one wk vacation to Vietnam or elsewhere

Posted by Peter Catapano (523 days ago)

Hi,

My wife and I and 5-yr old daughter are looking for a vacation spot for one week. 1st choice is Vietnam but may be too expensive (RT flights US$600 from HK?) to go to Hanoi and Hoi An. (plus visa costs?)

We will be finishing 3wks work in HK, really like beach and swimming and local culture. Would consider Hainan, Macau, Laos, Thailand if there are affordable vacations available from agents in HK. If there are no options much less expensive than Vietnam we may splurge, but am looking for cheaper options first.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Peter

(I am based in Other)

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Tags Vietnam, vacation

Posted by cd (523 days ago)

Would recommend Thailand for a beach holiday with the kids, maybe fly to BKK which you can often get a good rate with, and get a car down to Hua Hin. Nice small town, some lovely hotels. plenty to do.
Saying that we took our then 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 to HCMC for 3 days, no beach but they really enjoyed visitng the Cu Chi tunnels and Mekong Delta, although long coach trips.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by ldldjr (523 days ago)

I am extremely biased towards Viet Nam - so keep that in mind.

Ha Noi is an interesting city. If all you want to do is run away to the beach - so be it (there isn't much quality beach time in Lao, unless you don't mind the color of the Mekong). If you can live with local color and culture, and pass on the beach, Ha Noi, with a 2 day trip to Sapa should be considered. Look Sapa up on the internet - it is a great place, the weather should be nice now we are going into summer, and the other days in Ha Noi should also be interesting. Every Vietnamese I have met has loved kids, so your's should be happily spoiled by all the attention that will come his/her way.

And of course Hoi An isn't a bad destination either.

(I am based in Unspecified)

Posted by Dive bum (523 days ago)

Vietnam visa is pretty steep (GBP38 per person for Brits) and you have to send your passport off to the embassy to get them stamped (at least you did a couple of years ago). Laos visa is quite a bit cheaper from memory. Bali visa US$25 per person and I'd say nicer than Vietnam for a classic beach holiday. Vietnam does have some nice beaches - we spent a few days on Phu Quoc Island, way down South. It was a bit off the beaten track when we went but they have daily fights there from Saigon. Very nice beaches but no fish (all eaten). Check your season - it rained a lot when we were there. We preferred Saigon to Hanoi from a cultural perspective. Hoi An is pretty and they also have some nice beaches there.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by mary11 (516 days ago)

We have been in Vietnam over Chrismas and New Year, had a flight with American Airlines for 250Euro p.P. to HoChiMinCity. Visa cost was 500HKD (EU passport, not british) pPerson.

Once you are there in the backpacker area, there are lots of offers from the local travel agencies. They bring you at very cheap prices to various locations ususally by coach or minibus, or even boat if going south to Mekong. A cheap holiday is very esay to organize there. The main cost is the airfare.

(I am based in Hong Kong)

Posted by Dive bum (516 days ago)

We did what mary11 suggests. Sorted out a Mekong Delta trip for a few days and then the ferry over to Phu Quoc. All very cheap. Delta was fascinating - it poured down but that just added to the atmosphere. Not too many tourists around and consequently not many hotels (not ones you'd give a star to, anyway). Hardly any English spoken and everyone stared at us as if we were martians. Surreal but very interesting.

(I am based in Hong Kong)