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We are going on a Uniworld Mekong River trip from HCM City to Hanoi. Any travel suggestions or hints appreciated.

 

YES!! Have many suggestions and ideas!! Super enjoyed our visit in Vietnam, etc., earlier this year. Full details can be seen below on my live/blog. Plus a few visual samples below. Please ask on my live/blog any and all questions. Happy to share more, hear about your interests, info needs, etc.

 

From the Travel Section of the London/UK Telegraph for this weekend, they have this headline: 17 reasons to visit Vietnam with some of these highlights: Hustle and bustle in Hanoi: What makes the capital so interesting is that it feels very old-fashioned, stuck in the past with its French colonial history entrenched in its pavement cafes, architecture and wide tree-lined boulevards. Take a ride in one of the thousands of tuk-tuks swarming through the city’s streets to get a sense of the daily buzz.

 

That is just one of the seventeen reasons cited. Bring back nice memories in reading this fun profile. Here is more: "Halong Bay: Increasingly popular, especially with the Chinese thanks to its proximity to the border, Halong Bay remains a staggering sight: shimmering turquoise waters punctuated by mossy rocks rising steeply out of nowhere. Ho Chi Minh City offers a contrast to northern Hanoi. The swaggering city of the south is all modern skyscrapers and new building projects. Find a hotel bar high up to admire the lights as the sun sets - many would have propped up war correspondents in the Sixties."

 

Full story at:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/vietnam/articles/reasons-to-visit-vietnam/

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.! Just completed a Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 2018, first adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before traveling all over Vietnam and Cambodia. This includes seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Now at 25,440 views. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! See more at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

 

Here are just a few visuals samples from what we saw and did with Avalon while sailing along the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Many, many more photos and details on the full live/blog.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

CMY_0654%202_zpsu3xzdbr1.jpg

 

CMY_1642%202_zpsylne46ki.jpg

 

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We saw many temples, palaces, markets and samples of daily life/work, including at this below spectacular Royal structure in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.:

CMY_1271_zpsif0trcea.jpg

CMY_1025%203_zpsn1ha0rtn.jpg

 

CMY_0470%201_zpsdpnhanc1.jpg

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Mekong Delta is something I want to do. Funny thing most private boats go out by 8 am and our Azamara ship docks 9 am one day and leaves late afternoon the next day. Looks like it will be one of those times where we do a ship excursion.

 

Halong Bay is a different story. We are planning an overnight on a junk on the Bhaya Premium Classic. Looks like an amazing experience.

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If you are considering a Mekong delta trip from an ocean cruise ship, it will take you at least 3 hours each way to travel there/back.

 

I should clarify. We are not on a typical ocean cruise ship. Our ship is small and docks right in Saigon. Also, not all of this tour is on a boat, just at the final leg through the Rach Mieu suspension bridge to a view of the Upper Mekong. At that point, our guide is driving us back. It's only a 10-hour day.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Hi TLCOhio...glad I found your post. We are doing a Mekong Cruise in December. On your trip on Avalon, were there people on the boat who got their Visa for Cambodia at the river crossing? We have to use our passports a lot between now and then and don’t have time to send it away to get visas in advance...thanks!

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Hi TLCOhio...glad I found your post. We are doing a Mekong Cruise in December. On your trip on Avalon, were there people on the boat who got their Visa for Cambodia at the river crossing? We have to use our passports a lot between now and then and don’t have time to send it away to get visas in advance...thanks!

 

Appreciate your good question and follow-up. Fortunately, by chance, I happened to see your info need. For others, it might be best to post any follow-up questions on my live/blog for this trip. Happy to share more and answer any and all questions on that location which I check on a more regular basis.

 

Yes, there were about a half-dozen of us on this Avalon ship who had the staff get our Cambodia visa as were sailing northbound on the Mekong River. Worked fine and easy!! For the two of us, the cost, at that time, was a total of $100. Cash. No credit cards. If you are going south-bound on the Mekong, it would be different, as you probably arrive in Cambodia by air and need to have that visa when arriving at their airport.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

SE Asia/Mekong River, Etc.! Just completed a Jan. 21-Feb. 20, 2018, first adventure through Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, before traveling all over Vietnam and Cambodia. This includes seven days sailing on the Mekong River. Now at 30,549 views. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! See more at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2591474

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Yes, there were about a half-dozen of us on this Avalon ship who had the staff get our Cambodia visa as were sailing northbound on the Mekong River. Worked fine and easy!! For the two of us, the cost, at that time, was a total of $100. Cash. No credit cards. If you are going south-bound on the Mekong, it would be different

:) Thanks so much! We are starting in Viet Nam and plan to do the online application with their consulate for that part of the trip. Definitely adds peace of mind to know we can manage the Cambodia visa so easily. I will check out your blog...any advice for this trip is greatly appreciated, as it is an adventure filled with firsts for me. First time in Asia, first river cruise, first time even getting visas!

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Thanks so much! We are starting in Viet Nam and plan to do the online application with their consulate for that part of the trip. Definitely adds peace of mind to know we can manage the Cambodia visa so easily. I will check out your blog...any advice for this trip is greatly appreciated, as it is an adventure filled with firsts for me. First time in Asia, first river cruise, first time even getting visas!

 

Appreciate your follow-up and the good researching/planning you are doing. For us earlier this year, it was our first time for doing Southeast Asia and with a river cruise. We had gone through the "visa challenges" previously when preparing for our 2015 Brazil/Amazon River adventure.

 

Look forward to any and all questions from you and others on my live/blog for these wonderful and interesting areas in Southeast Asia. Keep it coming!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 209,453 views for this posting.

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