We decided to spend our honeymoon in Nha Trang. We rested from July 31 to August 13, 2017, the LegendSea Hotel. Further the story will be divided into blocks for convenience.

Tour operator/airline/flight. As far as we understand, only 2 tour operators carry to Vietnam. We vacationed with someone whose name starts with A. They have their own airline - Azur Air. There is online check-in 24 hours, but good seats (with more legroom) can only be bought at the front desk if you arrive at opening (3 hours before departure). It costs around 2 thousand per person, I'm not sure exactly. For the return flight online registration no. The same good places can be bought from guides for $80 per person. Our flight was delayed by about 2.5 hours. On the plane, everyone is given a kit that contains earplugs, an inflatable pillow and an eye patch. On the way back, such a set is no longer given, so it is better to save it. I don’t know if this is due to the fact that we had a night flight there, but it was very cold on the plane. The blankets given to each did not save. It is better to take something warm with you. We flew back in the afternoon - it was very hot in the plane. They feed 2 times. The food is disgusting. A child may have a snack, but an adult is definitely not. Therefore, I advise you to take something to eat with you.

We had a meeting with the guide the next day. The guide's name is Victor. I will definitely find where to separately leave a review about this guide, because it is some kind of horror. The purpose of the meeting was to sell us excursions. And that's it. No important or useful information he did not bring us. Didn't even offer a free sightseeing tour. After he heard that we were not going to buy excursions from him, he sent us almost in plain text and said “I hope we don’t see each other again.” I will tell you about where and what excursions to buy below.

Currency. Since I will write the cost in local currency everywhere else, I will write about it right away. In Vietnam, the local currency is called dong. For one dollar, they give approximately 22,600 Vietnamese dong. That is, you can feel like a millionaire) Exchangers in Vietnam are everywhere - in almost any store, the rate is about the same. In hotels, of course, the rate is very bad. Upon arrival, we were warned to be careful with banknotes of 20,000 and 500,000, because they are both blue and are often confused. Frankly, I do not really understand how they can be confused. But 100,000 and 10,000 are much easier to confuse - they are both green and the difference is only one zero. By the way, banknotes with a face value higher than 10,000 dong do not tear and do not get wet, very convenient)

Vietnamese dongs (picture from the Internet)

Weather/sea/beach. The temperature in August in Nha Trang during the day is 35 degrees, at night it does not drop much - up to 27 degrees. This is not so much, we expected the worst. Especially after many stories that in August it was so hot in Asia that there was nothing to do there. Absolutely calmly tolerated temperature. Unless, of course, you have any heart problems. We were last year in March in the Emirates - it felt like it was hotter there. It rained once in 2 weeks. He passed in an hour. Do not believe the forecasts that write that it rains every day in Nha Trang.

The sea is clean. The beach is sandy and clean. Sunbeds are paid - every 50 meters there is a "company" that offers you to take sunbeds from them. average cost from 70,000 to 100,000 dong for 2 sunbeds for the whole day. That is, you can take it in the morning, go out for lunch in the afternoon and come back to the same sunbeds. All these barkers for their sunbeds say that they have all the amenities (shower, toilet), but in fact this is not so - either you have to go somewhere for these amenities, or the shower is a big vat with a ladle. The only proper shower we found is by the Louisiana restaurant. The cost of sunbeds there is 90 thousand per day for two. Not so much, but there are all the amenities. Plus, even though these sunbeds are restaurant related, they are okay with you bringing your own food or drinks. It takes about 10 minutes to walk to Louisiana from our hotel. Our compatriots, who are especially desperate, do not take sunbeds, but sunbathe directly on a towel on the sand, without any umbrellas. In this heat, this is a very rash act.

There are very few people on the beach, do not be afraid of this. The Chinese only come to the beach at 5 pm to wet their feet - they do not sunbathe and do not swim. But about the Chinese below.

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Nha Trang beach (photo from the Internet)

Streets / construction / local. The streets really smell bad. Mostly because of that damn fruit, Durian, which is sold everywhere. I can’t even imagine who buys and eats it - I have never seen it. But they say the Chinese like it. To give you an idea of ​​how badly it stinks - bringing Durian is prohibited in all hotels, shopping malls and the airport. This smell is very hard to get rid of. The second factor in the stink is the locals who throw their trash right on the side of the road. They are so accustomed, apparently, they have such a way of life. In fairness, I note that at night all the garbage is removed, so that it does not have time to accumulate to a colossal size.

After reading the reviews, I was afraid that construction sites in Nha Trang were just around the corner. This is both true and not true at the same time. Yes, there really are construction sites, there are quite a few of them. But they are very compact and can not be called noisy. That is, they do not strain at all. The constantly honking traffic participants are much more annoying. But more on that below.

The locals are very friendly and smiling. Why so many say otherwise is beyond me. Russians are very fond of. And this is not surprising, given the many years of friendship between Vietnam and the Soviet Union. The lifestyle of the locals is very interesting - they get up with the sun, at 4-5 in the morning, and after 10 pm you almost never see them on the street. They also have Siesta, which is found in Spain, and in Latin America. But it manifests itself very unusually in them - the Vietnamese during the day, in the very heat, when they are exhausted, they can fall asleep right where they want. So sleeping on the sidewalks, on the roads, on the grass, on the benches, the Vietnamese are a common thing.

Streets of Nha Trang (photo from the Internet)

Road traffic/bike rental. Rules traffic not in Vietnam. From the word in general. They drive in the opposite direction, drive on a red light, do not let pedestrians through, turn around anywhere, etc. The unspoken rule is that the larger the car, the more priority it has. That is, buses and trucks drive, despite the mirrors, and will never let pedestrians pass in their lives. In general, no one ever looks in the mirrors, so they all honk - they warn other road users about their presence on the road. Now imagine a crazy stream of bikes, like in any other country in Asia, honking every 10 seconds. People who have been living there for 5 years say that it is impossible to get used to it. Given all of the above, bikes are rarely rented there. I would recommend that those who want to rent a bike in Nha Trang do not do it on the first day, but after getting used to this movement a little. Whether it makes sense to take a bike at all is a moot point. In Nha Trang itself, there are only 4 attractions that can be easily reached by bus, or quite inexpensively by taxi. You can go to the countryside beautiful deserted beaches ... but, I repeat, the beach in Nha Trang itself is very clean, and there are quite a few people there.

Traffic in Nha Trang (photo from the Internet)

Hotel. Finally, we got to it. Let me remind you - we rested at the LegendSea Hotel. Formally, the hotel is on the second line, but it’s only 200 meters to the beach. Since we had a honeymoon trip, we took the most expensive room category, which is called CLUB LUXURY QUEEN OCEAN VIEW (for 13 nights with breakfast only, we paid 117 thousand ). We arrived at the hotel at 6 pm, they issued us in just a couple of minutes. Our room was on the 5th floor (the hotel has 19 floors in total). Despite the fact that the room itself was amazing, we wanted to live higher - the view is much better (including the sea), and the street is not so much audible. We immediately went to the reception, and very convincingly began to ask us to change the room. They agreed, but asked for a surcharge for this. In general, our proceedings continued for some time, since we could not understand in any way why we should pay extra for the same category of room, but on a different floor. As a result, we were given a 50% discount and we agreed, we were settled on the 15th floor. For 13 nights we paid about 180 bucks extra. We did not understand whether we were divorced or not, but the entire reception of 3 people told us that there was no other way.

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Legend Sea Luxury Queen Room

The hotel is good, new, all the furniture is fresh. 4 stars well deserved. Of the minuses, I can note the following: 1. The water pressure in the shower is disgusting. This was mainly due to the hose being pinched. Maybe other rooms are better, but I'm not sure. 2. Water temperature is poorly regulated. Cool water flows by default. To make it warmer, you need to wait a couple of minutes. 3. This is of course a trifle, but annoying. The light in the room is turned off only in the hallway. In all hotels, the light is always turned off near the bed. 4. Swimming pool ... I even find it hard to call it that. This is a children's frog. The dimensions are about 2.5 by 5 meters, the depth is only 1.2 meters. Most likely, in other hotels the pools are not much better, but he greatly upset us. Near our hotel there is a hotel Rosaka. There is a higher pool - approximately on the 22nd floor. Its dimensions are also small, but it is deeper, and is an infinity pool. We went there without problems - no one said anything. The employees don't know that we are from another hotel)

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Rosaka hotel swimming pool

Many complain about the number of Chinese in the hotel. But they are everywhere. I don't think there are hotels in Nha Trang exclusively for Russians. Breakfast is good, the choice is not very big, but there is. Fruit is always available.

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View from our room

Excursions. Well, perhaps the most interesting thing) There are a lot of excursions in Vietnam, they are quite inexpensive, so you definitely need to go. Do not lie on the beach the whole vacation) I'll start the story with the sights in Nha Trang itself. There are, as I said, 4 - a rock garden, Ponagar Cham towers, St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral, and Long Son Pagoda (if I remember all these names correctly). As far as I know, the rock garden and the pagoda are included in the free sightseeing tour, but since our guide turned out to be a bastard, we visited them all ourselves. Or rather, everything except the rock garden. For you to understand, these are just two large boulders with a beautiful legend and a crowd of Chinese. If you have never seen cobblestones or you don’t have enough Chinese in the city, you can go. We looked from the taxi window - it was enough for us) The Cham towers are worth a visit. I can’t say that this is some kind of indescribable beauty, but this is the main attraction of the city. You can read the history on the Internet - quite interesting. The Catholic Cathedral and Long Son Pagoda are located next to each other, so you can drive to one of these places, and walk to the second. The Catholic Cathedral is the most common, which is everywhere where there are Catholics, but worth a visit. But the pagoda is really beautiful. There you should definitely go upstairs to the big Buddha. You can also read about this place in advance on the Internet, it will be more interesting. By the way, it was in this pagoda "Eagle and Tails" that 100 dollars were hidden. All these places are free, except for the Cham towers - there the entrance costs 22,000 per person.

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Cham towers PoNagar (photo from the Internet)

Entrance to the Long Son Pagoda (photo from the Internet)

Long Son Pagoda (photo from the Internet)

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Buddha above the pagoda (photo from the Internet)

Now about street operators and interesting excursions. We took all the excursions to the Pineapple Tour - there are many of their branches throughout the city. Having traveled on excursions, I can say that in addition to Anans, there are a lot of buses from Mir Tour and from the Russian Information Center. We did not see other buses (well, not counting the operators Anex and CoralTravel). This I mean that there are other street operators in Nha Trang, but most likely they just resell their tours to others. Of course, I can’t say anything about the RIC and World Tour, but I have no complaints about Pineapple - everything is just super. I would like to say special thanks to the guide Sasha, who constantly drives to Dalat. Prices in Pineapple were compared with the RIC and Katyusha Tour - by and large the same. Maybe a couple of bucks difference. But for tour operators, the price differs significantly, although they will argue that everything is the same for them. For comparison, we bought a 2-day excursion to Dalat for $69 per person, while Anex sells the same one for $115. The guides at the meeting will still say that a lot of things are not included in the tours of street operators, a lot of surcharges, etc. Do not believe it - it's all nonsense. On excursions in Dalat, we paid extra only for electric sledges and cable cars - 3 bucks per person. In any case, $69+6 is not comparable to $115. So, we figured out who to take from, now let's move on to the most interesting thing - what to take.

Dalat. Since I already mentioned it, I'll start with it. Dalat is a French city located at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level. It is also called the city of flowers. Drive from Nha Trang 3 hours one way along the serpentine.

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Observation deck on the way to Dalat

Excursions to Dalat are one-day and two-day. If possible, you should definitely go for 2 days. You will see a completely different Vietnam, visit a bunch beautiful waterfalls and pagodas, visit coffee plantations, try the most expensive coffee in the world, ride an elephant, an ostrich and a bull, visit a crazy house and much more interesting things. By the way, about waterfalls. In 2 weeks in Vietnam, we visited 5 waterfalls. The largest and most beautiful of them - Pongur (if I remember correctly), is located in Dalat. Our guide from Pineapple Tour said that only they and CoralTravel take to this waterfall. I don't know if this is true or not, but it's definitely worth a visit. There is also an insanely beautiful pagoda made of broken dishes, porcelain and glass. This is an incredibly beautiful building. It simply boggles the imagination.

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Pongour Falls (photo from the Internet)

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The prayer hall of the pagoda broken glass. The photo does not convey all the beauty

In August, it is warm in Dalat - 25 degrees during the day. However, after lunch, both days when we were there, it was pouring tropical rain. The temperature was dropping, and I wanted to wear something warmer. But we had nothing, and we, in principle, did not freeze. Food is provided on excursions, accommodation in an excellent four-star hotel, so you should not worry about this. We took 100 bucks with us and spent everything. Mainly for coffee. Where, if not on coffee plantations, buy it) But no one obliges you to do this.

Paradise Zoklet Beach + Bajo Waterfall. The tour costs 28 bucks per person, if I'm not mistaken. If you take only Zoklet beach, then 22 bucks. What is Bajo Falls. This is at first a kilometer over rough terrain, then 15-20 minutes to climb up huge boulders. Not everyone can withstand such a test. People of age and weight especially. Therefore, calculate your strength. The waterfall itself is tiny. It is even difficult to call it a waterfall, it is so small. But at its foot you can swim. There are two ways down the road - the same way, along the boulders, as well as up, or through the jungle along the cliff. We went the second way, hoping that it would be easier. I can’t say for sure where it was easier) On the one hand, the road itself was simpler, but on the other hand, it was along a cliff. We were at this waterfall for about two hours, after which we went to Zoklet beach. There is really white sand, azure sea and almost no one. You can take a bunch of cool pictures and enjoy the view. To go to Bajo or not - the choice is yours. But lying all day on this Zoklet is also very boring.

Bajo waterfall

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Zoklet beach (photo from the Internet)

Yangbay waterfall. Costs 22 bucks per person. It's definitely worth the trip. The huge territory of the park, which has: thermal springs and pools with different temperatures water (from 20 to 65 degrees), riding ostriches, pig races, cockfights, feeding bears, a crocodile farm where you can feed crocodiles from a fishing rod, a tree of desires, feeding fish from a bottle, and, of course, beautiful views and the waterfall itself. We didn't even have enough time to enjoy everything to the fullest. It seems to me that you can come here on your own and spend the whole day calmly.

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Hot Springs at Yangbei Waterfall

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The waterfall itself

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wish tree

Crocodile farm

Mud bathiResort. It costs differently everywhere. The most logical and cheapest way to visit it next is to come to the Russian information center, which are on almost every corner in Nha Trang, and leave from there by transfer. Transfer costs 100 thousand for two round trip. It's cheaper for two. If there are four of you, you can also take a taxi. Buy a ticket on the spot according to the program you want. There are many programs, they cost from a couple of hundred to 6 million dong per person. We took a ticket for 450 thousand per person. It included 20 minutes of mud bath, 20 minutes herbal bath and snacks. Well, the rest of the territory is at your disposal. What is on the territory - five hot pools mineral water(in the heat of 35 degrees, I didn’t really want to be in a hot pool), a couple of “Chinese joy” waterfalls (at my house the shower hits harder than these waterfalls), and something called a sharko shower, although to be honest, mosquitoes bite more painfully than this shower "beats" you. If you want funny pictures from a mud bath or you like it, you can visit. Otherwise, it's a waste of time.

Mud bath iResort (photo from the Internet)

Surfing. I saw Surfing services from street tour operators for $70 per person. We found our compatriot there, who has been living in Nha Trang for 5 years and gives surf lessons. We got only 80 bucks for two. I will not leave his contacts, I think you can find anything on the Internet. We rode on a country beach. The waves there, of course, are not the same as they show in the movies, but such that you learn how to stand on the board. For ticks and general development cool job. But it is clear that there is no sense from one lesson.

Winpearl. A place that is on the must-see list for all tourists in Nha Trang. Winpearl is an entertainment island that is connected to the mainland by a cable car. What is on Winpearl - a water park, attractions, an aquarium, a dolphinarium, slot machines, inflatable obstacle courses, a zoo, a bird park, flower gardens, a Ferris wheel and maybe something else. Winpearl tickets are sold everywhere, they cost 36 bucks per person (you only pay for entrance ticket, inside everything is free). At the anex, the tour costs 75 bucks, but lunch is included. You can dine there, of course, much cheaper than 40 bucks per person. You can get to the place where the cable car starts from by bus or taxi - it's quite inexpensive. You need to arrive there at the opening - by 8 in the morning. Because by 8-30 heaps of tour operator buses arrive and there are a lot of people. After you get to the island, the first thing you need to do is go to the electric sleigh. In the morning you stand in line for 15 minutes, and in the afternoon this line stretches up to two hours. Electric sledges are perhaps the coolest thing on Winpearl. You sit in a small sled and fly down the guides along steep turns, adjusting the speed yourself. The main thing is that there are no slow drivers in front of you (children, girls).

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Electric sleigh (photo from the Internet)

After the sleigh, you can ride the rides for up to 10 hours. At 10 the slides of the water park begin to work. You can stay there until lunch. Because thousands of Chinese show up at lunchtime, and you will have to stand in lines for a very long time. Toward evening, you need to go upstairs to the zoo. If you pass the zoo, flower gardens, you can reach the Japanese garden - from there you can see the other side of the island. If you get there during sunset (5-6 pm), you will remember this view for a long time. At 7 pm downstairs, where the water park is, there is a fountain show. We did not stay for it, because after the fountain show in Dubai, we would hardly have seen something interesting. But you need to keep in mind that after this show, the main part of the guests of the island will move to the cable car. And the line there will be just crazy. There are also shows of mermaids, dolphins, maybe some others on Winpearl, but we didn’t go to them. The last bus from the end of the cable car leaves at 6 pm, after which only by taxi. But, I repeat, a taxi is not expensive - only 80 thousand came to our hotel. If you have been somewhere in other water parks and amusement parks, then Winpearl will not surprise you with anything - nothing terrible and serious. But it's worth a visit anyway.

View of Winpearl (photo from the Internet)

These are all the excursions we have been on. There are a great many of them, everyone will find something for themselves. But I can't say anything about them.

Where else do you need to go? Of the cafes, we liked Ciao Vietnam, Far East Rock Café, Grill Garden the most. The last one is a must visit. You pay only 220 thousand for the entrance per person, and the whole evening is at your disposal known to mankind meat and seafood, both ready-to-eat and raw, so that you can fry them yourself at your table. The waiters help with this, so you don’t have to be afraid that you overdry or underdry something. Of the other chips of the institution - a crocodile and a snake on a spit. According to personal feelings, the ostrich has the most delicious meat, I highly recommend trying it. It is especially delicious cooked in Ciao Vietnam. Also in Nha Trang, there are spas and massages on every corner. Very affordable - highly recommended. An hour session of Thai massage can be found for 100,000 VND. If you like parties, I recommend visiting the Sailing restaurant on Saturday, there is a very cool beach party. You can arrive as early as 10 o'clock. We didn’t go to other clubs, but I also know that there are Z Club and Rabbit Hole. I also recommend trying passion fruit beer in Louisiana - very tasty. Even if you don't like beer, you will like it)

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Export of alcohol and fruits. Also an important section for many. We had very different information about the export of alcohol in plastic and glass. Everyone spoke completely different numbers. Everything written will concern azur air. And you need to understand that this is only a special case - what worked for us may not work for you. I'll start with fruits. Everything is simple here - 5 kg per person or 10 kg for two. Fruits are usually carried in plastic baskets, they are checked in as luggage and their weight is considered separately. You can put fruit in a suitcase, but only 20 kg per person, or 32 kg if you have one suitcase for two, so you can’t put much in there. The basket must be signed, because they are all the same. Upon arrival, we saw a mountain of unsigned baskets. I don’t know how they determined where whose fruit was) hand luggage fruits are not allowed. This rule is valid only from this year. It's more difficult with alcohol. On the way to the airport, the guide told us that in one suitcase there can only be 2 any glass containers, the transport of alcohol in plastic is prohibited (very timely information, right? When everyone has already bought). We bought alcohol in the notorious AlcoHouse store. There we were told that 2 glass containers and 3 liters in plastic are allowed for luggage. As a result, we bought these 3 liters in plastic from them. The guys (this is a store with Russian owners) have a very unusual rum - pineapple, coffee and cocoa flavor, you can taste everything. There were some other flavors, but we liked these the most - we took a liter each. Haven't tried it in Russia yet, so I can't say anything about the quality of the rum. Let's go back to the guide who took us to the airport. After stating that alcohol in plastic is prohibited in general, after some time he added that it is still possible, but it must be packed in a special package that is sold at the airport. Either it was another scam from the guides, or we were so lucky, but we checked in our luggage as it was - with two glass bottles and 3 liters of rum in plastic. No one ever said a word to us. Only 5kg per person is allowed in hand luggage. As it turned out, no one weighs anywhere. In general, there was a feeling that it was possible to take out at least atomic bomb- no one will notice.

Since we are talking about alcohol, I will immediately write about the local rum. It is very cheap. No not like this. It's REALLY cheap. Its cost is comparable to Coca-Cola, which everyone is used to diluting this rum with. Shops also sell local rum flavored with chocolate and cocoa. Personally, we didn’t really like it, and such a cost of alcohol raises concerns. But many like it - a matter of taste. Connoisseurs advise drinking Chauvet brand rum, but we did not have a chance to try it.

What else can you take out of Vietnam. We did not manage to visit the sightseeing tour with a visit to the latex factory, but shops with latex products are everywhere in Nha Trang. For the sake of interest, we went to find out the cost anatomic pillows. The average is $50. In my opinion, for such money we can buy a latex pillow in our homeland. We did not know the cost of mattresses. I have heard that latex products purchased from the stores that anex tour cooperates with cannot be combined with the general luggage at the time of export. That is, you can easily buy and bring home a latex mattress without fear of overloading at the airport. But back to the pillows - we bought exactly the same pillow for only $ 27 in the Nha Trang Center shopping center. The pillow is from JMG, I didn’t find much information about it on the Internet, but the pillow is cool. For that kind of money we definitely can not buy. And of course, you need to bring coffee from Vietnam, because it is the largest exporter of coffee in the world. If you don't go to Dalat, it's okay - coffee is sold everywhere here. This is much better than any magnet for friends and family. My wife and I are not big coffee drinkers, but even we absolutely loved it here. According to personal observations, the cheapest coffee is in a grocery hypermarket in the same Nha Trang Center shopping center. Knowledgeable people They recommended Me Trang coffee to us. But even the usual instant nescafe here is very tasty.

What else remains to be added? Almost no one knows English in Vietnam - only the staff at the reception. All cafes have a menu in Russian, and often even one Russian-speaking employee, so there have never been any problems with the order. There are really a lot of Chinese, but this is not surprising - China is nearby, their population is huge. The Chinese are really noisy, arrogant and go in crowds. But do not worry about this - they do not go to the sea, you can hardly meet them in cafes. Sometimes it is not clear at all what they are doing. Probably go on excursions. There are also a lot of Russians in Vietnam, so you won't feel like you're in a Chinese province.

Output. Vietnam as a tourist destination has only been around for 7 years. And over these 7 years, the Vietnamese have come a long way. I think if we return here in 5 years, we will not recognize Nha Trang at all. It will be a modern developed tourist city. If you are in doubt whether to go to Vietnam or not, you don’t even have to think, it’s worth 100% to go! We are very happy that we went there for our honeymoon trip. It was an exotic, gastronomic, romantic, extreme, rich, educational and amazing journey at the same time.

How to make a trip to Vietnam from north to south on your own in 2 weeks. Route, helpful tips. How to move around the country.

Travel to Vietnam for 2 weeks

Whatever package tourists say, the best vacation in Vietnam for me is to travel the country from end to end.

Traveling to Vietnam on your own is easy. Vietnam has one significant advantage for those who are going to plan their route - it is narrow and long. Therefore, first you need to decide how you are going to cross Vietnam: from north to south or from south to north.

Then you need to decide where you want to stay and how long you will spend in each place. I decided to make it easier for you and made this route. You can follow it, or you can read about the sights of Vietnam and adjust the route for yourself.

Anything you need: know when is the best time to go, how to move around the country, where to spend the night and, most importantly, what to see. The train schedule and a link to the site where to buy tickets are in the article. And also, we have as many as 2 large articles on the sights of Vietnam and options for how to spend your time, here they are: part 1 and part 2.

In this itinerary, I will talk about a 2 week trip to Vietnam. If you have less time, then we have a good 7-day Vietnam itinerary. But still, in my opinion, 2 weeks is the optimal time to explore Vietnam and not have time to get exhausted. If you are coming for a longer period, then rely on this route like a skeleton. It will help you create any route for yourself.

So, now to the main. The first question you should ask yourself is north to south or south to north? I prefer the north-south route for three reasons:

1. Most often, tourists travel in Vietnam in exactly the opposite direction - from south to north, which means that if you travel from north to south, you will have less competition and you will buy better bus, train or plane tickets.
2. If you want to travel not only to Vietnam, but also to visit neighboring Asian countries (Thailand, Cambodia, etc.), then from Ho Chi Minh City it is easiest and cheapest to do this.
3. From Russia it is cheaper to fly to Hanoi (the capital of Vietnam in the north). When you return home, I advise you to fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, because. Domestic flights in Vietnam are very cheap.

You can see the entire route on the map. I tried to make my itinerary as flexible as possible and offered several leisure options for each place. Therefore, do not hesitate to change the route for yourself.

Hanoi

Day 1:

You have landed in Hanoi, congratulations. The first thing you need to know is how to get from Hanoi Airport to the city center and where to stay.

Where to stay in Hanoi?

There are many inexpensive hostels in Hanoi, I personally recommend Luxury Backpackers, there are very comfortable beds.
There are also many cheap hotels. I advise Golden Moon Hotel, breakfast included.
If you want a more expensive hotel, then Hanoi Tirant is an excellent choice.
From luxury hotels, I advise Sofitel Legend Metropole.

Here you are comfortably seated, eaten and ready to conquer Hanoi. Let's start with the sights. There are few of them here, the most important ones can be easily examined in a day and a half. First of all, I advise you to visit mausoleum of ho chi minh. Better come early, there are long lines.

The rest of the day you can look Vietnam Museum military history(Vietnam Military History Museum), Hanoi Citadel (Imperial Citadel of Thang Long), Temple of Literature (Temple of Literature), Hanoi Hilton (Hanoi Hilton / Hoa Lo Prison) and Art Museum (Vietnam Fine Arts Museum).

In the evenings, my favorite place in Hanoi is Bia Hoi Corner. This is the intersection of Luong Ngoc Quyen, Ta Hien and Dinh Liet (). Here you can see the real Vietnam. This is something like a pub where locals sit right on the street on plastic chairs and drink cheap Vietnamese beer for 10-20 rubles. for a glass. You can also eat here. I understand that this is not the most glamorous place in Hanoi, but it is always fun and sincere here. This is it - an independent holiday in Vietnam.

Day 2:

Hanoi is not the place where you can understand everything about the city in one day, so I give it one more day. And there are several options here.

First, just relax and see everything that we did not have time yesterday, and in the remaining time, take a walk around the French Quarter (French Quarter), there are many cafes and restaurants.

There are many interesting excursions in Hanoi, but all that I know about and that I went to are in English. If you have no problems with English, then I advise you to visit:

If with English problems, and you want excursions, you can look and choose one of these wonderful guides.

Optional

Before I move on to the third day, I want to tell you about one more beautiful place in northern Vietnam. Hanoi is a city where you can stop off to explore the nearby Sapa region. This is a great place for jungle trekking and a more authentic travel experience. To get to Sapa you need to take the train Hanoi - Lao Cai. The journey will take you 8 hours. You can make a trekking program in Sapa in advance, or orient yourself on the ground. After you get to know Sapa, you can return to Hanoi again and continue the route I suggested.

Halong bay

Day 3:

For me, a trip to Vietnam without Halong Bay is a waste of time. Unfortunately, everything is not so simple with the bay, starting from crowds of tourists and ending with the fact that you can be deceived by selling a false tour. Despite all this, Halong Bay is a real miracle of nature.

There are a lot of tour operators in Hanoi selling tours to the bay, but it is very difficult to distinguish a trustworthy tour operator from one that will sell you in the end not what was stated. But you have me, and I'll tell you how not to sit in a puddle, instead of Halong Bay.

Basically, tours to Ha Long are bought in Hanoi. You will be picked up near the hotel, and after the trip will be returned back. You can ask about a good tour right at your hotel, they will tell you everything. Or book it online.

There are several options for tours to Halong, I advise you to take the one that involves spending the night on the ship. Otherwise, in a hurry, you will miss a lot.

Day 4:

You will spend most of the day in Ha Long and return to Hanoi only in the evening. You can rest and spend the night in Hanoi, and in the morning move to the next point of the route, or take the train in the evening. I will discuss both options in more detail below.

Ning Binh

Day 5:

On the fifth day we will talk about Ning Bin, a province 100 km south of Hanoi. There are very beautiful limestone karst rocks with rivers winding between them.

To save time, you can take the train to Hanoi in the evening after returning from Halong Bay. Trains run from morning to evening, the earliest at 6 am, and the latest at 22:00. The journey will take about 2.5 hours.

Very important

Hereinafter, we will travel around Vietnam by train. Tickets are sold out quickly enough and it is much more difficult to buy them on the day of the trip. That is why you need to buy tickets in advance. I buy all tickets for Vietnamese trains on the site and strongly advise you to do the same. If you want to see the departure time and ticket prices, just open Go Asia in the next tab and check.

One more moment. For convenience, I give the names of cities in Latin. When you search for tickets, also enter the names of the points in Latin. Otherwise, the service may not find the desired city, and I assure you that it is there.

In Ning Binh you need to visit 2 places: Trang An and Tam Coc. These are river valleys. They are very similar and very beautiful. Approximately like Halong Bay, only without the bay. Here are my favorite mountains, overgrown with forests, rice fields and a calm river.

If you want to visit only one valley, then choose Trang An. You can rent a bike from your hotel and ride around. Be sure to buy a boat tour. The boats here are small, can accommodate up to 4 people. Your guide will paddle or paddle. The whole trip will take 3 hours. During this time, you will see several beautiful caves and just enjoy the surrounding landscapes. It's the same at Tam Coc.

At this point you have to make one more choice. Will you stay overnight in Ninh Binh or take an overnight flight to the next stop on the Phong Nha route? A direct train to Phong Nha departs in the morning and takes about 7 hours. If you want to spend the night on the way, you will have to take a ticket to Dong Hoi (8 hours on the road), and then transfer to a local bus to Phong Nha.

In addition to municipal transport, private slipper buses (buses where you can sleep with relative comfort) run along this route. Ask about them in hotels or in local tourist shops.

Phong Nha Ke Bang

Day 6:

If you have chosen a night trip, then you will arrive in Phong Nha early in the morning. If you go in the morning, then late in the evening. In any case, you will be exhausted by the road, and therefore they offer to relax on this day. Take a walk around the neighborhood, you can rent a bike at the hotel.

Where to stay in Phong Nha?

For backpackers, I recommend staying at the friendly Nguyen Shack.
Cheap hotel with convenient location - Thanh Phat .
A more expensive hotel a little away from the center for a relaxing holiday - Jungle Boss Homestay.

Day 7:

We came to Phong Nha with one main goal - to see the caves. Here is the most big cave in the world - the famous Shondong. It is so huge that a Boeing 747 can fly through it.

Surprised, now upset. Unfortunately, you will not be able to visit this cave. There are several reasons: a limited number of travelers are allowed here every year, the entrance is very expensive, you have to wait a long time to get into the cave. But don't worry too much, there are many beautiful and easily accessible caves nearby.

All hotels and tour operators in Phong Nha offer similar tours around the area. Choose any for yourself, the main thing is to make sure that the Paradise Cave is included in the program. Consider this the icing on the cake.

This evening I suggest that you stay in Phong Nha, but be prepared to set out again early in the morning.

Hue

Day 8:

There are several ways to get to the next point - Hue. First, ask your hotel about the possibility of using tourist bus. There should be an option to leave at 4:00 and arrive at 8:00, in case you decide to sleep again on the road.

Otherwise, catch the train from Dong Hoi. Keep in mind that the first bus from Phong Nha to Dong Hoi leaves at 05:30 and the journey will take you about 1.5 hours. And then from Dong Hoi to Hue you will reach by train in 3 hours. Remember where to get train tickets? That's right, here.

Hue is the ancient seat of power in Vietnam and has been the country's capital for 150 years since the 1800s. Hue's main attraction is the Imperial City. Previously, emperors lived in it and ruled their possessions from here. It will take several hours to go around the entire Imperial City.

In Hue, we are also not spoiled with ready-made excursions from well-known Russian-speaking companies, and therefore take a guide to better understand the history. In English there is

Hello. Holidays in Vietnam are a great option! If Vietnam magically suddenly turned out to be closer to Central Russia (say, somewhere in the neighborhood with), the tourist flow to this country, no doubt, would increase many times over. After all, among the tangible disadvantages of this direction is only a long and, therefore, expensive flight.

Almost everything else is solid pluses: an unusual and exciting "excursion", beautiful beaches with ample opportunities for active rest, an extensive and high-quality hotel base. And with all this - low prices in hotels, restaurants, excursions and generally everywhere.

Despite all this, Vietnam has thoroughly spoiled the opinion of itself with terrible consumer goods markets with bales of all kinds of rubbish, talkative inhabitants and aromas of fried herring. Perhaps many today will wrinkle their noses when they hear an offer to go there: “I have seen enough of this here.”

Meanwhile, the real Vietnam is the ancient temple complexes of unknown civilizations and the natural beauties of national parks, healthy and tasty food(dietary rice and delicious fresh seafood), the world's cheapest diving (together with an abundance of underwater inhabitants) and resorts with a distinct European flair: after all, a former French colony.

In addition, there is an opportunity to nostalgia for the recent socialist past: the flag is almost like our former one, and the pioneers in ties, and even the leader in the mausoleum.

The capital is Hanoi. Interesting cities: Ho Chi Minh City, Hue; popular resorts: Phan Thiet, Phu Quoc,.

About a third of the country is located at a level above 500 m above the sea, so the climate there is subtropical, and in areas above 2000 m - even temperate. From April-May to October, the southeast monsoons bring warm and humid weather to the country - except for areas protected by mountains.

In the south of Vietnam (from Ho Chi Minh City da Phan Thiet) two seasons can be distinguished - wet and dry. The wet season traditionally lasts from May to November, the rainiest months are June-August. The dry season usually starts in December and ends in April. For European tourists, this is the most favorable time. "Velvet" months in the south of Vietnam - January and February: soft sun, refreshing sea water. From late February to May there are hot days without rain.

The climate of central Vietnam (from the resort of Nha Trang to the ancient capital of Hue): from February to August it is clear, rains are rare, the temperature is + 30 ... + 35 ° C. Heavy rains in mid-December, typhoons are possible in the Da Nang and Hue region in October - November, the temperature is +20 ... +28 °C.

In the north of the country (from Hanoi to the seaside resort of Halong), the winter and summer seasons are more clearly marked than in the south. Winter, cool and wet, lasts from November to February, in February and March it constantly drizzles "fun". From May, the summer season begins abruptly: high humidity, temperatures up to +40 ° C.

Vietnamese customs

Import foreign exchange unlimited, but amounts over 3000 USD must be declared: the export of currency from the country is allowed only within the amount declared upon entry. Export national currency prohibited.

You can import duty-free 400 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500 g of tobacco, 1.5 liters of strong alcoholic beverages or 2 liters of alcoholic beverages with a strength of up to 22 °, 5 kg of tea, 3 kg of coffee, as well as other goods. total cost no more than 5 million VND.

Household and computer equipment must be declared: all undeclared equipment will be allowed for export only if customs duties are paid or if there is a receipt confirming its purchase in the country.

The export of art and antiques is prohibited. jewelry and handicrafts without appropriate permits.

Transport

In Vietnam, stretched from north to south, it is most reasonable to use Vietnam Airlines or Jetstar Pacific domestic flights to travel between distant cities. Most often, planes fly between two cities - Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (up to 10 flights a day), but other major cities are not deprived of regular flights.

Vietnamese trains are comfortable and follow a well-timed schedule. The main route, Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City, will last 30 hours. Acquire tickets recommended at least 3 days before the date of travel directly at the ticket office of the station (local travel companies can easily cheat on ticket prices and carriage class).

It makes sense to use intercity buses for relatively short trips: constant speed limits on highways result in unreasonably long journeys. On the other hand, the prices for bus trips are negligible: you can get from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City for only 450,000 VND.

When traveling at night, you should be very careful with luggage: cases of theft are not uncommon (petty thieves are everywhere). Players and other gadgets should be removed at the first sign of drowsiness.

Urban transport is well developed only in large metropolitan cities: these are taxis, various motorcycle and cycle rickshaws (“cyclo” or “cyclo”). Taxi fares do not need to be negotiated in advance: all cars have a meter that indicates the fare, and taxi drivers usually speak some English. Taxi fare: VND5,500-9,500 per kilometer plus VND15,800-23,700 for landing.

Moto and cycle rickshaws will be satisfied with 15,800 VND for a 15-minute trip, however, the amount of payment should be agreed in advance and bargaining in this case is simply necessary. Traffic on the roads is poorly regulated, so that "traffic jams" in big cities- a common occurrence.

For diving enthusiasts

Diving in Vietnam is one of the cheapest in the world. At the same time, it is really interesting and organized at a quite decent level. There are many interesting dive sites off the coast of Vietnam. The best in this regard are Nha Trang, Hoi An, the Con Dao Islands and. In addition to a wide variety of corals, you can see all kinds of mollusks, cuttlefish, octopus, squid, clown fish, moray eels, pufferfish, groupers, manta rays and barracudas.

The best time for diving is from October to April. best season for diving in Nha Trang - February-October, and on the island of Phu Quoc - from November to May. Near Nha Trang are Famous places for diving: Moray Beach, Rainbow coral reef and many islands near the resort.

The Con Dao Archipelago National Reserve consists of 14 islands and is located 300 km from the coastline. There you can meet very rare mammals - dugongs (sea cows), large green turtles and many endemics - animals and plants that cannot be found anywhere else.

Shopping and shops in Vietnam

Local shopping has two nice features: a rich selection of shopping and the most low prices in the region (unless, of course, do not forget to bargain). Shops are open almost every day, seven days a week, from 7:30 to late in the evening. Many supermarkets in the capital and major cities open around the clock.

From Vietnam you can bring little things made of lacquer, bamboo, mother-of-pearl, silver, pearl, mahogany and ebony - including very beautiful cutlery and jewelry boxes.

Another category of successful purchases is clothes and accessories made of silk, linen and cotton. Even in Saigon, you can find very high-quality and beautiful gold items - not that at completely junk, but quite nice prices, as well as pearl items - mainly from artificially grown river, less often - cultivated sea.

It is worth buying different spices, especially Fukuoka black pepper. The fair sex is guaranteed to pay attention to the national costume "ao dai", which consists of a tight-fitting long shirt-dress with slits and pants (it is customary to sew them to order).

Wonderful exotic souvenirs literally cost a penny here, and beautiful silver items cost almost nothing. Travelers returning from Vietnam usually take out of their suitcases silver jewelry and crockery, products made of natural silk, linen and cotton, mahogany and bamboo souvenirs, lacquerware and ceramics.

Vietnamese cuisine and restaurants

Although Vietnamese cuisine is “omnivorous” (up to fried grasshoppers in bags from newspapers instead of seeds), it is quite light and, despite its unusualness, healthy. Products here are not subjected to long-term heat treatment. The basis of the cuisine is rice, noodles and spices, a variety of seafood.

Many dishes are seasoned with nuok-mam sauce made from fermented (read: “fermented in its own juice”) fish - however, it tastes and smells not at all as scary as it might seem. Of the soups, you should try the light and tasty “pho”: rice noodles with lean beef or chicken.

The French, former colonialists, also made their mark in local cuisine, making baguettes cut in two with all kinds of fillings popular as a “snack”. Green tea is traditionally popular in the country, and local coffee is considered very decent.

And they produce good red and white wines.

In state-owned hotels and restaurants, a 5% “for services” is usually added to the bill. In private establishments, if you liked the food and service, you can leave a tip of 5-10%.

Legends and history of Vietnam

There you are brief digression into the intricate history of the Vietnamese people. For more than three thousand years BC, the dragon king Lac Long Quan ruled the lands of present-day Vietnam. Once, puzzled by the continuation of the family, he decided to ask the hand and heart of the fairy bird Au Ko.

The beauty was not slow to accept the offer and gave birth on time ... a bag in which a hundred eggs were found, and one heir-progenitor of a hundred Vietnamese families came out of each.

Whether the lady hatched offspring or placed the offspring in an incubator - history is silent, but since then every self-respecting Vietnamese speaks of himself as "a child of a dragon, a grandson of the gods."

The end of the story is very modern: after a while the couple separated - Lak Long Quan chopped off half of the sons and went to sea with them, and Au Ko took the remaining fifty and went to live in the mountains.

How true our Lev Nikolaevich remarked about happy and unhappy families!

Entertainment, excursions and sights of Vietnam

Vietnam is ready to please guests from the north with many diverse entertainments: from elephant riding, visiting snake restaurants with crocodile sanctuaries, national parks and fishing - to casinos and nightclubs.

The partisan tunnels of Ku-Chi are considered the highlight of the country's excursion program, but besides them, there are more than enough sights here.

IN national park Halong bays are some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet. Several thousand small limestone islands and cliffs rising from the sea waters and having a bizarre shape make us believe in the legend of this place. It says that the Ha Long Islands were created by a giant dragon that lived in the mountains. The bizarre cliffs and rocks are shaped like a turtle, a camel, a cat, the head of a dog or a dragon.

Hanoi has a plethora of Buddhist, medieval and recent communist sights, as well as natural beauty in abundance.

In Da Nang there are beautiful "Marble Mountains" Ngu Nan Son and pagodas with unique statues. In Phan Thiet - the famous statue of the Reclining Buddha.

Vietnam Hotels

In the major cities of Vietnam, the choice of hotels is the most diverse - from mini-hotels to establishments of the De Luxe category. Service in them, in general, is at the average European level. Type of food - breakfast (most) or half board, there is practically no "all-in". The buffet is extremely varied.

All rooms from three to five "stars" are equipped with air conditioning, satellite TV and telephone, more expensive rooms also have bathrobes, hairdryers, tea and coffee making facilities, safes and mini-bars.

Mains voltage 220 V, frequency 50 Hz. Plugs generally have flat connectors. Rooms in many hotels are equipped with universal sockets, to which plugs of almost any configuration will fit - and if the plug still does not fit, the hotel staff will find the right adapter.

Do I need a visa and who?

Exotic Vietnam is moderately loyal to Russian tourists: on the one hand, entry into the country is simplified almost to the maximum (a visa for up to 15 days for tourist purposes is not needed), on the other hand, a visa is still required for a longer visit.

But even in this case, there should be no difficulties: a visa to Vietnam can be obtained without unnecessary "troubles" directly at the border upon arrival. What is nice - there is no visa fee for Russian citizens. Well, if you don’t want to wait for a visa at the airport, you can get it in advance at the Embassy of Vietnam in Moscow.

A visa-free 15-day stay in Vietnam is possible no more than once every 30 days. If you plan to leave Vietnam and return to it (for example, as part of a combined tour), you will need a visa for re-entry.

Thus, Russian citizens arriving in Vietnam have three options:

1. Visa on arrival

If you stay in Vietnam for more than 15 days, you can get a visa upon arrival at one of the international airports Vietnam: in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi or Da Nang. To do this, at the “Visas upon arrival” counter before passport control, you will need to present:
a passport valid for at least six months at the end of the trip;
return tickets;
visa permission - confirmation letter (Approval Letter).

By the way, the confirmation letter is a document with a unique code issued by the Immigration Department of Vietnam. It is not difficult to get it, the easiest way is to order it online on one of the specialized sites (the issue price is from 15 to 38 USD, depending on the type of visa and the speed of processing). A confirmation letter will be sent by e-mail, it must be printed out and then presented at the border control point.

The time for obtaining a visa at the airport is about half an hour or an hour; it is issued to tourists from Russia free of charge.

2. Applying for a visa at the consulate

Holidays in Vietnam are a lot of positive impressions and emotions. But, this is only if you are well prepared for it. Do not forget that Vietnam is Asian country with all the ensuing climatic, mental and other features. So - you should prepare for the trip in advance, and form a list of necessary things for a trip to Vietnam, taking into account the experience of more experienced travelers.

First of all, you should prepare and execute all the necessary documents. On a trip, you cannot do without a passport, tickets, a visa (if you plan to rest for more than 15 days), a tourist voucher, a set of photographs, etc.

As a rule, travel agency specialists provide the maximum full information about the necessary documents and peculiarities of staying in the chosen country. Tourists-savages will have to rely only on themselves and independently collect up-to-date information on what to take to Vietnam from documents, food or medicines.

After the set of documents is collected, be sure to make copies of them. Upon arrival in Nha Trang, it is better to deposit the originals of all documents in the hotel safe, and have copies of them with you. Fans of car rides should be prepared for the fact that on Vietnamese roads you can only drive with a license issued here.

Therefore, it is worth considering in advance whether it is worth trying to issue a local driver's license. As an option - rent a car with a driver.

first aid kit

Tourists with experience believe that, going on any more or less long trip, one should complete a first-aid kit. If we are talking about a visit to the country on a day off, then you can limit yourself to banal iodine, brilliant green, bandages and tampons. And visiting a region with a completely different climate and potential dangers requires a fundamentally different approach.

If we are talking about a trip to Vietnam, then it would be useful to take with you:

• antipyretics;
• painkillers;
• sunburn creams, skin moisturizing oils and lotions;
• antiallergic drugs;
• wipes and sprays for disinfection - it is better to play it safe and limit your acquaintance with local microorganisms as much as possible;
• medicines that you regularly take at home;
• mosquito repellents (fumigators, creams, etc.)

The last position is quite controversial - experienced tourists claim that Vietnamese insects are not afraid of the effects of protective equipment brought from Russia. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that fumigators will have to be bought locally.

Classic iodine with brilliant green and a band-aid will also not be superfluous, especially if you plan not only to bask on the beach, but also travel around the country. However, if you forgot something, then it’s not scary - in Nha Trang you can easily find a pharmacy with Russian-speaking staff. In any case, you will not be left without help, but it is better to play it safe.

Clothing should be comfortable

What to take to Vietnam from clothes is one of the most popular questions on numerous forums. Choosing a wardrobe for a trip is a purely personal matter, but general recommendations should be taken into account.

During a summer visit to Nha Trang, you should grab a few sets of light casual clothes (T-shirts, T-shirts, shorts, cotton trousers), swimming trunks (swimsuits) and caps (hats). From shoes, flip flops, slippers and sandals are useful. For hikers, we recommend bringing running shoes. Winters in Vietnam are mild and rainy, so in November-January, a tourist should bring a jacket or sweater with sleeves, jeans and a raincoat. It is better to leave a down jacket, a fur coat or a coat in which you arrived at the airport in Russia, they will definitely not come in handy in Vietnam.

It is not necessary to bring everything with you. As a rule, most of the things brought in never get out of the suitcase. You can only take the most comfortable and necessary clothes and buy everything else locally. T-shirts, T-shirts and other consumer goods are inexpensive here. You can buy clothes at every step, so do not deny yourself this pleasure.

Take care of the children

Traveling with children always requires additional expenses and hassle. Nothing can be done - the "flowers of life" traditionally require increased attention. Worth compiling detailed list of the things that should be taken on vacation to Vietnam, taking into account children's requests.

First of all, it is advisable to take water and familiar foods (cookies, dried fruits, etc.) with you. At the initial stage, this will help the child to acclimatize to the local cuisine as comfortably as possible. It goes without saying that the contents of the first-aid kit should be replenished with children's drugs for the treatment and prevention of diseases, and during the flight, do not forget to grab pencils, books, coloring books, etc., in order to keep the child busy.

money question

The financial component of the trip is traditionally one of the most important. It's no secret that it is much more comfortable to relax and travel if you do not experience any financial difficulties during the trip. Going to Vietnam, it is not necessary to carry a suitcase with cash. In most hotels and supermarkets, you can easily pay by credit card. But, it’s better to grab some cash dollars too.

You, of course, will form the budget of the trip yourself. But, in any case, it should be assumed that $ 30 is the minimum daily allowance financial costs in Vietnam. This includes an economy option for accommodation, low-budget meals and the purchase of inexpensive souvenirs.

Money can be easily exchanged directly at the airport or hotel.

When compiling a list of what to take with you to Vietnam, pay attention to small, but, nevertheless, necessary things that will definitely come in handy. Among them:

• a flashlight is far from the most useless device in a country where the tropical night falls very quickly, and street lighting in some cases leaves much to be desired;
• sunglasses - take care of your eyes, because. the sun is very active here;
• shaving accessories and toothpaste - it is more pleasant and safer to use familiar and proven hygiene products;
• camera - today many tourists take pictures of the surroundings and selfies on smartphones, but the classic image of a vacationer is a tourist with a camera;
• a comfortable backpack or bag - useful for storing a minimum of necessary things, both during long journeys and during short-term hikes and excursions;
• phone and tablet are essential tourist assistants in any country, but do not forget to buy an international sim card;
• a notebook and a pen - very often they help out when communicating with local residents - what cannot be said in words can be depicted with the help of symbols;
• a printout with the name and image of your hotel - can become a kind of Ariadne's thread if you get lost, which happens all the time;
• Russian-Vietnamese phrasebook is another assistant in establishing communications with sellers in markets and supermarkets.

What not to bring to Vietnam

Along with the necessary things that will come in handy during the trip, I would like to note that it is absolutely optional to take on vacation to Vietnam. In particular, fans of all kinds of strong drinks do not need to take a home bar with them on a trip. Vietnamese producers sell a huge number of alcoholic beverages, so there are plenty to choose from. Moreover, the quality of Vietnamese alcohol is quite decent, and the prices are quite budget.

Bed linen, dishes, gels and shampoos will also become a burden for the tourist. You are going to rest in a country where tourist service is at a fairly decent level and has the right to count on quality service. If we are talking about a “semi-wild” vacation, then it is easier to buy all the necessary little things on the spot than to drag them along across borders and customs.

Numerous tourists are traditionally only interested in local exotics, and for the Vietnamese, all guests without exception are quite exotic, regardless of their "packaging". The main thing is that you are ready to leave a certain amount of money here, everything else is secondary.

Cities, resorts, beaches, sights of Vietnam. How to plan a solo trip to Vietnam

Vietnam is a combination of beach and sightseeing holidays, richly seasoned with gastronomic tourism. This is a lot of seaside resorts that have retained their environmental friendliness due to the fact that they were not affected by the massive development of monster hotels. These are cities that have retained their originality, since mass tourism is not at all the main thing for them. These are daily gastronomic discoveries at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Vietnam is a fairly comfortable country for independent travel: well-developed and cheap communication within the country, people who speak a little English (and sometimes even Russian), unobtrusive but helpful service.

Comparison of prices for tickets and hotels in Vietnam on different sites - save up to 50%

Who is suitable for a holiday in Vietnam

We advise those who do not like to spend a whole week or two of their holidays in one place to go on a trip to Vietnam. Vietnam is a win-win option for young travelers who want to combine a quality beach holiday with active sightseeing trips. For men, Vietnam is a great option to pamper a combination of exotic and a beautiful young woman who has repeatedly been to chic resorts or. For couples, the flavor of Vietnam will allow them to break out of the routine and refresh their relationship. Vietnam is increasingly visited by older people who have tasted the taste of independent travel. Vietnam is suitable for those who have been to (in, on), and want some fresh impressions from Southeast Asia. At the same time, if you are annoyed by compatriots wearing long shorts and sandals with socks, then you should try to meet such people in Vietnam. Over the years of SmartTrip’s existence (since 2009), we have seen how an independent trip to Vietnam is often postponed “for later”, in favor of the same, and then, after returning from Vietnam, full of impressions and enthusiasm, our journalists are reproached for not being convincing enough. Sorry, but the taste of real FO soup cannot be conveyed through letters and pictures.

Weather in Vietnam. When is the best time to go to Vietnam

View Vietnam on a map bigger size Vietnam is a fairly long country from north to south, and therefore has several climatic zones. In the northern part of Vietnam (Hanoi, Cat Ba) it is best to travel from September to December or from March to May. In the south of Vietnam (Saigon, Phukok) it is most comfortable from December to June. When planning your travel itinerary, use this reference:

Prices in Vietnam

The main cost of traveling to Vietnam will be airfare to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). However, if you buy tickets in advance, they will be no more expensive than in Bangkok. Like our page on social networks or subscribe to the newsletter (form at the bottom of the site) to keep abreast of airline sales. And better not bother and buy or right now, anyway, the final travel budget will be lower than you think. Vietnam is.

Everything is incredibly cheap in Vietnam

• A plate of super soup FO — 33 rubles
• Local beer — 5 rubles
• Imported beer — 25 rubles
• Baguette - 30 rubles
• Dinner in a restaurant - 150 rubles
• 3 km by rickshaw — 20 rubles
• Taxi from Hanoi airport to the center - 500 rubles
• Ticket to the Theater on the Water in Hanoi - 100-150 rubles

Tour or self-booking a trip to Vietnam?

Vietnam is not a mass tourist destination, and therefore the operator's premium for tours to Vietnam is quite high: in most cases, booking flights and hotels on your own is more profitable. Of course, you can save money by trying to find some last-minute ticket to a modest hotel, but this saving does not make much sense. Package holidays are fairly standardized, and so if you're on a tight budget, it makes sense to just choose another destination that's cheaper. A trip to Vietnam is first and foremost a journey. Plan it to your taste by reading our articles.

Tip: Not all last-minute offers appear on Top Travel Agent, and those that exist disappear instantly. Therefore, we advise submit your application- several travel agents will answer you, and you will be able to choose the appropriate option.

Vietnam Hotels

In Vietnam, there is no usual star rating for hotels, everything is very conditional. An ordinary Vietnamese “three-ruble note” may well turn out to be a clean, decent 4 * hotel. Or vice versa - a modest hut, to which you can’t even assign stars. All inclusive in Vietnamese hotels is almost never found. We advise fans of European standards to simply book a hotel of the international chain in which it is familiar and comfortable. For example, it could be Hilton Hanoi Opera in Hanoi, Sheraton in Nha Trang or Movenpick in Ho Chi Minh City. For a romantic getaway, there is nothing better than Evason, like their Ana Mandara hotel in Nha Trang. The price range is very wide. The cost of accommodation in a simple hut on the island of Phukok is comparable to Goa, that is, 700-100 rubles per day; connoisseurs of comfort and spa will like the value for money in hotels high level like Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa. In the articles on SmartTrip, we recommend the most interesting hotels that get lost on booking sites among the endless reviews of tourists.

Vietnam travel itineraries

There are two starting points for traveling around Vietnam - or. buy those who are planning a trip to the north of Vietnam, for example, Hanoi - - Hoi An (Danang) - Hanoi. respectively suitable for the route in the south of Vietnam, for example, Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) - (or Phan Thiet resort) - Ho Chi Minh City plus, possibly Cambodia. If you plan to relax by the sea in Nha Trang, then you can take a ticket to both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and then immediately buy an internal flight to Nha Trang. Plan a couple of days at the beginning and end of your Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh trip and check out our articles for a great time:

A popular route in Vietnam is from north to south, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, or vice versa; You can fly to one city and return from another. It is chosen by lovers of a purely sightseeing holiday, for whom two or three days are enough to relax on the beaches. The minimum duration of such a trip is two weeks:

Vietnam mainland resorts. Nha Trang and Phan Thiet

Nha Trang is perhaps the most popular beach resort in Vietnam. Due to the unique geographical location, the season here lasts most of the months of the year. The beaches of Nha Trang are a lot of beautiful bays and bays, there are coral reefs. The sand on the beaches of Nha Trang consists of the dust of shells, thanks to which the water here is clean and transparent.

The best hotels in Nha Trang

The beaches in Nha Trang are municipal, only the Ana Mandara Six Senses and spa hotel has its own. Another interesting hotel in Nha Trang - Vinpearl Resort Nha Trang - is located on its own small island near the coast. Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is hidden in its own secluded bay, which can only be reached by the hotel's speedboat. When booking these hotels, leave a transfer request by writing in the "special requests" box the number and time of arrival of your flight to Nha Trang.

Also from the hotels of Nha Trang, you can select Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel And Spa,