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13 days on the ground in vietnam next march

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Daughter (23) and I are heading to Vietnam next March. In and out of Hanoi. 13 full days on ground. We are flying business and land at 10:30 pm so will arrive at our hotel very late. We want a mix of cities and countryside. We depart early morning Hanoi on March 12. This is what I have so far:

Feb 26-arrive 10:30 pm and to hotel in Hanoi

Feb 26-March 2 - 4 nights Hanoi Solaria Hanoi.

March 2-4 Ninh Binh 2 nights Will either have private driver or shuttle. Want 2 nights so we can do some kayaking here since we aren't taking a Halong Bay cruise. Base in Tam Toc or Trang An? Want to bike, kayak, cave, enjoy countryside. Where to stay?

March 4-hope to book VIP 2 birth train from Ninh Binh to Hue. Train departs 10 pm on March 4 so we have a good amount of time in Ninh Binh area.

March 4-7- Hue. We will arrive around 9 am in Hue. Splurging here and staying at Anient Hue Garden Houses which looks lovely. 2 hour bike tour, will visit Citadel and plan to EAT! Hotel offers some really interesting private tours so will look more into them.

March 7 departing Hue and taking Easy Rider all day motorbike tour to Hoi An. Will see Hai Van Pass, Marble Mountain, Elephant Springs and Land Co beach on way,

March 7-10 Hoi an. cooking class, An Bang beach, old town

HAVE 1 DAY HERE BEFORE WE FLY BACK TO HANOI ON MARCH 11. WHERE TO SPEND IT? IS ANYTHING TOO TIGHT? ANY SUGGESTION FOR THIS NIGHT? THANKS SO MUCH

Posted by
36 posts

Stay in Tam Coc and do a boat ride in Trang An (IMO).
I would stay the night in Hanoi before flying out.

Posted by
135 posts

There is lots to see in Hanoi, if you add an extra night before your flight out but did you consider saving all the time for Hanoi to the end of your trip? We spent 3.5 weeks in Vietnam in March/April 2023, we spent alot of our time in the places you have listed, you will not be disappointed. Our only disappointments were time in Cat Ba/Lan Ha Bay and Phu Quoc. I don't think you will miss much by not going to Ha Long Bay. Its easy to arrange a private transfer between Hanoi and Tam Coc. We found it was easier to book the transfer direct from our hotel than try to uber to the bus or train station. The traffic in Hanoi is crazy. BTW Uber and private transfers along with flights are all very affordable and save a lot of time especially if you are 2 (or more). We went from Hoi An to Hanoi. You could some time in DaNang, as a day trip from Hoi An, the waterfront/beach is nice but Hoi An is just lovely, busy but great food, sights. etc and If you want any clothing made its the place to go. We biked to the beach and also did a cooking class. Try to book a tour for the Citadel in Hue. Enroute we stopped at the Vinh Moc Tunnels, ghost cemetery and incense village. Between Hue and Tam Coc we spent a couple of days in Phong Nha and would recommend if you like outdoor adventures. We also travelled by bus a couple of times and the buses were comfortable. We did not travel by train but heard some very mixed reviews from other travellers. Have a great trip.

Posted by
4692 posts

I'd just like to do a little shout out to 2 places to visit along your way.
I ended 6 weeks in SEAsia in Hanoi and was sorry that my visit to the Women's Museum was my last day, rather than my first day, of that trip. The exhibits gave me insight into women's roles and would have given a different perspective of everything I saw along the way. Hopefully you will include it on your first day in Hanoi. It's about a 12 minute walk from your hotel.
The other is the Rehahn Gallery in Hoi An (7 Nguyen Hue). He is a French photographer who regularly visits northern Vietnam to photograph the last outposts of communities wearing traditional clothing. He has been visiting and photographing these communities for over 10 years and his gallery is really meant to be a photo museum. He also has collected clothing for display to showcase the different clothing of the regions.

Posted by
48 posts

thanks all for your suggestions. Booked an amazing bungalow in Tran An Ecolodge.

Question-how to go from Ninh Binh to Hue. Do we take the over night train or do I go back to Hanoi and fly to Hue? Neither are perfect but its all there is. If train, I want to make sure we get the 2 bed Lotus VIP train but not sure how to make sure it is available.

Anohter qeustion-when in Hoi an, which is at end of trip, should we stay at beach location? would love some down time and snorkeling. Hoi an seems to be an evening destination. We'd have to get a Grab from beach location-about 10 minute ride.

Appreciate your help.

Posted by
135 posts

I would suggest staying in Hoi An and going to the beach by uber, hotel shuttle or bike. Hoi An is really nice to walk around at night and there are so many restaurants and cafes. The beach is nice but its not a destination on its own if that makes sense. We stayed at Bel/Bella Marina and it was a quick walk to the centre of Hoi An and had a very nice pool.

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