Hue needs a full day for sightseeing - and I mean full - we spent 8-1/2 hours on a motorbike tour (which was a blast, by the way).

I think you're shortchanging Hanoi, not at all that you have too many nights there. It's a great place to sightsee as well as just soak up atmosphere.

Don't know your budget, but we absolutely lived the Hanoi Elegance Diamond hotel in Hanoi. 3* with 5* service.

We were in Vietnam dec. 2012.I can try to answer some of your questions (haven't been Sapa or Hue).

It was our first trip there, so I did book transportation from our hotel, but in retrospect it would have been fine to get a taxi. The airport is very close to downtown HCMC.

Very easy to DIY for a exploring Saigon. We walked everywhere, but possible to get a cab if you like.

We did a 2D/1N trip to Mekong Delta with Khoi of WAterBuffaloTours.com. In retrospect I might have preferred just a daytrip.

Depends on what time your flight leaves to Danang as to whether or not you can fit in a tour of CuChi Tunnels. We really enjoyed it. Left about 9am and were back in HCMC for (later) lunch. You could probably leave earlier, but not sure what group tours do. We were 5 people so we booked a private tour.

We didn't go to MySon so can't answer your specific questions. We really enjoyed exploring Hoi An and the things we did there (cooking class, street food tour, bicycle tour) so you might want to consider things like that for your day there. Street food tour with TasteOfHoiAn.com was a highlight of the trip for us!

We did a one night Halong Bay trip with IndochinaJunks.com. We were on the Red Dragon and absolutely loved it!!! It was too cold when we were there to really go kayaking or enjoy any water stuff, but it still was a fabulous time. IndochinaJunks is highly rated and not luxury but not bare bones either. They do go to a part of the bay that is only for their boats so not so crowded but still spectacular!

If you are interested here is a link to my trip report with pictures:
http://www.fromhometoroam.com/category/travels/asia/vietnam-christmas-2011/

- I never had any worries about safety in Saigon, aside from warnings about bag snatchers

- I got around Saigon and other places mostly on foot with a few cabs and cyclos, although the last time I was in Hanoi cyclos seemed to have been reduced to just sightseeing trips round the old quarter. Be prepared for taxi scams - going the long way round and crooked meters

- I booked my trip through the delta to PP after I got to Saigon, but if you are short on time you should book ahead.

- Most tours include both Cu Chi and the temple. I didn't think the tunnels were worthwhile but I have claustrophobia and didn't go down. I doubt you have time for a tour the day you take the flight out.

- I thought that My Son was very definitely worthwhile. However, I did not take a tour, and I made sure my car and driver got me there well before the tours arrived. If you don't go first thing in the morning, go in the afternoon. I don't remember worrying about malaria there.

- Have you considered taking the night train from Hue to Hanoi?

- I took the Livitran carriage on the night train to Sapa and it was the second or third worst night train I've ever taken (and I've taken a lot). So noisy and jerky I wondered whether the carriage had been connected correctly. A bit better coming back to Hanoi, but some of it may have been the roadbed.

- The more time in Hanoi the better.

* Mar 23 (Sat) Hanoi and night train to Lao Cai (Sapa)
-- We're planning to use hotel points and stay at the Sheraton in Hanoi. If we came to Hanoi in the morning, not sure if the hotel would let us leave our luggage here before checking in after the Sapa trip.
--Q: Recommended soft-sleeper train to Lao Cai. Fanxipan? Oriental? Should I book the ticket from the US or there? Via travel agent?

Most hotels in Asia will let you leave your luggage as ours did when we were in Hanoi. The names of the "trains" actually refer to the cars. We did Fanxipan, booked through Tonkin Travel and it was fine.

* Mar 24(Sun) Arrive in Lao Cai early morning, hit Bac Ha Sun market, hike around Sapa, overnight in Sapa
--Q: Is it easy to catch a bus or shuttle from the Lao Cai train station to the famous Bac Ha Sunday market? We want to go directly there instead of to Sapa and backtrack
--Q: From Bac Ha market, easy to find shuttle to Sapa?
--Q: Are we required to have a travel guide to go hiking around Sapa?

Why don't you just arrange a driver to take you to Bac Ha and then to Sapa through Tonkin? There are no shuttles. You could just try hiking on your own but I think you would have a better experience with a guide.

* Mar 27 (Wed) Depart for Halong Bay -- 1 night boat trip
-- Q: This is the biggest struggle for me. Which boat, how many nights, include Cat Ba or not? We're an active couple, like to kayak through caves and lagoons, hike, and see amazing scenery. Want a mid-range boat, and don't care for frills, like cooking demos, massage onboard. Just a safe, clean boat and professionally run. We want to go where the scenery is most spectacular and don't mind the crowds, as long the scenery is the best. Heard Bai Tu Long Bay is less crowded but less dramatic--not sure it's worth skipping the main Halong Bay though. (Analogy: Don't want to skip the Grand Canyon, and go to a minor canyon, just because GC is crowded.) Please suggest the best option.

We went upscale, so I won't recommend a boat. They all go to the same places. One night is fine. We did not see any reason to do Cat Ba. Any boat you go on will have an easy kayaking tour.

You won't go wrong spending more time in Hanoi. We loved Hanoi.

Thanks all for your helpful responses!

Q: How is the road from Danang airport to Hoi An? Do you think it'd be safe to arrive at Danang at 9 p.m. and then get a taxi to Hoi An? Too late at night--poor visibility on the road? Is taxi safe at that hour? Or should we fly out the next morning at 6 a.m.? Also, how much is taxi fare?

Q: Same question for Hanoi? OK to arrive at night in Hanoi and take cab into city? How much is the fare?

Q: Has anyone flow with JetStar in Vietnam? Safe and ok?

We're booking our domestic flights, and are deciding which ones to take. Did you book your domestic flights through local agents or on your own? We checked with Tonkin Travel, and their price is higher than what we could get on the web.

Thanks!

Suggest you pass along the dates and places listed on the itinerary to Tonkin Travel and let them advise you and price it all out. Then you have a template to work from. We did this for a 4-wk trip in 2011 and I'm convinced that it was better than any DIY arrangement. My own view is that you have too much to do for the time you have. You're on the move almost daily. Maybe that's your preferred style.
BTW, surprised that Tonkin's price for internal flights was higher than you could get on the web. Not my experience two years ago and they were able to get flights shown as unavailable online.

Three or so years ago, there was a prepaid taxi place at baggage claim in Danang airport; 290,000 VND (about $16) to Hoi An. The road starts out as a divided highway but then degenerates into a dusty two lane road with lunatic scooter riders shooting out from side streets without looking (though that's standard all over Vietnam). At one point there was a market right across the road. I wouldn't want to do it at night.

A car from Hoi An to Hue via the Danang Cham museum and the Hai Van Pass was $60.

At that time, prepaid taxis into Hanoi from the airport were $15 and I did it at night without undue alarm. Just go outside the terminal and you'll see the prepaid services.

I've not flown with JetStar but did several legs on Vietnam Airways, booked on their website. They mostly use western pilots and were punctual and professional.

I took a 1 night cruise on the Red Dragon, mentioned above. It goes through the same areas as the other boats on its way to the quieter bay where it does its excursions and overnights. I enjoyed it very much.

Due to the war damage, I found My Son less enjoyable than some other Cham sites, and it's hot.

We like to stay busy on our trips too but I think you might want to consider cutting a destination or 2 allowing you a little more time in some of the other places.

You could easily spend more time in Hoi An. It’s a nice little city with plenty to do. We really enjoyed taking the cooking class affiliated with the Red Bridge Restaurant, which included a tour of the local market and a boat ride up the river to their very professional teaching kitchen. See http://www.se-asiatravel.com/vietnam/hoi-vietnam/ for more details on Hoi An.

We’ve been to Sapa a couple times and on both trips we took the Tulico Carriage on the SP1/SP2 trains and opted for the 2-berth cabins. I am not familiar with the Fransipan Express Carriage that is on the same SP1/SP2 train but I just took a look at some photos and it appears roughly comparable to the Tulico. We were satisfied with the cabin but motion and sound made sleeping a bit spotty. We’ve used Aurora Travel (aka Vietnamstay) in Hanoi to book this trip. On our first trip there, we booked our entire side trip to Sapa with them and their guide took us to the train station in Hanoi and was with us or available to us the entire trip. On our 2nd visit to Sapa, we just had them book the train and we made all other arrangements on our own. You might want to check out some of the Sapa package trips on the Vietnamstay web page.

You should definitely make arrangements ahead of time to be picked up at the Lao Cai train station for the drive to the Bac Ha Sunday Market and then back to Sapa in the same car. If you don’t use a travel agent to book your Sapa side trip, your Sapa hotel will be able to set this up for you. While you will be tired after the train ride, if you are arriving on Sunday morning, it’s not a bad idea to go ahead and take in the Bac Ha trip as Sapa is 45 minutes in the opposite direction. If you do a little navigation on the same website listed above for Hoi An, you’ll find a trip report for the Bac Ha market trip as well.

You can trek to some villages near Sapa on your own but (especially the young Hmong & Red Zhou girl) guides are quite charming and add a lot to the experience. But, if you prefer, that’s something you can set up once you get there through your hotel or a local agent.

After the overnight train ride, the visit to the market and the drive back to Sapa, I’m not sure you are going to want to do much walking outside of Sapa city on Sunday afternoon. Most likely you’ll want to wait till the next day for any treks to other villages.

I would suggest you do not cut any days from Hanoi on your plan. Between adding an extra day to Halong vs. Sapa; I would pick more time in Sapa every time.

My best mid-range hotel recommendation is The Charming 2 Hotel in Hanoi. Great location, great service and good price for the quality. We left luggage with them for our most recent trip to Sapa and amazingly, when we stopped by at 5:00 am after coming back from Sapa to drop off the small bags we had taken on the train, they offered to check us into our room and didn’t charge for the early arrival. Maybe you can use your Sheraton points in some other city?

Thanks again for your detailed and informative replies. I kept on re-reading your replies to make sure I got all the info.

Some questions and hiccups.

1) Tonkin Travel just informed me that all the higher end soft sleeper trains to Sapa (Fanxipan, Orient King, Livitran) are all sold out for the dates we're going --March 23(Sat) and return on Mar 25 (Mon). Only one available is Tulico. I really want the most comfortable train to help with sleeping. Really surprised that trains are sold out so far in advanced when people said you could just buy tickets at the station. I contacted a few other agents but no replies--Vietnamstay, SinhTourist, etc.--for other inquiries in the past, but zero reply! Tonkin is the most responsive so far. Any suggestions? Is Tulico (4 berths) ok?


2) Mekong Delta 1 day tour. I read very mixed reviews about this. Now I have 3 full days and 4 nights in HCM, so a day tour to Mekong Delta seems to make sense. I've been emailing Delta Adventures Tour for their 1) Cai Be Floating Market/Vinh Long tour and 2) My Tho/Ben Tre tour. They're very responsive, but then I found out they have such negative reviews on tripadvisor and elsewhere that makes me hesitant now. Which of the 2 tours do you recommend for a day trip? Which one is more scenic? I hear the market would be dying out by the time the tour gets there. Any other companies I should consider? We want group tour, as the private tour is rather expensive-- from $120. Everyone says the tours take you to pretty much the same place, and it sounds a bit cheesy--going to different "factories" to sample their products. Is it worth doing? I want something more native--rowing boats in canals, etc.

3) HCM Hotel. Really confused about where to stay in HCM. We want something mid-range, but from tripadvisors, the low end ones have really excellent ratings (4 to 4.5*) and the ratings drop as you go to the mid-range and picks up again at the super high-end. Know of any reliable, centrally located midrange hotels? If we can't find anythign, we might use our hotel points for the Hyatt or Sheraton, but it seems like a waste, as we don't spend much time in the hotel and for the same # of points, I could book a nice resort in Hawaii or somewhere else more costly than VN!

Looking forward to your advice.

Thanks

I thought Livitrans was incredibly uncomfortable, but I think it may have been the roadbed rather than the rolling stock. (And I have a great deal of experience with night trains.)

I traveled with Delta Adventures a while back and they are pretty much a budget outfit. You might look at Saigon Travels or Diethelm (spelling?) The rowing boats are no less touristy than anything else in the delta. If I hadn't been headed by boat for Cambodia I would have thought it a waste of time.

Sorry, can't help with a Saigon hotel, the one I used (twice) went out of business.

I used the Victoria carriage to Sapa which allegedly was supposed to be the most comfortable but even so we hardly slept. The 2 berth cabin was fine but the ride was rough' probably , as Thursdays suggests, due to the poor track. It didn't help that our cabin was next to to bar which was full of drunken tourists until the early hours nor that we had problems with mosquitoes at the time! If I had to make the trip again, I would simply choose the cheapest option and view it just as a means of travel ( although I would take a padlock to secure my luggage to the racks!).

As for the trip to the delta, if you want "something more native" then you will need to take a trip of a couple of days right out into the delta and do a homestay with a family which will provide a great insight into rural delta life. However, with the time you have allocated to Saigon, it is just not worth it IMO.

We have stayed in a wide range of places in Saigon both in District 1 and the backpackers area of Pham Ngu Lao Street. I stayed at the Caravelle a couple of times which is in an excellent location and close to the other "top" hotels like the Hyatt all of these are great for getting around the central area on foot. Pham Ngu Lao Street is a bit further out but not too bad and has more of a local Saigon feel with some great restaurants around. Most of the hotels are more geared to backpackers than mid range but are reasonably comfortable. I stayed in a couple of mid range places a few years ago and was not impresses and much preferred the high end hoste type places. Have you checked out www.hostelworld.com? They cover small hotels as well has hostels and the reviews tend to be more realistic and dare I say genuine than tripadvisor.

If you wish to see the real life in Mekong Delta 1 day is not enough. We spent 1 night in Mekong Delta and glad we did it. The countryside of Hue and Hoi An is beautiful too but not sure if you love laid back things.

Thanks, all, for your very helpful responses. Yet more questions below.

Q1: Train ticket. Tonkin agent was able to get us tickets on the Fanxiplan train to Spa, but she only sent the Tonkin invoice. I asked for train ticket receipt that shows the train and dates we booked a few times, but she is not addressing my request. I just want to make sure she put me on the right train. Do trains have ticket confirmation?

Q2: Payment to Tonkin. I'm paying everything with a Visa card, and they charge 3% fee. Is this normal? Or is there a way to pay them directly with cash when we get there?

Q3: Cab to HCM airport in early morning. We have a 5:50 a.m. flight from HCM to Hue, and thinking of staying at a hotel near the airport. There's one about 1 km from the airport. Are taxis easy to catch at that early hour? Or we should arrange it through the hotel? They're charging $5 USD. Seems a bit much for a short ride, but ok if more convenient that way.

Q4: 2 nights in Hue or 2 nights in Hoi An? So we'll arrive in Hue at 7 a.m. Planning to do sightseeing right after checking into hotel. Should we stay for 2 nights there (2 full days in Hue, Tue, Wed) and go down to Hoi An on the 3rd day (Thurs) which means we'll only get 1 night in Hoi An, as we have to fly out of Hoi An next day at 7 p.m. Other option is to finish Hue in 1 1/2 day, and drive down to Hoi An on the afternoon of the 2nd day.

Q5: Any reliable group bus (preferably catered to foreign tourists) that go from Hue to Hoi An and go through Hai Van Pass? Sinh Tourist has a bus, and it sounds too cheap to be true, like less than $5? Are they reliable?

Is Hai Van pass that spectacular, or we could just go through the tunnel to get to Hoi An faster?


Lots of questions, and appreciate it very much if you could help answer any.

Thanks!

Q2 - yes, the surcharge for using plastic is normal. You should be able to pay cash, but ask Tonkin - and clarify USD or dong.

Q4 - how keen are you on shopping for clothes? If you don't want to shop Hue rates more time the Hoi An.

Q5 - Sinh is reliable, provided you get the real Sinh (there are a lot of knock-offs). Those open tour buses are dirt cheap because they're aimed at backpackers who sleep in the associated hostels. You don't have to sleep in the hostels, but you'll likely have to take a taxi to get to your hotel from the bus.

Q1 - after we finalized all our arrangements with Tonkin they sent us an itinerary/voucher and before we paid a deposit we ensured everything on it was accurate. There was a fair amount of back and forth as we planned our trip with Tonkin. As such the final itin/voucher did need to have a couple changes made. Tonkin made the changes and we paid the deposit. I wouldn't be concerned. Tonkin is a very good travel agency and they will come thru. We had a problem with our train ticket Sapa back to Hanoi. There was a mix up as to who was to give it to us and when they came to take us to the train station no one had the tickets. It was all taken care of via phone and we got our ticket at the station with no problem.

Q2 - we paid Tonkin with a combination of USD and Dong, but good idea to check with them to verify.

Q$ - I loved Hoi An and enjoyed our 3 days there and didn't spend more than a hour or two shopping for clothes. It's a very charming town to hang out in, nice back alleys to explore, wonderful food, cooking classes that are supposed to be great, & there are beaches if you want to swim. We spent half day and went to My Son. We also spent 3 days in Hue and thought it one day too much. They are very different towns and I think you should read about them and decide which appeals to you more. You can spend a full day & half sightseeing in Hue and pretty much see it all.

Hai Van pass is nice, but so are a lot of other passes/roads we've travelled on. I wouldn't rate HV at the top of my list by any stretch. Since you are short on time, if it saves time going thru the tunnel I would do that.

The main city center of HCMC is VERY close to the airport, so really a quick ride. Your hotel should be able to call you a taxi in the morning.

I haven't been to Hue so can't compare, but we stayed in Hoi An for 4 nights and found plenty to do. We did do some clothes shopping but that took up very little of our time. We enjoyed bicycling, cooking class and a street food tour which was a highlight of the entire trip.

My husband and I are planning a trip for August. Thank you to all who have posted here.... so much useful information. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks, all, for your detailed and helpful responses!

yestravel, so you didn't have to pay the full amount up front to Tonkin, just the deposit? For the Sapa train booking, they asked us to pay the full amount by credit card. Is it common and I'm concerned that they haven't sent me the ticket confirmation, other than a generic Tonkin invoice showing the amount charged.

More quetions:
Q: Is Bac Ha Sunday market really worth the hassle? I read that Sapa also has a Sunday market? We'll arrive in Sapa on Sunday morning, and want to head straight to Bac Ha market and after a couple hours head back to Sapa. But there's no group tour that leaves from the Lao Cai, only from Sapa. We don't want to waste time going to Sapa and then back to Bac Ha. Private car is at least $75, and I'm not sure it's worth the cost. We've seen many colorful markets in different cities in Peru, so can imagine Bac Ha might be similar.

Q2: Know of any websites that show different Sapa trekking trails and maps? What's do-able in half day in the afternoon? What's do-able in not quite a full day? The next day our train leaves at 8 p.m. We're fit and use to hiking. We want spectacular scenery and interesting sights.

Thanks!

I don't think Ba Ha is worth the $75 or the time for a special visit unless you are really into markets. It is quite impressive but we visited whilst driving the Dien Bien Phu loop so it was on our way. I would certainly do a days hiking in preference to the market. We did a circular trek of part of the valley which took " not quite a full day" ( I would guess around 5 or 6 hours).It was reasonably easy hiking and the views were spectacular and we stopped en route at a couple of the villages and a school and ate in the home of one of the villagers. There are some photos on our blog http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/candcthai/3/1250750853/tpod.html

Unfortunately, I never got around to posting the narrative!

BA Ha market is on a par with those in Peru, Chinchero, Pisac etc. and it certainly is an experience. I think we spent less than an hour wandering around there and had seen all we wanted to see. The Sunday market in Sapa is very touristy and long ago turned into a bit of a human zoo. The traders can sometimes get a bit agressive and, having witnessed the behaviour of some tourists, I can hardly blame them!

Is the train ticket the only thing you're buying from Tonkin? If so, that would probably explain why they want the whole amount upfront. In fact, I imagine they might not buy the ticket until they get the money.

I enjoyed the market, so I guess it depends on how many markets you've seen, but $75 seems high. You need to be there early. However, you do know that you don't "arrive in Sapa" on the train, right? You need transport from the station to Sapa. Most people arrive on the train (in Lao Cai), are met and driven to the market, and then taken on in the same car to Sapa. Did you read http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm#Hanoi-to-Lao-Cai ?

My totally unedited photos from the Vietnam trip that included Sapa are here: http://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/Round-the-World-2010-11/Vietnam - password vietnam. Sapa starts with the market at #35.

Correct, we paid a deposit on everything we bought thru Tonkin which included hotels, air, train from Sapa, drivers and some guides. When we arrived in Hanoi we went to their offices and paid the remainder in cash to Nhung who was our agent. Maybe for some reason they pay the train ticket differently then the hotels and need to charge it before they get any confirmation. I never received a train ticket confirmation from them. I'm not remembering exactly what they emailed us after we paid our deposit. I think there was a voucher from Tonkin for each portion of the trip. It was a piece of paper showing the hotel, dates room type - that type of info. Echoing thursday's comments, is Tonkin booking other portions of your trip?

In terms of markets we saw many during our time in VN -- I thought the ones in the countryside esp on our trip from Hanoi to Sapa via car (4 days). the village markets were very interesting so much so we decided to skip BaHa Sunday market. I agree whether to c it depends upon how much u r into markets. I am at the point that I generally don't plan a trip around seeing a market. If its convenient and works into everything I want to c, I might check it out, otherwise I really have become of the mind, seen one, u've seen them all.

Thanks, all, again for your very informed replies and great photos!!

OK, still debating about Bac Ha market since I can't seem to get a group tour leaving from Lao Cai when the train arrives.
Tour agencies should organize such a tour as from my search I see a lot of demands for this! Oh well.

I'm having Tonkin booking various items for me, but not a complete package, so I'm paying the total amount as they book individual item.

Yet more questions.

Q1: Sun Sot (Surprise) Cave in Halong Bay. Is it more likely to be crowded in the morning or afternoon, or doesn't matter it will always be crowded? I'm looking at several boat itineraries, and many of them go there in the afternoon, and a few go in the morning. I'm opting for the morning one to avoid crowds, but then local day boats may be taking that morning tour as well. (Heard this is supposed to be the best cave around.)

Q2: I saw a more detailed map in the Vietnam Insight guidebook, and it shows Bai Tu Long bay to have much fewer and less dense karst formations than Halong Bay, so we're opting to stick with a tour that does the classic Halong Bay route, so as not to miss the real deal even though it'll be more crowded. We really want a tour that allows you to kayak into caves or lagoons--get really up close to the rock formations. It's not clear from the boat itinerary which one would do this. Many sound like they give you kayak just to paddle around the boat.

3) Tam Coc (Halong Bay on land) day tour. It looks very beatiful. Know of any decent group tour to this place? How much for day trip from Hanoi? I've heard of the notorious harrassments from touts on this trip, and we'll just brave it.

BTW, I just re-watched clips of the Indochine movie on youtube over the weekend, and the scenery was amazing, esp scenes shots in Halong Bay and Tam Coc! If you want to relive your VN vacation, recommend you to watch/or re-watch it!

Thanks again!




1)

About Halong, the Sung Sot Cave is always crowded, Dau Go Cave is less. Indochina Sails, Ginger, Jasmine, Violet or Halong Emotion Cruise has more time for kayaking.
For Tam Coc tour, you can book with a reliable tour operator in Hanoi when you are there: Buffalo tour, Handspan, etc.

We just returned from Vietnam and did do an overnight in Halong Bay. We were on the Emeraude Boat and it was excellent. Food and accomodations were excellent. Regarding what to see we were somewhat disappointed for the following reasons that nobody can control. It was very foggy so it was difficult to see much. We were anticipating seeing the wonderful sails on all of the junks but found out that five years ago this was stopped as it was causing problems with the large cruise ships. It looks very different without this. We did do the major cave where you climb up about 200 steps to get to the caves which are amazing and then about the same number of steps down. Inside the caves are beautiful and you walk single file and they are always crowded so it does not matter. If you do a day trip it is very long. About 4 hours drive each way so it becomes your decision.

Just wondering what type of footwear to bring to Vietnam. We will be there around the same time as you JC98 and following much of the same itinerary. As it's going to be quite hot and not wanting to carry too much luggage, I was wondering what type of footwear to bring. Will we need to have hiking boots/shoes for SaPa or would lighter 'sensible' shoes do? We will also be visiting the Cu Chi tunnels and doing the Halong Bay trip, so I assume sensible shoes for the 200 steps? Want to travel as lightly as possible. Also, we booked most of our trip through Tonkin and we received all our vouchers for hotels etc, but not the train tickets. I emailed Tonkin and they said our driver will have them for us when we get there. I also enquired to see if I can pay the balance of our trip via a bankers draft in US dollars to avoid bringing so much cash and also to avoid the 3% credit card fee, but they have not responded to me. I've sent my third email just now. Up to that, they were very good at getting back to me about any query.

Martina, we had the same experience with Tonkin. Until we booked responses to email were immediate. After booking it took much longer for simple questions to be answered. No problems in Vietnam, except that they were supposed to meet us at the hotel so we could "sign documents" but no one showed. Since we were paying by credit card I didn't understand why they needed a signature but they didn't respond to that email at all. The charge appeared on our card without the signature.

Thanks again, all, for your responses.

martina, packing light is also a problem for me, as I have to also pack for a one-week business trip in a colder country before coming to VN. I prob end up bringing 3 (!) pairs of shoes--dress shoes for work, Merrell hiking shoes for Sapa, Keen water shoes for Halong Bay and walking around in hot places. Not sure which one I can throw out.

BTW, would you be arriving in Sapa on March 24 (Sun)? Just checking in case anyone is interested in sharing a private car to go to Bac Ha directly from Lao Cai train station and back to Sapa that morning.

Anyhow, enjoy your trip!

Unless you can do an overnight in the Delta, I'd skip the day trip. You spend half the time riding in a bus there and back.

And if you're going to Halong Bay, you don't need to go to Tam Coc. They call it "Halong Bay on the land". And yes, the touts (the person rowing the boat)are quite agressive, as were the people taking your pictures on the way back from the caves.

Yes, Bisbee, I'm still sitting on the fence regarding MK delta. But I have 3 full days in Saigon. Is it better to go to Cu Chi Tunnel? Too hot though in mid March?

Q1: On the Entry and Exit Visa form, it asks for "Kind of Passport". What does that mean? What do I put there? I just have the regular US passport.

Q2: Also, it asks for "Name, address of office, organization or full name, relation, address of your relatives to contact or visit". What to put here? Name and address of first night hotel ok? Or maybe put Tonkin Travel?

Thanks

Two weeks isn't enough time for all this.

Vietnam might seem to be not too large on the map, but it is amagingly diverse.

Your time would be better spent in either the north, the south or the central region, plus time in the mountains.

We are repeat visitors over many years, our favourite part is still the north, but the south and the delta are favourites as well. Hue is a place of its own.

The people are the heart of Vietnam, so it really doesn't matter where you go, two weeks isn't enough, unless you're only there to take photos.

maree, thanks for the comments. Yeah, it's a bit rushed, but I still allocate at least 1 to 2 or 3 days more in each place than a typical tour itinerary I found on the web. Everything is booked though and heading there next week. Well, it's my first trip, so hit the highlights and hopefully I like it enough to come back for more, like you have.

Thanks for the comments. Tonkin got back to me. They don't accept bankers drafts at all so I think I will arrange a credit transfer tomorrow instead. Going on Friday and really looking forward to it now although still no packing done! Yes jc98 we arrive in Sapa on that sun morning on the tulico train. I don't have the itinerary on me now but I know we get there very early in the morning. Did u get your trip to baca market sorted after? Tonkin are arranging everything for us, I hope!!! Enjoy your holiday too!

Hi martina, cool that you'll be arriving at the same time to Lao Cai train station. I think all trains arrive at or about the same time. The tourist trains are actually cars connected to the main one. We're on Fanxipan arriving to Lao Cai at 5 a.m.

How many people do you have? We're 2 adults. If you want, maybe we could split the cost of your private car to Bac Ha Sunday market with you if that's your itinerary. Feel it's a waste to pay for a quite expensive car rental just to see the market for 1 or 2 hours.

We're thinking of heading out to Bac Ha Sunday market soon after arrival. See the market maybe for 2 hours, and then go to Sapa for check-in.

Anyhow, just a suggestion if that's your plan too and if you're comfortable with it. If not, no worries.

Good luck with your trip!

Hi, could someone who still remembers, could you answer the following questions I have about filling out entry/exit form. We're trying to fill it out ahead of time.

Q1: On the Entry and Exit Visa form, it asks for "Kind of Passport". What does that mean? What do I put there? I just have the regular US passport.

Q2: Also, it asks for "Name, address of office, organization or full name, relation, address of your relatives to contact or visit". What to put here? Name and address of first night hotel ok? Or maybe put Tonkin Travel?

Thanks!

JC98--I assume that you know that you can't get a Vietnam visa when you arrive unless you have made arrangements in advance for a preauthorization letter. You need to do more than just fill out the visa form and take it with you. Tonkin can do the paperwork for you if you want to get the visa when you arrive. You can also get the actual visa in advance from the Vietnamese embassy or consulate.

The actual visa form doesn't ask about type of passport.
http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/sites/default/files/visaform.pdf

I'm not sure what entry/exit forms you're referring to.

I am far from being any kind of VN expert, but I recently got back from my first trip and the one thing I wished I'd had more time for was visiting (good) art galleries. There are some wonderful VN artists and I would have loved to have some time in the galleries and chosen an original oil painting or two for our home (not a copy of a European painting, although you can find those too). Enjoy the food in VN -- delicious!