Has anybody recently traveled to Vietnam? A small group of former GIs (now nearing 60 years old) want to return for a visit (to the Qui Nohn area). I see several tour companys but none that would take such a small group to Qui Nohn. Normally they go to Saigon, DaNang, Hue, Hanoi etc. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

PK
Redding, CA

Is Qui Nhon (note the spelling) the only place they are interested in going? Where are they flying into? If I were going myself, I'd probably arrange for a local tour guide to drive a van and take my group to Qui Nhon. If you need a reference for a local tour guide in Vietnam, I know a couple of them who may be able to help, but I would need to know a little more about their trip itinerary.

SteveS

We've just begun to put this together so I'm not sure where we would have to fly into. The idea of a private tour guide sounds ideal. I imagine we would probably stay in Qui Nhon for a few days and then maybe off to Saigon for a couple of days then perhaps end the trip in Thailand.

So you have any idea of the cost of a "private tour guide"? I'll check on flights to Qui Nhon as well as accomodations. Any comments are welcome as this is a work in progress as are many of my trips.

Thanks,
Pat

PK, it sounds to me that your friends are probably going to fly into Da Nang, stay a day or two, then drive down to Qui Nhon for a few days, then continue south to Saigon. The distance from Da Nang to Saigon is about 1000km, Qui Nhon is about 300km from Da Nang. I have a friend who's from Hue. I had sent him an email asking him about the price of hiring a private tour guide/driver with a van for a week. I will let you know once I hear back from my friend.

PK, I heard back from my friend on the price of the tour guide. He had a few questions about the actual dates and the stops along the way, I told him to just quote me a "rough" number. So without any further detail, he told me the price for a full-time traveling driver plus a large van and all expenses would run about $300/day in peak season.

Steve:
If you think he had questions, I probably have many more. Just tring to get my three freinds to agree on a date is tough but we'll et there.
I assume the daily rate is not a per person rate.
Is October through March the best time to travel that area as far as weather? Have you traveled to Vietnam?
I appreciate your interest and help.Don't leave me now!!!!!

Pat

Pat,

The rate is not a per person rate, of course. Vietnam is still a very poor country, although the vehicle cost is higher than that in the US. I haven't been to Vietnam but my good friend is from Hue. He also knows people there who are in the tour business. I know a little about the country and ask him a lot of questions if I don't know the answer.

In terms of weather, you are actually traveling a fairly long distance down the costal area, so the weather can vary a bit as you travel. The Saigon area is very hot throughout the year (> 90F), but gets unsufferable around March. The drier months are between December and April in Saigon, but some people actaully prefer the summer months in Saigon because heavy rain can be a welcome relief. The central area is cooler in the winter than Saigon, but the Typhoon season will last into December. A good time to go is probably in February, which is warm and dry enough near Da Nang and Qui Nhon. I wouldn't go in October though because it's still in the midst of the Typhoon season.
Steve