Do
- spend some time in the cities of
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, but be careful when you
-
cross the
streets, all you see are motorcycles;
- learn more about the Vietnam War by visiting the War Remnants
Museum in Ho
-
Chi Minh city,
the DMZ (demilitarized zone) near Hué and the tunnels
of Cu Chi
-
and Vinh Moc;
-
make a 2 or 3 day hike around Sapa. To us, it was thé
highlight of Vietnam! Book
-
a trip at a good and recommended agency (look in your guide
book);
- visit Hué and Hoi An (cheap cloths and lovely town);
- go to the Mekong Delta for a few days, it's worth it.
And if you want to go to
-
Cambodia as well, enter the country through the Mekong River,
it's a great
-
experience!
- stay at the Dreams hotel in Dalat if you still want to
go here (see 'don't'). It was
-
a good hotel with breakfast and free internet (151 D
Phan Dinh Phung, Dalat).
Don't
-
travel by nightbus. We did it twice but it wasn't a pleasant
trip, mainly because
-
the drivers were too young,
didn't rest at all, were speeding or overtaking in
-
curves;
- save money on trips and be sure to book one at a recommended
agency. We
-
booked Sapa and Mekong Delta
through an agency but not the 3 day trip to
-
Halong Bay. We stayed
in a guesthouse and they booked it for us. They showed
-
pictures of the boat (we
wanted to stay one night on
a boat and one night in a
-
hotel on Cat Ba Island) and it all seemed ok... But they
wanted to earn more
-
money and booked a different boat, without telling us. It
was horrible: the room
- on the boat was so small,
you had to jump into the bed which was very dirty
-
(cigarette butts and footprints all over), we couldn't shower
because there was
-
no water and got sick from the food. We tried to get of
the boat but the
-
unfriendly people wouldn't help us. Later we heard that
this happens all the time.
-
People pay for a nice boat but get a much cheaper one in
the end. Be warned!
- go to Dalat if you are on a tight schedule, there is not
much to see... But, if you
-
have enough time (3 days or
so), explore the surroundings of Dalat with an easy
-
rider;
- always expect friendly people! Of course, every country
has people who are not
-
that honest or try to make
money out of you but in Vietnam we experienced too
-
many bad stuff. And that's a shame
because it's a beautiful country!
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