"VIETNAM - NORTH TO SOUTH IN TWO WEEKS " a Vietnam Travel Page by mypriority

My two-week trip starts on the year's last week in Hanoi (upnorth) down to Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh city). Stop for five days at Hue and Hoi An during the train ride.

I found Vietnam very enchanting, pack with history and very nice people. Superficially, it might bear resemblance to Thailand, as they have tropical beaches, chinese/indian influenced temples, old palaces, mountains, ricefields. But deeply, the differences are history. Being in a number of wars with Europeans, Americans, Siamese, Chinese as well as civil wars, make their history full of out-of-the-ordinary episodes (i.e. winning, defeated, struggling, colonized, decolonized, re-divided, re-unioned, etc.). Its history is also reflected in architecture of several tourist attractions.

One funny thing about Vietnam is that we always bump into other tourists we meet from preceding destinations, largely because Vietnam geographically is like a long stick only vertical trip north-to-south, south-to-north. So the tourist's direction is one way up or down. Oh, I guess we all read suggested itineraries from the same Lonely Planet.

Regarding safety, I think overall is relatively safe. I feel safe walking along the streets of Hanoi, Hue and Hoi An at night time (Saigon though need to be a bit cautious). I didn't see/hear of any big-time cheat or tourist incidents during my stay.

Two weeks in Vietnam is quite sufficient if you skip mountains and beaches (as I did). But one-month is great if you wanna explore all interesting destinations.

Indeed, Vietnam is well worth a visit.