Friday, July 3, 2009

Good Morning, Vietnam!


We booked plane tickets to visit Vietnam and Cambodia this September! 

Now we need your help... do you have recommendations about places to stay, things to do, or restaurants to eat at?

We opted to forego the organized tour, so we're planning the itinerary on our own. We appreciate any advice!


9 comments:

Chris and Amy said...

I haven't been yet, but can't wait to hear your report. Those 2 are definitely on our list of places to get to while we're here.

Unknown said...

Mary:
I think an organized tour lets you lear a lot more in a short time. Your aunt and I just got back (6 months ago) and I recommend Viet Nam it was my favorite country to visit. Definitely go to Nha Trang ( I was stationed there for a year) It is a beautiful beach and hotels are great.
I'm getting your phone number from your mom and I'll tell you more.
Your uncle and aunt, Jim and Gloria

... said...

We did both Cambodia (Siem Reap area) and Vietnam (Saigon and MuiNe area) in one trip. We went out of Bangkok and got our visa for Vietnam there because it was easier and cheaper to fly round trip to Bangkok and then book the rest of the trip round trip from Bangkok and back and who doesn't like a little time in Thailand too? The visa was quick and cheap in Bangkok too. The Cambodia visa is available at the airport when you land there if you fly in.

We did 4 days in Siem Reap and the Angkor Wat area and pretty much saw all of the temples and outlying areas. Then we did 10 days in Vietnam (7 in Saigon and 4 in MuiNe).

We never do organized tours for our trips but we did book at trip to the Chuchi tunnels one day out of Saigon since we didn't have a rental car while we were there. I think we did a little boat tour of the Mekong Delta too from the harbor in Saigon.

In Siem Reap, we ended up just hiring the taxi driver that took us from the airport to our hotel for the 4 days we were there for about 20 bucks a day and he drove us every where we wanted to go from 9am -9pm every night and back to the airport on our last day. He also took us to visit his house and meet his family and to a wedding reception of his friend's which were both awesome experiences.

Make sure you have extra cards for your cameras because you will take TONS of pictures...in Cambodia, you can find lots of little internet shops that will burn your pics to CD if you don't have extra cards.

I would love to go back and see more of each country but I am thankful to have been to each and to able to say that I have been to Angkor Wat in this lifetime because it is really is such an amazing thing.

Fly Girl said...

Haven't done either but am very excited for you! Will be looking forward to lots of posts, especially for food.

Mary and Sean said...

Uncle Jimmy,
You and Gloria always do the best traveling! Would love to hear your Vietnam stories!

Mary and Sean said...

Mishka,
Thanks for your suggestions. Your trip sounds wonderful! Lucky you to have had so much time there...ufortunately due to husband's work schedule, we only have 9 days.

We have to make every minute count! Shouldn't be hard though. It looks so colorful and interesting. Can't wait!

mina said...

Hi! Thanks for the kind words... organized tours are for suckers! Planning your own itinerary is the way to go. I wish I could give you tips, but I have yet to visit those places - I'm sure we'll be soliciting advice from you soon. Happy travels!

Mary and Sean said...

Hi Mina,
We really enjoy planning all the details of our travel. A little more work and worry, but usually so worth it in the end. I also like having control over exactly what we do on our schedule.

Where have you planned your own trips to?

Guide to Bangkok Hotels said...

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