Tours and places to see in Vietnam

Hello thaoh,

Welcome to Vietnam!

I guessed you are Vietnamese oversea! I am sorry if I am wrong

Vietnam is long country offers many beautiful places to see. I dont know you will travel whole Vietnam or only Ho Chi Minh & Hanoi? Let me know more. I will happy to share you some travel experiences

I hope to hear from you

Dent

Hey Dent,

You are right I am an overseas Vietnamese living in Australia. I'm probably going to travel alone unless I meet people a long the way. It's going to be kind of scary, but it should be worthit and hope I will survive . My main place of stay will be in Ho Chi Minh city, but I would like to travel to the other popular cities too, not just Hanoi so any tips would be great.

Hello Thao,

Nice to hear from you! I am living in HCMC so I am exciting to share my experience with you

I dont know if you've been in HCMC, but for sight-seeing, i can suggest:

- Cu Chi Tunnels
- Mekong Delta (My Tho, Ben Tre or Cai Be)
- Motobike tour around HCMC - Very interesting! (in the evening is the best, go around see the night life and enjoy food!)
- If you loce beach... can go to Muine, Vung Tau or Phu Quoc Island

Because you are travel alone...so you better join group tour with other tourists. Wish you have a good plan and let me know if you need more help

Hope to see you in HCMC

Dent

Thanx a lot for the suggestions and tips Dent. I will look into those places and add it to my list. Hope it all goes well .

Wish you have a great time in Vietnam!

welcome

Hi there,
Beside those activities [dent] mentioned, You can also try:

1. have some old Vietnamese style food at Binh Quoi 1 tourist Village

2. explore HCMC with all the pagodas, temples and churchs

3. go to Danang during 30/4 to participate in the firework event over there.

Hope you have a nice trip!.

By the way, if you are looking for some local to take you around (not during business hour) then you can contact me at hongvu.sky[at]gmail.com. Just love to make new friends

Regards,

Le Hong Vu

Thanx for your suggestions Vu! That fireworks event sounds great, but too bad I will arrive in May so can't make it XD.

I don't know if it's too late, but here are my suggestions:

- SKIP Cu Chi... besides the fact that I can't see it being of interest to anyone not tied to the War (Vietnamese from that era, or Americans), the venue itself is a recreation (read: not original), so it's a total tourist trap. Definitely not worth the cost and effort it takes to get out there.

- Mekong Delta is a definite yes... loved visiting My Tho and Ben Tre. If you do a delta tour, they may try to upsell you on speedboat (I think it's pronounced "cah-NO" but I don't know what the word was supposed to be). I took a slower, outboard-motor boat for less than half the price and loved it. This was a while ago, don't know if that's still around.

- For beaches, if you can afford it fly out to Phu Quoc for a couple of days ($35-40 USD each way). Just an overall better traveling experience for a better beach than Vung Tau or Mui Ne.

- Riding a scooter around the city gives you a completely different perspective than from within a cab. XO Tours gets high remarks, if you can afford it.

In case you have people, or make friends, willing to take you around, or you're adventurous enough to take unsanctioned "mototaxis" or "Xe Om", I would buy a helmet from home... I'm sure the cheapest helmets from Australia are 1000x better than most of the helmets in Vietnam. I spent $20 USD on mine, and it was fancy.

- For history, I would prioritize the War Remnants Museum over the Reunification Palace... more informative and substantive. The Palace just seemed more *cheesy* to me.

- For architecture, quick visits to the Notre Dame Cathedral (Duc Ba), main post office (next to Duc Bai, and former train station), and opera house are in order. If you like heights and an overview of the city, visit the top of the Bitexco Tower (tallest building in Saigon, but it'll cost you around $20 USD to get up to the observation deck. I've personally skipped it so far.... may go once in the future, if I'm bored.)

If you want food suggestions, that's a whole other thread for me!

Where will you be staying? How were you planning on getting around? This info will also help answer your questions.

Safe travels, and have fun! You'll love it.

Hi LastInTranslation,

Thanx for the suggestions and it's not too late for travel ideas yet, but it is for buying an Australian helmet as I will be leaving for the airport today .

- I was actually thinking of going to Cu Chi even though I'm not big on history and all. Maybe it might still be an interesting 1 day trip if it's pretty cheap. Will think it over later.

- Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc is a must .

- Vung Tau and Mui Ne I might consider later too.

- I've heard about the XO tours but I have other ideas of getting a tour with a charity around HCMC city that should be cheaper. It should cover all the places you mentioned too.

- I would wanna go to see the Bitexco Tower, even though I'm afraid of heights, as it's an inside a building thing.

Food suggestions would be great too! I was just thinking of wondering around and entering any restaurant lol.

I will be staying in HCMC, District 1 mostly, unless I'm traveling somewhere. I probably will be getting around by tours, taxis, xe oms, or friends I make that would drive me.

Also, I was thinking of going on a grand tour from South to North through most of the major cities with TheSinhTourist that goes for 18 days. Has anyone been to this before or have used the company? Any experiences to share?

Anymore tips would be great thanx.

~Thao

Hey Thao,

I'm an aussie as well, been living in HCMC for 3 months.  Hit me up if you want me to show you round the city.

Alex

thaoh wrote:

Hi everyone!

I have recently got my tickets to go to Vietnam and will be there in just over a month, so very excited! .

I do need to make a list of places to go and find tours to take. So can you guys recommend any of your favourite places or anywhere you think is a must see? Also, any recommendations for tour companies would be very helpful too, thanx! =].

~thao

How long have you been away from Vietnam ? ..  how tough you can be ? ... Do you like  to explore the real Vietnam or you just like to come and see basic place like everyone else ? ...Can you still speak, read, write some Vietnamese or not at all ? ...

If you can read Viet than check out this website w.phuoc.c ... Is so many Vietnamese local travel that you can join them to explore this country in the difference way ... First, I  just plan to stay only 1 month but after knowing that website I desired to stay more than 4 month now and not even want to go home yet...;0) ... Travel with local you can save a lots of money and can see real beauty of Vietnam ... But you have to be tough because they don't alway stay 5 star hotel or travel by car ... I love to ride motor bike with them ... Is so much fun ....

Good luck to you girl, and if you need any help pm me ..

Daisy

I haven't been back to Vietnam since 10 years ago. I'm not very tough but I can rough it out with living conditions here if I need to. Visiting and seeing places is more important than how perfect a room is.

I can still speak, read, and write some general Vietnamese so should be able to understand quite a bit. I can't find the website you are referring to. What's the exact url? I would love to try to travel with locals here too.

The only worry for me is I don't think I will ever be able to ride a motorbike/scooter here lol.

thaoh wrote:

I haven't been back to Vietnam since 10 years ago. I'm not very tough but I can rough it out with living conditions here if I need to. Visiting and seeing places is more important than how perfect a room is.

I can still speak, read, and write some general Vietnamese so should be able to understand quite a bit. I can't find the website you are referring to. What's the exact url? I would love to try to travel with locals here too.

The only worry for me is I don't think I will ever be able to ride a motorbike/scooter here lol.

Come onnnn ... Ride motorbike is not that bad.... I have never know how to ride but is take me only two weeks to learn and couple falling bruise all over my legs ... Than now I'm can smoothly ride them "okayl..ly" ...   It's so much fun that you are sit on your own bike ...go any where you like ... I don't know how long you have been away from Vietnam but I been away for more than 34 years but when I'm here I can smoothly ride the motorbike  than I think  anyone can too ... Is only thing that you have the gusts or not   .

.. If I'm not wrong you can read and write Viet  that mean either you are young ,"du hoc sinh" or you are around my ages ... At my age if I can do it everyone can too .. Try its again, you will find the wonderful  feeling that you have miss or never know about its ... I love it ..

.. On the webside www.phuoc.com.vn ... you don't have to know how to ride the motorbike to join ... You can just sit in the back ... Also,  they not always travel by the motorbike,  they do travel by bus and rent the bike where ever the  city they stop ... Anyway, check it out you may find something you like ...

Good luck

It's not really the learning to ride a motorbike that worries me, it's the traffic! I'm still having trouble crossing the street haha.

I grew up in Australia and almost 26 years old and not an international student. I don't read and write Vietnamese that well but know a lot of general basic words. I just managed to remember it and kept in touch with my asian background .

Will you be going on any tours anytime soon?

I will check out that website, thanx Daisy.

that website doesn't work for me. I like riding motorbikes and roughing it out. I've rode 10,000 kms in 10 days on a motorbike across my country is that rough enough.

I'm interested in what you described but somehow the website says domain is pending approval.

You just can only go around the south of Vietnam? If you can go to the middle of Vietnam, I highly recommend you to go to Da Nang City, It's beautiful place and this city has super delicious food, If you go to Da Nang, you also can go to Hoi An ancient and Ba Na hill, or there r many places you can go when you r in Da Nang. And if you go to Da Nang in august, just call me, I'll be your tourguide beacause I'll comeback to Da nang city in ausust

khanh44 you need to do that in Vietnam to be rough enough . Nah I'm just kidding haha.

Daisy the link is directing me to a different website. Can you give us a direct link to one of the pages maybe?

Pichan I would like to go to the middle of Vietnam too if I get the chance. But I leave before august so won't be able to contact you.

thaoh wrote:

It's not really the learning to ride a motorbike that worries me, it's the traffic! I'm still having trouble crossing the street haha.

I grew up in Australia and almost 26 years old and not an international student. I don't read and write Vietnamese that well but know a lot of general basic words. I just managed to remember it and kept in touch with my asian background .

Will you be going on any tours anytime soon?

I will check out that website, thanx Daisy.

Hat off for you Thao ... Growing up in Australia but still can read and write Vietnamese ... I wish my kids can do the same but sadly that they don't even know how to talk properly .... Good for you to keep it up ...

Yes, I very busy travel with friends I just meet in " phuoc "  ..what I think  Is not about where you go but who you going with .... Friends are make the trip more interesting... Next week we are going to DaLat 722 , and begin  June I will take 40's days to travel to three country Vietnam, Lao, Cambodia .... We begin  from Hanoi to Lao, Cambodia ... and from Cambodia to Camau than from there to Hanoi by motorbike ... After that don't know yet ...

I hope you can find some good trip in there ...

Yes, traffic in VN is bad ... I do ride the bike around the city but never have a grave to go on long road trip ... Most of the time I just sit in the back and hold the driver very tight ... Truly,   Vietnam. Is not a place to learn to ride a motorbike.  Every moment I had to cross a traffic-light-free four-lane junction where scooters dodged each other by mere inches, my heart are nearly stop beating ... Think about it I don't recommend you to ride the motorbike ...

Oh, if you don't want to spend to much money on taxi than check out this website www.thienkhach.com .. This is "xe om" but they use meter box like taxi so you don't have to bargain with these xe om ... They charge 7000dong for the first 10km after that 5000 dong than up tp 20km is 3000dong ..is really cheap ... Where ever you are just give them a call they come over in 15 minute ... I used to used them to go from hotel to bus station .. Taxi will cost me 185 from district 1 to Cho Lon bus station but they cost me only less than 60 thousand dong ...  ( I used this guy name Canh - his number is 0906764319 or you can use the office number 0838123212. - don't forgot to mention my name - Li .. you may got a good deal kakaaa ... )

You also can use city bus to get around .. When I first come to SaiGon I like to take bus no. 35 which have a cooling ac, and very clean to get around district one (I think everything are good is are in district one ..) .. You can check out they website http://map.ebms.vn/# just type the address than they will show you what bus to take ... Is very easy ... And if someone (local people) scare you by telling you about thief you need to believe it but don't afraid ... I been used the bus for around  three month I never see any thief or anything bad about the city bus ... But you still can be  aware ... when travel by bus you need to put your belong in back pack ... Don't bring any to valuable ... Of course, not just VN .. Any where you go you need to becarefull right ..

Again good luck girl and wish you'll have a wonderful trip ...

thaoh wrote:

khanh44 you need to do that in Vietnam to be rough enough . Nah I'm just kidding haha.

Daisy the link is directing me to a different website. Can you give us a direct link to one of the pages maybe?

Pichan I would like to go to the middle of Vietnam too if I get the chance. But I leave before august so won't be able to contact you.

Sorry Thao this is the right way www.phuot.vnhttp://www.phuot.vn/

Again good luck ..

Hats off to you too Daisy for knowing English as well as you do. My mum still can't speak much English at all haha.

Thanx so much for the Xe Om taxi info! Now I don't have to worry about asking a random man on the street phew. I will surely use them .

Also, thanx for all the tips and hope you have a great time on your trip too!

this looks like the correct link http://www.phuot.vn/
or if you want the English Translation English translation

I've left Vietnam when I was 1 years old but can read,write and speak Vietnamese. My mom on the other hand 33 years overseas barely knows English. I think it just comes down to whether you want to stay connected to the place you love.

oh yeah thanks Daisy for the link looks interesting. I hope to move to Vietnam this year but have to do about 5 housing transactions before I can be in Vietnam.