Three Critical Skills To Vietnam Backpacking Tour Guides Remarkably Well

Spend 10 days taking in the true wonders of Vietnam on this small group tour, accompanied by a knowledgeable tour guide. Before leaving your hostel be sure to take a moment to review the long list of dress and behavioral requirements for entering the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. In true Hannah style I skipped the remainder of the country to wind up in Ho Chi Minh City. With its wide tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and ancient oriental pagodas, Hanoi is an eclectic mix that offers something for everyone.

Evening we explore Ben Thanh market and District one for different shopping and food options. It is also brilliant value potentially costing as little as US$30 ( latest prices and more great info on trains in vietnam awesome travel ). If you take some night trains this may push the cost up to around US$40-50 depending on whether you take the slightly higher quality SE trains or not (It's even cheaper for the locals). Journey: 7 hours 40 mins, passing through Thanh Hoa and Vinh which have little going on really but may be a nice stop if you fancy seeing a completely tourist-free town.

It is also close to one of the nicest beaches in the country and makes it into our Top 10 New Backpacking Hotspots. When backpacking through Vietnam, most travellers head here either first or last. The city is also the base for seeing the far south of the country which enjoys a hot climate and is a bit more chilled out than much of this fabulously crazy country.

Of course in Vietnam, there are cool places that are not on or near the trainline, you may wish to visit.