The title really says it all guys. I'm going backpacking for 25 days through Vietnam starting the 28th of December. We're flying into Hanoi and from there, the country is our oyster. Our only set trip is to Phu Quoc for three days before we fly back up to Hanoi and than back to the states.
While we've decided to leave most of our trip unplanned, what are the must see's?
Which places will give us the best bang for our buck?
Has anyone ever biked for a duration of their stay there? We want to bike but we aren't sure where we should/if its worth it.
You come at a wrong time my friend. Vietnam in the summer is a lot more fun seeing how beaches and tropical weather are our strong points. That being said:
1. Northern Vietnam: go to Sa Pa up north and climb the Fan Si Pang. Hanoi's winter is pretty nice, just rent scooters drive around and see shit for yourself, try plenty of street foods too. Go to Quang Binh for the caves and stuffs. Hookers are cheap in Hanoi
2. Mid Vietnam: Hoi An is overhyped but if you're into the old dynasty side of Vietnam then give it a shot
3. Southern: Ho Chi Minh city is cool, plenty to see and do, ppl speak better english too. Also, hookers
Above all: learn to haggle, beware of the traffic. If you're white you will have a great time there
Also hookers
>>1062503
North: Hanoi (desu i thought it was way better than Ho Chi Minh), Ha long bay (it might be foggy), Sa Pa & the mountains, Ninh Binh.
Middle: Hue & Palace, Danang for beaches and royal tombs, Hai van pass (rent a motorbike, its amazing).
South: Ho Chi Minh, Chu Chi tunnels, Mekong Delta, Floating markets.
That's all the major stuff i did when i went to Vietnam in the summer last year, weather is good all around but Ha Long and Sa Pa might be foggy (though they weren't for us and it was amazing, worth the risk) and the best thing is its not Monsoon season when you get down south.
>>1062558
I know, I wish we could've chosen to go in the summer, but we both start our full time jobs in February and this is out last hoorah.
Thanks for the advice in the North. Is it worth it to get suits made in Hoi An/Da Nang? We read it was the best place overall.
Why would you say its better being white? My travel companion is light skin lol. What street foods would you recommend? I already love Pho, but that's in the US of course, so I'm sure its completely different.
Definitely want to climb Fan Si Pang.
>>1062563
Did you do any snorkeling in Ha Long Bay? We want to head over there for at least the day.
>>1062558
>Sa Pa
Sapa is fucking cold in the winter. I've done it but the mountain roads were foggy, one was nearly washed away and I had a nasty accident on one mud track that was washed down to a rock hidden by mud.
pic related, try riding a hired scooter through a village like this
>>1062778
>Is it worth it to get suits made in Hoi An
Yes but you need to allow a few days to get them adjusted and stitching re-enforced because they can be shit at first.
Especially if you go anywhere in the centre of town, go to a tailor that is as far as you can get from the centre and still find tailors, they'll make sure you're happy because they get fuck all business.
I wish I still had the cards from mine.
Just came back a few days ago from a 3 week trip.
*Phu Quoc was great, hot and sunny though it's quiet and not a lot to do besides beach stuff- the main town beach is pretty devoid of anything for snorkelling etc... have to head south for that. Make sure you check out Rory's Beach Bar, really good backpacker atmosphere and they do a DJ and beach bonfire most nights.
*Ha Long bay is fog and more fog atm, we got blue skies last day just as we got back to the coast. It can be a bit cold too, so pack a jacket. We did a fair bit of kayaking though through the caves, that was pretty cool. I can't see it being any good for snorkelling/diving (mucky bottom) but I haven't been there in the warmer months either.
*Hoi An is definitely overhyped... allow two, maybe three days tops. It's a nice place to walk through (and check out the Grand Mango for a drink, also overpriced but nice setup) but you'll get bored fast. Tailors are excellent and as already mentioned, go away from the city centre and they'll be much more keen to sort you out. If you can find one of the walking food tours they'll point out all the good stuff.
Nha Trang is a frigging Russian holiday capital, expect more people to know Russian than English. Good snorkelling / beach though... and lots of Russian girls. Dear lawd...
Watch the locals for how to cross the road, there ARE rules and we saw some fat Russian bitch get taken out along with a poor local guy who I think got the worst of the deal. DON'T just walk straight out with eyes closed like everyone says. If they beep horns, you're doing something wrong.
Stick with the metered cabs, make sure they turn the meter on. They say you can bargain better prices with unmetered but so far I've only heard bad stuff and how the price was 'misunderstood' by the driver at the end. Stick with Vinasun, the green cabs (can't remember name) and the yellow/black.
Take charcoal tablets with you; if you get a stomach-bug finding anything other than imodium is hard
>>1062796
>I wish I still had the cards from mine
It was around about here:
goo gl/maps/kiZzHdb3XxR2
Not sure exactly but on that street 'Cua Dai' and heading east out of town towards the beach. The last tailor on the south side of the road before it kind of stops having shops around. Could be a few blocks away from where I pinned, just hire a bike and ride along the road until you see what I'm talking about.
You'll get way better service on the edge of town than in the middle of it where they have nonstop suckers walking in.
>>1062778
I can't comment on the quality cuz i dont even own a suit myself buy according to many foreigners' accounts it's a great place if you know your way around tailoring.
Vmese in general are pretty xenophobic, but we have a great fascination for white ppl. Expect to be surrounded by youths trying to practice english
Street foods are plenty and everywhere to be found, lemme see if i can whip up a list in my next post.
Authentic Pho is different and a lot better compared to Americanized Pho. Northern Pho is more sour but tastier, Southern Pho is sweeter and thus appeals to Westerners' tongues.
With regard to cabs, in Hanoi stick to Mai Linh and in HCM go for Vinasun. Don't try anything else. Oh and there are Uber and Grabtaxi too
>>1062795
This is what it was like when i went in late January last year.
Its mainly luck.
>>1062824
My pic above was mid January, a few years ago.
I was in Vietnam 3 months recently, traveling by motorbike from South to North. If you want to travel by bike 1 month is not enough. Everyone who we meet with 1 month Visa going by bike where always in a hurry to the next place. But on the other hand, the best places i've been to was thanks to the bike. So if you are into non-touristy areas like me then go for the bike. If you just want to see the famous stuff you'll find plenty of information there at tourist informations and travel agencies.
This is all awesome info guys. Thank you.
If it's going to be foggy will it be too dangerous biking?
>>1062558
Any advice on haggling? If we just bring a couple hundred in ones and fives would that be sufficient or should we change money?
>>1063083
>Any advice on haggling?
I think the old ladies especially enjoy this shit.
You can try to haggle even if the price is fixed but everything is so cheap there that you'll get bored with it pretty quickly. Always check your prices in different shops.
You should consider going south as quick as possible. The weather is nice even in the winter.
>>1063083
Just make sure you memorize the exchange rate. I spent the local currency instead, made things easier to get my head around (I'm from Australia, US dollars just meant another conversiojn table in my head).
One thing I found was if you bargained too hard or too low they were often happy enough to let you walk away.
I biked around Vietnam for over 4 months this spring. Ask me anything.
There are really noticeable cultural differences between the North and South. South is much more entrepreneurial and friendly, used to foreigners, and Westernized. Outside of tourist zones in the North nobody speaks a single word of English, you'll never find a menu (in any language) in any restaurant, service is completely indifferent, and it happened a lot that people would just run away at the sight of a foreigner. The main upside is that people drink a lot in the North. Communism really fucked the North up in ways it didn't the South.
>>1063296
Thoughts on places (I visited practically every bit of the country, ask if interested)
>Hoi An is a tourist trap I'd serious recommend avoiding: probably the worst place I visited since it was so incredibly fake and filled to the brim with all the worst kinds of tourists (inb4 RealTraveler™).
>Hue is a much better alternative if you want to see 'old Vietnam' without much effort, especially if you explore it. Really cool place.
>DMZ (and areas adjacent) are pretty incredibly to ride through in the interior.
>The Mekong Delta area doesn't have much attraction, although it's quite an engineering feat with all the canals. Overpopulated trash heap for the most part.
>Ha Tien (on the mainland across from Phu Quoc) is really nice
>Saigon is a big city. Don't know what else to say. Has some big state buildings and museums (the war museum is good for a laugh). I explored it pretty throughly, but there's really nothing of interest outside of the downtown area.
>Mui Ne is pretty disgusting once you've seen the dunes
>Nha Trang is like Miami beach plopped down into Vietnam, except everyone speaks Russian. By far the most well developed tourist spot in the country, but Westerners seem to avoid it almost entirely. Value for money here is just off the charts.
>Da Lat is a neat place, with some cool surroundings if you're on a bike. Hard to believe it's in Southeast Asia given how cool it is, and being surrounded by pine forests.
>Danang is really nice. MUCH easier to navigate than Hanoi or Saigon. Nice beaches and surroundings.
>Ke Bang park (with the caves) is really something to behold. You have to be strategic to avoid the crowds (big spot for domestic tourism, and Asian tourists are terrible).
>Everything in the North (within ~2 days drive of Hanoi) is really disgusting. If you only go to the old part of Hanoi and Ha Long bay you won't see it through (Ha Long bay is really incredible). All the 'name' places in the North are tourist traps.
>>1063083
Seriously, just name your price (what you want to pay for something). They won't take it initially, so just walk away. If they want the sale they'll call you back, or start a back and forth.
Whether clothes or hotels there are always 10 other identical options, so always bargain. I couldn't believe all the other tourists I met were paying the posted price for hotels in particular.
>>1063006
Agree one-way 2 months is more like it.
But I think most people are doing it wrong trying to travel the length of the country. With a month, the thing to do would be to buy/rent a bike in DaNang/Hoi An and do a loop like pictured: that bit is absolutely the highlight of a motorcycle trip of Vietnam. Saigon and Hanoi/Ha Long are really best as fly in/out destinations, since there's nothing of interest around them, and they're well serviced by public transport.
p.s. the loop I posted looks short, but hits most of the highlights of Vietnam: Danang (nice big city, China beach; worth at least a week), Hai Van pass (although over-rated; the peninsula across the bay attached to DaNang is much more scenic with zero traffic), Hue (authentic old city), Dong Hoi (pleasant coastal town with a nice quiet beach), Ke Bang park (gorgeous), the real-deal Ho Chi Minh highway through the DMZ (incredible), Khe Sanh (it ain't me)...
>>1063006
how can 1 month not be enough? Distance is not far tbqh
>>1063438
Because traffic goes slow as hell, and is a complete clusterfuck around Hanoi and Saigon (it's the better part of a day just getting in or out of those cities). You'll be riding a ~100cc 4-speed motorbike that that will break down every other day. And a lot of the scenic roads are very winding (you'll be crawling up those hills). And a lot of the roads are shit / under construction which slows progress to a crawl. That's not when they aren't washed out due to floods/landslides.
Riding all day, assuming no lengthy breakdowns or other unforeseen (inevitable) slow downs, it's probably ~8 days between Hanoi and Saigon (and you've raced past / bypassed a lot of cool places). But your body would be totally broken after two days if you tried to do it like that.
With more sensible mileage (some longer days, and some shorter) you're probably looking at ~12 riding days just from A to B (no side trips). But of course you won't want to be riding every day (or even every other day). And it will take you a few days at one end to buy a bike, and a few days to sell it. And you'll want to spend some time in Hanoi and Saigon for their own sake.
It's *just* possible to do in a month without killing yourself, but you'll be rushed the whole time, which sorta' defeats the point of a vacation. I'd say 2 months is right to do it.
>>1063438
The little loop I posted >>1063307, given the places you'd want to stop for touristic purposes, is 7 days of riding, and one of those days is probably impossible*
I'm happy to ride 1000km in a day in North America, but 100km is a good day in Vietnam.
*The HCM highway through the DMZ. There are no towns of any sort or description between Ke Bang and just before Khe Sanh, and the mountains will brutalize a cheap motorcycle. But this is also the most amazing bit of riding in the country.
>>1063461
>>1063462
That loop looks amazing! We decided against getting bikes and heading straight down.
We'll probably do as you said and bike that loop, and take the train for the major legs of the trip. It'll save us time while still allowing us to see the countryside by train.
Will Hanoi suck for New Years? We were hoping we could find a good place to celebrate it since we're flying in the 30th at midnight.
>>1063544
There's bound to be a bit of a party around turtle lake. Especially in the backpacker district just off the lake or around the foreigner bars to the NW.
How much would cost renting a house? I want to stay there for like 3-4 months
>>1063693
Depends on where homie
>arrive at Vietnam
>[spoiler]it ain't me starts playing[/spoiler]
