Vietnam / Cambodia

[Island Cruiser]

Halong Bay is magnificent in almost any weather. Don't miss it. And do an overnight, not a four hour day trip.

[NordicBreezer]

I think it would be a shame to miss Halong Bay. We did it twice-once on a day trip, and then an overnighter w/AMA. Halong Bay is beautiful, and a highlight of our trip. Yes, the ride from Hanoi is long, and it may be misty, but seeing the mountains rising thru the mist is a breathtaking sight.

 

Suggest you look up the post from 2Fltravelers-he posted a thorough description of his trip on AMA. Many interesting and helpful tips.

 

As for booking thru Viking, we usually book our own air since we can choose our routing and flight times. Also, pricing is usually better. You can also arrange your own transfers for a much lower cost. We landed in Hanoi, and arranged for a pick up online. You should be able to do the same for Saigon.

We are booked with AMA lotus for early March 2014 . Know I'm in for an 'awesome + eye opening experience". My only 'hick up" may be the food. I've only eaten North American " chinese food. :o

What company did you use for Hanoi airport to hotel transfer??

Thanks for info.

[EKML]

We are booked with AMA lotus for early March 2014 . Know I'm in for an 'awesome + eye opening experience". My only 'hick up" may be the food. I've only eaten North American " chinese food. :o

What company did you use for Hanoi airport to hotel transfer??

Thanks for info.

 

We used noibaitaxidotcom. It was about $18. There are cheaper shuttle buses, but we wanted to be met at the airport and taken directly to the hotel. There are taxis available also, but have to be sure to use only the reputable companies.

 

Food should not be a problem-there will be much to choose from.

[winegirl101]

We chose Uniworld because the ships are smaller and the chance to really mingle with the locals is guaranteed. We've used the larger Viking ships in China and Uniworld's in Europe. Looking forward to seeing returning passenger reviews of the River Saigon and River Orchid.

[laverendrye]

We chose Uniworld because the ships are smaller and the chance to really mingle with the locals is guaranteed. We've used the larger Viking ships in China and Uniworld's in Europe. Looking forward to seeing returning passenger reviews of the River Saigon and River Orchid.

 

As I noted in an earlier post, the ships that Viking and Uniworld use on the Mekong are virtually identical as they are all leased from Pandaw Cruises. Their itineraries are also very similar, especially the river portion which is essentially the itinerary which Pandaw uses for its own cruises.

[laverendrye]

Hi,

I've read several of your posts. We're traveling from Saigon to Hanoi on Viking at the end of Feb 2013. I'm going to arrive a day early so that we can visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. Should I ask Viking to do the airfare? They charge extra for deviations and don't provide the transfers. I've read that the way they book their flights, we will not receive the best itineraries or seat assignments. What has your been your experience? Did you use them to book your travel?

 

Also, we've decided not to do the Halong Bay extension because it's usually misty and raining in March. Do you agree?

 

Thanks

 

Sorry I missed this post, so you have probably decided by now.

 

I've taken two Viking cruises and arranged my own air both times so I can't comment. On one cruise (Russia) my TA was able to arrange transfers from Viking at no extra charge, but on the Mekong cruise, I used taxis (Bangkok and Hanoi) and they were inexpensive and easy to arrange.

 

Re Halong Bay I was there in April and the weather was misty. I'm glad that I took the trip, but I wasn't overwhelmed by the experience. You spend the night in a very nice hotel (Novotel) rather than aboard one of the boats, so there's not an opportunity to see a spectacular sunset or sunrise while on the water. However, because of the overcast weather while I was there it wouldn't have made a difference. The bus trip from Hanoi is long, but not entirely uninteresting. I learned from our guide how to spot a restaurant that serves dog meat as a specialty (Hint--look for the words "Thit Cho").

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I did exactly what you did. I looked at all those river cruise lines for Vietnam/Cambodia but I finally booked a five star land based tour package for both countries...Chinastarholiday.com from Richmond, BC. Have a look at their itinerary and price for comparison.

 

This is a year later, but I would love to hear how this trip went. I've looked for reviews of China Star Holidays and really can't find any, other than testimonials on their own website.

 

Just considering all of these possibilities, for next February. Kind of unexpected since husband will be in Singapore working, so thought we'd do some kind of SE Asia trip.

[jmbklj]

We chose Uniworld because the ships are smaller and the chance to really mingle with the locals is guaranteed. We've used the larger Viking ships in China and Uniworld's in Europe. Looking forward to seeing returning passenger reviews of the River Saigon and River Orchid.

 

winegirl, did you go on this trip? I'm considering it and would love to hear about your experiences.

[sugarbird]

My wife and I did the Heritage Line from Siem Reap to Saigon 2 years ago. It was a new boat then and the trip was wonderful!!!

If you look up Heritage Line Cambodia--you can find them