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where to go in 8 days?
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valerinaaa
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Help me please! I'm leaving for Vietnam in two days and I still don't know what to do when I get there! [img]smileys/frown.gif[/img]
I have a whole month for my south east Asia journey and would like to dedicate 8 days (I can do 10 if needed) to Vietnam. I have family that I never met there so I need to spend some time with them and they live in Ho Chi Minh City which will be very convenient for me but there will definitely be a language barrier and age gap so I don't want to spend all my time there.
I want this vacation to be relaxing like lots of beach time but I can do that in Thailand where I think the beaches would be better. So I rather do a lot of sightseeing but I'm not a fan of temples (I realized that when I went to Tokyo). I like to see things that are different from the Westernized culture like the floating markets and I can appreciate different architectual buildings, beautiful scenery (like Halong Bay, I don't really care for Sapa's scenery) and monuments. I'm definitely interested in visiting places of importance to the Vietnam War.
So far I know I'm going to Mekong Delta (possible Can Tho?), staying 3 days in HCM, leaving me 4 days for possibly Vung Tau, Hoi An (visit My Son, China beach), Halong Bay, or Hanoi???? If 4 extra days won't be enough to leave the South I will just shorten my trip to 7 days in Vietnam and use the other day in Thailand.
Note, I'm doing this trip solo and I would be flying to the destinations but will take an overnight train if it saves travel time. Can someone please help me? [img]smileys/frown.gif[/img]
#1 Posted: 12/3/2012 - 10:40
chinarocks
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If you are gonna spend only 7 days in Vietnam then do not leave the South, especially if, as it sounds, you have a fondness for war related stuff. Between Saigon itself (incl. visiting your relations), the Mekong Delta and CC tunnels there is enough for a week there. It would not be worth flying anywhere else.
It is also a handy entrance point for Cambodia, although I am not sure if that is your next stop after Vietnam. In any event, you can fly to most places from Saigon.
Some more information on what your proposed route is would be helpful so we can offer more useful advice.
#2 Posted: 12/3/2012 - 12:16
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Jarrod32
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Hi valerinaaa,
I agree with chinarocks - best to concentrate your travels through the southern area and one recommendation could be to fly into Da Nang to visit Hoi An and to Nha Trang and make your way south. Staying at Hoi An will allow you to vist places such as My Son and China Beach without any issues and given you want to appreciate different architecture then this area is worth a look.
There is a lot to look at in southern Vietnam so if you can manage 10 days that would be better. You can fly to from Nha Trang or Da Nang to Saigon regularly with Vietnam Airlines and it is not very expensive. To keep cost down try not to backtrack - work your way down and then presumably onto Cambodia. To save time fly where possible.
You could always look at the tunnels etc on your way to Can Tho (Mekong Delta) on your way to Cambodia after spending a few days around Saigon, which is a really interesting place and worthy of at least 3 days. Travelling by mini bus is your best bet and also relatively cheap.
Hope this helps.
Jarrod
#3 Posted: 12/3/2012 - 21:37
valerinaaa
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Thank you for your help guys. I'm now in Hong Kong waiting for my flight into HCMC. I'll play it by ear, I really want to go to My Son so I'll see if I can make it there during these next 8 days
#4 Posted: 15/3/2012 - 18:40
stefanw
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If you say temples aren't really you're thing why would you want to go to My Son?
I would either go to HCMC plus Hoi An (My Son is close) and you could quickly squeeze in the Mekong if you stay 10 days.
Or just HCMC and the Mekong which could be done in 7-8 days quite comfortably.
#5 Posted: 15/3/2012 - 21:40
ecotravelvi-
etna
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Take Vietnam Sampler trip 8 days to have highlights of Vietnam or make a customize as your wishes. 8 days is short time but you can choose to highlight of vietnam or only in an area such as only north, central or south. It will easy to spend more time in each area
#6 Posted: 23/3/2012 - 10:16