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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