View Full Version : Holiday Destination: Vietnam
I am thinking of going vietnam for a holiday, maybe to the city of Ho Chi Minh.
Do any of you guys went there before? Any suggestion on the attractions and is there any fun stuff we can do there? Nightlife?
Ser Clegane
04-08-2007, 09:25
I am thinking of going vietnam for a holiday, maybe to the city of Ho Chi Minh.
Do any of you guys went there before? Any suggestion on the attractions and is there any fun stuff we can do there? Nightlife?
Just stumbled across this one.
My wife and I have been to Vietnam a year ago (with a short stop at Bangkok and a couple of days at Angkor) and enjoyed it very much (some pics of the trip are here (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=62702)).
HCMC is a very vibrant city and has a much more "commercial" touch than the rest of the country. This is not necessarily a negative thing as people there are also more open than in the North and if you are looking for some nightlife HCMC certainly is the city of choice in Vietnam (I cannot give you any useful tips about the nightlife though as we spend so much time walking and traveling during the day that we did not actually explore the nightlife except going out for dinner).
The only trip we did in the vicinity of HCMC was a day-trip to the Mekong-Delta, but friends of us also visited the Cu Chi Tunnels (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu_Chi) and the Cao Dai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_dai) temple near HCMC which was apparently quite interesting (unfortunately we did not have enough time to do this).
Personally my wife and I enjoyed the North (Hanoi, Halong Bay, Ba Be National Park) and its more rural character more than the South but this of course a matter if taste.
Hue in central Vietnam was definitely a highlight (I am sure Adrian II will agree) and I would recommend to go there if you have enough time (be sure to have an umbrella with you though - considering all I have seen and heard it seems to rain permanently there ~:))
If you plan to go to HCMC and e.g., Hue and do not have all the time of the world I would recommend to travel by plane as the train takes ages (and by car is not really a feasible option as you would have to hire a driver and it's not very fast either).
In case you plan to make any guided tours, we made some short tours with Handspan (http://www.handspan.com/) - more expansive than most of the many offerings for tours, but very good (well organized, excellent guides).
Let me know if you have some more questions and enjoy your trip (I am sure you will)
:bow:
haha thanks for the information, I want like to know more of the Mekong-Delta. What sort of fun activities can you do there as i only know that it is a river market.
Ser Clegane
04-10-2007, 19:13
You can do various boat tours in that area (and apparently some places are also nice for making bicycle tours).
The towns of Chau Doc, Can Tho and My Tho also seem to be worthwhile to just walk around and explore a little bit (we only spent some time at My Tho, though).
I guess trying the exotic fruit they are growing in that area won't be particularly exciting for somebody from Singapore ~:)
haha, if their fruits are dragon fruits and mangosteen then i have my fair share of them in Singapore. But i was thinking if there is other kind of exotic food like deep fried insects or their famous snake wine then all are welcome.
What i am looking for is a chance to experience the local culture and do some sightseeing of its attractions like Cu Chi Tunnels. It will be like a five days trip with my buddies, kind of like a bonding trip before our enlistment. Of course our budget won't be too high as we are students.
Zalmoxis
04-11-2007, 07:26
I am thinking of going vietnam for a holiday, maybe to the city of Ho Chi Minh.
Do any of you guys went there before? Any suggestion on the attractions and is there any fun stuff we can do there? Nightlife?
I'd like to go to Vietnam some day (far future, probably) but the only thing I know about Ho Chi Minh City is from the song Straight To Hell.
I'd like to go to Vietnam some day (far future, probably) but the only thing I know about Ho Chi Minh City is from the song Straight To Hell.
Good song. I was thinking the same thing.
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