AboutAl Slagle Expertise I can answer questions about the following places: Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Hue, Hanoi, and Halong Bay. I can answer questions about accommodations, transportation, food, and sightseeing spots.
Experience I traveled from Cambodia into Vietnam and then made my way up the coast of Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi by train and bus.
Expert: Al Slagle Date: 2/6/2005 Subject: backpacking Vietnam
Question Al, my wife & I wish to backpack through Vietnam and see as much as possible- the cheapest possible way. What/How do you recommend us starting out and where. Where is the best place to start/finish. Advise on accomodation, money, travel, security, best time to travel ... more or less, can you please tell us all you can. Any info will be greatly appreciated and relevant web sites as well.
Thank you heaps.
Answer Dear Tim,
Hi, how are you doing? Sorry for the delay in responding. As for places to start and/or finish, it might depend on whether you are going to continue traveling in other countries or just stick to Vietnam on this trip. You could start in Ho Chi Minh City and work your way up the coast to Hanoi. From there if you wish to continue into China, you could head northwest to Sapa and into China which a lot of backpackers do. Or, you could start in Hanoi and work south. If you are sticking only to Vietnam, I don't see any differences to starting at either point.
Every city and tourist destination will have very cheap accommodations in the form of guesthouses. You can stay at relatively nice ones for US$2-10 per person per night. A guidebook might help you out or there will be plenty of people offering to take you to their guesthouses.
I'll give you a quick synopsis of my trip and I'll let you add or subtract places as you see fit. I started in HCMC and did the Cu Chi Tunnel tour and saw the War Remnants Museum, both of which I would recommend. I didn't do the Mekong Delta tour but I've heard good things about it. We found the city to be pretty safe and had no problems even though we had heard about pickpockets. Just be aware and take precautions like you would anywhere else. HCMC is an amazing city and just walking around was very exciting for me.
We made our way by train up to the resort town of Nha Trang. A good spot to just chill out for a few days and enjoy the beach. There's decent scuba diving and snorkelling in the area if you're into that.
We then went to Hue by train. I really liked that city because it wasn't too big and had lots of historical sites to see. Lots of travelers choose either Hue or Hoi An so you might want to see both or choose one. I also heard good things about Hoi An but I would recommend Hue for sure.
From there we took an overnight bus to Hanoi. Try to go to Ho Chi Minh's Tomb and see the Water Puppet show. Also, as a side trip, I highly recommend Halong Bay. You can join tours from Hanoi that provide you with accommodation and transportation. Definitely stay at least one night on the boat. Most tours will have a night on Cat Ba Island which wasn't too bad. It's a good idea to shop around the different travel agencies to bargain for and get the best deal.
That was the extent of my Vietnam trip but we heard that many travelers were continuing to Sapa northwest of Hanoi. I would love to go back to Vietnam and see more. My Lonely Planet says that there really aren't good or bad times to visit Vietnam. I would guess that from April to July is the hottest time of the year. I was there in September and found it to be beautiful. Long distance buses are very cheap and trains are a little more but also a decent way to travel. Just make sure to get a sleeper if you don't want to sit on a wooden seat for 14 hours!
That's about it. Sorry if it's a little disjointed but I hope I could help you out. Let me know if you have any other questions. Take care!
