Planning to backpack Vietnam in Dec.... hv some questions hopefully can be answered :

is Hanoi or HCM a better place to fly into??

is there a train from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay?? how long does it take??

what's the best way to get around??

any sights not to be missed in Hanoi??

any good eatouts??

i think you should go to HCMC , it's better place for travel , and the ppl are friendlier than the Northern

Hanoi is cheaper if you are planning on backpacking.

Not sure if there's a train, but there's heaps of buses. Try to jump in 'Hoang Long' bus. They have comfortable seat, lots of space, and they generally don't rip you off like private buses. Hanoi to Halong is about 4hrs bus.

Best way to go around is Bus if you travel long distance. For short distant, it's best to use taxi (for safety reason).

I don't know about good eat out, but Vietnam is a eating and drinking culture, so there's bound to be some great places.

Only swap money at the bank.

In small towns or small cities, don't go out after 8pm.

GO HCM first... Northerners are known to be aggressive like hell

You are wrong.

I don't know how I am wrong if I go to Vietnam every every year and go to North, Central, and South Vietnam.
Plus I AM Vietnamese

Northern are not aggressive. The people selling things on the streets are a little clingy, but that is expected in poor countries. Bali is the same. Clingy sales people are nothing to be worried about.

Hanoi has more cultural sites. HCM city has more shopping centers.

If you just like shopping and party, then HCM is the way to go. Also Saigonese are friendlier and more open-minded than Hanoians as people say.

If you like experiencing Vietnamese culture and the traditional way of living of Vietnamese, then Hanoi or Northern Vietnam in general is the way to go. Also, Hanoi has better Vietnamese food from what I heard. At least they have the best phở in Vietnam. But Hanoians are more conservative and should I say more "proud" than Saigonese, so people generally take that as "unfriendliness" and "aggressiveness".

the only incentive for backpacking is a chance to meet up soome hot scandinavian chicks on the way, otherwise its damn right $hit. join a bus tour instead

About the Vietnamese food, I think I should take back what I said earlier about Northern Vietnam having the best food. It depends on your taste actually.

If you love spicy food then Central Vietnam is the way to go.

If you love the type of traditional Vietnamese food with lots of fresh herbs and veggies, then Northern Vietnam is the way to go.

If you love sweet food then Southern Vietnam is the way to go. But food in HCM city are not just sweet. Northern Viet and Central Viet immigrants to Saigon have brought to this city dishes from all over the place of Vietnam. The Cantonese immigrants also added a bit of Chinese flavor, and recently the Westerners have also introduced spaghettie, pizza, and those exotic Italian/French food to Saigon.

I would say visit the North for the sights and the South for the friendly atmosphere and non-stop partying. Then go to the Central for some good bun bo hue.

HUE #1

Yes, dude, I am going to Hue city and Hoi An... what's that like????

Also, planning to hit the beaches in Danang and Nha Trang.

Wow, North Vietnamese are aggressive huh???? WHY???? Cuz they fought the Gi Joes??

You need to give more details so people can advice you on travel plans. This forum is by no means a good place for these types of questions. You'll get much better answers from traveling sites such as lonelyplanet.com (go to the thorntree forum). Anyways, I have backpacked through Vietnam (South to North) and found it a very enjoyable experience. I flew in Saigon, spent a few days around the town and family obligation stuff, did a trip to the Mekong delta to check out their lifestyle (including a ruou de shot with a still beating heart of a cobra and the yummy dishes from its meat). I then headed up to Dalat by bus for some cool climate, visited a few places, swallowed some porcupine meat in a jungle. Next hopped on a bus down to Nha Trang to check out the beaches, seafood and scuba diving. Trained all the way to Danang and Hoian for more food and beaches. Rented a car to Hue to see the Citadel and checked out their famous dishes (com Hen, bun bo Hue, banh beo etc...). Flew to Hanoi, spent a few days checking out the city, visiting family etc... Booked a tour to Halong bay (gorgeous, gorgeous place). Back to Hanoi and boarded a train to Sapa to check out the colorful hill tribes and the scenery (tried the most famous dish called Thang co there but couldn't digest it). As soon as getting back to Hanoi, hopped onto a bus to Ninh Binh where Hoa Lu was once the capital of Vietnam before it was moved to Hanoi, did a boat trip to see Tam Coc and enjoyed the local famous goat dishes... Flew out of Hanoi to California ...
A few things when you travel:
- Smile and be courteous.
- Do not act like you're entitled to certain things just because you have some money, but also use common sense and handle things amicably. We're all human.
- Make friends with other travelers. You'll meet plenty of them.
- Always keep important stuff with you. If you're a guy, it's easy. Just stuff your things in your baggy pockets and button 'em. If you're a girl, you might wanna get a travel belt.

Have fun traveling and be safe...

Travelling to Danang, Hoi An and Hue in December is not recommeded.
I'm a Dananger myself but it's in the raining season. I don't want you get stuck in Typhoon and floods. The best time to visit central Vietnam is probably late January. But you may be lucky.
If you do visit Hoi An, try to make it on the 1st or the 15th of the lunar month. This is when Hoi An is at its best. The electricity of the whole town will be shut down and you go back to 16th, 17th century. You also find alot of backpackers in HoiAn. There seems to be more foreigners than Vietnamese in Hoi An.


If you have to choose between Northern VN and Southern VN, I recommend Northern Vietnam. There are more things to do in the North. Culturally, it's more interesting. Ha Noi is beautiful in the winter.
You should also try visiting the mountainous regions in North West VN, where there are a number of ethnic minorities up there

Some people here mention about Northerners being more agressive, which I don't agree with. They're probably a little bit unfriendly due to the weather and the tougher lives up north. Vietnamese are usually very friendly towards foreigners so you should be fine

I this why you are loading up on Vietnamese curse words, tangy?

I am thinking of taking one of these bike tours to the DMZ areas near Hue... has anyone of you done it before? I kinda don't wanna go to the War Museums to see the war horrors... somehow... i dread being a tourist to human misery and tragedies. I was backpacking in Rwanda before and I couldn't bring myself to see the skull bones they'd collected in their local museums as a testimony to the genocide that occurred there.

I wanna know some viet curse words cuz I just wanna know how they curse normally, it's kinda cultural thing to know...

go to the north =]
i heard that many of the buildings in the north have lots french influences..... or was that the south?
lol whatever. travel to the north.

Hi all, I have a 4 days trip to Saigon/ho chi minh city coming up. It's not many days but I hope to get some major sight seeing done. What destinations do you suggest I go visit? Please tell me where and if you've been there please tell me your experiences in colorful details. Thank you all sooo much!

This will be my first trip into Vietnam in general so please feel free to give me some dos and don'ts advices.

Like learn some basic Vietnamese and stuff, which I have already been doing some catch up.

cam on rat nhieu~

[quote name='tangawizi' date='Oct 31 2010, 01:43 PM' post='4659673']

QUOTE (XigonCongchua @ Nov 4 2010, 11:18 AM) *
I've only tried these. I think they're either fried or grilled


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Hi beauty from Singapore

If you happen to dine at any places that serve the above (big stuff and grilled squids) and are
hygienically clean especially the toilets please post on this chat the name & addresses
of the restaurant

Cám ơn

The french architecture spreads across Vietnam, not just any particular cities.
I personally don't think both Hanoi and Saigon still have much French influence anymore. It's been too long.

The city that still has significant french influence would be Da Lat

Stay close to the river.

Visit the museums and tunnels.

Eat out at the markets in Cholon and District 1.

Go for massages and reflex!

Don't get so rat-faced and start calling people 'g@@ks'!

Take a boat ride into the Mekong and check out the floating villages.

Buy a beautiful bag from Ipa Nima for your gf, if u hv any.

Make a Zegna suit for yourself.


I hvn't been there yet, but that's what I think i'll end up doing.

back from the trip

fell in love with the place. it fits my personality. will go back soon~

Glad you liked it. So what did you do there? Share with us please. You know most of us are oversea Viet so we would be glad to to hear about experiences in our homeland now.

Nature challenges people to explore and history provokes people to look back. Ben Thanh Tourist is offering tourists a seven-day-and-six-night tour to Pac Po Cave and Ban Gioc Waterfall, giving travelers a chance to make a comeback to memories and artifact associated with the late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh.
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Departing from Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC heading to Hanoi, vietnam tour will be taken to Cao Bang Province which is famous for its renowned landscapes such as Thang Hen Lake, Pac Po Cave, Ban Gioc Waterfall and Nguom Ngao Grotto. Here,vietnam tours will check in and stay overnight.

The next day will be spent visiting Pac Po Cave which lies on a rugged rocky mountain, about 55km north of Cao Bang Township. The cave is endowed with many smaller limestone caverns and fresh streams. Uncle Ho used a long carven to live and work. The cave is 7 to 8m long and 4 to 5m wide with many well-aired holes that welcome the glistening sunlight.

Near the cave is Karl Marx Mountain and below the mountain is a perfectly clear spring which the President named Lenin. In front of the cave is a 1,000m² yard with its mighty natural charm under the shade of many seasoned trees, attracting ecology vietnam tour and researchers.

Near the area remains a stone table near the lake for Uncle Ho’s work.

Then, vietnam tours will leave Cao Bang for Lang Son to visit Tam Thanh Grotto which is associated with the legend of the love story of To Thi who stood and waited for her husband from the war till she turned into rock. So people call the statue Vong Phu Rock.

The next stop will be Chi Lang Pass which witnessed many battles. vietnam tours will visit the World Heritage-listed Halong Bay and take a cruise around the islands and caves there, of which Thien Cung Grotto is mysterious by colorful stalactites in harmony with a colored light system, making travelers imagine many fantastic images of animals or lotus flowers.

Then vietnam tour will take a trip to Mong Cai and go shopping in China. The next must-see destination is the highest mountain of Vietnam, Yen Tu Mountain in northern coastal Quang Ninh Province, famous as a scenic spot and a historical relic of Vietnam’s Truc Lam meditation. Taking a cable car to the peak of the mountain will give vietnam tour an unforgettable experience by catching a panoramic view of poetic landscapes below and sensing the tranquility and natural charm of the sanctuary.

After coming back to Hanoi, city attractions such as Ngoc Son Temple, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum and shopping at Dong Xuan Market to buy souvenirs round out the tour.

(Source: SGT)
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