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What do you mean when you say 'tours'?

I didn't like taking tours (travel hipster lololoolol) but there are many out there, Sapa, Ha Long bay etc but you can do FAR better for yourself if you do NOT take tours.

In Vietnam, you will get a LOT OF PEOPLE offering tours and shit to you. Its just how it is. Shake your head and keep walking, and you'll be fine.

Down south they are more pushy.

Hanoi is great to just walk around in.

Tour people seem to love Sappa.

I skipped it and went to Ha Giang. There is nothing to do in Ha Giang, unless you really enjoy that fact in which case it is awesome.

Hire a motorbike (for like $3 a day) and go exploring. Try not to die.

There's towns up north along the China border which is where I went instead of Nappa. Google Dong Van (really, lol) But this is seriously way off the map.

Enough so that children who have never seen a white person before will start crying and lose their shit at the strange alien people.

However everyone else there is awesome. It's a big adventure, but it's of the unscripted kind. But you can walk into any hostel in Hanoi and say one word of English and get thrown enough tours that you will be there for fourty years doing tours of god knows what :P

Recommend tours and places!

What you did in Cat Ba island is exactly what I want to do, also going to the vietcong tunnels when down in the south. Kayaking, exploring, adventures..

Oh okay. Well Cat Ba island is kind of touristy looking, as in, when you rock up and see heaps of 80s style brick hotels on the front of the island, you think instant tourist zone...and a lot of shops reflect that with signage etc...but it still seems less fake and bogan than what I imagine Bali and Thailand to be these days. I kind of wanted to stay on Cat Ba and party there at bars but our schedule didn't allow for it (the whole trip to Vietnam was done on improv and booked the day before we went there), so was literally only there for food and to book our kayak tour. Then jumped on a very rickety boat and nek minut hidden island paradise that reminded me of that movie the beach but a tad more organised. Was like $200 for everything over the few days?

Shit there's not enough lifetimes to see the world. I would easily spend one of those lives just living in Vietnam. Then you go and think how many countries are out there easy to see why people get the travel bug but melancholic to know you'll never see it all no matter how much you travel.

  • Like 1

For f**king travel hipsters, can recommend hanging gardens of Babylon, just out side Baghdad.

There's no f**king bushes or flowers but there hundreds of dead white people hung up.

They didn't go "tourist" either.

GO TO VIETNAM

It is cheaper than Bali.

It's pretty much what you want.

If you aren't a super traveller, you may find Hanoi a bit 'out there'

Either that or you will love it.

This

Though I found Hanoi was quite easy on me for an inexperienced traveller. Old quarter is so cool.

Planning to go, Da Nang, Can tho, Hoi An, Sapa(but it's too cold?), Ha Long Bay- Cat Ba, Cu Chi Tunnels and then south to Phu Quoc island before a week or so with the missus family.

What do you mean when you say 'tours'?

Hire a motorbike (for like $3 a day) and go exploring. Try not to die.

Tours, as in the group tours with the tourists.

Do you just rock up and hire a bike easily?

For f**king travel hipsters, can recommend hanging gardens of Babylon, just out side Baghdad.

There's no f**king bushes or flowers but there hundreds of dead white people hung up.

They didn't go "tourist" either.

u wot m8

Though I found Hanoi was quite easy on me for an inexperienced traveller. Old quarter is so cool.

Depends a bit on how savvy you are though. I can imagine a lot of people want to 'travel' but lose their mind if they have to go to an ol quarter Hanoi restaurant, sit on a plastic table and eat unknown food from an unknown menu in an unknown language and don't know how to use chopsticks.

"This is so different!" is either really interesting and cool, or terrifying to some people.

Planning to go, Da Nang, Can tho, Hoi An, Sapa(but it's too cold?), Ha Long Bay- Cat Ba, Cu Chi Tunnels and then south to Phu Quoc island before a week or so with the missus family.

Tours, as in the group tours with the tourists.

Do you just rock up and hire a bike easily?

Da Nang, Sapa (its not cold, "cold" in Vietnam is under 30) are pretty touristy places.

Yes you can hire a bike anywhere.

WARNING: TRAFFIC IN VIETNAM IS INSANE.

I only hired a bike when I was WELL in no-mans land. I mean WELL in no-mans land. Hiring a bike in a city is ... man, need massive balls for that.

Taxis push people on scooters out of the way with the car. That's what its like.

Need the advice of the Wastelands. Missus wants to go to Bali with me and another couple. Not to go anywhere near the touristy areas and instead travel the supposed beautiful country.

How realistic is this in you fellas minds? Is there still lots of natural beauty to be seen or is the whole island

pretty much devoted to Tourism? Call me Naive I don't care, that's why I want to get out there somewhere!

Vietnam and Vanuatu were also on the list, but she doesn't think she can afford them compared to Bali.

Vanuatu is very pricey when there and not a whole bunch to do

Viet Def cheaper of the lot

Bali...might as well just go to tassie

u wot m8

Depends a bit on how savvy you are though. I can imagine a lot of people want to 'travel' but lose their mind if they have to go to an ol quarter Hanoi restaurant, sit on a plastic table and eat unknown food from an unknown menu in an unknown language and don't know how to use chopsticks.

"This is so different!" is either really interesting and cool, or terrifying to some people.

True

I don't see the point to travelling if you go looking for the same shit you have back home, which is why I just do not get Aussies going to Bali and Thailand when bogan infested QLD is much closer.

I guess for me it was so different that I fell right into it and thought f**k it this is life for the next week or so :)

Plus I had a point to prove to idiotic friends who assumed I would struggle being in such a different place.

Meanwhile they were going to the same cafe everyday on their MacBooks fkn lol

  • Like 1

Bali Thailand cheaper than going to qld least once food drink and accom taken into consideration

But yeah lived in old quarter for a couple months for one work trip

Some of the got that used to me didn't try and rip me off too much

True that Birds, those tiny plastic tables and chairs have some of the nicest food.
That one random stand selling fob rolls is just the bomb.

WARNING: TRAFFIC IN VIETNAM IS INSANE.
I only hired a bike when I was WELL in no-mans land. I mean WELL in no-mans land. Hiring a bike in a city is ... man, need massive balls for that.
Taxis push people on scooters out of the way with the car. That's what its like.

I've been back to nam twice, but only travelled around the south. But yes, insane traffic!

BTW do you guys book things here before going over there or just fly over there and book things like accommodation and stuff over there?

Bit of both major multi day b4 smaller when there so I can be flexible

BTW do you guys book things here before going over there or just fly over there and book things like accommodation and stuff over there?

When I was there I booked hotels/motels/private hostel rooms a day in advance using the internet.

There's plenty of places if your standards are low enough.

That said, $12 will get you a pretty damn nice room, for $12.

Obviously sensible to have your first few days booked, though!

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