Are you planning an upcoming trip or thinking about one for the distant future? MarkontheMap offers free travel advice – no catch. All you have to do is send an email to markonthemapadvice@gmail.com and you will receive a personal response as soon as possible (taking into account that internet is not always available on the road). Make sure to send some specific questions and a general idea of what you are after. Some areas of expertise include:
Budget Travel / Backpacking
Work/Studying Abroad
Gap Year
Obtaining Visas
Long Term Travel on a Shoestring
Travel In the United States / Canada
Travel in Southeast Asia
Travel in Oceania
Travel in the Caribbean
Travel in Western Europe
Here’s your chance for some free words of wisdom… fire away!
Hi Mark,
I am enjoying dipping into your blog of late about Vietnam. I am travelling to Vietnam at Christmas time for around 20 days. I wondered in your experience where would be the ‘not to miss’ location or must have experience you have had while there! I know that’s a hard question and a tad open ended and is subject to the individuals tastes etc but basically we are still drawing up an itinerary and are fishing around for advice really.
Regards
James
hey,
Well, as you may have already read, I am not a huge fan of Hanoi but it’s a good base for exploring the north. Many people enjoy Sapa which is supposedly quite beautiful but no secret destination. Definitely go to Halong Bay but don’t waste too much time trying to stay on Cat Ba island as it will be winter and quite cold for going to the beach, etc. It will be colder than you think in the north so be prepared for winter weather especially if you go to Sapa. In the middle, Hue is a great place for a few days to see the remnents of the old capital and check out some opulent tombs. Hoi An is a nice stop for some luxuries and a beautiful city for food, drink, shopping, culture, and history. Saigon is more cosmopolitan than Hanoi and there are plenty of war related museums and places around you can explore. Also Dalat is not far and is a nice mountain retreat from Saigon. To the south, the Mekong Delta can be easily explored as a day trip or an overnight from Saigon but you will only see what everyone else sees. My reccomendation is to hire your own boat to explore the delta or rent a motorbike because the true joys of the delta lay off the hit and run tourist path from Saigon. I hope this advice helps, sorry so rushed as I have limited internet time here in malaysia! Good luck in your planning.
Hi,
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my questions I appreciate all the advice given above, it certainly seems that even 3 weeks is not going to be enough, I see another trip on the horizon very soon afterwards! Thanks again and I hope your journey continues to be as exciting and fascinating as it seems to have been so far.
Regards
James