If you live or have lived in Vietnam, or you have been on holiday there before, or you simply know a lot about the country please could you answer these few questions.
I am going to Vietnam next Easter for about 3 weeks and i will be travelling by motorbike (a Minsk hopefully) from Hanoi to Ho Chi Min.
i will be zig-zagging across and i will have a lovely time hopefully!
how much money do you think i will need for 3 weeks? food, accommodation, spending money, drink, etc
any advice on the food or drink?
any nice places to visit?
also, VERY important - what kind of vaccinations will i need to go there. i mean, not suggested by websites, but actually need as i am a poor 18 year old with a minimum wage job so i cant spend millions of pounds on inoculations...
and anything you might want to add would be most appreciated!
Thanks!
I LOVE how you titled your question. Now... to answer your questions…
Q: How much money do you think i will need for 3 weeks? food, accommodation, spending money, drink, etc
This really depends on how you want to travel. My wife and I honeymooned by traveling up and down Vietnam and we spent less than $2,000 US during the six weeks. This included:
-Staying in hotels
-Three plane rides
-Riding the 5-Star express to Nha Trang
-Taking a tour bus to and from Da Lat
-Paying for taxis
-Exquisite eating
-Buying miscellaneous tourist trinkets
Your intention of taking a motorbike in lieu of faster transportation suggests that your travels will be much more modest plus it’s only yourself. That in mind, you should travel quite comfortably on less than $1,000 US for the three weeks excluding airfare.
Q: Any advice on the food or drink?
I love Vietnamese food, so I would suggest eating everything. You may want to warm up your pallet by going to the night market restaurants around Ben Thanh Market in HCMC. That’s one of the few places where you can find a sample of every Vietnamese dish at one place and one time. A couple nights there will give you an idea what to expect as you head to points north.
Q: Any nice places to visit?
Oh yes... There’s a whole bunch of wonderful places to visit between HCMC and Ha Noi. Google the following locations for examples of top spots to go:
-Nha Trang
-Can Ram Bay
-Da Nang
-Hoi An
-Hue
-Da Lat
There are dozens more places to visit. A good idea is to visit the tourist center in Ha Noi or HCMC. Both have excellent staff that will point out locations for your journey that would be a surprise even to me as a seasoned Vietnam traveler.
Q: What kind of vaccinations will I need to go there?
You don’t need vaccinations to visit Vietnam. However, it is always a very good idea to get some key vaccinations if you intend to travel to any underdeveloped country. I always make sure the following is updated:
Tetanus – Keep from getting sick by getting a scratch or an open wound
Hepatitis A & B – Keep from getting sick eating or drinking something
Flu Shot – Keep from screwing up your holiday by getting the flu
There are good arguments about taking malaria pills too. However, that has been more of a problem to me. You have to take malaria pills for a couple weeks before your travels for them to work as they should and many people get sick by just taking the pills. It’s your choice on this one.
Private physicians in the U.S. charge $60 - $130 for the three vaccinations I mentioned above. Free clinics in the will charge $30 or free if you answer the questionnaires correctly. Personally, it’s worth the few bucks to keep from ending up sick in a foreign hospital.
Q: Anything you might want to add would be most appreciated.
I would strongly advise against you riding a motorbike from HCMC to Ha Noi. Traffic in Vietnam is much different and a lot more dangerous than in England or the U. S. There are scores of motorbike deaths on the highways and I’m sure that you don’t want to add to the statistics. You’re also going to have a time constraint because three weeks is not a whole lot of time to travel Vietnam be it on motorbike or not.
I would suggest traveling by tour bus in lieu of suicide by motorbike. There are numerous tour companies that can hook you up for pretty cheap. You travel in comfort, safety and a flushing toilette (you will understand the importance of a toilette when you get there).
Whatever you decide to do, I wish you a safe journey and have a fantastic time there!
vaccinations for vietnam travel
vaccinations for vietnam travel
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