Advice for Vietnam

TheStook

bubblypop wrote: »

I was in Da Nang a couple of years ago, tbh I wouldn't go back.
Big town/ small city on the coast, could be anywhere. Full of Russians on holidays & I didn't particularly like them.
Was chatting a couple of locals there & they all said it is going to be a big Russian holiday destination. They are building a lot of five star hotels & resorts there.
It doesn't really feel like a Vietnamese town & imo there's nothing there.
You didn't miss much

Yeah Nha Trang was like 90% Russians it was bizarre. Had no idea it was sch a popular spot for them. All signs/menus were in Russian first, then English then Viatnamese lol. Didnt have any trouble though.

Thats great to hear. It looked fairly ****e tbh, so many resorts being built on the coast. Doesnt feel authentic or something.

TheStook

TheStook wrote: »

Yeah Nha Trang was like 90% Russians it was bizarre. Had no idea it was sch a popular spot for them. All signs/menus were in Russian first, then English then Viatnamese lol. Didnt have any trouble though.

Thats great to hear. It looked fairly ****e tbh, so many resorts being built on the coast. Doesnt feel authentic or something.

Yea, and Na Trang was actually way nicer, I stayed more days there then I planned.
The whole coast from Da Nang town to the airport is going to be full of 5 star resorts.
Which will probably cost a fortune & the people working there will still get paid crap wages.

BOHtox

How do you travel around in Vietnam? Is having a driver's licence a must or is it all trains and buses? And do you do it all yourself or is a lot of it done through tour guides?

davo2001

BOHtox wrote: »

How do you travel around in Vietnam? Is having a driver's licence a must or is it all trains and buses? And do you do it all yourself or is a lot of it done through tour guides?

Driving would be a last resort for me, they drive like lunatics, most of it is organised via bus/train/plane by your tour guide.

donegal.

you probably won't do any driving youself unless you hire a bike or moped or something for a days sightseeing

i never used tourguides, public transport very easy to use

rounders

Hi sorry to resurrect the thread but I having difficulty finding out what I need to do for to get a visa. I fly out to Thailand on the 28th for four weeks and then Vietnam for two I will more than likely by flying from Bangkok to Hanoi.

From what I can see i have too options the embassy were I send off my passport to London or VOA. Too late for the embassy but does anyone have advice on the VOA route?

Tipperary animal lover

I use vietnamvisacorp for voa every year, very easy process, just download what they send to you also down load entry/exit form and fill ready for the voa counter. Plus 1 passport picture and have $25 for stamping fee.

rounders

Perfect thanks!

anewme

Na trang was scary...where I stayed had loads of old Vietnamese ppl spitting on the floor during breakfast at the hotel....all I recall is a strange mud baths...would not go back in a fit...for me Hoi An and halong bay are must sees

djPSB

Has anyone done scooters or motorbikes in Vietnam?

Heading there for 3 weeks and would like to get in a half day or full day bike tour in the country.

How does the insurance and licence work?

knipex

bubblypop wrote: »

Only advice I'd definitely give you is go somewhere else other than Ho Chi Ming! It's fine, but it's a big westernised city, comparable to many others such as Bangkok.

There's so much more to see in Vietnam, id only stay a day or two there.
Hanoi on the other hand, is different, well worth seeing.

+100%

Hi Chi Ming is not vietnam..

Hanoi is a beautiful, the old quarter, coffee by Ho Kiem Lake, the French qurter.

Its been a few years but 20 years ago Hanoi was my favorite city in the world, cars were rare enough, streets were full of motor bikes, food was cheap and amazing.

10 years ago more cars, less motorbikes so traffic was worse but food was still amazing, the coffee is great.. Still cheap.

Even 5 years ago its was well worth a visit and still one of my favorite cities in the world. Amazing how you can relax in the midst of the chaos..

dev100

djPSB wrote:

Has anyone done scooters or motorbikes in Vietnam?

djPSB wrote:

Heading there for 3 weeks and would like to get in a half day or full day bike tour in the country.

djPSB wrote:

How does the insurance and licence work?

You can hire guides to take you around and they do the driving ... Avoid getting scooters in the big city's it's organised chaos walking across the roads in HCMC , it took me a while to adjust you simply walk out amongst the traffic and they go around you . Just YouTube videos on HCMC or Han Oi.

Insurance wise and license as far as I'm aware you technically ain't allowed but it's south east Asia money is king.

anewme

We got talking to a gang of local lads and they offered to bring us out and we were riding pillion on the back of their scooters at one point they brought us down a back alley for coffee- it was like something from a Quentin Tarantino movie. how were not killed in traffic or murdered is beyond me.

Looking back now, I have absolutely no idea why I did it or why I thought it was ok to do ..tearing through traffic, weaving in and out ..it was crazy, dangerous and probably one of those times where you feel the blood coursing through your veins and think it's good to be alive.

tomwaterford

Possibly a more open discussion question (maybe move if necessary-mods)


But im hoping to go to vietnam on next few weeks,but have injured myself and am on painkillers (nothing too serious)....just wondering whats the procedure for getting into country with them/would i best off to leave it

Havnt anything booked yet like

Tipperary animal lover

Hi tom, my partner is on strong medication and never had any hassle entering or leaving Vietnam( been to Vietnam many times, just back from there4weeks ago) put them into your luggage that's going into the hold .

tomwaterford

Tipperary animal lover wrote: »

Hi tom, my partner is on strong medication and never had any hassle entering or leaving Vietnam( been to Vietnam many times, just back from there4weeks ago) put them into your luggage that's going into the hold .

Will I need a letter from a doctor etc going??

What's the best places to see there...I'd be more for hiking /cycling vs partying and most likely going alone....Is there any facebook page etc worth checking out

Tipperary animal lover

For sure bring a doctors letter cover your ass if questioned, northern Vietnam great for hiking /cycling if you base yourself in sapa you'll find plenty of treks to do, down south around the city of dalat plenty of trekking to be had, Mekong delta has trekking, see all depends how long you have in Vietnam, you don't want to be rushing through the country like most travellers do in 2 weeks, I found the south better than the north people food and weather wise, but north was much better scenery. You have to remember that many small companies don't have websites arriving in say sapa or dalat walk around and see what's on offer trekking wise what suits your budget and go with that. You can get a cheap SIM card about $10 unlimited data 60mins local calls. What's really big now is tourists motorbiking(you can buy bikes easy enough pure balls of crap) from hcmc to Saigon and stopping along the way or other way around, you'll really see the country that way but your not covered for insurance and someone hits you its your fault that's how the Vietnamese work, just be clued in scams a plenty in the country.

djPSB

Will just add my tuppence to this having recently returned from backpacking holiday.

Ho Chi Minh: Spent two and a half days here which is probably enough. Went to the museums which are well worth a look. Didn't make it to the tunnels. Hectic city. Very quiet at night compared to Hanoi.

Dalat: Highly recommend the canyoning here. Not a whole lot else to do here so two nights is plenty. Nightlife finishes at 12 mid week.

Nha Trang: Very resorty. Full of Russians. Probably a place for couples. Nice beach. Probably my least favourite place we visited. Nightlife was dead when were there.

Hoi An: Beautiful little town. Lovely markets and great food. Nightlife very good and some very good hostels here. Lovely beaches and very close to De Nang. Stayed 4 nights.

Hai Van Pass: Rented scooters and drove the Hai Van Pass. A great experience but challenging. Beautiful scenery. Would only recommend driving scooters if your a competent driver and feel comfortable doing so. Very dangerous and have heard many horror stories. Driving through a monsoon on the motorway is not for the feint hearted. Takes 8 hours to drive this, was never so relieved to get off the bike when we reached Hue. Still one of the highlights of the trip.

Hue: Not much to do here. Just stayed one night.

Hanoi: Flew from Hue. Really liked Hanoi and preferred it to Ho Chi Minh. Alot more backpackers around and just a nicer city in general. You could easily spend 4/5 nights here. Nightlife was very good here.

Halong Bay: Did the 2 nights stay on an island in Halong Bay plus tubing and kayaking. A great experience and one of the highlights.

Other points of note:
Sleeper buses: Absolutely lethal. Would not get on them again. Others may have had better experiences. But definetly the most dangerous part of the trip and closest we were to being killed. Google sleeper bus crashes in Vietnam and make your own decision. Sleeper trains would have to be a better option.
Time:We had 3 weeks and we were tight for time and there still some places we missed so try allow yourself more time if possible.
Scooters: As above, very dangerous, heard alot of horror stories while talking to other backpackers there. But a good experience if you're comfortable driving them.
Cost:Vietnam is so cheap. You can literally live of €10/day if you wanted. Some hotels/hostels are €6 per night and dinner can be got for less than €2.

anewme

djPSB wrote: »

Will just add my tuppence to this having recently returned from backpacking holiday.

Ho Chi Minh: Spent two and a half days here which is probably enough. Went to the museums which are well worth a look. Didn't make it to the tunnels. Hectic city. Very quiet at night compared to Hanoi.

Dalat: Highly recommend the canyoning here. Not a whole lot else to do here so two nights is plenty. Nightlife finishes at 12 mid week.

Nha Trang: Very resorty. Full of Russians. Probably a place for couples. Nice beach. Probably my least favourite place we visited. Nightlife was dead when were there.

Hoi An: Beautiful little town. Lovely markets and great food. Nightlife very good and some very good hostels here. Lovely beaches and very close to De Nang. Stayed 4 nights.

Hai Van Pass: Rented scooters and drove the Hai Van Pass. A great experience but challenging. Beautiful scenery. Would only recommend driving scooters if your a competent driver and feel comfortable doing so. Very dangerous and have heard many horror stories. Driving through a monsoon on the motorway is not for the feint hearted. Takes 8 hours to drive this, was never so relieved to get off the bike when we reached Hue. Still one of the highlights of the trip.

Hue: Not much to do here. Just stayed one night.

Hanoi: Flew from Hue. Really liked Hanoi and preferred it to Ho Chi Minh. Alot more backpackers around and just a nicer city in general. You could easily spend 4/5 nights here. Nightlife was very good here.

Halong Bay: Did the 2 nights stay on an island in Halong Bay plus tubing and kayaking. A great experience and one of the highlights.

Other points of note:
Sleeper buses: Absolutely lethal. Would not get on them again. Others may have had better experiences. But definetly the most dangerous part of the trip and closest we were to being killed. Google sleeper bus crashes in Vietnam and make your own decision. Sleeper trains would have to be a better option.
Time:We had 3 weeks and we were tight for time and there still some places we missed so try allow yourself more time if possible.
Scooters: As above, very dangerous, heard alot of horror stories while talking to other backpackers there. But a good experience if you're comfortable driving them.
Cost:Vietnam is so cheap. You can literally live of €10/day if you wanted. Some hotels/hostels are €6 per night and dinner can be got for less than €2.

Exactly my experiences....for me Hoi An (especially) and Halong Bay were highlights...hated Nha Trang! There was a huge cockroach in my bed in Hue crawling on me, so that put me off that place!

I did the Tunnels in Ho Chi Min, the Tunnels and the War Museum were my highlights of Ho Chi Min.