Travelling Tips: Wallet

What to out in your wallet:

As. Little. As. Possible.

Money: Only as much as you think you will need for the day.

ID: Photocopies, if possible. Leave all unnecessary extra ID (e.g Driving License, 11B, blah blah blah)

Cards: 1 debit card is enough, if you need it at all. No point agonising over which mastercard to use, we're probably not gonna be using it at all.

Passport - Pls photocopy at least 2 copies, bring one with you all the time, other in your bag, original passport we try to stash in the hotel safe as often as we can.

Money Changer

CK Money Changer
336 Smith Street #01-304
New Bridge Centre
S(050336)

This is recommended by flowerpod. But we will probably scout the entire place for good rates.

How to Pack

Packing for a trip is always one of the most fun things you can do. Usually the trip is not as good as the leadup to it (but this time it will be better because we are EXTREEEEEME), but of course thats jumping the gun.

The old adage holds up well no matter what we are packing or where we are going:

"Pack everything you think you will need, and get rid of half of it."

Really. Really, really, really. There's no point in tempting the weight load extremes of the carry on luggage (EXTREEEEME) or the max checkin weight. Don't bring something there and end up not using it at all. Totally extremely (EXTREEEEEME) not cool.

Specific Notes:

1. Sharps - No knives, no razors, and no swiss army knife, no matter how Rambo you want to be. You want to look for mines in Vietnam, use your legs. At least they get past the airport sensors undetected. If you really want to bring a combat knife, check it in with the luggage.

2. Liquids/Aerosols/Sprays - Usually toiletries. Guys, we are going to Vietnam. It's not Timbuktoo, there are SHOPS there. I can say with a 95% probability that on the way to our hotel, we will pass by at LEAST one 7-11, or some supermarket. We can pick up toiletries there, which will save on trouble packing it to fit airline restrictions. Alternatively, check it in.

3. Clothes - The temperature in HCMC is 31-22 degrees (i.e SG temperature) , Hanoi 16-22 degrees, Sapa down to 1 degree at coldest. Ideally, HCMC we dress as per normal, Hanoi throw on 1 more sweater if you really want to, Sapa add a jacket. Its not THAT cold. (EXTREEEEME).

4. Checking in Bags - When I went to Thailand for 13 days earlier this year, i carried 1 backpack (Deuter AC lite 25, Tatonka Sling bag). Total size was abt 45L, and I had to squeeze slightly to carry souvenirs back. As most of the people I buy souvenirs for are going with me, I don't forsee buying things back being a big problem. 

As shown above. I carried the backpack onto the plane, sling bag checked in. Its not that big. Jerry suggested we consolidate and check in a few bags, instead of everyone checking in individually. Also possible, if you all don't mind. Of course, I did my laundry a couple of times in Bangkok, which we may or may not be able to do in Vietnam. I think it's possible to do, but of course if all else fails, go buy new cheap clothes when we are there. Although i wouldn't, personally. I carried the backpack when walking around most of the time. The toploading style did irritate me to no end, actually. Oh by the way the sling bag was $23 when i got it in JC2, and it has lasted me quite a while since then. Worth taking a look at.

Aye, more updates on packing and stuff when i can think of it. Cheerio.

LAGs

Hello all,

for those who are not checking in their luggage i.e. bringing onto the plane, please take note of the 100ml rule for all your toiletries and stuff.

You might find the following links useful.

Guidelines for Liquids, Aerosols and Gels in Hand-Carry Luggage

FAQs: Acceptable 100ml containers and re-sealable transparent plastic bags

Backpacks: Some Tips

Hi guys,

As some of you will be thinking of buying backpacks for this trip, I think I should share some information to make purchasing packs a little easier.

Most of the information can be gathered online on your own, but since I was doing some of my own research for my SEP, I can give a summarised version of a few pointers:

Backpacking: The REAL way to travel

Do you need a backpack: In short, yes. We will be hopping around quite a bit, having a backpack will help minimise the burden of carrying things around. (e.g sling bags or clumsy roller luggage). We all rather not walk around one shoulder lower than the other.

What size backpack should i get: Take note, bigger is NOT always better. We will be leaving for 11 days only, its considered a short trip. The size of the average backpack for these kind of trips i would recommend 40-60L. Thats litres, as in how much space it can take (60dm^3, or 0.06m^3 of internal space) That should be ample for any clothes and stuff that we will need. Do note that it is possible to carry much less.

Do we need another bag: Yes, preferably a small one for your valuables and day to day walking. We will be leaving out backpacks at the hotel most of the time, and walking around with the smaller bag.

What kind of backpack: Here are some pointers that we should take note of when looking for a backpack:

1. If they are larger than 22` by 14` by 9` (56 by 35 by 25 cm), they WILL be checked in on the flight. Standard procedure. Some bags come with a travel case, but these tend to be rare. Most of the "backpacker backpacks" you see will fall into this range. They tend to be rather strappy and have lots of stuff hanging around outside. I've personally never checked in any backpack, but I've seen it done. Some airports have the cling wrap thing to help protect the backpack. But do note that luggage handling is rather rough, might have to watch it.

2. Top loading vs Front loading - Top loading backpacks are like the army backpacks -> as the name implies, we load it up by the top. This is good in that its hard for others to steal stuff at the bottom of the pack, but its also tough for you to retrieve stuff from the bottom. Front loading packs are like your secondary schoolbags style - the bag opens from the front, enabling access to about 2/3rd of the pack when fully opened. This is good for those who pack haphazardly, but also can be easy for thieves to open (even when locked). Oh, and do bring a combination or keylock. It will be useful, to say the least. Make sure you can lock your pack, if you are leaving valuables inside (e.g laptop, if any crazy bugger cant live without the internet.) Personally, i prefer front loading. Useful especially if we are throwing random stuff we buy on the streets and in the market.

3. Hip belt and sternum strap - Jerry was talking about losers who strap these on when they carry their backpacks to school. While I agree that it's rather loserish to do something like that (especially when theres no textbooks or laptop in JC... what weight is there to carry?), the straps DO help a lot when carrying heavy loads over extended periods of time. A properly worn backpack will place 80% of the weight of the pack on the hip belt, and consequently on the hips. 

3. Size - Ideally, backpacks should carry at most 30% of the persons weight. Thats right, fatasses can carry more load. (No wonder i always end up carrying the signal set in army. -_-)

4. Brands to see - The market is saturated with many different brands. Most of us are very familiar with big names like Deuter, Arc'teryx, Eagle Creek, etcetera. Bear in mind that for some cases, you may be paying more for the brand than for the bag itself. Look at the bag, not the brand. Some cheap bags may be good enough. Better still, borrow, if you think you're not gonna be doing this kind of backpacking often.

5. MOST IMPORTANTLY - Try the bag, try the weight you think you will be carrying, and if you are NOT comfortable with it, DO NOT BUY. When I bought my Osprey Porter 46, I carried down an old Deuter bag (abt 20L) with my laptop, and 1 semesters worth of math notes for 1 topic. I also carried down my DSLR and my tripod. The Porter 46 (thats for 46L) managed to carry everything with ease, only needing me to disassemble my tripod head to fit the tripod legs into the backpack. And theres space to spare. I carried the bag around the shop awhile, checking how the shoulder straps fit and if the weight distribution was even. While it was slightly awkward, my main aim wasn't for comfort - It was to maximise my carry on luggage capacity. For the rest of you all, comfort should be the overall goal - Nobody wants to lug around a backpack and complain about it for the next 11 days (We don't want to hear you complaining about it either).

Thats about it for the backpack tips. General sources are as below:

Backpack Europe

TravelIndependent

Backpacking Light

OneBag

Personal Experience and knowledge (What, you wanna fight about it?)

Packing Tips: Coming Soon!

Do and Don'ts in Vietnam

General Information about Vietnam

Do read up these before we head off. Mostly basic courtesy requirements.

Sapa Itenary

Ha Long Itenary

Day 1 (L-D): Hanoi – Halong Bay
Pick up at your hotel. Leave Ha Noi at 8:15 am for Ha Long City by a modern bus. Get on Imperial Junk boat and enjoy a welcome drink and lunch of savory local sea food. Check into your cabin and start cruising around the bay to see the amazing karsts with different formations: Lion, Tea Pot, Toad, Dau Nguoi (Human Head) islet, and then stop for a walk through the Sung Sot cave “Amazing Cave”.
There will be plenty of time for swimming and sunbathing (If weather permitted) after the boat anchors at a clean calm sea. Enjoy a wonderful sunset dinner in our beautiful restaurant before retiring to the comfort of your cabin. Dinner and overnight in Imperial Junk Boat. Go fishing.

Day 2: (B-L-D) Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Island - VietHai
A.M: Breakfast on boat. After that, start cruising toward Cat Ba Island. Stop at Van Gia village and transfer to another boat for your cruising to Viet Hai village which belongs to Cat Ba National Park. Cycle from Viet Hai primitive forest, trek through the forest up to the Navy Peak where you are overwhelmed by the beauty of Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba National Park. Cycle back to the boat and BBQ lunch on a white sandy beach.
PM: Kayaking around Lan Ha Bay with full of exploration. Relaxing and swimming and spectacularly you have time to visit CatDua beach (Monkey Island) and Lan Ha Lagoon.

Possible options :

Go camping at the beach : Dinner at the beach. Overnight in a camp. (CatDua beach - Monkey Island)

Stay at bungalow (CatDua beach - Monkey island)

Stay at Holiday View Hotel in Catba town

Day 3: (B – L) Cat Ba – Ha Long - Ha Noi
Breakfast at 6.45 a.m. At 7.15 a.m, get to the boat by bus and cruise back to Ha Long City. On the way, you have some minutes for swimming at a quiet and clean sea. Arrive in Ha Long City at 11.30 Am. Lunch. After lunch, return to Ha Noi and arrive in Ha Noi at 16.00 p.m. Tour ends.

Includes:
•    Transport, boat trip.
•    English speaking Tour guide
•    3 lunches + 2 dinners + 2 breakfasts
•    Double/ twin – sharing room  at Imperial Air-condition Boat and one night at hotel/ camp/ bungalow/resort.
•    Entrance fees

Excludes: Drink and private service.
(Single Supplement – Boat : U$ 15/ per - Hotel : U$ 15/ per). 

Email from Hanoi Phoenix

Dear Luke Liu,

We are very sorry to give you a late reply.

We would like to confirm that your booking for 2 double roon and 1 triple room are reserved in our reservation system.

(Note - All money accounts are in USD.) 

For the tour to Halong Bay and Sapa

 

There are  some kind of tour ,the price depending on the quality, what will you get from the money you paying for .

 

What are differences on tour prices between Standard, Superior, Deluxe?

The two main differences are the hotel classes and type of boats/junks in Halong Bay. Everything else will be at the great quality.

For hotels:

Standard means a tour is priced with lower priced room at a hotel, normally with economy class or 2 stars hotels. Please do not expect too much at the 2 stars hotels in this third world.

Superior means to be an inclusion of a hotel from 3-4 stars, this is a good hotel with a range of facilities and good service.

Deluxe price is inclusive with high quality four and five-star Vietnam hotels – with the best equipped and appointed units in a hotel you will enjoy in our tours.

Hanoi Phoenix  Hotel suggests using hotels Superior, since this is also a good way to save but make your stay relaxing more comfortable.

 

For boats/junks in Halong Bay:
There are some main differences on the boat/junk types as the following;

Space on the boat, with the standard one - you would have to expect small size boat, from your bedroom to the sun deck, whilst the Superior & Deluxe class will have larger sized dining area that is warm and cozy, more importantly with comfort in your cabins (larger bed, bigger glassed window) as well as the sunbath area (with comfortable chairs)

Toilet & shower on boat/junk, if you wish to have comfort in your privacy, Standard boat will not be a choice since the toilet is normally outside (shared bathrooms), while Superior will offer this and you will even find it better at Deluxe class.

Facilities on the Superior and Deluxe boat are up-to-date international standard, good air-conditioning in the cabin, fine toilet facilities whilst there is normally a fan in the cabin at the standard boat.

Well trained, devoted and courtesy staff will always make your stay unforgettable on the Superior and Deluxe junk.

Halong Bay is beautiful and we suggest enjoy it in Superior or Deluxe Junk, paying a bit more but you will find it worth every cents you pay for.

 

 

For the tour to Sapa :

The price depends on what kind of train you would like to take.

 

The prices includes with everything (train 2 ways ,bus 2

 

ways ,hotel ,meals ,guide,car ,entrance fee ...).

 

+ There some kinds of cabin :

 

The first :Economy (6 people in one cabin ,hard sleeper ,government runs ...),the total cost tour for this from 80 $ to 85$.

 

 The second : Standard (4 people in one cabin,soft sleeper ,made of

 

steel,government runs ) ,the total cost for this from 95$ to 100$.

 

The third : Superior ((4 people in one cabin,soft sleeper ,made of

 

wood ,private own company runs ) ,the total cost for this from 108$ to 116$.

 

 

Above all the information for reference .

If you need any information ,Please do not hesitate to contact us .

We are looking forward to hearing from you asap.

After booking ,please provide us your flight number ,and arrival time and date for pick up service .

Thanks for choosing our hotel.

Kind regards.

Jimmy .
Manager .

Updates!

Guuud evenning laydeez and gennelmen,

I'm proud to announce our following updates:

Flights there and Back have been booked for the main party.

We will delay our Sapa leg to give Kekekeong some time to catchup with us in Hanoi, and at the same time let Jerry send Huili off.

By this time next week we should be down with the hotels in Hanoi, and maybe Sapa. I'm thinking if it is cheaper we can try booking there instead.

Cheerio!

Finalising.

Ok guys, I'm sorry. I think if I sit on this any longer, the bloody thing will hatch,

One night, we will gather at my place. Finalise everything that we need to finalise.

What has been booked:

1. Flight there. (~$92.08)

2. HCMC Hotel (~$20 a head a night)

What we will finalise on friday:

1. Hanoi Hotel (~$20 a head a night)

2. Flight back (~$180)

3. Sapa Hotel (~$20 a head a night)

What we need to do in Vietnam

1. Train from HCMC to Hanoi (~$120)

2. Ha Long Package (~$120)

3. Train to Sapa from Hanoi (~$40)

4. Train to Hanoi from Sapa (~$40)

Approx Average Costs = $~692 so far. May drop or rise, depending on how well we bargain there.

Blue River Hotel

Triple Room = 40USD per night
Double Room = 24USD per night
Airport Transfer = 35USD for 7 persons

Total payable:(40*2) + (24*2*2)+ (35) = 211USD

I was thinking we might as well pay an extra 1 USD. Faster, easier, safer.

Train Stuff

http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm

Some good information for the train ride.

Ha Long Tour

http://www.sinhcafevn.com/Tour_Detail.asp

Hanoi Hotel Details

Hello all,

Room choices for Phoenix Hotel:

1 double bed 16.57
2 single beds 15.06
3 single beds 15.06
4 single beds 15.06

All are private en suite. So you will have your own bathrooms.

So if you wanna save money and have more people in your room for the more 'backpackerly' feel, you can choose the 4 beds one.
For the nights if I'm not around, then can split into two 3 beds one.

My assumption is the couples want a double room to themselves.

Another thing is, whether you all wanna return to the same hotel, or want to try a different one when you return from Sapa.

Updates 13/09/08

Updates as of last meeting:

Itenary Confirmed.

Travel from HCMC to Hanoi - By train, a/c sleeper 4 to a room.

HCMC Hotel - Blue River Hotel

Hanoi Hotel - Phoenix Hotel

Sapa Hotel - Sapa Rooms Boutique Hotel

Flight to HCMC - Booked.

Flight from Hanoi - Pending confirmation.

Ha Long and Sapa Tours - Booked there, will get quotes from relevant hotels.

Sapa and Ha Long Itenary

From Flowerpod:

I am lady tour guide working for Footstep Hanoi Travel Agency. I have general information of Halong Bay and Sapa as follows:
Halong Bay is with its 1969 limestone islands and 23 grottoes, this natural marvel has twice been proclaimed a national heritage site, thus remaining under the watchful eye of UNESCO.
Dau go and Thien cung in Halong bay
Dau go cave
The grotto is on Driftwood Island. Seen from afar, the entrance to the grotto appears to be blue, and has a shape similar to that of a jellyfish. After 90 steps up the island, the entrance is reached. The ceiling of the
grotto is about 25 m. Hundreds of stalactites falling down from the roof of the grotto look like a waterfall

Thien cung CaveIt is situated on the south-west side the bay, 4 km from the wharf outside of Ha Long City. The way to Thiên Cung is a perilous one, covered on both sides by thick forest. After entering a narrow gate, the grotto’s
130-meter-long girth opens up. Getting in we are more astonished in front of the very animated and splendid beauty which is made from stalactite. On the east wall of the grotto, there is a grandiose and imposing picture with characters of tales.
Going out of the Thiên Cung Grotto, we have a sensation of just watching a unique, meticulous, interesting fine-art museum which is made by nature, get out of the imagine, ability and intellect of man.
This grotto is recently discovered, one of the most beautiful grottoes in Ha Long Bay

This largest eastern island in Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba, is located 60 km from Hai Phong. Cat Ba is also the name of the archipelago of 336 different islands. The main and largest one, named Cat Ba, is 100 km2 in width. Cat Ba Island offers some of the most beautiful terrain and diverse ecosystems in Vietnam, including primeval forest, coastal mangroves, waterfalls, limestone lakes, freshwater swamps, and hot springs. Cat Ba national park is 15,200 hectares in area, 9,800 of which hectares is forest, and the other 4,200 hectares sea. The limestone mountain boasts with many interesting caves is lined with lots of fine white beaches. The mild, cool and pure climate on Cat Ba island is very conducive for resting.

Cat Ba is also home to Ha Long cultural relics, the relics of an ancient Vietnamese culture and many archaeological relics from the new stone-age period that were found on Cat Ba.
Cat Ba is now a national park, and its primeval tropical forest ecosystem is being preserved. The island's abundant fauna includes 20 animal, 69 bird and 20 reptile and amphibian species. Animal such as boars, wild cats, porcupines, deer, and monkeys may be seen on the island.

SAPA
At an altitude of 1650m, on the side of Hoang Lien Son range, Sapa is home to several minority tribes, such as Black Hmong (Miao) and Red Dzao. Discover the natural beauty of valleys, mountains, streams, waterfalls, and the warm welcome of the ethnic people.

Trek to Cat Cat and Sin Chai villages of H'mong tribe. Enjoy the waterfall in Cat Cat and beautiful scenery along the way. Visit the first village of the black H'mong (Catcat), walk around visiting people in the village. Have lunch, then visit the hydroelectric power station built by the French in the old days. Take the paths along the valleys between mountains to get to Lao chai village. Enjoy the overall pictures of the villages among terraces. Visit the H'mong living in wooden and bamboo houses. Continue going to Ta Van village to visit the Dzay minority.
Visit Ham Rong Mountain- the Heaven of flowers. In the evening, enjoy the romantic night in Sapa- Famous Love Fair. Bus trip to visit BacHa Market. Discover BacHa Market where many different ethnic groups go shopping(every Sunday).
Next day take the road to GiangTaChai village of the Red Dzao minority via the paths between terraces and through bamboo forests. Visit silver waterfall and suspension Rattan Bridge, visit the people in the village and then cross MuongHoa River up to the mountain to visit the last village of the trek - Supan village of the H'mong. Get back to Sapa by jeep. On the way back, enjoy visiting the ancient stone circle where stones are decorated with ancient carvings.

I am a lady tour guide for Hanoi and please contact me at vinh401@gmail.com for your itinerary interest.

http://www.flowerpod.com.sg/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t1965-350.html

Hanoi Accommodation

I suggest for Hanoi, we get a good safe one cos' i THINK, it is possible for us to drop our heavier stuff there and bring what we need to Halong Bay. Something can be worked out. Haha. Plus you are staying there for quite a few nights. Would suck if the hotel sucks.

Some places you can go to make your choices:
http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/vietnam/hanoi/
http://www.hostelworld.com/findabed.php
trip advisor

Some hotels that seem to be quite good:
Rising Dragon Hotel
Hanoi Elegance 1, 2 and 3
Phoenix Hotel

Updates

Ok so far I have details from Huili and Meiyan about hotels in HCMC.

This sat we meetup again to confirm final details and all quirks.

Now we need to find the Hanoi hotels. :p

Sapa and Ha Long, I will find as much details as I can from this side, but it will be highly likely that we will have to settle it when we are there. Probably cheaper.

Hotel Details

Please download the file!

http://www.4shared.com/file/62331998/a94afd34/Vietnam_Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html

http://www.gigasize.com/get.php?d=0v9j9byp6gb

Blue River Hotel

Hello all, just got the reply from the lady named Thuy in charge of Blue River Hotel.

They have available rooms for the dates we want.

Official Website

24USD for a room with no windows
28USD for a room with big windows or small balcony
Airport pickup service 35USD for 15 seater

All rooms with aircon, cable tv, wifi, fridge, private bathroom and hot water shower
There are no lifts

According to many places, this hotel is highly recommended. The lady Thuy speaks good English also. We don't have to worry about nasty taxi drivers trying to trick us of our money since they have airport pickup services that can be arranged.

Alternative to Train HCMC to Hanoi

http://www.sinhcafevn.com/

Check this out!

Bus trips from HCMC to Da Lat to Nha Trang to Hoi Anh to Hue to Hanoi.

Mmmmmmm.

Minimum Time Damage: 2 nights sleeping overnight on bus. One Night in Dalat.

But fun factor much better than 24 hour train ride ya?

Ha-Long Bay

http://www.flowerpod.com.sg/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t1965-50.html

Near the end, there is a section:

Halong Bay-Cat Ba island
About tours:
Halong Bay-Cat Ba island 3 days 2 nights is quite alright
I went with the travel agent Ocean Tours for US$65 (booked thru the hostel). For this package, there is a limit to max 16 travellers for the group. I was lucky that my group in total had only 6 travellers... so the junk was like a private junk to us... not crowded at all. What i heard is that the other cheaper package has no limit to the no. of pax travelling in the group and they would visit only 1 cave instead of 2 caves.

We stayed 1 night on junk and another night in a hotel (yup, this is a proper hotel room if you are wondering) at Cat Ba Island. 1st night was to visit the 2 caves - Sung Sot and Me Cung Caves and sleep over in the junk. (there would be women rowing their little boats trying to sell you some food and drinks, it would be much cheaper to buy then from them, e.g. dalat wine for 1 big bottle is around 30,000 dong. Interesting right, vietnam also produce red and white wine and vodka too If I remember correctly. Btw, the tour package exclude drinks, so pls remember to pack some drinks for yourself 1st as the drink on board is really expensive!

I would say the promised seafood lunch and dinner for the 1st night was dissappointing. It was like sotong balls, fish, french fries, cucumber salad, vegetables (you call that seafood).

the 2nd day was much better, it was really seafood food bbq on a mini beach after kayaking. however it was only 1 portion for each - 1 big prawn, 1 mini lobster alike, bbq pork, salad, 1 shellfish (cant figure what type of shellfish is it, not mussels.. but nice). The food was bbq but the boat captain, who incidently is the chef.

btw, there is an option between kayaking and trekking. Kayaking was really good. There were 2 travellers who took the trekking say there was nothing much. They had to walk 5 Km, trek 5Km and walk back 5Km. That was really tiring and not much sightings.

Kayaking was much more fun, when we get to kayak thru caves and around the islands. The water was pretty calm too so it was quite alright.. although kayaking was like 4hours long.. (still tiring though it could be made worst if its choppy water)

After which, we head to Cat Ba Island. It was already near sun setting. So we only had the time to take a good shower and head straight for dinner. Seafood Dinner was good too.

There wasn't much for us to see around Cat Ba Island as it was already nightfall. If you have a little more time, maybe you could extend 1 more day there and explore. One of the travellers in our group decided to extend 1 more day, and our group was down to 5 travellers the next day when we depart.

Day 3 was really a cruise back to halong city. there was suppose to be a swimming stop enroute, but i suppose the guide saw that none of us were really interested and decided to cruise all the way back.

Updates - A Summary

Who?
8 of us so far. Can increase, best in groups of 4 or 2.

What?
Vietnam Trip with the Guys, 2 years delayed.

Where?
Ho Chi Minh City (3d2n), HCMC to Hanoi Sleeper Train (2d1n), Ha Long Bay (3d2n), Sapa (2d1n), Hanoi (2d1n).

When?
14th Dec to 25th Dec (full trip).
14th Dec to 21st Dec (Leave after Ha Long)

Why?
Why not?

Accommodation for first 2 nights in HCM

Hello all,

I have narrowed it down to three places:

1. Blue River Hotel (link)
2. Du Vuong Hotel (link)
3. Luan Vu Guest House (link)

My initial choice was Bich Duyen Hotel. Wonderful reviews, but no more vacancies!

All three others are with quite good reviews and probably less than 2o SGD per night. Links bring you to Trip Advisor. You can do your own mini research to see which one you prefer :)

Update - Flight Costs

Another idea - HCMC to Hanoi - 100USD flight, 1 hour.

Riding the Reunification Express - Hanoi to HCMC

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=O8kFC4GG6Q0

Update - Train from Hanoi to HCMC

http://www.vr.com.vn/english/index.html
http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm

Cheapest train ticket from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City will cost abt SGD50, 2D1N train, direct.

More Links - Vietnam Info

http://wikitravel.org/en/Vietnam
http://wikitravel.org/en/Hanoi
http://wikitravel.org/en/Ho_Chi_Minh_City
http://wikitravel.org/en/Ha_Long_Bay

I don't know about you guys, i wanna head down ha long long time!!!

More info on possible trips in vietnam (Driving)

http://www.adventureindochina.com/Detail.asp?ID=300

Update - Flight Costs Hanoi to Hanoi

Tiger Airways: 4 Passengers

Sun, 07 Dec 08 Flight TR 308

17:35 Depart Singapore (SIN) 20:00 Arrive Hanoi (HAN)

Thu, 25 Dec 08 Flight TR 309

20:30 Depart Hanoi (HAN) 00:50 Arrive Singapore (SIN) (next day)

Total Cost of Flight (Excluding Luggage Allowance)

1,199.92 SGD

Vietnam Map (gauge the distance yourself)

2,000 or so kilometres....

A journalist's attempt to travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City:

http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0005/ccintro.htm

Update - SG license driving in Vietnam

Summary:

"The International Driving Permit (IDP) is recognised worldwide as a valuable document identifying motorists as legally-licensed drivers.

Although the Singapore driving licence is recognised in many countries, the IDP could prevent any inconveniences when renting a car or when driving in a country where English is not commonly spoken. In such situations, drivers may find themselves handicapped by language barriers.

The IDP contains translations of driving terms used in various languages and can help drivers communicate with car rental companies and other authorities. The IDP is also a useful form of identification as it contains a photograph of the driver."

How to Apply

• The IDP can be issued on the spot and you may walk-in to any of our two locations at AA Centre (336 River Valley Road Level 1) OR AA Branch Office (No. 2 Kung Chong Road)

• To apply for an IDP, please submit a copy of the IDP application form, bring along your Singapore driving licence (NRIC or passport for foreigners) and two recent passport-size photographs. The processing fee is S$20.00 (non-GST chargeable).

• The IDP can also be applied by mail. To apply, mail us a completed IDP application form, photocopy of applicant's Singapore driving licence and NRIC (or passport for foreigners), two recent passport-size photographs and a cheque payment of S$20.00 for the processing fee.

• For applicants who are currently overseas, please include S$6.00 for AR registered mail charges in your payment. Other courier charges apply upon request. Please make your cheque payable to the "Automobile Association of Singapore".

• To re-apply for a new IDP when your current one expires, please follow the steps above to apply for a new one.

http://www.aas.com.sg/services/permit.htm

Update - Flight Costs HCMC to HCMC

Tiger Airways: 4 Passengers

Tue, 09 Dec 08 Flight TR 326

06:00 Depart Singapore (SIN) 07:00 Arrive Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)

Wed, 24 Dec 08 Flight TR 329

16:35 Depart Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) 19:25 Arrive Singapore (SIN)

Total Cost of Flight (Excluding Luggage Allowance)

799.92 SGD

Whats the big idea?

Main points of trip:
1. Take budget flight to Hanoi/Ho Chin Minh City
2. Explore area
3. Rent vehicle
4. Road trip around the rest of Vietnam
5. End at Hanoi/Ho Chin Minh City
6. Go Home!

Est. time taken - 15 days
Est budget - SGD1000 for everything.

More info to come.