Vietnam suggestions

[DisneyDaffodil]

We are considering visiting Vietnam next summer. Our adult son teaches in Hoi Chi Minh and we would love to visit him there naturally. However, we would also like to visit some more natural beauty spots and beaches in the country as we are not very keen on cities generally.

Can anyone suggest a beach resort to stay at close to Hoi Chi Minh? Any hotels in the city or beach resort? Any places we really should see? General tips? Suggestions for flights and prices?

Of course our son will be quite knowledgable as he has been there for nearly 3 years but I would like to have a few ideas to start researching things we would like to see. I have no knowledge of this part of the world at all so this would be a completely different adventure for us so any advice please 😀

[Guest]

It is going back a few years now but I spent threee weeks in Vietnam as part of a five month trip around Asia.

Ho Chi Minh is most definitely a city, quite a modern one even in 2004. Hanoi was the less developed of the two main cities. In HCM, you will find the usual array of hotels like in any city but beach resorts are going to be thin on the ground.

Looking at a map, there is somewhere called Vung Tau which looks like it would be the beach weekend retreat, but it is three to four hours away.

I did not go there myself, I took the train between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh and there are a number of lovely beachy stop offs on the way. I visited Natrang, Danang and Hue on the way. The first two were mor beachy and Hue is the place everybody gets clothes made!

[DisneyDaffodil]

Originally Posted by Bridgetx

It is going back a few years now but I spent threee weeks in Vietnam as part of a five month trip around Asia.

Ho Chi Minh is most definitely a city, quite a modern one even in 2004. Hanoi was the less developed of the two main cities. In HCM, you will find the usual array of hotels like in any city but beach resorts are going to be thin on the ground.

Looking at a map, there is somewhere called Vung Tau which looks like it would be the beach weekend retreat, but it is three to four hours away.

I did not go there myself, I took the train between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh and there are a number of lovely beachy stop offs on the way. I visited Natrang, Danang and Hue on the way. The first two were mor beachy and Hue is the place everybody gets clothes made!

See more...

Thank you, I will check these out. I am really just looking for ideas to look into. It seems such a huge country with lots of interesting places, I just don't know where to start 😀
We are thinking of spending a week in Ho Chi Minh and surrounding area then possibly taking a train or even a flight with our son too to visit another area or possibly another country nearby such as Thailand. Although I don't know if this is possible? We could then fly home from there instead of Vietnam. But this is just vague plans at the moment so anyone with more advice?

[Guest]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

Thank you, I will check these out. I am really just looking for ideas to look into. It seems such a huge country with lots of interesting places, I just don't know where to start 😀
We are thinking of spending a week in Ho Chi Minh and surrounding area then possibly taking a train or even a flight with our son too to visit another area or possibly another country nearby such as Thailand. Although I don't know if this is possible? We could then fly home from there instead of Vietnam. But this is just vague plans at the moment so anyone with more advice?

See more...

It is huge but also thin and most people take the approach that I did, that is, travel between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh and stop off at a few different places along the way.

Bangkok is the hub in Asia and so yes you will easily get there from HCM. Personally, I think that would be a shame when Vietnam itself is such a beautiful and interesting country. If I were to visit another country from it though, I would chose Cambodia and go to Angkor Wat for culture and Sihanoukville for a beach break.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Thank you. That may be a good way to do it, travel through Vietnam stopping off on route to Hanoi. I believe there is an airport at Hanoi, so maybe we could fly home from there?
I agree that we should explore Vietnam as we have this opportunity so may concentrate on this for this visit. Although Angkor Wat is interesting to us too (maybe another visit in the future 😀 )
Do you have any highlights that we should really visit in Vietnam? I have basically not looked into it at all yet as we have just returned from a Florida/New York trip so have spent lots of time researching NYC for our first trip there!
I will be chatting to our son too but I wanted to get some ideas of what to expect and what to see before we chat to him so we can make some plans together.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

Thank you. That may be a good way to do it, travel through Vietnam stopping off on route to Hanoi. I believe there is an airport at Hanoi, so maybe we could fly home from there?
I agree that we should explore Vietnam as we have this opportunity so may concentrate on this for this visit. Although Angkor Wat is interesting to us too (maybe another visit in the future 😀 )
Do you have any highlights that we should really visit in Vietnam? I have basically not looked into it at all yet as we have just returned from a Florida/New York trip so have spent lots of time researching NYC for our first trip there!
I will be chatting to our son too but I wanted to get some ideas of what to expect and what to see before we chat to him so we can make some plans together.

See more...

Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam so yes it most definitely has an airport.

If you are up in Hanoi my top recommendation would be to Halong Bay, ideally find a cruise for a couple of nights, it will be a small boat cruise.

From Ho Chi Minh highlights were a Mekong Delta trip and there are some tunnels that the Vietcong occupied during the war that are well worth a trip.

I would try to find opportunities to meet locals, I did a homestay for one night (that was enough ) and took a trip out to look around the floating villages as a couple of examples.

[DisneyDaffodil]

My son has visited the tunnels that the Vietcong occupied so we had thought that would be an interesting trip. Likewise the Mekong Delta.
The Halong Bay cruise sounds really good, I will definitely look into that. Shows I have done no research by my not being sure there is an airport in Hanoi 😀. It will be fun finding out about this beautiful country.
My son has said it is a great place to teach and is enjoying his time there. He previously taught in South Korea which he also said was lovely but he says the people in Vietnam are friendlier and very helpful.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by DisneyDaffodil

My son has visited the tunnels that the Vietcong occupied so we had thought that would be an interesting trip. Likewise the Mekong Delta.
The Halong Bay cruise sounds really good, I will definitely look into that. Shows I have done no research by my not being sure there is an airport in Hanoi 😀. It will be fun finding out about this beautiful country.
My son has said it is a great place to teach and is enjoying his time there. He previously taught in South Korea which he also said was lovely but he says the people in Vietnam are friendlier and very helpful.

See more...

I travelled China and Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Bali. And definitely the Vietnamese people were the loveliest I met.

[DisneyDaffodil]

Sounds like you had a great trip. This part of the world is all new to us but it sounds fascinating. I just had no idea where to start! Thanks for all your advice 😀

[Omega1]

In November last year we spent a day exploring the lovely seaside town of Vung Tao.
Vung Tau is a favourite weekend beach escape destination for family vacations from Ho Chi Minh City. Vung Tau was known as Cap Saint-Jacques under French occupation and was a popular beach resort for French, Australian and American service personnel.
These were my notes for the visit:
*Nui Nho (Nho Mount) leading to the spectacular Statue of Jesus. Standing at 32m in height with 18.3m long arms (the locals claim it is 6m larger than Rio’s Christ the Redeemer), this statue serves as an excellent vantage point to admire the whole city and shoreline. The visit to the statue involves approx 900 steps, but it can be viewed from lower down.
*Niet Ban Tinh Xa (Nirvana Pagoda), the majestic statue of a recumbent Buddha, where visitors strike the giant bronze bell for luck.
*The White Villa (Bach Dinh) – once the weekend retreat of French Governor Paul Doumer (later French President). The villa is a beautiful colonial-era residence with extensive gardens.
*The Whale Temple (Thang Tam), which worships the remains of a whale washed up onto the Vung Tau shore over 100 years ago.
*Vung Tau Lighthouse. With its peak located 170 meters above sea level, the lighthouse offers panoramic views of the city.
We also visited the nearby Long Phuoc tunnels (about 25km from Vung Tao) - these are similar to the Cu Chi tunnels that get lots of tourists. The only difference is they haven't been widened for western tourists and are virtually unknown - we were the only group there. From my notes: The Long Phuoc tunnels were originally dug for use against the French and were extended for use in the Vietnam War. The tour allows access to the tunnels, including a life-sized hospital room, kitchen and bedrooms. These were the first tunnels in Vietnam, they are original and not dug (or widened) especially for tourists.
When heading north to Hanoi, make sure you visit Hoi An - a beautifully preserved old town with many buildings from (and before) the French colonial period.
I would agree with PP that some time spent on Halong Bay is a must - but avoid taking a day trip from Hanoi (3hr coach there, 5hr boat trip, 3hr back) - think herds, cattle! Best to do at least one night on the bay , preferably two. You get further into the bay, well away from the day trippers.