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Where the roads scholar tour really scores for me is in the trip through the delta to Cambodia. I love both cities and would find it hard to choose between the two.
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Hanoi is all about the old Vietnam whereas HCMC is a the bustling thriving economic powerhouse of Vietnam and as such is udndergoing massive development into a modern city. Hanoi and HCMC both have a huge amount to see, especially in terms of museums but the are very different places. I love Hue which has a huge amount to see and do and would much prefer to stay there or in Hoi An, a quaint although very busy place. The city itself does not have a lot to commend it. We drove from Hoi An to Hue via Da Nang and were shocked to find that along the beach road for maybe 15-20 kms there was nothing but huge hotels either built or in the course of construction.
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It is a soulless place, now full of mega hotels catering for the Chinese tour group market. What I see as a major flaw in the Odyssey itinerary is the amount of time spent in Da Nang. Having looked at both of those tours, both have pros and cons, but for me the roadsscholar itinerary wins hands down. However wife and I have spent a lot of time travelling in Vietnam over the years and feel we have got to know the country pretty well. I don’t know either of those companies so can’t comment on how good or bad they might be. Oh, and when in Siem Reap, swing by the Ten Bells for great food and top notch jazz. Yeah, I like the idea of the second link: Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue, Saigon, the Mekong, then fly over to Siem Reap/Angkor and see the sites.
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You get to see so much of the countryside and small 'villages' in Angkor that way. Get breakfast and head-off, ideally on a morning tuk tuk ride. It's a great place to see in the morning. It looks different than all the other temples, and is very easy to get around (you won't feel like your mountain climbing as you do with some of the other temples). It's a bit more out of the way, towards the northeast of Angkor, but absolutely worth it. Do yourself a favor, go to Banteay Srei Temple. Enough time to get the feel of the place and see many of the sites. The three days/two nights seeing Angkor is a good time frame. Much easier to fly, and it's a short and inexpensive trip so worth it in my opinion. Driving from Vietnam? It's tends to be a real pain in the neck. Siem Reap is much smaller and not nearly as 'cushy' as Saigon can be, though staying in the Sofitels will go a long way is making things cushier.Īll in all, I say the second link, with the Cambodian excursion. Personally, I enjoy Siem Reap/Angkor more than Saigon, but they're fairly different places. A lot of people visit the Delta for good reason.
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Spending time in the Delta is, usually, cool. Ha Long Bay is very pretty, though it can get a little crowded on the water. Hanoi is ok, but my guess is you'll enjoy Hue and Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) more, most people do. Unfortunately I can't offer advice on those companies having never used them myself. Definitely recommend the trip, it's really something to see and experience. I just got back from a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, over the CNY vacation period. If anyone has toured with either of these companies, that would be helpful to know about, as well. I am hoping someone with more knowledge of this part of the world might have an opinion about one versus the other. The trips were are thinking of are below and both tours sound good to us. We enjoy learning about new cultures and are happy visiting museums and cities as well as enjoying nature and the countryside. If we do the Odysseys trip, we would add on the post tour extension to Cambodia.Ī bit about us: we are in our early 60s and have traveled quite a bit, mostly in Europe. We usually travel independently but this is our first time to this part of the world and we are debating between a Road Scholar's trip or an Odysseys Unlimited group tour. My husband and I are thinking of taking a first trip to Vietnam and Cambodia next January.