Is it worth a Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi visit?
Stepping out of the plane upon arrival to Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City you will feel like you have just entered a new world unknown! Immigration Visas took nearly two hours with people becoming uneasy and hysteric at these delays.
This was our first impression, it wouldn't end here... Grab a taxi and be prepared to fork out some extra cash if you hotel / hostel is in the outskirts of the city. Make sure you ask for the meter even before you get on or work out a fee initially.
Vietnam was cheaper than we thought!
Besides these first impressions, Vietnam is a country which has slowly escaped the dark doomed days of past Vietnam War and has developed links with neighbouring countries and since Bill Clinton forged business relations, Vietnam has enriched their business links with the USA.
In my humble opinion, Vietnam is cheaper than other places I have been to in South East Asia. Our budget clearly shows that our costs in Vietnam is nearly half than those in Bangkok. One tip on Vietnam is that you will take a few days to accustom to the traffic, for example, the sooner you come to terms which you simply have to cross the road knowing that all of the motorbikes could send you flying, they expect you to cross not in the red light but anytime because it seems there are no rules to crossing (more to read here). Contrary to Germany where pedestrians crossing the street on a green light results on an automatic fine of 25 Euros.
The southern part of Vietnam reflects less communism than northern cities and towns. Our experience of the south right up to the city of Hue was far more enjoyable as you can experience what we believe is the nicer and hotter part of the country, read our Motorcycle adventure in Hue here. To move north of the country, we would recommend overnight trains instead of buses, roads are not the greatest. However, bare in mind that overnight trains are a tad more expensive but you include your own accommodation for the night. If you do decide on overnight transport, just make sure you get a sleeper cabin for the train or a VIP bus for the road.
The southern part of Vietnam reflects less communism than northern cities and towns. Our experience of the south right up to the city of Hue was far more enjoyable as you can experience what we believe is the nicer and hotter part of the country, read our Motorcycle adventure in Hue here. To move north of the country, we would recommend overnight trains instead of buses, roads are not the greatest. However, bare in mind that overnight trains are a tad more expensive but you include your own accommodation for the night. If you do decide on overnight transport, just make sure you get a sleeper cabin for the train or a VIP bus for the road.
The South vs. the North
As you reach the northern cities always make sure to pack some clothes for chilly places such as Hanoi and Halong Bay as we visited these places in March 2014 and it was indeed cold, by packing beforehand, this will save you on buying warmer clothing.
Spending 10 - 14 days in Vietnam is enough to visit all the places of interest and this will be enough to travel from Hoi Chi Minh City to Hanoi. The best aspect of this is that Vietnam is not as expensive as we initially thought (post on expenses in Vietnam to follow soon!). We don't claim in being the strictest backpackers, but we also try to save every penny possible.
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The Beautiful Picturesque town of Hoi An
For more information on Vietnam and to organise your trip itinerary check this out:
Your views on Vietnam!
Have you travelled to Vietnam? What were your highlights? Dislikes? Places you would recommend to others?
Safe Travels!
Dylan
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We could not have survived our trip without having this to guide us through. It is a fantastic collection of trip itineraries, attractions to see, restaurants to visit and places to sleep! Well worth the money and not as heavy as I thought it would be carrying it. Enjoy your South East Adventure!
How much does a bathing costume cost in Vietnam?
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