Hotel Advice ??

Hiya all......Me and my fiance are planning a trip to Vietnam. I would like to spend a few days visiting some war memorials and then finnish off with a few days romancing and relaxing (Must have clear blue water sea and nice pool for the missus!!!!) Does anyone have any advice on the best hotels, locations etc. We dont mind travelling to a couple of different hotels but would like to stay in the south and have been advised that Phan Thiet is wonderful. Please help. Thank you.

Hotel Advice ??

Hi Saf,

I%26#39;ve returned my Vietnam trip. I stayed at Sealion Resort in Muine, PhanThiet. Very nice resort and pool

I book thru travel agent in Saigon http://travelindochine.net/en/index.php? there are many good sea food restaurant. I enjoyed sea food at Golden Sand res and bar at Sailing Club.

Hotel Advice ??

Terracotta resort 4* very good, you can try

Hi, Mui Ne/Phan Tiet seems to fit the bill, I%26#39;ve stayed at a few places there and enjoyed them all. Full Moon Resort is nice in a laid back sort of a way and the Sailing Club is pretty swish in a more upmarket style. You might want to have a look at Phu Quoc Island too, my favourite beach hang out in Vietnam.

I choose Blue Ocean in Muine 4stars resorts

Hi, have visited Mui Ne several times and by far my favourite resort is the Sailing Club. It is very small, private with high quality service and food.

Agree, I%26#39;ve only stayed there once but Sailing Club would be perfect for what you are after, pool which is only a few steps from the sand, a nice bar and balcony overlooking the beach, great service and nice rooms.

I%26#39;d guarantee you would not be disappointed.

We%26#39;ve just been back from MuiNe / Phan Thiet. Its lovely, but ocean is very choppy, making it hard to swim. Very windy - great for kite flying and wind surfing!

We stayed at White Sands resort. Not recommended, unless you are looking for somewhere out the way and verrry quiet! (See hotel reviews)

Mui Ne (Phan Thiet) is perfect place. Best to stay at resorts on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Str. i.e. around Blue Ocean, Saigon-Mui Ne resorts area. That is central and you can just walk across the street with line-up restaurants, bars... Most of resorts are private, some recommendations would be Blue Ocean, The Beach, Sunsea Resort, Full Moon, Cham Villas, Sailing club.

Get yourself to Cham Villas. We have been to Mui Ne many times and stayed at almost all of the hotels (just arrived back) and nowhere else compares. Best location, they even sieve the sand where their sunbeds sit on the beach. Faultless Accommodation.

Hi Mark

SAFC supporters here, just got back from the Stoke game so obviously vey happy.

We have been to Saigon a couple of times and also Phan Thiet, we stayed at the Ocean Dunes and travelled by taxi to Mue Nue most night%26#39;s - very cheap.

The area is very remote and not much going on, we had a fantastic time though and if we went to the area would only stay at the same hotel, it was a bit out of the way but very very good - we were there for 9 nights which was enough time and we followed that with 5 nights in Pattaya, one extreme to the other but suited us.

Daytrips,nightlife and excursions in Vietnam

Can anyone tell me a little about what Daytrips,nightlife and excursions are available in the various places in vietnam?!

Would be very greatful

Daytrips,nightlife and excursions in Vietnam

Hi,

There are so many day trips or short excursions in Vietnam.

- Hanoi- Halong Bay:

+ City tour: half or full day

+ Pagoda tours

+ Handicraft Villages tour

+ Halong bay cruise 1-3 days

- Sapa: magnificent sight with range of mountains

+ Walking tours

+ Sapa weekend market

-%26gt; you can trek some local villages, even trek Fansipan mountain with adventure

- Hue: with half or full day tour visiting tombs of Kings; biking and cruising also

- Hoi An: with half or full day city tour, visit World heritage site of My Son

- Nha Trang: famous for its beautiful beaches, it%26#39;s an ideal place to relax and entertain

- Da Lat: fames on its charming beauty, with a bike, you will have a wonderful trip there, or hiking to mountain with whole sightseeing.

- Ho Chi Minh city and Mekong tours: a dynamic city will attract you at the first time.

More reference, you can view at Activetravelshop with all things you need.

Good luck and have a nice day!

One way motorbike rental from hoi an to Hue

Hi all, having a fantastic time in Vietnam.. I would really like to travel the next leg of my trip from Hoi an to Hue on motorbike. Can someone recomend a place that will do a one way rental... I was thinking of sending the luggage up on taxi to our hotel in Hue. any info would be appreciated.

thanks

One way motorbike rental from hoi an to Hue

Hmmm, sounds good doesn%26#39;t it, but....

Your question and similar ones have been asked many times before. The following link answers your question and lists many

considerations you probably haven%26#39;t thought of. I recommend that you read the posts on both pages.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293926-i10089-k24…

One way motorbike rental from hoi an to Hue

hi, mixed comments.. I have been riding now for several days in hoi an without any issues.. common sense riding ie slowley and checking all around you. I really do want to experience the route over the hai van pass and would still like to attempt it..

Are the main routes really that dangerous especially around the pass ? and how long would it take to Hue i was thinking 5hrs or so...

My idea now was to send the luggage up with my wife in a taxi and follow along on the bike..then get the taxi company to bring the bike back to hoi an.. .anybody done this.. thx

clear my labtop

1 or 2 day trip to mekong

the wife and I are in Hoi An at the moment and we plan to go to mekong on sunday for a 1 day tour or 2 day tour with sin cafe, has anyone done either of the tours is it a lot better to go 2 days rather than 1

1 or 2 day trip to mekong

Here is the link for Mekong Delta Tours by Sinh Cafe.

www.sinhcafevn.com/Tour.asp?TypeTour=47

Hope you will find a suitable one for yourselves

Mr Phuoc

P.s : Make sure you will go with the REAL Sinh Cafe

Add :246 - 248 De Tham St., Dist. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Tel: (84-8) 3838 9593 - 3838 9597 / Fax: (84-8) 3836 9322, Email: info@sinhcafevn.com

1 or 2 day trip to mekong

Hi Artattack,

I think if you have enought time u should take Mekong delta tour 2d/1n( homestay) that better .

Help a first-time-traveler in Mui Ne

Hi all!

In Mars are we going to Asia and Mui Ne (Sealion Resort) for the first time and is looking forward to a lovely two week holiday. I麓ve been reading alot in this forum for help and tips but have a few questions I hope you can help me with.

- How much does lunch and dinner cost?

- Is there only seafood at the restaurants or does they also serve meat or chicken?

- How麓s the snorkeling in Mui Ne?

Thanks in advance

Magnus

Help a first-time-traveler in Mui Ne

hi Magnus

I don%26#39;t know about snorkeling, but I can help with the meal questions. The restaurants do serve meat and poultry beside seafood. Cost for a good sumptuous meal runs from $15-$40 for 2, with seafood like oyster, crabs and prawn, including beers but not liquor. I guess you can go for much less at local restaurants but the ambiance is no comparison.

We had a wonderful dinner at Ngoc Suong, a famous restaurant where our table was on the beach in a beautiful setting and it costs us around $40. I highly recommend everybody in Mui Ne to check it out for a romantic special dinner. Too bad their website does not state the price but you can have an idea of what they serve.

www.ngocsuongvn.com/en/thucdonmon.php鈥?/a>

We also had lunch at Hoa Vien restaurant. It is also very nice with a beach view. And if you%26#39;re a fan of Czech beer, they brew their own on site.

http://hoavi锚n.vn/

Another one we visited was the Cay Bang restaurant next to Hoa Vien. The food was good, fresh seafood but the crowd is loud, the facilities not really clean and service is very slow.

All in all, the food would be good wherever you eat in Mui Ne. You%26#39;ll like it. The highlight of our recent trip was indeed the food.

Happy planning.

Help a first-time-traveler in Mui Ne

Thank you so much for your answer!

I麓ve written down your recommendations and will try to wisit them once we are there.

It sounds really great that you can have a sumptuous meal for that amount of money. But can you (or someone else) tell us how much a simple lunch and dinner may cost in Mui Ne? We are trying to figuera out how much money we need to allocate to this vacation.

And another questions I cant find the answer to, how much does a bottle of water costs?

/ magnus

Hi,

I can give you some examples about food cost.

There are always the very budget small rests

where you can eat for $10 p.p.

But for a european standards restaurant:

Lobster 750000 dong Kg

Tiger prowns 500000 dong/Kg

Fish excellent quality 20-400000

Tuna 300000 - Chicken 300000

1Euro=23000 dong

see pictures of fish prices inside my review for

Terracotta resort

Good Luck

For a simple lunch or dinner we chose to eat at the two roadside eateries directly across from SinhCafe%26#39;s Mui Ne resort. They allowed us to choose seafood from the day%26#39;s fresh catch which they prepared for us on the spot. It was very good and the service was beyond friendly. These restaurants lack the upscale atmosphere and beachfront views of their counterparts down the road but the food and service are uniformly excellent. The cost was about 7USD per person including beer.

Cassia Cottage or Beach Club?

We are a married couple in our early sixties and are looking at a week at Phu Quoc Island.

We live in Australia and have travelled extensively throughout the world especially Asia, but never visited Vietnam.

Can anyone recommend one of the above hotels which are number 1 and 2 on trip advisor or are there any other recommendations?

Also, has anyone flown from Perth Australia and if so what route can you recommend?

Any comments will be very useful thanks.

Cassia Cottage or Beach Club?

We stayed at Mango Bay Resort - north of the main town and away from the main drag of hotels. This is an ';eco';resort, very nicely spaced between natural rooms. Have a look at their website, and if you need any further info. do please private message me. We had an amazing and very chilled week there at the end of January.

Tiggy.

Cassia Cottage or Beach Club?

Hello,

I try to give you an idea what is the difference between the 2 hotels.

Cassia Cottage http://www.cassiacottage.com/ , swimming pool, A/C in a room, but more expensive (the cheapest room from $60 smartstays.com/cassia-cottage-resort-phu-quo鈥?/a> ) than

Beach Club http://www.beachclubvietnam.com/ no A/c, no breakfast with a room, no airport pick up, but you could get a beach front bungalow for $28 (this is the April price, in low season you could get it for cheaper price ).

Beach Clus has 4 bungalows, and 6 rooms , Cassia C has 18 rooms, and the bungalows. I think (howewer I have never stayed there ) CC more resort style, but looks very prity on the photos.

It is always depends on what you are looking for, privacy, nice beach without too much tourist, or the opposite one.

Beach Club is on the far end of the Long Beach, a little bit isoleted from the other hotels, while CC in the middle of the tourist resorts.

Because you are in your early sixties , I would recommend CC, if you want to choose between the 2 hotels, maybe CC suits you better than BC . (I chose BC , but I`m just 35 years old, and I do not like big resorts , and I`m sorry but I do not like too much tourist around me, and I like challange :-)) )

But you could check Sea Star or Mango Bay resort,as well, they have a very good review , lots of people recommend them on this forum .

http://www.seastarresort.com/eng/

www.mangobayphuquoc.com/swf/accomodation.html

And more info :

http://www.hotels-phuquoc.com/

http://www.phuquochotels.com/

http://www.hotelsinphuquoc.com/

www.phuquocstop.com/?S=23%26C=24%26T=0%262N=5%26L==

Have a nice holiday!

zskin

Sorry about some of the spelling mistake, I forgot to check it.

Mango Bay is vastly overrated in my opinion. It%26#39;s basically a wooden hut backpacker resort with an overpriced restaurant attached (nowhere else to eat nearby!) and good branding/marketing. The beach there is nothing special, the rooms aren%26#39;t very clean, the beds are hard, service unremarkable and the restaurant offers little choice. It%26#39;s also a bit out of the way if you plan to do some touring of the island, and you can forget going anywhere else at night.

Not stayed at Cassia, but stayed at Beach Club and I love it. The rooms are way better than those at Mango Bay, and they%26#39;re right on the beach. Plus the service is fantastic and the bar/restaurant has plenty of variety and is reasonably priced.

Have to disagree with the previous Poster - has he or she actually stayed at Mango Bay?

Yes, it is fairly basic, ie no air-con, fridges or phones in the rooms, but we found our fisherman bungalow to be very clean. The rooms are very well spaced out and really the whole ethos of the place is peace and quiet. The restaurant was fine with enough choice, but you could wander towards town and find a few little very interesting places to eat!! and we even found a tiny place next to Bo Resort. And for the more energetic the walk along the beach, around 1 hour, to town was fun, especially when you cut in and wander down the narrow little road parrallel to the sea, very friendly people getting on with their lives and always keen to practice their English!! Or the taxi ride into town was short and cheap and quickly arranged by reception...... We also hired a motor bike from one of the staff and did some great exploring of the island, both north and south. We went to Mango Bay for real peace and quiet which is what we got - so it is really a matter of ';horses for courses'; .......

Yes, I spent 4 days there in December, and yes it was peaceful, but I felt it was way overpriced compared to other resorts on the island, especially the restaurant which is VERY expensive.

we just returned from vietnam and had a 4-day stay at sea star resort, which i give a giant thumbs-up. for $45, we had a nice little bungalow with a great view of the beach, AC, a decent breakfast and a fantastic location. of all the long beach locations, i think sea star has the nicest beach by far--lots of shade, trees and chairs that you can drag around, and they keep it immaculate.

they also have bungalows that are right on the beach, but these have a shared wall, and honestly though we were 30 steps farther from the sand, we loved having more privacy.

the staff couldn%26#39;t have been nicer, and there was a good mix of families, couples, older, younger, etc. a fantastic spot! i%26#39;d stay there again in a heartbeat.

Purves_Grundy,

You stayed in Beach Club, can you tell me how far is it from the town by walk ? (I read info on TA,but one said 30 min. the other said 40 min , all right I know it depends on how fast are you , but just about..? )

What else do you suggest to see in Phu Quoc?

( I have already known the list like pearl farm, fish sauce factory etc )

I do not want to go by organised tour, I`m planning to hire a moped, and discover the island myself , Is there any unique places what I should see ? (

Thanks

zskin

Anyway, where is warnerbros ?

You can just about walk into town from Beach Club, I guess it would take around 40 mins.

Plenty to see on PQ - Bai Sao beach, the north-west cape with its fishing villages %26amp; views of Cambodia, take a drive through the rainforest, take a boat cruise/fishing trip, and just rent a bike %26amp; drive around. Beautiful scenery. Go now before they ruin it!

Thanks.

';Go now before they ruin it!';

I hope it is not too late...

gold eyeshadow

Ancient town offers price cuts to lure visitors

Hoi An has tied up with tour companies to offer discounts to visitors to the ancient town, an official said.

Deputy chairman of the town People’s Committee, Truong Van Bay, said visitors staying at five- and four-star hotels for more than two days between Mar 26 to April 1 will get discounts of 10 to 30 percent on tours, souvenirs, and food at well-known restaurants and do not have to buy entrance tickets at tourist spots.

Visitors staying in three- and two-star hotels would get 10-20 percent discounts for beauty services and souvenirs as well as free breakfast, he said.

Mr. Bay promised that the details of the campaign and the names of businesses joining it would be publicized.

The city tourism authorities plan to run seven more promotions campaigns this year.

Have fun

Einstein

Ancient town offers price cuts to lure visitors

Thanks for the info Einstein - please do keep us posted on the details.

Ancient town offers price cuts to lure visitors

Hi Einstein

Good new,this would promote more tourist to Hoi An

Thank you

boutique hotel in Hanoi

Hi

I will be in hanoi for Christmas this year and would like to book somewhere boutique and luxurious. I dont particilary want to stay in one of the big chain hotels such as the sofitel but would prefer something more quaint and authentic - small, nice furniture etc but luxurious. I would have a budget of around 100 dollars+ a night - does anyone have any recommendations? A lot of places seem very business class orientated or else budget

boutique hotel in Hanoi

Guoman hotel, ';Hanoi%26#39;s only boutique hotel';, is around 70-100US depending on the room category. I don%26#39;t know why it%26#39;s called boutique. I stayed there, good location, bad massage.

About luxury, VN is the wrong place to seek. I did not see any nice furniture at any 4-5* hotels and the Victoria chain. Next time I will stay at small new hotels, forget the misleading name boutique BS.

Such a waste of money looking for luxury in VN.

boutique hotel in Hanoi

Check Church Hotel or Quoc Hoa Hotel in Nha Tho street for your Hanoi accommodation.

I think these are what you are looking for.

Good luck.

Holyfaith,

DeSoloya, Zephyre and Quoc Hao are also hotels in this catagoery.

Use the search on this forum with each of these names and you will start to get an idea of the pros and cons of each hotel.

Martin

Hi,

the Hanoi Boutique hotel is one of the hotel you are looking for, That is a small hotel which located in the Old Quarter. That is a really boutique and luxury hotel with the excellent service, helpful staff...at the common rate from 30USD -35USD per night.

favorite recipe chicken

Very good Hanoi Boutique Hotel

Hi kien123

How much is the room rate and any contact e mail??

Cheers

Very good Hanoi Boutique Hotel

But, if you live in Ha Noi, why were you staying in a hotel? House being renovated perhaps? How kind of you to join TripAdvisor just to tell us about this.

Very good Hanoi Boutique Hotel

It%26#39;s unbelievable how many self promoting reviews you can find on Vietnam forums! Nothing ever changes - it%26#39;s always some%26#39;amazing%26#39; budget hotel admired in amazingly bad English:)!

This guy is definitively a bad Touter. The english message is written in Vietnamese style.

Stay at his Hanoi Boutique Hotel, book his tours and you will be ripped off , ha ha ha

It cost 30USD for a double room and please send an E-mail to: hanoiboutiquehotel@hotmail.com

Cheer,

Is Fansipan closed to tourists at the moment?

I%26#39;ve got a trek booked for next week to climb Fansipan, but have just been informed by the travel company that Hoang Lien National Park (and so Fansipan) is closed to tourists. Anyone know if this is true?

Is Fansipan closed to tourists at the moment?

This is true, the park management board just issued the ban as there is the potential to fire in the jungle.

Pu Luong is a good option for some off road hike, this is offered by Active or Footprint travel in town.

Vietnam with a 7 year old

Hi,

I am in Hong Kong in early April travelling with my wife and 7 year old daughter, and was thinking of going to Phuket,but have been there quite a lot over the years and was surprised at cost of flights(€750 each) so was thinking of trying Vietnam for a beach holiday.

I travelled to Ho Chi Minh in late 90%26#39;s but at that time the beach resorts were quite undeveloped.Hoi An sounds like it may be ideal.

Can somebody recommend a good luxury resort in Hoi An, and as we will be there for about 10 days, not averse to travelling to another resort-any suggestions.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Vietnam with a 7 year old

Victoria Hoian looks very nice, but I think the Palm Garden Resort is more kids friendly. Also Palm Garden is more affordable, meaning with the same amount of money you can get a better grade of room. You should read more and see how other people review these 2 resorts. Both are right on the beach.

victoriahotels-asia.com/eng/hotels-in-vietna…

http://www.palmgardenresort.com.vn

Hoi An is very nice, you can%26#39;t go wrong.

Vietnam with a 7 year old

Hi,

I had just got back from vietnam %26amp; stayed in Hoi An for 2 nights at the Palm Garden Resort. We enjoyed our stay there. the room was spacious %26amp; it was right on the beach. The beach was really clean too. If I were to go back, I would stay at the Palm Garden Resort again.

The most luxury resort in Hoian is The Nam Hai. Please check out their site : http://www.thenamhai.com/

The cheaper option with good services should be Victoria Hoian Beach Resort.

Mr Phuoc

Selective Asia

Hi,

Am going with my husband to Vietnam and Cambodia in March 2009. Have any of you used the travel agent Selective Asia and could you let me know of your experience with them. I have searched on TA but not found anything. Thanks

Kaz

Selective Asia

Hi Kaz

You would be better off to get it organised over here,so easy and so many travel to choose and compared rate.

The travel here know better than their oversea counterpart.

The best part is that you pay in local currency???

Cheers

Selective Asia

Kaz,

I was wondering if you%26#39;d had any feedback on Selective Asia? I%26#39;m thinking of booking with them and similarly can%26#39;t find any reviews.

Thanks,

Denis.

Dennis,

I have not had much info on Selective Asia, but we have booked with them and we are flying out on the 12 March. We have dealt with Lionel at SA and he has been very helpful, if you are going to Vietnam later in the year I can let you know how our holiday went.

Kaz

Hi Kaz/Denis

Just picked this string up whilst looking for another holiday review - fear not, they%26#39;re good news! My wife and I travelled with them last year to Vietnam and Laos and had a wonderful holiday from start to finish. Spoke with Lionel a couple of times but dealt mostly with a Nick - very useful guy. Guides were first rate, everything ran like clockwork.

Very jealous of you both going to Indochina, have a great time!

Tom

Hi Kaz,

glad to hear that you have booked with Selective Asia. We were going to use them to go to Vietnam/Cambodia but had to postpone it due to %26#39;the credit crunch%26#39;.I am hoping we will be able to go 2010 so will be interested to hear how you get on.

I have to say that they were very helpful and knowledgable as well as having very competitive rates.

the crunch is getting to us all isn%26#39;t it - remember it%26#39;s pretty cheap once you%26#39;re there!

Best of luck with riding the storm

Tom

gold eyeshadow

Sim Cards

I will be arriving in Hanoi March 9 then travelling to Sapa before working my way down to Saigon.

What would be the best telecommunications company and where would be the best place to purchase a Sim Card shortly after arrival in Hanoi?

Thanking you

mimasaloi

Sim Cards

Sapa is a mountainous area. So the best Sim Card you should use is Viettel Mobile. You can buy it in any Phone card shop in Vietnam. Price is about 50.000 VND (about 3USD)/sim card. You will have 160.000VND (about 10USD) in your mobile account.

Sim Cards

Thanks a lot Hankim for that information, I take it that this Sim card would be OK throughout Vietnam...North to South.

Thanks...Vinaphone has been mentioned in other posts which company would be the best??

Hi mimasaloi.

There are alot of telecommunication companies in Vietnam, such as: Viettel, Vinaphone, Mobilphone, EVN, Sfone. But Viettel has more than 60% mobile comminication market. Because Viettel has the strong wave (you can use it in moutainous area or on the sea from N to S). Moreover, Viettel is cheapest in these company.

Last year, my class went to Ta Phin (a small vilage of Sapa). We could%26#39;t use the other simcard except Viettel. I think you should choose it.

hi

Viettel Sim: 3.2 Usd/sim. Account: 9.2 Usd

You can by some post office some tele shop

RGDs

KHanh - Vietcrane

Thankyou very much for that re-assuring information and taking the time out to be of assistance.

I understand that Vietell is owned by the army so that in itself one hopes would be re-asssuring also.

Thanks and thanks again.

mimasaloi

73years old this year

Does anyone know what code I need to use to phone Australia from Vietnam ?

networking

Vietnam Airlines offers discounts for online customers

Hi friends,

The national air carrier has announced it will cut the prices of all airfares for domestic flights purchased online by 5% from March 1-7.

Accordingly, passengers who book seats on domestic flights and pay online using the following five types of credit cards, Visa, MasterCard, JCB, Diner鈥檚 Club and American Express, on Vietnam Airlines鈥?website will enjoy a discount of 5%.

The airline plans to expand its online payment service to international flights and for passengers who use debit cards and domestic credit cards like Vietcombank Connect24, Techcombank Fast Access, ATM and through SMS.

Passengers can perform online check-in, change flights and flight days, etc. on Vietnam Airlines鈥?website at http://www.vietnamairlines.com.

Have a nice time

Einstein

Hi there

I will be in Vietnam for 13 days, visiting north and south.

Should I take euros or dollars ?

Can someone tell me the price for the exchange in dongs ? for euros and dollars.

Thank You

Hi there

Take euros, you can easily exchange them at banks and jewellers for VND. If you have an ATM card you can withdraw VND directly. If you take dollars you will have two lots of exchange fees instead of one.

For exchange rates, try

www.xe.com

Hi there

I agree with Foodie, that%26#39;s the smartest way.

Have a good holiday

Hello, when withdrawing money from an ATM, what denomination is it in? Would I be able to get smaller amounts or would I need to exchange it elsewhere?

Hi

Exchange rate daily change.

It is around: 1 Usd = 17,400 VND

1 Euro = 25,000 VND

RGDs

Khanh - Vietcrane

I thought ';If you have an ATM card you can withdraw VND directly'; was a clue that ATMs dispense VND (Viet Namese Dong). Don%26#39;t understand what you mean by ';get smaller amounts'; - you withdraw as much or as little as you want. If you mean ';smaller denomination bills';, I imagine your ATMs at home dispense in one or possibly two denominations and you go from there. Vietnamese ATMs are similar. As I recall we mostly got 100,000VND notes.

As YorkFoodie says most ATMs in VN dispense 100,000VND notes which is worth about 6USD. This note is accepted almost anywhere and is easily changed into smaller denominations. Some ATM%26#39;s will dispense denominations as small as 20,000VND but you%26#39;ll end up with a pocketful of many many bills. I learned this from experience. On my first visit to Saigon 5 years ago most ATMs dispensed only 50,000VND notes. I wanted to withdraw about 250USD and ended up with (80) 50,000VND notes. Way too much for any wallet. I stuffed every available pocket with money and it was still a struggle. It%26#39;s much easier now with the larger notes.

Great! that%26#39;s what I wanted to know... what amount is dispensed from the ATMs. I%26#39;ve heard that it can be hard to get small change from vendors so was hoping to have small bills to pay for food, taxis, souvenirs, etc. Getting excited!!

White dolphin cruises are good, aren't they?

I and my girlfriend are planning to go to halong bay next month. However, i don%26#39;t know which is the best company that we should join? i had just looked for some informations in the internet and there are various travel agencies which make me confusing. I was absorbed by whitedolphincruise website. But i don%26#39;t know whether or not this company is good?

Has everyone been to there on white-dolphin boats?

Please, give me some information !

cheers

White dolphin cruises are good, aren't they?

Dear Kevin,

White Dophin Cruise is belonged to Bai Tu Long travel, one of the reliable, best company, i suppose that you will be satisfied with their service. Go ahead

Enjoy your vacation

Einstein

Bus from Hanoi to Nanning and Guilin, China

In June 2007, we took a bus from Hanoi to Nanning China and on to Guilin. The bus ticket is sold by Kim Lien Travel at No.7-Dao Duy Anh Str.-Dong Da Dist-Hanoi Tel: 84-4-5770809, or 5770434 and costs about US$16. The travel agency is located in Kim Lien Hotel at the same address. You need to buy the ticket at least 1-2 days ahead because the daily bus often is full. The bus departs Hanoi at 8:30am in front of the travel agency every morning and arrives Nanning around 3-4 pm. Bus is comfortable and road is good, mostly freeway with some 2 lane country road. All paved and smooth. From Hanoi to the China border takes about 2-3 hrs, passing thru beautiful paddy fields and mountain scenery. We had a 20 min lunch stop on the way before we arrived at the border where we gathered our bags to get exit stamps from Vietnamese immigration. The Vietnamese immigration was chaotic. There were no lines and everyone was trying to get to the front of the window. We had to elbow our way thru or else we would never leave Vietnam. After almost an hr, we finally entered China thru the Friendship Gate. The chinese immigration is modern, orderly and efficient. There were golf carts from the bus company waiting to take passengers to a connecting bus in a parking lot a short distance away (you can walk or pay $10 chinese dollar for the golf cart ride. I recommend paying the $10 if you have heavy bags). The bus to Nanning was again modern and comfortable. It is all freeway from the border to Nanning with modern rest stops along the way. The scenery was beautiful with karst and paddy fields. We arrived in Nanning bus terminal around 3-4pm at the modern Lane East Bus Terminal. There is a 3 star hotel right next to the bus terminal, cost is $100 Yuan/room. We stayed at the hotel for one night, toured Nanning the next day before we caught another bus to Guilin. The ticketing office is on the second floor of the bus station and they have buses leaving for Guilin almost hourly. All in all, the bus trip was pleasant, comfortable and a great way to enter China. Hope this helps.

Bus from Hanoi to Nanning and Guilin, China

You forgot to mention that they also provide water and, on the Chinese side, canned food snacks.

Also that the VietNam bus stops at the border and turns around and passengers transfer to a new bus in China after a loooong walk between border posts.

The VietNam / China border has been re-aligned which is the reason there is so much distance between the posts.

Bus from Hanoi to Nanning and Guilin, China

Hi Npt,

Thanks for your post.

We couldn%26#39;t do this trip last year as we didn%26#39;t have visas.

We thought they would have issued for us at the border gate but they said we had to go back to Lang Son to apply for visas.

land

I forgot to mention that we got our China visa in Hanoi. Takes 2-3 working days. You cannot get China visa at the border.

How much was that for the visa, please?

I saw in some websites US$40 and 45 offered by agents.

Thanks,

land

I am looking for the bus schedule from Nanning to Hanoi. Has anyone taken this bus back to Hanoi? Where is the pick up location? Do they also pick up at Nanning train station? I emailed to Kim Lien hotel at hanoihotel.net and got a reply from an unfamiliar Tour Operator. He quoted me 56US from Nam Ninh Station to Hanoi. Not sure he read my request correctly. Is Nam Ninh in Vietnamese language as same as Nanning? The bus fare should be the same each direction?

NANNING %26gt;%26gt; HA NOI

Since the NanNing LangDong Bus Station is *always* very crowded the best option is to board the bus to the VietNam border at the NAN FANG HOTEL %26lt; nanning.gov.cn/2457/2004_10_8/2457_35698_109鈥?/a> %26gt;, 76 ChaoYang Road, NanNing, GuangXi Province, 530011 where it is the ONLY bus at 07.00H each day!

The hotel is about 300 metres from the railway station. BUS #8 (for routes see %26lt; nanning.gov.cn/2453/2005_11_6/2453_35908_113鈥?/a> %26gt;), from downtown (MinZu DaDao Avenue and ChaoYang Road)(Walmart), stops outside the Nan Fang Hotel. Map: %26lt; www.robsnanningsite.com/images/Map5.jpg %26gt;.

You must be in possession of a Vietnamese visa. These can be obtained from: The Consul of VietNam, GuangXi Investment Building/Floor 3, 109 Minzu Dadao, NanNing, GuangXi Zhuang Auto Region 530000. Tel: +86-(0)-138-7710-0849 (Call first). The office is on Bus route #6.

Ticket purchase is necessary BEFORE the day of travel. The reservation office is easy to find after you have located the Nan Fang Hotel. It is located on the far side of the road that intersects with ChaoYang Road to the LEFT of the hotel. It is signed with Ticket office of the Lang Dong Bus Station (on a red background). It opens at 08.00H (after the bus departs) and is the ONLY office that sells tickets for the bus at the hotel. Only Chinese is spoken.

The bus departs promptly and picks up other passengers at NanNing LangDong Bus Station after which it departs for the border with refreshments provided.

The tedious border procedures are repeated and the Vietnamese bus awaits in the south car park and following a 130-kilometre, 3-4 hour journey you are delivered to the Kim Lien Hotel.

thanks darlek ,

The night train arrives Nanning at 7am, how do I pre-book the ticket? Any suggestion?

Hi! Does anyone know if it%26#39;s possible to travel from Hanoi to Yangshuo within one day?

I%26#39;m not keen on staying overnight at Nanning and was thinking of getting a bus ticket to Guilin immediately upon arrival at Nanning, but I don%26#39;t know if that%26#39;s possible.

Also, is there a direct sleeper coach service from Nanning to yangshuo? Or do I have to go through Guilin and catch the connector service?

hi explorerSingapore

goto http://www.yangers.com

for info to Yangshou

thank you very much for the posting,

I%26#39;ll travel to Hanoi - Halong Bay and Sapa.

Then from Hanoi want to go to China, Guilin - Yangzhou - xi an - beijing and HK

So, searching for informations for my trip.

Your info is very clear, and hope is helpful.

Cheers,

Margareth

Is there plenty of things to do in vietnam?

Hi, I am looking for help from anybody really who has the knowledge!

Me and my girlfriend plan on holidaying in Vietnam in Janaury 2010 and was wondering if there is plenty to do there?

We went thailand last year and found it amazing as there was loads to do and see,is vietnam similar,good shopping etc aswell?

Just worried as we went Jamaica in july and as there isnt an awful lot to do there we found it pretty average!

Is there plenty of things to do in vietnam?

I am looking for help from anybody really who has the knowledge!

???

Yes VN is as good as Thailand but not as good for shopping. Also less nightlife.

Is there plenty of things to do in vietnam?

Horlock, as HongDao has implied, your question is far too vague. What do you mean by %26#39;plenty to do%26#39;? Nobody can answer that without knowledge of what you like to do. Decide on your priorities and then investigate them with the help of the forum search boxes - whatever your questions they will have been asked before and replied to.

Depends what you want to do. Vietnam is very different from Thailand. We went to Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Saigon. And I loved that apart from Saigon there was no sleazy entertainment / night life. Hanoi was great base for going to Halong Bay. we regretted that we didn%26#39;t have time to go to Sapa - it%26#39;s great for trekking and has some beautiful scenery. I enjoyed Hanoi, even if it was a bit crazy. It was fun to explore the communist side - the visit to Ho Chi Minh masoleum was very impressive - you don%26#39;t see preserved bodies every day!!! Hue was great for history sites and we enjoyed our day trip on the Parfume river. Hoi An is great for shopping, cycling to the beach and simply chilling out in nice riverside cafes and restaurants. Hated Saigon - but its war remnants museum was great, and it is good base for Cu Chi tunnels and Mekong delta. I would definitely go back to Vietnam again - there is so much more to see!

gold eyeshadow

how long does accjlast

Vietnam tour companies

Hello folks,

We are planning an 8-day tour,in the last week of March, starting in Hanoi and finishing in HCMC. There are two companies we are interested in, both offering similar itineraries, at similar prices,but with a couple of points of difference.

1. vietbudgettour.com has all accommodation in two star hotels.

2. Indochina Air Services (iasvietnam.com)has all accommodation in 3-star, and higher stars if you pay more, and the Hanoi to Hue leg is by night train.

Has anybody experience of either company, good, bad or indifferent?

All comment and advice welcomed,

GI Chuck, Dublin, Ireland

Hotel on beach please

Thinking of booking here for next yr. Are there any hotels directly on the beach, if there are can you please let me know which ones they are. Many thanks. Tina

Hotel on beach please

In the Nhatrang city:

+ Yasaka saigon nhatrang hotel - 4* which pace on the baech

or more luxury hotel can stay in Sunrise beach resort (5*) or Ana Mandara resort %26amp; spa (5*)

+ On the island:

Vinpearland on Hon Tre island

Good trip!

Hotel on beach please

hi, we%26#39;ve just returned from Nha Trang and stayed in the Sunrise Beach Resort, it was directly opposite the beach and was beautiful, we passed the Yassaka everyday and to be honest from the outside it looked a bit of a dump, i could be wrong it might be really nice inside, but myself personally would reccomend the Sunrise..

Regards mande

Hello, Last April I stayed at the Sunrise Nha trang for a short break. The hotel was so lovely, checking in was a breeze. The white sheets were bliss...

The pool was incredible and refreshing. Great for a dip after a hot day touring. The only complaint was that the bar was not open after 8pm , no attendance....

Maybe this could be a an opportunity to get away from EVERYBODY ! Had the pool to myself after 8pm was very relaxing...

The service desk was very helpful..Vietnam airline contacted the hotel to say my flight was delay..

They had endeavour to look for me and pass on the message and help me rebook another flight without charged.

Can you tell me please - did you like Nha Trang? If so, what did you like most about it?

Thanks so much,

Sandy

My husband and I stayed at both the Sunrise - which is across the road from the beach, and Vinpearl which is right on its own private beach and only a couple of steps from the pool. I loved both of these hotels. Depends on what you are after. The Sunrise is closer to the action while you are more secluded at Vinpearl.

Skip Nhatrang. It wasn%26#39;t all that nice. They don%26#39;t get nearly as many tourists as some of the more upscale resort towns (Mui Ne, Hoi An), and are a bit jarring to Westerners. We got harassed on the beach constantly, even with a hotel security guard keeping the hawkers away. Just my opinion...

Hi, My family and I also stayed at a family own mini hotel just opposite the beach. The hotel is called Son Lam, just opposite the five star hotel Ana Maradrin (sp?). The mini hotel has full beach view from the balcony of the 3rd %26amp; 4th floor. The rooms were just $20 AUD each with seperate bathroom and aircond.

No directly on the beach hotel except for Ana Mandara resort in town or Vin Pearl on the island. Also depend on what you want to pay as these two are expensive. Yes the Sunrise is very nice, of course so much better than the Yasaka because it is also so much more expensive. If you want a beach holiday and party, stay in Nha Trang. Great friendly beach town and full of activities. If you want to relax, hideaway, still on a reasonable budget, think about some resorts outside Nha Trang. Jungle beach is a simple place, which has a limited facility but a wonderful private beach and so much more. White Sand Doc Let is a reasonable place some 40km away is for the hideawayer. Lovely empty beach, fine accommodation, good food. Enjoy. I miss Nha Trang so much.

Hi just returned from Ana Mandara hotel which is right on the beach. The section of beach directly in front of the hotel is for hotel guests only so you don%26#39;t get hassled by the locals to buy stuff so it is relaxing. If you go do book a bechfront villa as the road noise in Nha Trang is so bad and the garden view villas are beside the wall which runs parallel to the road.

Motorbike guide Quy in Hue

My Motorbike ride with Quy from Hue: Day 2-Feb 23, 2009

What a great time with Quy in Hue for 3 days. The first and third day were kind of half days with the 2nd day a full one and one of the best overall days of traveling I have had in a long time. I will start my 3 day report with my 2nd day as it was such a great time; I want to write about it first.

Maybe a long report so up to you if you want to know about Quy, a great motorbike guide in Hue and about the places we visited. First off he met me for a few hours 4 days before we actually got together. In this meeting I told him what I wanted to do, having no clue about what it would take. He explained that my itinerary was way to extensive and said he would work on a schedule based on what I wanted to see. Well after our first day together and finishing up at 6pm he said he was willing to do what I first suggested but that we would have to get started at 5:30 am and that it would be a long day and not plan on getting back until late. I said. Great! I say all of the above to explain on how accommodating Quy is and if he feels something can be done, that he is willing to go the extra mile.

Brief history. I rented my own Motorbike in Da Nang and rode the 3 hours up to Hue via the Hai Van Pass so I had my own bike and Quy had his. I have ridden in Asia (Cambodia, Thailand and Bali) and felt comfortable doing so.

I had no idea what we were about to do. The wildest/craziest ride of my life took place at the end of day with a 2 陆 motorbike ride from the Vinh Moc Tunnels back to Hue at night. I start our adventure at the end because I want to apologize to Quy for putting him up to doing this ride. He said he rides his bike on Highway 1A all the time but I was awestruck that anyone on a motorbike would do what we did. To get a picture of this, think of this:

1: Picture only one road in your State/Country going N/S or E/W.

2: It is only a 2 lane highway with a one meter brake down lane on each side.

3: Picture every truck, bus, tour car/bus, private car, motorbike, bicycle, person walking between towns, buffalo and other animals using this highway

4: Picture that there are very few traffic laws and that passing at will is allowed (mostly by the biggest of trucks and busses.

5: The rule of the road is, the biggest Wins!

There were many times when we would have a bus passing another vehicle and barrel down our lane, the opposite way at 60 miles per hour only giving us the one meter brake down lane to ride in, to go in our direction (all of this at night with very few lights on the road). Why do I mention this above? It is so others will listen when the tour guide says it might be tough to do, then listen to him. Besides that, now that I am here writing this it was an amazing experience. Not the brightest but still an exhilarating one. I could have at any time requested that we stop and had our bikes put on a truck and had a ride back to Hue.

Ok, the trip. Every place he to took me to was incredible in its own right. Part Vietnam Kingdom and part War history.

1-Long Huang Church. A small ancient church that was just about completely destroyed in the war with the US. Just sitting inside and thinking of what happened here was hard to imagine.

2-Quang Tri the Old Citadel. A quite large old Citadel that was occupied by the US forces that was the stage for an eighty one day 24/7 battle between the US and S. Vietnam armed forces against the N. Vietnam forces. Again hard to imagine what took place.

3-Then we went to Khe Sanh via Highway 9. This ride alone was worth the trip. Highway 9 is a beautiful road that constantly winds through a river valley with a mountain side on one and a river and another mountain range on the other with small villages along the way. I am sure a great ride by any means but to be on my own motorbike and do this ride was like riding one of the great roads anywhere. Perfect for a motorcycle enthusiast!

4-The Rockpile: Nothing to see from the highway but the mountain itself. Still this was very beautiful with river and mountain views.

5-Khe Sanh: This was a key US military base in the mountains that saw some of the heaviest fighting of the Vietnam War. Hard to fathom what both sides went through here.

6-Ride up to the DMZ via a small part of the HCM trail.

7-A very scenic ride over to the Vinh Moc Tunnels. I did not get to see the Cu Chi tunnels in HCMC/Saigon but these tunnels were amazing to see. Three levels of tunnels ranging from 11 to 23 meters deep. You start on the top tier and work your way down. Other tour groups seemed to miss a lot of the tunnels but Quy took me to all that there was to see. All the chambers (living areas, meeting rooms, medical area, kitchen, maternity ward, toilets and other chambers and passage ways. All of this on a beautiful beach.

8-Then with still a little daylight we had a stunning ride along the coast for about 20 km.

9-Then our night drive down the main Highway 1A.

With all of this I was constantly stopping to take pictures and movies at just about every scenic view I saw, adding so much time to our trip which also included us stopping at will for drinks and food. Overall we rode just under 400 km in 15 hours returning to my hotel in Hue at about 8:30pm.

Quy was amazing at all points. At every location he gave a great history of each in great English. 戮 of the way to Khe Sanh in the mountains my motorbike broke down (I did not get it from him, but on my own in Da Nang: Next time I will get it from him) and he had it fixed in 20 min at a local bike shop.

I am sure there are a lot of guides out there but working with Quy was an experience I will never forget and am already planning on a 6 or 7 day trip with him from Hue to Dalat next year. This trip from what I have heard from discussion with Quy and other tourist that have done it, is the ride to do if you have the time. Until my time with Quy I was not even considering this ride but will make it a point to do so with him when I can in the next year.

Could go on but will stop. Motor biking whether on your own bike with Quy as a guide or with Quy and his co workers on their bike which is what most people do, is in my opinion the best way to see Vietnam. Try it if you can even if just for one day.

If you wish to contact Quy, you can do so at: quyhue_1978@yahoo.com

Thanks Quy!

Doug

Motorbike guide Quy in Hue

Very interesting posting. I%26#39;ve been to all the places you mention (some more than once or twice) and would certainly concur with your views. The Vinh Moc Tunnel complex is really great as it is not overrun with tour groups like the Cu Chi Tunnels.

I found your description of traveling by motor at night to be right on the mark. I read where Vietnam has 1000+ traffic fatalities a month and most take place between seven at night and one in the morning and are caused by speed and driving on the wrong side of the road. While traffic in Saigon and Hanoi is really, really heavy, at least no one can drive very fast. Outside the big cities the Traffic Police (the guys in the yellowish uniforms) stop working no later than six at night. In their own corrupt way they do some what slow down traffic with their speed traps, radar and check points. (My driver friend in Hoi an got caught with radar doing 70kph in a 45 zone and it cost him 2 million VND). After they finish for the day all the unlicensed truck and buses hit the road and go as fast and as far as they can before the check points start up again. Two years ago I stayed over night in Dong Ha near the intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 1. The truck traffic was like the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos during the war. Every bit as bad as you described if not worse. In April I%26#39;ll make my 10th trip in the last five years and I make it a point not to travel at night. I really wonder about the overnight bus rides that compete with truck traffic (and unlicensed/unregulate buses). Also along lesser travelled roads like Highway 14 along the Lao border or Highway 1 between like Quy Nhon and Tam Ky you have all kinds of animals and live stock that wander across the road. Of course there is no street lighting of any kind and lots of animals sleep on the roadway. The trip from Hue to Dalat is great, although I have not done it on a motor. Very little traffic along the Lao Border and beautiful scenery. Lodging is pretty basic along Highway 14 until you get to places like Kon Tum and Pleiku. I will contact Quy and make some arrangements to tour around Quang Tri City and the area west of Hue. On the back of a motor with a local guide is certainly the best way to see things.

weather in June/July

Hi

Can anyone advise which part of Vietnam is better to visit during this period.

We are after sightseeing and the beach, and so far are keen on HCMC and Hoi An, due to TA reports.

Will the weather be okay for southern Vietnam or should we be looking to go north to Hanoi?

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

weather in June/July

It will be hot and humid during that time of the year and also with rain but this time is not with lots of typhoons so if you have time, extend your visit to Hanoi and Halong Bay.

weather in June/July

I was there the beginning of July 2008. I think it is a fine time to travel and brushed off what people said about the rainy season. We brought quick drying clothes and water proof shoes and hoped for the best.

In the North, there was some misting and light rain on and off but it kept us cool. In central Vietnam (Hue and Hoi An), it was extremely hot. We had to modify our itinerary once there so that we were not running around outside mid day. Mornings were fine and it was also fine after 3 or 4. Mid day you will want to be in the pool, in the ocean, eating a long lunch, etc. We only spent 2 days in the South. We had a very heavy rain one day for a couple of hours and the rest of the time was fine.

Enjoy!

September weather in Hoi An

hi

my husband and i will be in hoi an september 09, i have just read it is the wet season in september,has anyone been in hoi an during september? i know it%26#39;s impossible to predict the exact extent of rain, but can you give me an idea of what we should expect? how many hours per day? heavy downpours?

thank you

September weather in Hoi An

Hi Yowslett,

I am a local Hoianese, so sure September is NOT the wet season in Hoian.

The rainy season starts from the begining of Oct and lasts for 03 or 04 months. Normally, November is the worst month when there are always heavy rain and floods.

Don%26#39;t worry so much about the weather - Have fun in Hoian

Mr Phuoc

database

Advice please halong bay 1 night cruise

Hi All,

We are travelling to Vietnam end of June and staying in Hanoi for a few nights but would like an overnight stay on Halong Bay. Been looking at websites.

Has anyone used or know about Halong Travel and the Annum Junk? They seem to have a promotion on and a good price.

Are they reputable or well known? And would it be safe to book from their website?

Any advise would be welcomed.

Cheers,

Lyn

Advice please halong bay 1 night cruise

We%26#39;re also looking for a good mid-range overnight Halong Bay trip, with plans to sleep on the ship. Recommendations?

Any advice about booking online versus going through hotel front desk?

Advice please halong bay 1 night cruise

My preference would be to book once you arrive in Hanoi. Most front desks have a booking office with pictures of the boat etc. Also you can chat with returning guests as they arrive back at the hotel to gauge their views on the trip.

We have pics and stories of our trip here... www.bobandjanette.com which may assist.

Happy %26amp; safe travels

hi

Vietcrane travel have big promotion with Huong Hai junk

For more information, find Vietcrane on the internet

RGDs

KHanh

gold eyeshadow

first ever visit

my wife and i are visiting for 3 weeks in april where are the best beaches,best nightlife best snorkelling....any advice welcome

first ever visit

We spend 3 weeks touring Vietnam from Hanoi to Saigon and the Mekong. We didn%26#39;t do any snorkelling this trip as we have been spoilt by Thailand%26#39;s waters.

Whatever you do make sure you spend some time in Central Vietnam as Hoi An and Hue are marvellous cities.

We have some pics and stories of our trip to here... www.bobandjanette.com which may prove useful.

Happy %26amp; safe travels

first ever visit

hi all

Best beaches can be: Nha Trang Bay, Phan thiet beach or Halong Bay with snorkel and 3*/4* hotel or resort

RGDs

Khanh-Vietcrane

Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia

Hey guys,

We are traveling to Ho Chi Minh City in November this year and from there planning to take the bus to Phnom Penh and then bus again to Siam Reap.

Just a few questions:

1. We are planning to stay 4 days in Ho Chi Minh City. Will that be enough days to see the sights and to take in all that HCMC has to offer?

2. We are planning to stay in either the Elios Hotel, AnAn Hotel or AnAn2 Hotel? Which one is better? Has anyone stayed in either of these hotels? Or do you recommend any others around the 40-50USD per night price range?

3. We are going to take the Sapaco Bus from HCMC to PP. Will our 15kg - 20kg luggage be able to fit on the bus with no problems? Is there a storage compartment below the bus or do we have to try to fit it with us in the bus itself?

Thanks heaps.

Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia

Hi, We stayed at the AnAn in July last year. Thought it really decent hotel. Well placed with lots of resturants etc close by. The only complaint I%26#39;d have was that the bed we had was really really hard, more so than other hotels we stayed in. Maybe I noticed it because it was our first hotel in Vietnam, in past posts people have mentioned how hard the beds are in general around Vietnam.

regards Tracey

Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia

Hi,

One option worth considering is to book a 2day/one tour from HCMC via the Mekong and ending on PP at 7pm on the second day.

This tour is offered by many operators in HCMC and can be purchase one day prior to departure.

I took this the 3day/2night tour for $48.00 from Sinh Cafe (www.sinhcafevn.com) and enjoyed it.

I stayed at the An An 2 ($40.00 for 3 people and $25.00 for 2 with no breakfast)

The Elios is a nicer hotel but cost more, so this really depends on your budget.

4 days in HCMC is enough. Join a tiur to Chu Chi tunnel for half a day (skip the Cao Dai temple if you are pressed for time) and do a city tour in the afternoon. Suggest you join a tour going through the Mekong which ends in PP ( 2day or 3 days tour). That gives you a day or two to explore other places in HCMC.

Thanks for your replies Swampee and MountOlympus.

We%26#39;re staying in the Elios next week. We have booked a deluxe room, will give you an honest opinion of the hotel when we get back. We%26#39;re staying for 5 nights, have paid 拢270. Approx $190 at the current exchange rate.

Sorry, had a senior moment, It would be approx $380 dollars.

An An hotel is good

Elios hotel is good hotel. Rate from 50 USD

Good luck

hi all

Why don%26#39;t you take Leduy hotel(www.leduyhotel.vn). It is good view and good location

Elios and An An hotel is also good one but not cheap price

Leduy hotel rate around 46 usd/r/n - breakfast is included

RGDs

Khanh-Vietcrane

where to stay?

I can get reservations for a bungalow on Phu Quoc at both Mango Bay Beach Resort and the Beach Club... I%26#39;m going strictly for R%26amp;R... Can anyone tell me which has the nicer bungalows, or any other recommendation on the two places?

where to stay?

Beach Club every time. Nicer rooms, nicer beach, better location for exploring the island, MUCH friendlier staff, and a restaurant that doesn%26#39;t overcharge you. Make sure you get one of the beachfront bungalows, they%26#39;re great.

where to stay?

Thanks, I can only get a room, turns out at BC. It sounds from some of the other postings that Beach Club is busier, though, esp if other people come to use that beach? Is it right in the middle of other hotels? All I want are good food, naps, swimming, long walks, solitude, etc.

Really appreciate your help!

Hi there,

We stayed for 6 nights back on November. Beach club is at the end of the line of resorts along the beach. It is close enough to walk to places to eat, and is pretty private. You may get people walking past but no where near as much as the %26#39;main%26#39; strip. You can also walk into town from there. Mango Bay is a fair drive out of town and though we didn%26#39;t see them, I would guess they are pretty remote.

- k

Here's my itinerary......can do?

My wife and I will visit Vietnam in May.

Day1: Arrive Hanoi at night.

Day2: Go on Halong 2D/1N tour.

Day3: Back in Hanoi around late afternoon.

Day4: Hanoi

Day5: Hanoi. Overnight train to Sapa

Day6: Bac Ha Market and Sapa

Day7: Sapa, overnight train to Hanoi.

Day8: Hanoi

Day9: Morning flight to Saigon.

Day10: Go on Cu Chi/Cao Dai 1D tour.

Day11: Go on Mekong Delta 2D/1N tour.

Day12: Back in Saigon late afternoon.

Day13: Saigon.

Day14: Saigon.

Day15: Afternoon flight home.

We have basically 2 days in Hanoi and another 2 days in Saigon. Where should we visit and not miss? Hope to have some advise of the 2 cities. Suggested itinerary to fill Day 4,5,8 and Day 13,14 would be appreciated.

Are there night markets in Hanoi and Saigon?

Where are the places to visit at night especially with local flavour such as eateries, streets or perhaps just to sit by a cafe watching the passing locals? Any water puppet shows in the evenings?

My flights and hotels have been comfirmed but not booked on any tours. I was thinking of booking only on arrival but the Halong tour on Day 2 will be a little tricky. Are the tour companies in Old Quarters opened at night?

Sorry about the number of questions....really looking forward to Vietnam now although I have to admit initially I thought it was just a 3D/2N visit places. I now know it is more than that.

Cheers!

Here's my itinerary......can do?

It looks like you will not spend any night in Sapa (sleep on train before and after). I would drop a Saigon day and add a Sapa day.

Here's my itinerary......can do?

';Day5: Hanoi. Overnight train to Sapa

Day6: Bac Ha Market and Sapa

Day7: Sapa, overnight train to Hanoi';

I think this part in your itenary is difficult to do. So so can spend 1 more day in Sapa can cut off 1 day in Hanoi.

';We have basically 2 days in Hanoi and another 2 days in Saigon. Where should we visit and not miss? Hope to have some advise of the 2 cities. Suggested itinerary to fill Day 4,5,8 and Day 13,14 would be appreciated';.

For those days, you can go to some craft villages around Hanoi or go to Tam Coc or Perfume Pagoda - beautiful place.

Day 13 - 14 can be filled by lengthen your Mekong tour - 3days.

';Are there night markets in Hanoi and Saigon?';

Yep

All the aother things you can do that when you arrive in Hanoi

Thanks...razzel and tonny...

There%26#39;s a overnight stay in Sapa on Day 6...:)

I should change the schedule a little bit. The second day in Hanoi is a better idea. Night flight to Hanoi and next day to Halong Bay is quite rush. Spend a day in Hanoi, take a rest and have an orientation. Then Day 3 to Halong Bay, back to Hanoi day 4. Sapa is well worth adding one more night. Day 6 when you come to Sapa it%26#39;s already about 2/3PM so not much time to see many places. You can see Cat Cat village or walk around the town only. One full day trekking/village visit then the night train may be too much.

From Hanoi, a day tour to Tam Coc is interesting. If you do not want to be on-tour all the time, stay in town, wonder around is already good enough. From SGN, a day to Can Gio may be interesting.

PM if you have more question. And I hope you%26#39;ll help me with Singapore as I plan to visit with family.

Hi Vicki,

Hope you can share your experience.

1)Halong 2D/1N tour

There%26#39;s just so many junks....which junk did you went with? We%26#39;re eyeing the Phoenix Cruise junk at the moment. Red Dragon looks good but expensive. Any good recommendation?

2)Sapa with visit Bac Ha Market 2D/3N

Did you went on this tour? How%26#39;s this tour?

3)Cu Chi/Cao Dai 1D tour

Should we visit the Temple too?

4)Mekong Delta 2D/1N tour

Worth to go? Did you home stay or overnight in hotel?

We have basically 2 days in Hanoi and 2 Saigon on our own besides the tours mentioned. What are the places not to be missed. We prefer local culture such as visiting their markets, trade streets, local eating places (of course, we%26#39;re Singaporeans).

Hi all

1, Regads itinerary:

Day1: Arrive Hanoi at night.

Day2: Go on Halong 2D/1N tour.

Day3: Back in Hanoi around late afternoon.

Day4: Hanoi

Full day city: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Tmple of literarature, Hoan Kime Lae +water puppet show

Day5: Hanoi. Overnight train to Sapa

Hanoi – Tamcoc – Hanoi. Tran to Sapa

Day6: Bac Ha Market and Sapa

Laocai-Bac Ha-Sapa ( this day must be Sunday cause Bac Ha market open on this day only)

Day7: Sapa, overnight train to Hanoi.

Sapa-Tavan-Laochai-Catcat-Laocai. Tran to Hanoi

Day8: Hanoi

Hanoi-Perfume pagoda - Hanoi

Day9: Morning flight to Saigon.

Day10: Go on Cu Chi/Cao Dai 1D tour.

Day11: Go on Mekong Delta 2D/1N tour.

Day12: Back in Saigon late afternoon.

Day13: Saigon.

Full day Saigon: Presidence palace, Ware museum, Notre Dam Catheral, Thien Hau pagoda, Ben thanh Market

Day14: Saigon.

Old Saigon ofice, City hal, Giac Lam Pagoda, Binh Tay Market

Day15: Afternoon flight home.

2, Dong Xuan martket in Hanoi and Ben thanh Market in Saigon - the whole sale market

Hope you enjoy the tour

RGDs

Khanh-Vietcrane

representative of male teenagers

Rabies vaccinations for Vietnam

Hi,

I am going to Vietnam for 2 weeks in April. I am just wanting to find out what to do about getting the rabies vaccines, or not.

I have found info saying that it is really only needed if going for more than a month.

Opinions? Would be glad to hear what others think. I would prefer not to get them but am worried that maybe everyone doed and that it is a bad idea not to.

Thanks!

Rabies vaccinations for Vietnam

We went for three weeks and didn%26#39;t bother. If you were going to expose yourself to being bitten by animals, stray, wild or otherwise, I%26#39;d say, yes, go for it. Wild monkeys and bats are a possible rabies carrier, so do avoid them. Rabid dogs tend to behave in a distinctly aggressive way so you%26#39;d be unlikely to go up and pat one, and if chased by one, run like heck. Avoid sick animals for the same reason.

If I was bitten by an animal on our next (four week) trip, I would insist on immediate rabies treatment. You don%26#39;t mess about with rabies, once it takes hold (and the symptoms can be very misleading), it is invariably fatal. But, I would think if you avoid obvious exposure the chances of contracting it are very, very small.

Rabies vaccinations for Vietnam

Thanks for that :)

I will think about it a bit more.

Anyone elses opinions?

Just another thought- rabies is endemic in a lot of places- the US and Europe, for instance, and people there don%26#39;t get rabies vaccinations as a matter of course, nor do visitors.

Where abouts are you going? We went to Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An and Saigon - we stayed for 2 weeks and didn%26#39;t bother with the vaccination. To be honest I don%26#39;t remember seeing any dogs! In Hanoi and Saigon there are to many motorbikes to have any alive dogs around:)!

Hi

We were there for three weeks and were advised by our doctor that we didn%26#39;t need rabies shots. No one in our group of travellers had got them either. Would agree didn%26#39;t see many dogs at all (lol would also agree with the motobike comment!) Talk to your local health centre for advice is the best bet I think

Cheers

LW-UK :-)

Thanks everyone for your comments. I went today to the travel medical centre and talked to them about the vaccines and had all my other shots.

The doctor said pretty much the same as what everyone here has said, and that we should just avoid animals.

I think it is just a bit scary because we don%26#39;t have rabies in Australia, so it seems more dangerous than it really is....more of a risk I mean.

Anyway thanks all! BTW am going to Hanoi/Halong Bay/Sapa/Hue.

Thanks

We have lyssavirus here in Australia...its like rabies and just as lethal. Bats and flying foxes carry it. I only found that out doing my own rabies research for our Vietnam trip...never heard of it till last week!

Halong Bay cruise withot the bus transfer from Hanoi

Dear helpful people,

In April, we will fly from HCMC to Hanoi, stay for one night, then for three nights at the Novotel Halong bay (we got a fabulous rate 0f $40 per night so we HAD to stay there). We would then like to do a Halong bay cruise.

I have a few questions:

1) Is it better to book the cruise in Hanoi or Halong Bay? Would it be cheaper in Halong becuase its more last minute, and no bus transfer from Hanoi is needed?

2) If we book in Hanoi, do you think we could use the bus transfer from Hanoi three days before we take the cruise, and then just take the bus straight back to Hanoi?

3) How much would a private transfer cost? (there are three of us)

4) Is there a faster or better way to get back to HCMC (Saigon) than driving all the way to/from Hanoi? eg. is there an airport or train station significantly closer to Halong Bay? We would prefer to avoid Hanoi if we can (at least one way).

Sorry, thats a lot of questions!

Halong Bay cruise withot the bus transfer from Hanoi

1. Booking can be made in Halong city but it%26#39;s advised to book it in advance in Hanoi or online. It could be cheaper at the last minute.

2. Yes you can use the bus from Hanoi then go on board on a different day, a friend of mine did this before with Indochina Junk on the Princess.

3+4. A private transfer would cost around 75$ for oneway to Halong, but it%26#39;s better to travel there on the junk bus then hire a car on the way back to go straight to Noi Bai airport for yr flight to SG.

Happy travel!

Halong Bay cruise withot the bus transfer from Hanoi

Thanks very much Hanoisunny!

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Do I get my Visa now ?- travelling in 5 weeks

Hi All,

We have decided just to get our visas in Australia for VN before we leave, in just over 5 weeks. Visa on Arrival does not suit us as we don%26#39;t arrive until late in the evening, and don%26#39;t want to spend too much time at the airport.

Should we arrange the visas now, or wait until a couple of weeks beforehand? Do they give you the 30 days cover from the time you request the visa, or do you give them the dates you are travelling?

This is probably a dumb question, but I%26#39;m just not too sure. I would rather apply for the visa now, and get it out of the way.

Thanks to all,

Sandy

Do I get my Visa now ?- travelling in 5 weeks

Hello,

Yes, you could apply your visa now.

I got my visa 2 months prior departure date.

On the application form they will ask you when you want to enter and leave the country.Your visa will be valid from that date what you will put down for arrival date. Will be valid from this date for a month. (single visa ).

However I applied in the UK , it took 3 weeks to get it back (TET), normally 2 weeks.

If you are not sure, just give them a call, they are very helpful.

Have a nice holiday!

zskin

Do I get my Visa now ?- travelling in 5 weeks

Make sure you put down the correct date of arrival, because they won`t let you in if you arrive earlier than the date shows.

I will arrive on 06/04/2009 , but I filled 05/04/2009.

So my visa valid from 05/04/2009 until 05/05/2009.

Hi Sandy,

We have 4 weeks to go, and we are sending ours off tomorrow x

Hi SandyL

We leave next Tuesday and applied for our Visa just before New Year.

It only took a week with public holidays included and they date the visa the day you travel.

Have a great trip

As others have said, you give them your travel dates and that%26#39;s when the visa is for. We got ours months ago and will be travelling end of March :-) I like to be organised :-)

Thanks all,

I will get on to it right away!!!!

X Sandy

Sandy,

We leave in 7 weeks and I sent mine off today. I had to pay $75 per adult and $65 per child for a single entry for 3 weeks tourist visa.

Ails

Hi All,

I have just found out that the Consulate General of Vietnam in Edgecliff, Sydney, issues visas on the spot at a cost of $70AUS. You can download the application form and take it in (or post it) to their address in Edgecliff, NSW - Phone 9327-2539. It saves all the mucking around, sending it off to Canberra. I will be taking it in, as they still need your original passport to sight, and payment, of course.

Hope this may help anyone, especially Sydney people, planning a trip to Vietnam.

Cheers,

Sandy

Hi SandyL

They will still hold you passport and mail it back to you takes about 3 days.

6 sleeps AND COUNTING!!!!

Thanks for that - Have an AWESOME holiday!!!!!

Sandy

Nice time in Ho Chi Min

Hi there,

I will be in Ho Chi Min for a few days in a an organized trip on next march.

Normally I prefere to escape from the tourist traps because I like to talk with locals, without having the sense that they just want to sell me something or just a tip.

I would like to have typical food and handicrafts.

I think I will have some hours left, so where should I go to eat and shopping ?

Of course I should visit some markets, where are they, name and what I can find on them ?

Thank you

Nice time in Ho Chi Min

Instead of Ben thanh markets try Saigon Square at 90 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia district one better quality clothes dont need to haggle as much

Thanh Nhan Express ship

Hi All

I was wondering if it is possible to book tickets on the above? I was alos wondering if there is a toimetable on line. I have heard there is a morning departure from Can Tho and I would like confirm this.

Thanks for any help

Regads, Jooolia

Thanh Nhan Express ship

Dear Joolia,

There are 2 daily Nhan Thanh Speed boat rides

In HCMC, daily departure 08:00 - arrival 11:30

01:00 PM - arrival 04:30 PM

In Can Tho, daily departure 07:30 - ariival 11:00

01:00 PM -arrival 04:30 PM

It costs 180.000 VND ( less than 12 USD ) for 1 one ticket

You can call to book at 08.914.79.79 in HCMC or 0710.817.817 in Can Tho

Jason

Thanh Nhan Express ship

Thanks for your help Jason

We are planing to fly to Nha Trang when we get back to Saigon, and was going to book pacific. Now I can see we will need to go Vietnam Air on the later flight.

Very helpful.

Cheers

Hi Jooolia

Did you take the ThanhNhan speedboat between Saigon and Can Tho. If so, can you tell me whether it is rough travelling all the way. I get sea sick. Also are there toilets on board and where is the best place to sit for a good view.

Thanks for your help.

Gaby

Hi

We did take the boat. It wasn%26#39;t very rough, but about an hour into the trip the boat broke down. We had to wait in a small village for a few hours. We were quite the novelty there! We were then put on a bus for the rest of the journey. One of the old old ones with no air con and falling apart seats. All up took around 9 hours or so.... Was a bit of an adventure I supose, but not exactly what we had planned for!

There is a toilet on the boat, and maybe sitting outside on the small rear deck would be the best view and the most comfortable. Seats were quite tight, but it was fun interacting with the kids on board.

Good luck!

My trip on the express also broke down somewhere between Chau Doc and Can Tho, but we got to Can Tho in record time anyway on a Mercedes mini-bus (and our fare was totally refunded!) The jet boat is great fun, there%26#39;s no sea sickness problem since it only goes on the river (the reason it almost goes into Chau Doc). Even with the problems (minor) they treated us so well, we had such fun, that I%26#39;d repeat the trip in a flash! Many things break down in Viet (I also had a taxi break down outside of Hoi An) - be prepared for the extra treat!

Where does it leave from in Saigon?

The ferry dock in Saigon (on the Saigon River) is just east of the center of town. I just walked down the main street from the Pham Ngu Lao, past the Ben Thanh Mkt and continued to the river, and there were the ferries at a dock next to a small park.

see one of the maps at:

www.reidontravel.com

OK, just back from Can Tho.

The express boat was really wonderful - fast, clean and on-time, with fabulous views the whole way - everyone should try it out!

Tickets are now 230,000 one way. I just rocked up before the times (see Jason%26#39;s entry) and bought my ticket.

At the moment the boat leaves from the pier in front of the Tran Hung Dao statue, right near Renaissance Riverside.

Hi everyone,

How big is the ferry, how many people does it take?

Would we have any problems just turning up to buy tickets? 3 of us traveling in late may?

Hi,

We ant to travelfrom Saigon on the 5th June 2009 in the afternoon speed boat is this possible and what is the fare?

guy myspace

Advice for first visit

Hi,

We%26#39;re considering a trip to Vietnam in Nov, following a few days in HKG.

We%26#39;d be looking at it for a beach stay more than anything, but would like to also be able to see/experience some of the real Vietnam.

Can anyone recommend where%26#39;s the best area for us to stay? I%26#39;ve read about a few of the beaches but still can%26#39;t decide.

Many thanks for any advice.

Advice for first visit

I guess it depends on how long your going to be in Vietnam for as to recommendations. If you want just one destination I would suggest Hoi An in central Vietnam for a good mix of culture, great food and shopping and quite a nice beach, Also the city of Hue is a short distance away and another very good site with plenty of history.

We have some pics and stories of our trip here... www.bobandjanette.com which may help.

Happy %26amp; safe travels

Thien Thanh Hotel Hoi An

Hi, We had planned at staying at the Thanh Xuan (Long Life) Hotel in July, but they have informed me that because of our large family group (12 people, 5 rooms) they don%26#39;t have the availability.

So, I have contacted the Thien Thanh hotel at 16 Ba Trieu Street (Just up the road from the Thanh Xuan) numerous times by email and via their website, but have had no response.

Does anyone have another hotel (and email address) that they would recommend in Hoi An that has a pool (does not have to be overly large...just wet and clean!) in a quiteish area of the old town, around about the $35/night for a double.

Thanks for your help Tracey

Thien Thanh Hotel Hoi An

We stayed at Thuy Duong3 in Hoi An, not very far from Thien Thanh and in our opinion much better. They have a website but make sure it is #3 as they have a couple.

Fantastic indoor swimming pool and the full buffet breakfast is worth the money alone. We have some pics and stories of our trip and the hotel here... www.bobandjanette.com which may prove useful.

Happy %26amp; safe travels

Thien Thanh Hotel Hoi An

Hi Tracey,

For $35 per night for a double room, you can check Lotus Hotel (3* with a nice garden and pool )

330 Cua Dai Street

Email : hoianlotus@dng.vnn.vn

Website : www.hoianlotushotel.com

Thanks bobnjanette, I actually emailed Thuy duong3 about 1 week ago and have not heard from them either (sent another email off just now), I may have to use the phone if I don%26#39;t get any joy in the next few days. We are finding it a little more difficult getting rooms because of the size of the group.

Buianphuoc, also thanks for your imput. The Lotus is possibly a little further out than where we want to stay, but I will contact them if I struggle to find somewhere closer.

regards

tracey

Good luck Tracey. I know it can be frustrating with email in Vietnam. We were ';walk-ins'; but they seemed to have a very efficient front counter operation.

If no joy I would consider emailing one of their sister places and ask to be booked into #3.

Cheers

Bob

Hi

I have booked Thuy Duong 3 for 8 days in June by e-mail. Had a response within 24 hours. I used this address thuyduongco@dng.vnn.vn

My Columbus Cruise ( Pinta Cruiser ) Experience

Just got back from Vietnam. I booked a 3 Day, 2 Night Halong Bay tour through Columbus Cruise (also known as Pinta Cruise). The weather in December was very nice clear, sunny and around 72F. There was however fog in the morning, but you are on the Ocean so a early Marine Layer is to be expected.

http://www.pintacruiser.com/introduction

http://columbuscruise.com/

My experience though Halong Bay with this Company was fantastic. I would recommend them to everyone traveling to Halong Bay. The staff was very friendly, and the food was great. The Junk Boat was refurbished, so its pretty new looking and very nice. The rooms are clean, the bed is comfortable and they have AC. The only complaint about the room is that the sink, toilet and shower are all packed into this small single room. There is no seperation. Was very strange, so we didn%26#39;t shower until the next morning until we reached the second night at a hotel on Cat Ba Island. The rooms are small but we mananged to get two large suitcases and two small backpacks in there. But you are in Halong Bay so its simply a place to sleep. The guest rooms are on the first level, the honeymoon suite is on the second level. On the Second level is the bar and dinning area. The third (top level) is the sun deck which has a several lounge chairs.

The Tour Guide... She was so friendly and full energy. Spoke English pretty well and had a good sense of humor. Made the trip very fun.

The Kayaking through Halong Bay was really fun, recommend it. I%26#39;m from the Northwest so tend to like the outdoors. The currents are very strong through Halong Bay. It does take some strengh, we had no problems but a few other people including our guide had to get towed by a local boat since they could overcome the current. When in the Caves and Lagoons its very easy to paddle. Try to stay away from major Ship Lanes and Small Island since they had the strongest of currents. There are two options for Kayaking one is to Caves (strong currents) the other is to Kayak around in the Lagoon which has a rather large fishing village the water is very calm.

Now for the Trekking. I liked the trekking. It%26#39;s about 3 hours long. Must be noted that the first half of the trek is not your basic tourist trail. The trail was made by a local that lives on the islands lots of short climbs and rocks. But was really beatiful. The last 30 minutes is a paved road back to a pickup point. We got to try local fruits from a farmer that lives on his own in the Jungle.

The tours through the Caves are very nice. Sun Sot Cave was the best of the lot.

The Private Lunch on the Beach was great. If you like seafood your in for a treat. My only complaint is that we stayed on the Private Beach to long. So we checked into our Hotel on Cat Ba Island very late. But enough time for a SPA Treament and Dinner. My other complaint is that we had to leave at 8am to head back to the boat. So we had no time at all to enjoy the Island. That is partially our fault, partially the fault of the Guide. There is a 2pm speed boat that will take you to Haiphong then back to Hanoi. It%26#39;s much quicker and will give you time to enjoy the beach and relax. So if you take 1 Night on the Ship and 1 Night on Cat Ba make sure to tell the guide that you are taking the speed boat back so that you can enjoy your stay on Cat Ba Island. They can arrange your transfer.

When I return to Vietnam in the Future... I plan to visit Halong Bay again, and will be sure to book with Colubus Cruise again.

My Columbus Cruise ( Pinta Cruiser ) Experience

Hi, Thanks for your report on the %26#39;Pinta%26#39;. It sounded great. I am glad you had good experience with this booking company and junk. I am wanting to book a 1 night/2day Halong Bay trip for March for my husband and myself and really want to get it right this time as he hasnt been to Vietnam before and I went a couple of years ago with friends and had a terrible junk which I cant remember the name of, booked thru our hotel at the time. We booked a 4 star and got a 1 star! So I dont want to make the same mistake again. You said the honeymoon suite was on a different level, do you know if that costs extra and if its a better room as that is my main concern, as last time the room was sooooo dodgy, I could hardly sleep, and the food was really ordinary too. And as this trip is our 25th silver anniversary present to ourselves, the honeymoon suite might be the better choice.

I have been in touch with Columbus, and they have been pushing Santa Maria a bit if I wanted a better junk than Pinta. I havent heard any reports on Santa Maria though as I think it is only just starting up again, so if anybody has had an experience with that boat I would love to hear about it.

Every time I enquire to a travel agent or the hotel where we will be staying as to which junk, they all seem to go for %26#39;phoenix cruiser%26#39; and not Pinta or Santa Maria, so I think maybe they dont get a commission on it or something. Does anyone have feedback on phoenix cruiser also?

My Columbus Cruise ( Pinta Cruiser ) Experience

I had a wonderful time on the Pinta cruise in November. I was looking for the Santa Maria but it was in maintenance at the time. Santa Maria is a little bigger than Pinta. Santa Maria has 12 cabins, Pinta has 8. I loved the deco on the Pinta – fresh roses on the dining table, nice furniture. My favourite of the trip was the second day heading to Cat ba island. The ship made a stop at a private little island for lunch, awesome seafood. Amazing how the crew members carried all the food, tables and chairs from the boat to the island. They even had white linen chair covers, yes a delicious lunch served in a beautiful setting.

I agree that it’s a bit rush to check out Cat ba hotel at 8am, not enough time to enjoy the island. If you want to leave later in the afternoon, take the hydrofoil to Hai phong or take the bus-ferry-bus all the way to Hanoi. The guys at Columbus Travel are professional, definitely recommend to book directly with them.

The honeymoon suite costs a little more than the regular bunk rooms. But the honeymoon suite is much larger, so the comfort level is a little higher since you don%26#39;t have to keep stepping over your luggage. The Santa Maria was still under maintenance when I booked through Columbus Cruise. I booked it very early. I did however see the boat on my return from Cat Ba, it looked very nice. I liked Pinta Cruise because it had fewer rooms, so it had a very intimate feel to it.

I was amazed by the private beach lunch too. I liked the white linen chair covers and table, was a nice touch to a terrific seafood lunch.

Thanks to both of you for your replies, you have been very helpful. Yes, I think I will just go ahead and book the Pinta Cruiser, seeing as the Santa Maria doesnt seem to have any reports on it, and if the Pinta is great anyway, probably dont need to spend the extra $$$. Columbus have been very prompt in their emails to me, and seem very professional, just wish they would update their website about the Santa Maria etc.

Hi

Columbus Cruise or pinta cruiser ?

http://www.pintacruiser.com/introduction

http://columbuscruise.com/

Hi, Is the Pinta Cruise suitable for older kids. We are a family of 5 (boys 11-14 yrs)... do you think the Cat Ba Hotel is a good option or both nights on the boat? My boys are all very well mannered.

We were also on the Pinta in December. (New Years Eve). I would highly reccomend it. It was my understanding that the Santa Maria was not going to up and running until about August but maybe they have finished refurb early. On outr cruise there were 2 families with early to mid teenage family and they had a great time.We had 2 nights on the cruiser and didn%26#39;t stop over at Cat Ba

Hi toonhanman19.

Columbus Cruise and Pinta Cruise. ';Same Same';

Hi Dobbysan.

If your boys are (11-14) they may enjoy the kayaking. There are two kayaking options. They may get some cabin fever being on the boat for 2 days at that age. I would opt to have 1 night on the boat and 1 night at the Resort. That way the kids can spend some time at the private beach. Just a 5 min drive to the downtown are there are some shops and resturants you can goto.

Thanks for your prompt reply, one more question, is the 2pm speed boat option inclusive of the price or I will need to pay extra?

gold eyeshadow