Is it a reasonable deal to go on a 14d/13n tour in Vietnam for $900?

Question

I am Vietnamese and can speak the language, but I don't know anyone there to take me around Vietnam. I only have 3 weeks and I want to experience VN to its fullest. Would a tour do me good or I would be better off finding my ways around? Thanks for all your replies.

Answer 1

Pretty decent price but if you know the language you can probably get around by yourself for much cheaper.  My roundtrip ticket to Vietnam just this past December was only 680 USD.  If you're in Saigon make sure you check out the Ben Thanh market.  At night when the market closes, they open up new stalls outside that sell everything from food to clothes and shoes.  Enjoy the dirt cheap food there, you can't beat 50 cents for a bowl of pho in the morning.

Answer 2

Yes, it's a good deal - but why would you want to go?  The country is horrible.  Save your money and rent Platoon.

Answer 3

you can get around real good on your own, taking the plane ,train,bus when traveling from town to town. moto taxi, xich lo and bicycle when doing local trips. stay in good safe clean mini hotels and eat real well for a grand total of $40us a day.. maybe less...local tours are ok once in a while but i would not lock myself in a tour group for 3weeks.. you'd regret that...

Answer 4

I've been to Vietnam twice. The first time I went with my dad, who is a vet in '69, and we did the "tour" thing you are talking about. Personally, I didn't like the tour experience at all. Tours in Vietnam seems to be very structured, you go to the main tourist attractions, stay for a predetermined amount of time (when times up you leave regardless of whether you are ready to leave or not) and eat at restaurant with business relationships with the tour operators and therefore a menu geared towards western tastes. Plus, there are numerous stops along that way to frivolous places that sells souvenirs or candy or just junk.  If you see something that looks interesting and its not on the itinerary, there is no chance they'll stop. Personally, I didn't enjoy that tour very much because I felt like I was too insulated from the local people when traveling in a big group of western tourists with a company catering to tourists. It just didn't feel authentic to me. Its just not want I look for when I travel.

The second time I went, I bought a good guide book, (lonely planet), my backpack, and a good pair of hiking books and went through the entire country in 15 days on my own. Since I knew what I wanted to see, I planned stays in saigon, nah trang, hue, and hanoi, around what I wanted to see. Plus I had the freedom to go exploring other areas I stumbled on to. I got the chance to communicate and talk to (as best I could considering I don't know vietnamese) the locals. That was really the best part of my trip. Most of the major historical sights have guides that speak english and  getting around between big cities was a fairly easy process. Since you can speak the language, its going to be a lot easier for you to get around.

So really, it depends on what kind of vacation experience you want. The tour is a lot less "work" on your end but it results in a less "real" trip, at least in my opinion. I like the process of finding my own way in a different country. Hope you enjoy your trip and don't get sick.

Answer 5

Go on your own.  

Vietnam is the in place to visit right now. If you start in Hanoi make sure to take the night train to Sapa and stay at the Mountain View Hotel. (Great views and inexpensive)  It could be the highlight of your trip. Take the 2 day tour to Halong Bay. Very nice. Then start south bound. I firmly believe that Hoi An is the best place to visit in Vietnam. The ancient town is a World Heritage city and absolutely beautiful. The beach is white sand and 40 kilometers long. Vietnam is really inexpensive. Hotels cost about $10 a night. You can find beer at less than 15 cents a glass. So you can do your trip well within your budget.

The people are wonderful. Pass on Nha Trang unless you like multi story buildings on the beach although there is some great diving off the coast and the party scene is pretty good.  Some people love Nha Trang.  Dalat is great and Saigon is always and experience. Phu Quoc was disappointing to me. They just don't have a clue as far as conservation and the beach's and harbors were filthy. The infrastructure is just not there yet but you can see that the island will be something special in the future. It’s not special now. The Mekong is great with lots of things to see but you can do it in a couple of days. You are going to have a great time. I went around the world to many different countries. I have been on the road for over two years.  I chose to purchase a house in Hoi An. It’s the best.

Ashley D,  Have you even been to Vietnam?  If you have I don't think you would make a blanket statement that is so WRONG! Wrong, wrong.  Vietnam is wonderful!

Answer 6

Transport is good, food is cheap, and hotels are relatively inexpensive - $25/night or so, depending on where you want to go bus or train will get you there. If you speak tieng Viet, I would think you could easily have a much more interesting and less expensive experience going on your own, rather than a tour - unless there is a tour that does exactly what you want!

I second Traveller's sentiments. And Mountain View is a nice hotel.