Vietnam

Hello All

I wonder if anyone has any helpful comments about Vietnam. 12 of our friends are currently on Connie and they are all very disappointed with Vietnam. They docked at Ho Chi Minh and Denang.

We have booked a similar cruise for 2018 with 3 stops in Vietnam and we are now very concerned.

Has anyone any good reports or helpful tips on how to spend the days to see anything lovely please?

Many Thanks

I can't see how anyone could be disappointed in Vietnam. We were in those same ports and found it fascinating. The daily life was interesting to get into and to see the sights was interesting. Things were a lot closer together in Saigon than what I remembered from the news. Hoi An was beautiful - from a time long ago - as it wasn't damaged during the war.

We loved it and would like to go back - can't see how anyone can be disappointed in it.

We were in Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang in 2006 and loved it. I would go back to Vietnam in a heartbeat.

No qualms at all. Fascinating and beautiful. Be sure and visit the Mekong Delta - it's a full day excursion.

Joe

If they are disappointed in Vietnam I can only guess they didn't arrange tours. The ship docks in industrial ports quite a distance from the sights and there is nothing to see in the immediate area. We were so impressed with Hoi An that we are returning for a one week stay at Easter.

Vietnam is different but fascinating. The trip into Saigon is long but worth it, so much history. Just looking at the traffic is amazing. Nha Trang I did a pedi cycle tour which took in the main sights. Amazing. You do have to book tours whether on the ship or privately to see all there is to see.

I booked a ship tour because Saigon is such a long way, in case something went wrong. A couple at our table booked a taxi for the day at a set price and when they were ready to return to ship price had gone up. As time was running out they had to,pay. Ended up much more expensive and stressful than the ships tour.

Personally, Vietnam is the good country for traveling. If you want to travel by cruise tour in Halong Bay, you should book cruise tour in Hanoi instead of Halong which will give you more promotion like a ree transfer from Hanoi. Further, if you want to travel by taxi, the best way is that you should book taxi via app on your phone such as Uber or Grab.

Why would somebody whose ship docks in Halong Bay want to book the cruise tour in Hanoi to get a free transfer to Halong Bay?

I am heartened by your responses - thank you

Yes tours were booked in advance so until they return I cannot ascertain exactly what the problem was.

Thank you for all your helpful comments

We spent a month in Vietnam last winter. It was an independent land trip. We loved the country and will be going back.

We came to the conclusion, after three winters of extended land travel in Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia, that a cruise was the worst way to see those countries. Ports are often too far from the sights. They also stop at some ports that really do not showcase those respective countries as well as the could. Not the cruise line fault really-more a question of which ports can accommodate the ships.

Advantage of taking a small cruise ship like Azamara they pull in very close to downtown in Ho Chi Min and Bangkok.

Some years back, we sailed on the Voyager of the Seas and visited Ho Chi Minh city. Yes, I remember the port (industrial one) was very far from the city. We hired a private driver cum guide and visited some of the sights, including the palace and war museum. See if my blog post is useful - http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogspot.sg/2013/10/ho-chi-minh-city-lets-pay-uncle-ho.html

More recently (late last year), we took a short holiday in Hanoi. Stayed at the JW Marriott. Didn't like Hanoi very much, I think more to see in Ho Chi Minh.

Some videos, in case you are wondering what Hanoi looks like.

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Hanoi Old Quarter.

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You see motorcycles everywhere, including this Vietnamese lady dressed in elegant Ao Dai riding one.

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JW Marriott was pretty cool though. President Obama stayed there. I asked the Executive Chef at the Exec Lounge what he cooked for President Obama.

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Vietnam was great!

With improved roads, Saigon is now only about a 90 minutes trip from the port (similar to getting to Florence or Rome.) We used a ship's DIY excursion to get us there and back - plus a private foodie market tour. Thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

But our favorite excursion in Vietnam was an overnight junk cruise on Ha Long Bay. Wonderful scenery, great food and many activities.

We did this same cruise on Azamara a few years ago and docked about 15 to 20 minutes from Saigon and Bangkok. Way to go - it was so close. I read about the time wasted on the bigger cruise ships and think "why?"

I read about the time wasted on the bigger cruise ships and think "why?"

Usually, the fare difference of a few thousand $ is enough to change minds. Some people don't like small ships and find them boring. Go figure.

We were on Azamara in Nov/Dec and loved being able to go up the rivers in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City. My husband was out on our balcony the entire time (in and out....) obsessed with the river traffic ;-)

In Ho Chi Minh city, we rambled on our own one day, had our included Azamazing evening at a cultural center that evening (truly was AzAMAZING! but hot ;-) and did a pho food tour the following day....

We'd love the smaller ships and the ability to dock closer to the centre of town, but cost is the limiting factor for us

We don't go on ships with more than 1400 passengers (preferably fewer than 1000) so we just wait for deals and do other types of vacations instead of cruising....(we did one cruise on a ship of 1900 and while we enjoyed the cruise, we decided NOT to repeat a trip on a ship that large - or, for us, heaven forbid any larger!)

Thankfully there are still a few ships out there we can choose from, and SO MANY other ways to vacation :hearteyes:

[we did get a great deal on our Azamara cruise!]

We are doing our second Azamara in Asia and the close proximity to cities is great, but it is also the fact the staff know you after first meeting.

Although the drives from the cruise ports to both Hanoi and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) took hours, it was both very interesting to see the countryside, in addition to those two cities. We booked a tour from RCL in Hanoi and a "Saigon on Your Own" tour in Saigon. We enjoyed both of them!

http://cruiseports.ca/asia/hanoi-vietnam.html

We did Ho Chi Minh on your own from Celebrity. It was just over an hour on the bus and we had quite a bit of time to explore. It is a very busy city, but interesting. We also enjoyed Hoi An and Hue.

My husband and I will be traveling to Vietnam aboard the Celebrity Millennium in December. We will be staying overnight in Halong Bay aboard a junk. We will also take day tours in Ho Chi Ming City & Da nang. I have been getting conflicting answers on if we need a multiple or single entry Vietnam Visa.

I thought if we enter Vietnam once, we would only need a single entry visa.

Could anyone who has travelled to Vietnam let me know what visa they purchased. Thank you.

Phyllis

My husband and I will be traveling to Vietnam aboard the Celebrity Millennium in December. We will be staying overnight in Halong Bay aboard a junk. We will also take day tours in Ho Chi Ming City & Da nang. I have been getting conflicting answers on if we need a multiple or single entry Vietnam Visa.

 

I thought if we enter Vietnam once, we would only need a single entry visa.

 

Could anyone who has travelled to Vietnam let me know what visa they purchased. Thank you.

 

Phyllis

Celebrity will organise your visa onboard the ship and is one of the few cruise lines to only impose a small fee for doing so.

Thank you for responding to my post. Celebrity wants $155.00 for a Vietnam Visa for Americans and the Vietnam Embassy Charges $80.00 for a single entry and $130 for a multiple entry. Just trying to figure out which I need, single or multiple entry.

Thank you.

Phyllis

Thank you for responding to my post. Celebrity wants $155.00 for a Vietnam Visa for Americans and the Vietnam Embassy Charges $80.00 for a single entry and $130 for a multiple entry. Just trying to figure out which I need, single or multiple entry.

 

Thank you.

 

Phyllis

You need to research further on this as I have seen very recent posts (probably on this same forum) where the Celebrity charge is/was only $6.

I noted in another post about an RCL cruise on the Australian New Zealand forum that US citizens were going to be charged $156 if they stayed off the ship beyond midnight (probably an overnight stay somewhere where passengers could stay in a hotel). Otherwise the cost was quite reasonable compared to the prices you have quoted

Have you asked Celebrity to give you the facts in writing?. Been to Vietnam twice by ship, both times let the cruise line organize the visa and it was a very simple cost effective way to go.

Also suggest you ask the same question on the Celebrity boards - you may also get updated info there or do a search of that particular forum.

You need to research further on this as I have seen very recent posts (probably on this same forum) where the Celebrity charge is/was only $6.

 

 

I noted in another post about an RCL cruise on the Australian New Zealand forum that US citizens were going to be charged $156 if they stayed off the ship beyond midnight (probably an overnight stay somewhere where passengers could stay in a hotel). Otherwise the cost was quite reasonable compared to the prices you have quoted

 

 

Have you asked Celebrity to give you the facts in writing?. Been to Vietnam twice by ship, both times let the cruise line organize the visa and it was a very simple cost effective way to go.

 

Also suggest you ask the same question on the Celebrity boards - you may also get updated info there or do a search of that particular forum.

We were on the Millennium last November. At that time Celebrity was quoting visas for US citizens at under $10 pp in total for three daytrip visits to all three Vietnam ports; however, for an overnight stay (plus two day visits) they were quoting around $140 per person. But we somehow lucked out and were only charged a little under $30 pp for the overnight + 2 days - go figure!

We were on the Millennium last November. At that time Celebrity was quoting visas for US citizens at under $10 pp in total for three daytrip visits to all three Vietnam ports; however, for an overnight stay (plus two day visits) they were quoting around $140 per person. But we somehow lucked out and were only charged a little under $30 pp for the overnight + 2 days - go figure!

Just contacted Celebrity and was advised that Celebrity will arrange Visa for Vietnam ports when we board ship and cost will be $6.00 US. Charlie advised only one visa needed for 3 separate ports. We are cruising on Celebrity Constellation (Jan 29, 2018 departure out of Singapore) to Thailand and Vietnam. (Cost is same for US and Canadian citizens).

Laurie

Just contacted Celebrity and was advised that Celebrity will arrange Visa for Vietnam ports when we board ship and cost will be $6.00 US. Charlie advised only one visa needed for 3 separate ports. We are cruising on Celebrity Constellation (Jan 29, 2018 departure out of Singapore) to Thailand and Vietnam. (Cost is same for US and Canadian citizens).

 

Laurie

The $6 charge is if you only do day trips in all 3 ports. If you stay off the ship for an overnight - either in a Hanoi hotel or on a Ha Long Bay junk cruise, then the fee will be greater.