YOUR COMPLETE TRAVEL PLANNER TO SAIGON & SOUTHERN VIETNAM:
Once you’ve been to Vietnam, it’s hard to go anywhere else. The sights, people, history, beaches, culture and food easily rank amongst the world’s great destinations. It’s cheap, easy and friendly.
Go with this full free web guide – freshly researched and written by Lonely Planet veteran author Robert Reid. It’s equivalent to 88 guidebook text pages (with Saigon city maps coming in late March), all yours to print out and customize as you wish. Enjoy.
Come back in September to access more maps, full-country itineraries, and upcoming chapters on Hanoi, the North (including Sapa & Halong Bay), the Central Coast (from Hue to Nha Trang) and Central Highlands (including Dalat & Ban Me Thuot).
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SAIGON Like cities and great food? Vietnam’s biggest city is less ‘Ho Chi Minh City’ than ever: with glittering skyscrapers rising over fading French colonial buildings and the banned cyclo driver; business travelers and backpackers here can sample the country’s best food amidst the intoxicating nonstop parade of scooters and streetcart vendors.
MEKONG DELTA Like boat trips and rice paddies? Visiting Vetnam’s fertile southern tip is the ‘classic Vietnam’ experience, with boat rides and bike paths running alongside chocolate-colored splinters of the Mekong River. Group tours are popular, ranging from $20 to $200, but it’s easy to arrange DIY tours as you go.
PHU QUOC Need a out-of-the-way beach? Aiming to be the ‘next Phuket’ – casinos and golf courses are in the works already – Phu Quoc island, just a short $32 flight from Saigon, offers idyllic white-sand beaches you can enjoy by yourself (mostly) and some of the country’s best diving spots.
MUI NE Want a weekend beach you can bus to? Saigon’s new favorite beach (and kite-surfing) get-away, four hours north, serves as a fun two-day rest stop for those traveling up Vietnam. Despite the recent buzz, Mui Ne maintains is cheery, innocent village vibe despite the good-value neck-to-neck $40 hotels.
CENTRAL COAST, HANOI & THE NORTH Coming in September 2007!
