Vietnam on the 24th May

Soldato
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So I am off to Vietnam with a mate on the 24th of May.

As I am joining up with him and his mates I haven't planned this holiday.

I believe the current plan is to fly to Hanoi on the 24th.

We are meeting some friends that live in Hanoi and I believe the plan is to do Da Nang and Ha Long with them until the 31st.

My flight from Hanoi to London is on the 9th of June.

So I have about 1 week to kill. I was planning to go to Phu Quoc and luckily it has an airport.

Has anyone been to Phu Quoc before? Any recommendations where to go and where to stay?

Where would you go with 1 week spare in Vietnam? Is Ho Chi Ming City worth a visit?
 
Associate
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I live in HCMC, and if you come to Vietnam, and have a week spare personally I would do 2 days in Hoi An (40mins from Da nang), and 4 in HCMC. Phu Quoc is nice for a beach Holiday, but everyone complains is filthy with plastic and rubbish on the beaches and in thee sea unless you go to one of the top hotels, Intercon or Marriot, (think $650/night). To be honest Ha Long is similar now too, ruined as compared to 5 years ago.

Hoi An is beautiful, and HCMC has loads to see and drink, and everyone says is much better than Hanoi - HCMC is the food and drink culture to experience. unfortunately the Rainy Season will have started, though it is late this year and still ridiculously hot, so city may be better than beach, but it depends what you like.

you could also consider 2 nights in Dalat, mountain area beautiful and loads of activities, trekking etc. but will be wet this time of year,

Ask and I can provide more hotel and sight seeing suggestions depending on budget.
 
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Soldato
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I like the look of Ninh Binh! Any thing close to Hanoi is good for us as that's where I will be initially based.

I imagine Ninh Binh is drivable from Hanoi?

In order to get the most out of it I image I will have to book a tour with a travel guide?

How long would you spend in Ninh Binh?

Also is it safe to assume we can turn up on the day and find somewhere to stay or do we need to book in advance?

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As for a beach place we just want some where nice with decent beaches and bars in the evening. Any recommendations?

AS mentioned above if Phu Quoc is dirty then I was thinking of just flying to Phuket, but I've been Thailand twice before, so any where else in Vietnam worth a visit?

---

And you say Ho Chi Ming is worth a visit? But isn't it much the same as Hanoi?
 
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Associate
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I like the look of Ninh Binh! Any thing close to Hanoi is good for us as that's where I will be initially based.

I imagine Ninh Binh is drivable from Hanoi?

In order to get the most out of it I image I will have to book a tour with a travel guide?

How long would you spend in Ninh Binh?

Also is it safe to assume we can turn up on the day and find somewhere to stay or do we need to book in advance?

---

As for a beach place we just want some where nice with decent beaches and bars in the evening. Any recommendations?

AS mentioned above if Phu Quoc is dirty then I was thinking of just flying to Phuket, but I've been Thailand twice before, so any where else in Vietnam worth a visit?

---

And you say Ho Chi Ming is worth a visit? But isn't it much the same as Hanoi?

Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi are completely different, they could be different countries. Hanoi is Temperate and HCMC is Tropical for starters. They are 1800km apart, which is the same as say London and Barcelona. Hanoi is more Chinese in influence (thought don't tell them that) whilst HCMC is much more Bangkok 30 years ago, but with modern influences. Personally if you come to Vietnam, you have to visit HCMC, the commercial capital of Vietnam, accounting for 20% of GDP and 8+ million people, compared to Hanoi's 2 million.
 
Don
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Been to Phu Quoc twice and stayed at La Veranda in Long Beach area, really nice hotel, LB is developing at a really rapid rate these days, we are back next year and will stay in Ong Land area, probably at the Che Sea resort, a lot quieter and more picturesque up there

Crab House restaurant is a must
 
Soldato
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I thought Phu Quoc would be similar to places in Thailand. I.e you can just rock up one day and find some where to stay?

By the sounds of it Phu Puoc is more of a hotel/resort destination not for the random backpacker?

Ninh Binh looks great tho but how many days do you think one should stay?

With one week, we can probably do Ninh Binh and then get a flight from Hanoi to HMC and back again to Hanoi for our flight to London.

---

Is Phu Quoc worth a visit?

With one week to spare located in Hanoi what would you do?

Can we fit in Ninh Binh, HMC and Phu Quoc in 7 days?

I think actually we might be able to. From the 31st to the 9th we are free. My flight back to London is on the 9th (1am on a Sunday). So if we do 2 days in Ninh Binh, flight to HMC do maybe 2 days and then fly to Phu Quoc for 4.
 
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Soldato
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I like the look of Ninh Binh! Any thing close to Hanoi is good for us as that's where I will be initially based.

I imagine Ninh Binh is drivable from Hanoi?

In order to get the most out of it I image I will have to book a tour with a travel guide?

How long would you spend in Ninh Binh?

Apparently, it's about a 2 hour drive from Hanoi

Watch this YT video and have a look at where they stayed, there's also a link to a $40 airbnb voucher too. This was a few weeks ago.

 
Associate
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WTF has happened to Bui Vien in last 2 years? changed massively and not for the better

My 'step mum' (or fathers hooker) has a spa on Bui Vien. Several things have happened, rents have gone up, money has moved in and Airbnb has moved backpackers out to D2 (An Phu). Many Backpackers now lodge cheaply in D2 and a lot of the restaurant culture / bar culture is moving to Xuan Thuy there where there is also all the expat money, including mine. 3 or 4 years ago the owners realised the regular customers were in D2, and that the rents (were) 25% of Bui Vien, at the same time there was an accommodation explosion there which made it cheaper for backpackers. Xuan Thuy is not druggy however.
 
Soldato
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Lincoln
This looks lovely.

What's it like? And how do you get there?

Are there any islands like Koh Tao in Vietnam?

Smallish, picturesque, busy enough, great beaches and a few bars. That's all we require.

Looking at the map of Con Dao, there is a small airport there and according to flightradar24, there are flights from HCM and Can Tho.

I do NOT recommend going to Nha Trang.
I was there 2013 for the first time, then went back 2018. Oh my how the place has changed in just 5 years. Crowded, loads of Russians and loud Chinese tourists, and it was just noisy!

Been to Phu Quoc as well. Was in the Vinpearl resort. Very clean, lovely quiet beach. It's also got a waterpark and other activities/amusements. Not sure if worth the money though.

One place I would highly recommend is Mui Ne. It's a small resort town not far from HCM with a long strip lined with palm trees. Good for surfing. Quite evenings but still have the bars, shops, restaurants and the seafood of course. There's mud baths and spas also. A few miles north and you're at the white and orange sand dunes and lotus lake!

Check out some of the photos here.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...2!3m1!1s0x31768e4c7f7c96b5:0x1a406b72c1020724

The wife is from Vietnam so I've been there a few times now. Singapore is also bloody amazing if you're in that part of the world (my favourite country now :D) but you should probably leave it for next time. ;)
 
Soldato
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Another vote for Hoi An, was brilliant. Quite enjoyed chartering a very cheap boat in Hue to go up the Perfume River to some of the temples, and there's a great fort right by the city too.
 
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