We are thinking of going to Vietnam for Xmas this year and wondered which part to go to? We love Thailand and Goa and are looking for somewhere different that offers good beaches, pretty scenery, shopping and a good choice of local restaurants.
Nha Trang - I've only seen a few photographs but is it quite built up? It didn't seem particularly scenic.
Hoi An - is this a good option?
An example of a place that we like is Krabi: lovely beaches, choice of restaurants etc but still retaining some charm and character.
Any advice would be much appreciated!
Sounds like Mui Ne could be the place for you - it's about 3 hours - 4 hours drive from Saigon, I've not been myself but looked at lots of info on the net and it looks lovely.
Nha trang is said to be quite 'high rise' and Hoi An looks beautiful but is a little cool in our winter.
Nha trang is said to be quite 'high rise' and Hoi An looks beautiful but is a little cool in our winter.
Hi
The beaches in Vietnam are not as nice as in Thailand.
We visited Phan Thiet (Mui Ne) for 3 nights last September (Victoria Phan Thiet) and there is nothing near by. The beach wasn't very good. We basically got bored the first day.
On the other hand Hoi An we loved. We spent 3 nights there aswell. There is so many small restaurants, shops - mainly tailors but you would find other shops too. The beach is very nice - if you stayed in the Centre of Hoi An the beach is few kilometres away but there are resorts on the beach. If you got bored you can go to see 'My Son' which is Unesco site 1 hour away by car.
If I was going to Vietnam again I would go to Hoi An.
The beaches in Vietnam are not as nice as in Thailand.
We visited Phan Thiet (Mui Ne) for 3 nights last September (Victoria Phan Thiet) and there is nothing near by. The beach wasn't very good. We basically got bored the first day.
On the other hand Hoi An we loved. We spent 3 nights there aswell. There is so many small restaurants, shops - mainly tailors but you would find other shops too. The beach is very nice - if you stayed in the Centre of Hoi An the beach is few kilometres away but there are resorts on the beach. If you got bored you can go to see 'My Son' which is Unesco site 1 hour away by car.
If I was going to Vietnam again I would go to Hoi An.
Sorry I made a mistake: instead of Mui any suppose to be Mui Ne 
Oh.. just realised that I cannot write Mui-ne in two words
Thanks for your advice, we shall keep searching I think ...
Have got an opportunity for some cheap flights from Bangkok to Hanoi, does anybody using this site know how to get from Hanoi to Hoi An easily. Any feedback on hotels, restaurants and thing to do would be grateful. Thanks.
We had 3 nights in Hoi An and hated it. The whole place is geared towards tailors/shoe makers and if that is what you want then great, but as were still had 4 months travelling we didn't want any excess baggage.
There was one really good restaurant which was a Vietnamese take on Mexcian food, I can't for the life remember the name though. It was very expensive compared to other restaurants but was easily the best food in Hoi An.
As for My Son, yes it is an option but compared to the temples of Angkor it really was one huge let down. Our guide did warn us but we still made the trip up there to see the sun rise over the temples. Unfortunately our bus driver decided to pick us up late, stop for petrol on the way and then try and convince us to have breakfast first as the transfer buses were not operational that early. We decided to walk ourselves from the drop off point to the temples but missed the sun rise. We demaned a reduction in the cost which we eventually got.
We found the major cities in Vietnam to be good, Saigon and Hanoi but everything else was a bit disappointing.
Sorry for the bleak post.
There was one really good restaurant which was a Vietnamese take on Mexcian food, I can't for the life remember the name though. It was very expensive compared to other restaurants but was easily the best food in Hoi An.
As for My Son, yes it is an option but compared to the temples of Angkor it really was one huge let down. Our guide did warn us but we still made the trip up there to see the sun rise over the temples. Unfortunately our bus driver decided to pick us up late, stop for petrol on the way and then try and convince us to have breakfast first as the transfer buses were not operational that early. We decided to walk ourselves from the drop off point to the temples but missed the sun rise. We demaned a reduction in the cost which we eventually got.
We found the major cities in Vietnam to be good, Saigon and Hanoi but everything else was a bit disappointing.
Sorry for the bleak post.
you can only give your honest view- that is what makes holidaytruths so good.
Thanks Fiona.
I read my comments back and just thought if someone had posted something similar for a trip I was planning it would put a dampner on things, but as you say, it is the whole point of a forum.
The restaurant in Hoi An was called the Mango Rooms btw. It was a very interesting take on Mexican food, but was absolutely stunning both in taste and presentation. Well worth the extra money.
I read my comments back and just thought if someone had posted something similar for a trip I was planning it would put a dampner on things, but as you say, it is the whole point of a forum.
The restaurant in Hoi An was called the Mango Rooms btw. It was a very interesting take on Mexican food, but was absolutely stunning both in taste and presentation. Well worth the extra money.
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