Where to stay?

Hi all

My wife and I over the last few years have been holidaying in Thailand and fancy trying somewhere different for our next holiday. We are considering Vietnam!

Our requirements are a beach holiday, not too busy nor too quiet! Our hotel preferences tend to be for small boutique type resorts with a max of say 20 rooms. Air con is essential, other mod cons are not quite as essential.

Our budget is a max of 拢50/$75 dollars per night, we would prefer an area that has a selection of bars and restaurants, however we aren%26#39;t bothered about clubs etc...

Any suggestions/ideas/tips would be appreciated.

Regards

John

Where to stay?

Vietnam is a nice alternative to Thailand.

We found central Vietnam particularly nice so would suggest the cities of Hue and hoi An. Hue has a lot of history, while nearly Hoi Ai has a great beach, wonderful shopping and fantastic food.

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

Happy %26amp; safe travels

Where to stay?

If your looking history and culture then central vietnam is what you want, Danang, Hue, Hoi An. If you are looking for night life, excitment and modern then Saigon or Hanoi is for you. All 5 cities have good eats, and bars and clubs if you ask the locals for recommendations.

Thanks for the replies, our main criteria is a relaxing holiday, we may do a little bit of sightseeing, but plan to do touring holidays when we get older. For now we just want somewhere different to recharge our batteries.

Cruise Ship Classica Singapore to Hong Kong

We are travelling on the Classica in March from Singapore/Vietnam and on to Hong Kong. Has anyone done this trip and can give me some information about it.

Also would like to hear from anyone who has been on the Classica ... any pitfalls we need to be aware of as we have not travelled with Costa Cruises before.

Torn between 2 tour guides

I am a bit confused by 2 quotes I got for our upcoming trip. We are arriving in Chan May on a cruise and plan to travel to Hue. 1 guide can pick up right at the ship, the other can only meet us at the port entrance. The price difference is about $25 per person. I am trying to decide if it is really worth it to be picked up at the ship. Usually the cruise line offers transfer to the port entrance. Does anyone know anything about this port?

Torn between 2 tour guides

When are you traveling? Im in HUE atm..

Synikster at gmail dot com

For quicker response....

Torn between 2 tour guides

Sounds pretty expensive, I%26#39;d wait until you arrive, there will be loads of taxi%26#39;s available, plus you can arrange for ones so easily by asking a restaurant to call you one.

Have fun.

Hi Ibrown7,

Chan May port is located in Thua Thien - Hue Province in the central region of Vietnam. It%26#39;s the gateway to the main tourist attractions: Danang ( 1 hour driving ), Hoi An Ancient Town( 1,5 hours driving ) and Hue ( 1 hour driving ).

As in your message, i believe you will be on the Cruise '; Legend of the seas ';, right ?. I%26#39;ve have my plan to do guiding job for passengers from this cruise ship on Feb 20, Mar 03 and Apr 30, 2009.

As far as i know, only passengers who do tour bookings with the Cruise will be picked up at the ship ( land tours operated by Destination Asia www.destination-asia.com ) So the 2rd tour guide is RIGHT - you have to walk for 01km to the port entrance.

Mr Phuoc

Hi lbraow

%26gt;%26gt;So the 2rd tour guide is RIGHT - you have to walk for 01km to the port entrance.

1km for US25/person or US100 for 4 persons for 1km ride is extremely expensive.

Not worth to be picked up,grab a cab as you reach the port entrance.

If a cab can pick you up,definitely there will be other cabs around.

The normal rate for cab ride is US1 /km/vehicles at Vietnam??????????

Cheers

In HCMC for 8 days? Suggestions for a tour out of the city?

Hi

We are in HCMC for 8 days. Want to see all the sights in the city but then do a couple of nights longer trip out of the city.

Any suggestions?

Many Thanks

Caroline

In HCMC for 8 days? Suggestions for a tour out of the city?

try hoi an world heritage site 1hr domestic flight to danang then 40 mins drive well worth 2 days 1 night

In HCMC for 8 days? Suggestions for a tour out of the city?

Or an equal length of trip out to Phu Quoc Island for a few days of sunsets and chilling time. Or up to Dalat to get some mountain air and a different perspective on Vietnam.

Or if you%26#39;re staying in HCMC try http://www.saigonhotpot.com/news/ a tour guide volunteer organisation to see parts of the city the average tourist doesn%26#39;t have time to get around.

Mui Ne is within bussing distance too, about 4 to 5 hours for another beach experience which is great if you%26#39;re into kite surfing or just watching other people do it.

I would recommend:

1 or 2-night Mekong Delta trip - I did a 2-night trip with Bao Su Long (info@baosulong.com), including 1 night homestay with a local family. The trip goes deep into the Delta away from the tourist areas %26amp; really gives you a flavour of Delta life.

2 nights in Mui Ne - I usually stay at Sailing Club which has a great beachside location %26amp; excellent bar %26amp; restaurant. Rates are usually around $90 per night for a bungalow.

2+ nights in Phu Quoc - flights are around $80 return. Stay at Beach Club (www.beachclubvietnam.com) which does beach bungalows for around $25 per night.

Fly up to Dalat for a couple of nights for some cooler air, some great cycling/motorbike tours in the hills, %26amp; good market shopping.

1 or 2 nights at a nearby beach resort such as Ho Tram or Long Hai (avoid Vung Tau though!).

Just wondering.. how much did you pay for the Baosulong trip?

Guy - I paid around $80 per person, we were a group of 4 people. That included car + driver for 3 days, tour guide, 1 nt homestay, 1 nt in a 3* hotel, %26amp; a couple of boat trips. Think they can do 4* hotels as well if you have a bigger budget.

3 days is enough for HCMC, maybe 2days and 1 nite on the delta. But... if u can i would do 3days in HCMC then a delta cruise to PP, then fly back to HCMC. Safe travels.

Hi,I would recomend you to do 3 days Mekong delta and 2 nights at mui ne Beach.The city tour and the tunnels only take you 2 days max.

Vicki

Avoid 'Impressions Boutique' in Hoi An! (Feb 2009)

I am writing this to save people from making a massive mistake from buying from Impressions Boutique (70 Tran Hung Dao Street) in Hoi An. They are so rude and unprofessional and I can%26#39;t believe I was physically attacked. I have read many reports online about them being incompetent but luckily I didn%26#39;t get that far. I will tell you why..

I saw a nice coat and asked if they could make it in black. They said no but they had different material and would make it and show it to me after it was made. I said I was thinking about another coat at another tailor and couldn%26#39;t decide so took a photo. No other tailor has ever objected to this. Before I knew it she immediately snatched my camera out of my hand (which had 3000 of my travelling photos on) so of course I grabbed it back off her. When I went to put the camera back in my bag she then grabbed my rucksack with both hands. Luckily I was bigger than her and I managed to pull the rucksack out of her hands. She then took my hat and ran off with it saying she was taking it as I took a photo. So not only is she incompetent and unprofessional, she is a thief! Don%26#39;t even bother going here. They are also 4 x more expensive than anywhere else. I hate this place. They are only recommended by guest houses as the tailor pays them all! You might also want to check out this website:

http://www.impressions-boutique-hoi-an.com

Go here at your peril!

Avoid 'Impressions Boutique' in Hoi An! (Feb 2009)

Had you joined TripAdvisor before instead of after your trip, you would have found many such warnings here already. But thanks for reiterating it.

Avoid 'Impressions Boutique' in Hoi An! (Feb 2009)

You took a picture of her product without seeking her permission .......

erm.. they are called %26#39;Impressions%26#39; Boutique as they rip off copies of other people%26#39;s work and copy clothes from a catalogue!! Pot, Kettle %26amp; Black. The coat was hardly her own creation!

I could have got them to make it but I was making up my mind. Thankgod I didn%26#39;t. You only have to type in their name to any internet search engine and see how unbelievably unpopular they are. I don%26#39;t know anyone here that has a good work to say about them.

Besides, there is no excuse for violence.

I%26#39;m with you all the way trekkinggirl36 - and I dont know how anyone could defend this place!

I was in Vietnam about 18 mths ago with friends and one of them had some things made at %26#39;impressions%26#39; also. Initially my friend thought she had found the best most professional tailor in Hoi An. What a huge, huge mistake, my friends were also attacked by %26#39;Miss Kim%26#39; and had to run out onto the street in the middle of traffic screaming after they just wanted what they had paid for (the large deposit) and didnt want to pay any more for the rest of the dodgy and extremely poor workmanship that was offered to her. These people are liars and cheats and extremely unethical - BAD IMPRESSIONS is what I would call them.

Definitely agreed: Go there at your peril!

I am not defending the boutique but the OP acted inappropriately in the first place. You do not go into a shop and start snapping pictures of the goods on display, even if the goods are not of original design. If you really need the pictures, at least have the decency to seek permission.

Hi trekkinggirl36,

There have been lots of negative reviews on this tailor.

But in this case, i personally think you had made a mistake : Taking pictures without asking them for permission.

I am a local Hoianese, and will have the following question for you. Can i visit a tailor shop in London, and '; I said I was thinking about another coat at another tailor and couldn%26#39;t decide so took a photo - without asking for permission'; ? Is it possible?.

Book online with Vietnam Airlines website?

Hi everyone.

I can%26#39;t use my CC to book flight via their website? Anyone used and finished your booking please help me :((

Book online with Vietnam Airlines website?

Hane you used the correct website?

www.vietnamairlines.com.vn

then change your location to the country you are presently in.

You should have no trouble if flights are there %26amp; you are using a valid c/c.

Good luck

Sandy

Book online with Vietnam Airlines website?

Hi

i booked some flights a couple of weeks ago succesfully. Sounds like it might be a credit card problem.

pores

Fantastic tours from Ho Chi Minh

We have just returned to UK from two week holiday in Vietnam. Whilst in Saigon we took a couple of tours with Jason SSS tour guide. He came highly recommended from this forum and we were not disappointed.

As very unseasoned travelers it was a bit of a leap of faith booking tours in a foreign country purely on the basis of web recommendations, but all our fears were unfounded. Jason calls his services ';super star'; and he certainly is, while his motto is EIP (everything is possible) and that is no exaggeration either . We took half day city tours in Ho Chi Minh and to the Cu Chi tunnels, about an hours drive away, as well as a two day trip to the Mekong delta.

Jason picked us up from our hotel, always punctually, in an air conditioned Mercedes mini bus, loaded with cold drinks and fruit as well as a stock of videos to entertain our two children on the longer drives. He guided and informed us as we went, in his very good English, with lots of history and answers to all our questions. He really packs the tours with things to do and see, and the advantages of having a local guide just to ourselves for the day/s were well worth the money. Other web posts have pointed out that there are cheaper ways of seeing the sights, but the costs didn%26#39;t seem a lot to us by British standards and we don%26#39;t regret booking Jason one bit.

The Mekong tour in particular was an absolutely fantastic experience. We saw temples and pagodas, took boat rides on the mighty Mekong to see floating markets and river life on a grand scale, walked through markets selling rat , frog and a thousand other things to eat that we%26#39;d never seen before, ate in a local restaurant and in the house of the boat driver (which was one of the best meals of our stay in Vietnam), and as if that wasn%26#39;t enough fed crocodiles and monkeys and shot off a water slide into the Mekong itself.

With Jason we felt less like tourists and did things we would never have done on our own, like buying treats from the roadside vendors that line the way, or from the floating market sellers. There aren%26#39;t any extras to pay with Jason for these things either.

On the Mekong trip we stayed over night at Phu Sa resort, which is on an island about ten minutes boat ride from Can Tho. With two young children (9 and 11) this is an excellent choice with its menagerie and river slide and was very quiet and relaxing. Jason is fantastic with children, as was the driver he uses, playing with them on the river slide and the swings in Phu Sa for hours.

To sum up we would recommend Jason SSS to anyone. His tours are an amazing experience and he came up trumps on every level. Without trip adviser we would never have found him or had the courage to book him, but we%26#39;re really glad we did.

The Allen Family (London)

Fantastic tours from Ho Chi Minh

HI - wonderful review - how do we contact Jason SSS

Thanks

Susan

Fantastic tours from Ho Chi Minh

Jason SSS (super star services) has a website www.vietnamtourjason.com which has lots of information and contact details.