Northern Vietnam

[Deleted]

(cross board posting)

Have you been to Northern Vietnam? What are your thoughts? Like? Dislike? Why. Do you have any suggestions for just 2 weeks there? All I know is that I want to motorbike though the north and do other stuff.

[gertieshirtypants]

I pretty much did just the 'backpacker trail' in Vietnam, but I did go up to Sapa which was great, though definitely very touristy. You can do walks through hill tribe villages and arrange homestays up there. Weather-wise it's a bit cooler there too, so a bit of relief from the heat in the rest of Vietnam.

Ha Long Bay was beautiful and I loved Hanoi, too - great food, beautiful city, less crazy than Saigon.

[Deleted]

Is there any escape from the 'very touristy' route?

[gertieshirtypants]

I don't think it would be too difficult - I think a lot of travellers do the same things and the same places. Sapa will be very touristy, but I don't see why there wouldn't be villages elsewhere you could visit. Especially on the motorbike - it should be easier for you to avoid the tourists. I think most of the sites that tourists go to are along the coast - head inland and I think they'll be fewer.

That said, I did the touristy thing, so don't know from experience about avoiding it. Hopefully someone can comment with a bit more authority.

[scicaro]

Haven't been (yet) but my sister lives in HCMC and has done a fair bit of travelling around. I could put you in touch with her if you want (pm me you email address)

[lisamnz]

I loved northern vietnam. As an alternative to Sapa, we went up to some of the hill villages to the west of Hanoi - on the way over to Laos, if you choose to go that way. It was far less busy than Sapa, but by all accounts was very similar otherwise.

[Deleted]

that'd be great scicaro.

lisamnz - did you meet people going up into the hills on motorbike?