a single day pack. By the time we came back we had added two cabin bags as well and filled up our cases. We bought the cabin bags easily in Saigon %26amp; Hoi An - about $9US each. When we packed for tours (Mekong %26amp; Halong Bay) we just shared one suitcase and left the other one at the hotel - not a problem to do this but we padlocked our bags when we left them and took all valuables.

Yes there were mosquitoes in the Mekong Delta area and also Hoi An so bring repellant and maybe some anti-histamine (spelling?) if you react to bites. I also got stung by tiny jelly fish when snorkelling off Hoi An - but not really a problem.

I cannot recall the name of the big boat in Can Tho but it was the only one there - you will not miss it as it is moored at one end of the riverside strip not far from the silver tin man statue of HCM and it is covered in fairy lights. There is a poor sad monkey chained to the end of the wharf where you get on.

Froamus,

thanks for the info, I will definitely have a look at that boat !

I`m in an agony about suitcase or backpack, so that info was very helpful !

Thanks,

zskin

Hot Tamale 1,

There are no such things as ';good'; mosquitos in Vietnam or anywhere else for that matter. They are all ';bad';. :) He he he.

Just kidding.

fromaus

I wish everyone ';rambelled'; the way you did in your post. Thanks for taking the time to give us a more detailed account of your trip to Vietnam. I am travelling with my wife and two young daughters in April and your post has been a great help to me in planning what to see and do as we are going to do our own thing when we arrive. Thanks again, Shane.