REQUEST Vietnam Tour/Hotel packages

DSJ said:   Start here: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam

Thanks DSJ, there's a great wealth of information here and will be awesome for planning the trip. Do you think I'm better off exploring solo or would you recommend going on a tour?

Ananrefugee said:   There's a street in downtown Saigon that's all tour operators, whether for a day trip or weeks long (my cousin-in-law works there as she speaks English and Japanese). 3-4 years ago a one-day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels and the Mekong was $15, I'm sure the high inflation has made the price go up $5-10 . You can book trips to Vung Tao, Moui Nai, Da Lat, Da Nang, etc. (pardon my spelling errors). If you need the name of the street I can get it for you, but everyone in Saigon can point the way

You rock! So you think I should fly into Saigon or Hanoi? I here that it's better in the central/southern region?

And don't forget Nha Trang Beach. It is very great!

District 1. Corner of Bui Vien and Pham Ngu Lao. You will get all info there.

novocane said:   I did a tour last winter from Hanoi to Saigon, stopping along the way in Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Danang, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet. It was a lot of fun. We used a vietnamese american tour group called AV Online Travel - http://avtravel.com/ (they are based in California). They are not the cheapest, but their tour guide (David) is great and can speak English well =)

Thanks for the link bud, I'm looking into them right now...I really do appreciate it and thanks again for taking the time to reply to this thread.

Beatnitup said:   DSJ said:   Start here: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam

Thanks DSJ, there's a great wealth of information here and will be awesome for planning the trip. Do you think I'm better off exploring solo or would you recommend going on a tour?

Personally, I prefer doing it solo rather than going on a tour. Often times, tours will go to places that are only minimally interesting to you or force you go to mini stops where you can buy things (and they get a kickback). Going solo, you avoid these. However, going solo isn't for everybody. My father much prefers tours as everything is taken care of for you and you don't have as many issues with communication (could be very important in countries that don't speak your language).

With that in mind, I met a Vietnamese girl while I was living in Korea and she mentioned this travel agency which is based in Ho Chi Minh City - The Sinh Tourist. When I was in Vietnam last month, we used them for a day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnel, for a 2-day tour via the Mekong Delta into Cambodia as well inter-city buses. Their prices are quite inexpensive by western standards and their service is good too. They have offices in most of the major cities in Vietnam. Just be aware that there are also other operators using the same name, but charging higher prices.

Hope this helps some.