nitishraj

Dear Friends,

We are a couple with a 2 year old daughter, from India. We are planning for a holiday to Vietnam between either in Mid November or Early December '22. I have a few questions and request your suggestions and advise please....

1. Would Mid November or Early December be a good time to visit Vietnam.

2. Will it be advisable to do it on our own or should we plan our tour with a travel agent , considering we have a 2 year toddler. Planning with a Travel agent may help in having a structured tour...although it will be expensive

3. Which all places should we cover? especially to witness the scenic side of Vietnam and also the culture.

4. In case we book hotels on our own, is there a good tour company who can only help us with travel within Vietnam and a tour guide.

5. We love to explore local/ street food as well as must visit restaurants...Any suggestions please...

6. Can someone be kind enough to suggest an itinerary....

Will be grateful for some great suggestions
Thanks a ton....

DinHo

Do it yourself in Vietnam is easy!
For the places to visit, do some research on Lonely Planet or Travelfish site.
For the places to stay, check out Booking/ Agoda/ Airbnb site.
For Things To Do at each place, have a look at on Tripadvisor site.

crellston

1. it is as good a time as most in the north and the south of the country. The central region is still in the rainy season.
2. You can structure a tour yourself as well as any travel agent. Flights and hotels can be booked online. Excursions can also be booked online or arrange locally through your accommodation .
3. I suggest you buy a guide book and read up on the country and see what sights and places interest you. Vietnam has some terrific scenery from the Mekong Delta in the south to the mountains of the far north. Plenty of stuff online. Here is a link to our blog of our travels in the country over many years https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/ . This site has a lot of info https://www.travelfish.org/country/vietnam
4. There are lots of tour operators in Vietnam. Many are not very good. Ethnic Travel and Custom Vietnam Travel are very good but I am sure there are others.
5. "Street food" as in street stalls is not as prevalent as it was years ago. However there are huge numbers of small family run restaurants often specialising in a single dish and doing it exceptionally well. We have Vietnamese friends in Saigon who will ask us out for dinner and then we ride miles across town to a particular restaurant because they do a specific dish the way they like it! My wife wrote a couple of articles on Vietnamese food which should be on our blog somewhere.
6. 10 days is not a lot of time for Vietnam. In your situation I would probably split my time 5 days south and 5 day north. In the south I would look at spending 3 days in Saigon and 2 in the Mekong Delta. In the north Hanoi for 3 days and 2 in one of Ninh Binh, Bai Tu Long Bay or the Mai Chau valley. Those side trips can easily be arranges locally but you may want to do it online in advance.. If you wanted to spend your time in one area, I would choose the north and do more side trips.

Miha2305

Hi here my opinion:
1. Would Mid November or Early December be a good time to visit Vietnam.
=> Yes. For north and south VN the weather is nice. But be careful with central VN Hue or Da Nang - Hoi An because it is rainy season in this region. However sightseeings are not problem at all.
2. Will it be advisable to do it on our own or should we plan our tour with a travel agent , considering we have a 2 year toddler. Planning with a Travel agent may help in having a structured tour...although it will be expensive
=> Well you can plan trip on your own, see which places you want to visit etc. But should consider to book guided tours or excursions on site via a agency, not the whole trip. It would be easier for you, because agency help to organize the transportation. In VN public transportation not so convenient. Hotels you can book on your own to save the cost.
3. Which all places should we cover? especially to witness the scenic side of Vietnam and also the culture.
=> Most important places are Hanoi, Halong, Hue, Da Nang - Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Mekong Delta. In the cities you can get to know about Vietnam's history and culture. Halong Bay is amazing experience so don't miss it. If you want to see an authentic VN then head to the northern to Sapa, a mountainous town with rice terraces landscape. If you have more time then fly to Phu Quoc Island for few days on the beach.
4. In case we book hotels on our own, is there a good tour company who can only help us with travel within Vietnam and a tour guide.
=> Yes as I said you can customize your trip. There are lots of tour company that provide tour with guide and transfer no accommodation.
5. We love to explore local/ street food as well as must visit restaurants...Any suggestions please...
=> Well pls see recommendation for restaurants on internet. Or simply ask your hotel in each destination upon arrival. Streetfood in Vietnam is amazing. Pho and Banh mi are a must. Chicken rice in Hoi An is very nice. There are many others strange food that I can't describe but taste well. Let's go, see and try!
6. Can someone be kind enough to suggest an itinerary....
=> I suppose that you will spend at least 2 weeks in Vietnam. So an common itinerary will be like:
Day 1-2: Arrival in Hanoi. Visit Hanoi.
Day 3-4: Head to Sapa. Visit Sapa. Then back to Hanoi.
Day 5-6: Cruise in Halong (need to book a tour)
Day 7-8: Flight Hanoi - Hue. Visit Hue.
Day 9-10: Transfer to Da Nang - Hoi An. Visit Da Nang - Hoi An.
Day 11-12: Flight Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh City. Visit HCM city.
Day 13-14: Mekong Delta Tour (need to book a tour)
Day 15: Back to Ho Chi Minh City for departure flight.
Hope that my suggestions are useful for you. Wish you a nice trip to VN after covid.

crellston

Hmm! Eight destinations in fifteen days. Great if you love to see the inside of trains planes, buses and taxis. But not so good if you actually want to see something of Vietnam. That poor 2 year old!

nitishraj

Dear Friends,

Thank yoy so much for your guidance and suggestions....After a lot of thought, considering we have 10 days and a toddler, we choose to do North Vietnam and of course HCMC.
The places that i have shortlisted are Hanoi, Halong, and towards the end HCMC. Can accomodate one more destination....
Should i add Ninh Binh OR Sapa? And Between Hoi Ann and Hue, which one should i choose...
As suggested by many, we will do the trip on our own and use a tour company to do internal tours.

Thanks,
Nitish

crellston

Forget about Saps - too touristy and too far in the time you have, you will be able to find a tour from Hanoi that includes and Ninh Binh .

I love Hue. Split by the perfume river it has some of the best food in Vietnam, great history, modern and ancient. The imperial citadel and tombs are amazing. Hoi An is close to the beach , very quaint but heaving with tourists ( for good reason) .

if you want to do both then many people will stay on China Beach Danang and do both from there as day trip. Personally I don’t like the place. Huge hotels strung along the beach for miles. Many frequented by large groups from China - it may be a good solution for you want some beach time for your child. Also convenient for the airport,

if you want to put together a basic itinerary, I will take a look and let you have my opinion and let you know if it works. Just remember that in Vietnam, travel is not always straightforward. Less is more when travelling there.
hope this helps a little

nitishraj

Thank you so much Crellston...will do so....and share with you...thanks again

nitishraj

So Hanoi and Halong bay are definately on our trip with day trips to Ninh Binh etc from Hanoi.
with 4 more days in our handa, im confused between South Vietnam ( HCMC ) and Central Vietnam ( like Hue, Hoi an, Danang etc.)
I know for sure that we cannot do both and hence would seek advice on which one should we do among both....

Thanks

Miha2305

Central Vietnam has more to see but a little bit risky with the weather. It could be rainy a lot and maybe flooded. I would like to recommend the south with HCMC.

crellston

OK , here is what I would do with 10 days.
Fly into Hanoi and then stay;
3 nights Hanoi
3 night tour to Ha Long bay or, preferably, Bai tu long Bay. One night on the boat and then to Ninh Binh for two nights
Fly to Saigon
2 nights Ho Chi Minh City. This gives you one full day sightseeing in the city plus whatever time you have on arrival. TIP I always try to book early morning flights wherever possible.
2 nights Mekong Delta tour. Most likely Ben Tre and Can Tho given the time you have. A couple mor days and I would have suggested Chau Doc too ) my favourite place in the delta.

TOURS - are easy to book on arrival if you have the time. There are lots of operators , some better than others do do your due diligence!
Private tours may not be much more expensive than shared and with a child will afford much more convenience.

Happy to help with location and hotel recs once you have decided.

nitishraj

Hello Friends,

Thought of replanning the trip with arrival in HCMC & Depart from Hanoi...Below is the tentative schedule...Hope this should be good, considering our 2 yr old daughter too...

Day 1 Arrive in HCMC & Spend Rest of Day
2 HCMC Sight Seeing
3 HCMC Sight Seeing
4 HCMC Sight Seeing
5 Fly to Hanoi & Rest of Day
6 Hanoi
7 Hanoi
8 Hanoi
9 Hanoi
10 Proceed to Halong Bay
11 Depart from Halong Bay
12 Depart from Hanoi

During my stay in HCMC & Hanoi, can plan day trips to nearby places like Ninh Binh, Mekong Delta etc...

Thanks once again....

crellston

The split time looks about right but I would think again about the day trips. It is quite a drive to the delta from HCMC and not to the best bits!

A night in Ben The and another in Can Tho will enable you to see both "sides" of the delta. Ben Tre is all about the small rivers, cottage industries etc. Can Tho gives you the floating markets and wider Mekong River. We rented a boat to get between the two via Ninh Long which was great fun but takes a whole day. I covered both places in some detail in our blog @https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/

The other alternative would be to use a homestay for a couple of nights. Both Green Village and Nguyen Shack are very good. Easy enough to get between these places by bus, taxi or tour.

Same with Hanoi. Get a tour to Bai Tu Long Bay rather than Halong. it is part of the same area but nicer. You could include Ninh Binh on the way to or from the Bay.

There is a lot to see in Hanoi and the traffic is horrendous (although, coming from India you may not think it that bad !) It does take time to get around and taxis are the only viable option other than motorbike taxis (which you really don't want to do with a 2 year old!)

TheBees

1. Would Mid November or Early December be a good time to visit Vietnam.
Yes, but don't leave it any later. Ha Noi can be cold and misty for long spells early in the new year.

2. Will it be advisable to do it on our own or should we plan our tour with a travel agent , considering we have a 2 year toddler. Planning with a Travel agent may help in having a structured tour...although it will be expensive
I have always used my own initiative travelling through VN. It is quite easy as VN is generally linear so just point yourself in one direction and keep going, especially if you travel by train

3. Which all places should we cover? especially to witness the scenic side of Vietnam and also the culture.
Apart from the obvious Sapa and Halong Bay, Ninh Binh province is outstanding, often referred to as the inland Halong Bay. The Central highlandds has plenty of beautiful places like Da Lat. One great place, but not very easy to get to is Kon Tum. Lovely, friendly town with some outstanding architecture (look up Longhouses and Rongs).

4. In case we book hotels on our own, is there a good tour company who can only help us with travel within Vietnam and a tour guide.

5. We love to explore local/ street food as well as must visit restaurants...Any suggestions please...
Most VN cities has plenty of local food so you will have no problems there

6. Can someone be kind enough to suggest an itinerary...
Difficult without knowing what other interests you have and how you intend to travel. Rail travel is enjoyable, reasonably comfortable and often with great views.
So many great cities available by train, Ha Noi, Ninh Binh (for the province), Dong Hoi, Hue, Da Nang (underrated city and good for the Marble Mountain and Hoi An). Unfortuately the train does not go to the Central Highlands
One tip; Do not rush. As with most of SE Asia VN is more than the sum of its parts. The street scenes and the ambience are just as memorable as the sites.

Larsay

VN is generally linear so just point yourself in one direction and keep going, especially if you travel by train
I am afraid it is quite the contrary; you have to zig-zag a lot in the north and the Mekong delta. Moreover, there are only four railways lines; Haiphong-Hanoi, Hanoi-Langson, Hanoi-Lao Cai and Hanoi-Saigon. However, better go to Sapa by express bus, 5 hour trip instead of 9-10 by train + 1 hour bus Lao Cai-Sapa. Use night trains for long portions like Hanoi-Hue or Hanoi-Danang.