2 weeks relaxing in Asia - suggestions?

[MEL_Traveller]

Wow. Great tips. Thank you!

Good to know about the food.

I checked fares SGN-DAD-SGN on VN. Might have gone up since you travelled? Economy is $155, and business is $454 (return) on the needed dates. Do you think it's worth an extra $300 per pax for the convenience?

I like your idea of direct SIN-DAD-SIN. Unfortunately, no award flights are showing on our dates on Seats.aero. I've probably left it too late. But SIN-SGN-SIN has awards every day so perhaps it's a busier route.

I just checked the fares a few minutes before posting! But selected a random date of Feb 13. This was direct in the VN website, and noting they have two tiers of business class fares.

not worth the $300 per person!

 

[goldenhorn]

I just checked the fares a few minutes before posting! But selected a random date of Feb 13. This was direct in the VN website, and noting they have two tiers of business class fares.

not worth the $300 per person!

NW. It's probably a seasonal pricing. We are going in the last week of March.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

NW. It's probably a seasonal pricing. We are going in the last week of March.

I think i must have lucked out pulling the cheapest dates!

I think not really worth the difference… although there will be about 30 mins at SGN airport where you *wished* you had spent the extra! The queues can be long and winding, but just go prepared and once it’s done it’s done!

 

[jase05]

Thanks for the feedback. How long did you stay at the Novotel?

We have stayed at the Novotel and it few times. Usually 4-5 days as that gives us a couple of day trips around the area to Hoi An or the Marble Mountains etc,
Normally when we go to Vietnam we will fly into Hanoi/HCMC and then fly out of the opposite and then just have a couple of domestic flights to join the dots. For instance last trip we flew BNE-SIN-HAN, a few nights on Hanoi, drove over to Ha Long Bay had a few nights there. Domestic flight from Hai Phong to Da Nang, a few nights there, domestic flight to HCMC a couple of nights there and then back to Singapore. Different trips we have done similar

 

[goldenhorn]

I wasn't so keen either but my wife was adamant. She was right.

I shared your comment with my partner, who is NOT keen on Vietnam. We haven't got a firm decision yet, but I think this helped him consider he may be wrong about Vietnam.

 

[GarrettM]

Well that's good news I hope, although I am sure wherever you go you will find enjoyment.
Every experience is different.

 

[Flyfrequently]

We have stayed at the Novotel and it few times. Usually 4-5 days as that gives us a couple of day trips around the area to Hoi An or the Marble Mountains etc,
Normally when we go to Vietnam we will fly into Hanoi/HCMC and then fly out of the opposite and then just have a couple of domestic flights to join the dots. For instance last trip we flew BNE-SIN-HAN, a few nights on Hanoi, drove over to Ha Long Bay had a few nights there. Domestic flight from Hai Phong to Da Nang, a few nights there, domestic flight to HCMC a couple of nights there and then back to Singapore. Different trips we have done similar

Have read your TR @jase05 has given me food for thought, though am looking at July. Concerned weather might be against us?

 

[goldenhorn]

That looks pretty good!

Beaches are supposed to be amazing in Vietnam.

When in Saigon, wholly recommend a visit to the (former) Presidential Palace if you like history and 1960s design. It is an absolute masterpiece of 1960s architecture and design.

We found the food a little disappointing in Saigon. We went to a mix of high and low-end places, all with good reviews on tripadvisor. Coming from Melbourne where we have some of the best Vietnamese restaurants, it was possibly better at home! (the takeout from that is to maybe not spend too much time fussing over where to eat!)

SQ flies non-stop from DAD to SIN, might be worth checking out if they have award seats. Low cost carriers also fly it.

For SGN-DAD, the economy fare on VN is ~$80 in economy with bags, or $120 in business. I recommend business class as you’re expedited at every stage through the airport. And while it’s only a short flight, the seating on board is much more comfortable (same as domestic QF business class).

The business class flights SGN-DAD have dropped to $229 per pax. Do you think it's worth the extra money for being expedited through the airport and the comfy chair for a 90-min flight? (Economy is $95 with Vietnam Airlines)

I am all for comfort where possible

 

[jase05]

The business class flights SGN-DAD have dropped to $229 per pax. Do you think it's worth the extra money for being expedited through the airport and the comfy chair for a 90-min flight? (Economy is $95 with Vietnam Airlines)

I am all for comfort where possible

Absolutely worth it. Beers on the lounge are normally ice cold, food onboard is pretty decent and o find SkyTeam priority benefits are pretty consistent in Vietnam

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The business class flights SGN-DAD have dropped to $229 per pax. Do you think it's worth the extra money for being expedited through the airport and the comfy chair for a 90-min flight? (Economy is $95 with Vietnam Airlines)

I am all for comfort where possible

Prrr-ob-ab-lllyyyy…. not. We did a domestic flight… we survived it in economy! The biggest advantage of business class going in to Vietnam was the special lane for immigration (business class only)… saved us a lot of time!

I’d put the combined $260 towards something else!

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 10:45 AM

Oh lol… now you have two conflicting pieces of advice.

Given I was really on the fence, jase05 has probably convinced me.

 

[goldenhorn]

Prrr-ob-ab-lllyyyy…. not. We did a domestic flight… we survived it in economy! The biggest advantage of business class going in to Vietnam was the special lane for immigration (business class only)… saved us a lot of time!

I’d put the combined $260 towards something else!

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 10:45 AM

Oh lol… now you have two conflicting pieces of advice.

Given I was really on the fence, jase05 has probably convinced me.

I just booked Economy

But $260 goes a long way in Vietnam, so I'll put it towards a hotel.

 

[goldenhorn]

The Lonely Planet says Vietnam is rife with taxi scams. They suggest Vietname Vip Arrival for pick-up service at the airport.

HCMC pick-up is US$50, which seems a lot for Vietnam based on the price of everything else.

Do you think this is necessary, or can taxis be trusted for getting to your hotel?

 

[JackMiles]

The Lonely Planet says Vietnam is rife with taxi scams. They suggest Vietname Vip Arrival for pick-up service at the airport.

HCMC pick-up is US$50, which seems a lot for Vietnam based on the price of everything else.

Do you think this is necessary, or can taxis be trusted for getting to your hotel?

I suggest using the Grab app (equivalent to Uber / Didi). Price is confirmed up front and generally cheaper than taxis. Link your credit card and then you also don't have to worry about cash.

 

[jase05]

I suggest using the Grab app (equivalent to Uber / Didi). Price is confirmed up front and generally cheaper than taxis. Link your credit card and then you also don't have to worry about cash.

Yep, second that. Grab is fantastic

 

[knagelli]

I suggest using the Grab app (equivalent to Uber / Didi). Price is confirmed up front and generally cheaper than taxis. Link your credit card and then you also don't have to worry about cash.

We are just back from two weeks in Vietnam and it was pretty easy to use Grab. Taxis at times could be tricky but if you can get Grab setup with the credit/debit card added , you will be good to go.

 

[GarrettM]

The Lonely Planet says Vietnam is rife with taxi scams. They suggest Vietname Vip Arrival for pick-up service at the airport.

HCMC pick-up is US$50, which seems a lot for Vietnam based on the price of everything else.

Do you think this is necessary, or can taxis be trusted for getting to your hotel?

If you stick with the clearly marked registered taxis you should be fine. They are legit and trustworthy.
Be cautious near any popular tourist spots when anybody asks if you want a taxi. They'll be dodgy. I got caught once in a moment of tiredness and it was very frustrating. Eventually I threw some cash at the driver and jumped out near our accommodation.
The people there then told me I could have come in and spoken to them and they would have dealt with it. So keep that in mind.

 

[goldenhorn]

OK, so Vietnam it is! I got the partner onboard (after he asked a friend about Vietnam who said Danang was beautiful )

I also secured SQ J seats from Singapore to Vietnam and back but had to swap around Hanoi and HCMC to get the flights to connect with our current SQ award seats. 26,000 VF points SIN-SGN and 38,000 VF points HAN-SIN per pax.

The flights are with SQ, so I'm hoping they will check our bags to Vietnam (and home) even though they are separate award bookings.

I wanted to stay in Hoi An, but unfortunately, there are no Accor properties there now, and I need to stay with Accor to make Platinum, so I'll make a day trip or two to Hoi An from Danang.

Someone has also recommended Bana Hills for a night, so I can easily add a night somewhere. The hotels are so reasonable I'd book there, leave for a night, and return to a current booking (probably Pullman).

I haven't booked any hotels yet, so open to any feedback or suggestions on this itinerary.

Overnight flight SQ 246 - BNE-SIN
Day 1 - SIN-SGN - Sofitel Saigon
Day 2 - Sofitel Saigon
Day 3 - Sofitel Saigon
Day 4 - SGN-DAD - Novotel Danang Premier Han River (or Grand Mercure Danang - still deciding_
Day 5 - Novotel or Grand Mercure
Day 6 - Novotel or Grand Mercure
Day 7 - Pullman Resort Danang
Day 8 - Pullman Resort Danang
Day 9 - Pullman Resort Danang
Day 10 - Pullman Resort Danang
Day 11 - DAD-HAN - Grand Mercure Hanoi
Day 12 - Grand Mercure Hanoi
Day 13 - HAN-SIN, SIN-BNE (overnight flight)

 

[GarrettM]

Day trips to Hoi An should suffice if you make two or three. Walking around the old town isn't overly exhaustive. Do make an effort though to make one an evening session and try to catch the lantern displays on the river. There's also night markets and no shortage of good inexpensive dining.

This TR is a few years old now, but may be of some value : Doing my dong on banh mi? Pho sure!

 

[jase05]

-HCMC the Sofitel is nice but have had a couple of good stays at the Novotel too.

- Da Nang definitely the Novotel over the Grand Mercure IMO

- Hà Nội, Sofitel Metropole is a gem if you want to spend a touch more. Haven’t stayed at any others

 

[goldenhorn]

-HCMC the Sofitel is nice but have had a couple of good stays at the Novotel too.

- Da Nang definitely the Novotel over the Grand Mercure IMO

- Hà Nội, Sofitel Metropole is a gem if you want to spend a touch more. Haven’t stayed at any others

Wow. The Sofitel Legend Metropole looks stunning. Incredible reviews too.

Unfortunately, I have to book executive lounge access rooms (I just missed out on Platinum), so the club room tariff is double there compared to Grand Mercure Hanoi.

Next time!