Vietnam in the Fall. Suggestions? Must sees? Off the beaten path adventures? Cheapest way to get there from Alberta. Any chance of doing a few day stop over in Japan? Thanks so much!!!

F. But I've been told by to go til about December. After the rainy season

Agreed. Rainy season can be super super bad for travel. Everything is super green and beautiful though

The rainy reason isn't bad. It doesn't rain all day, and sometimes the rain is actually nice, to cool things down. Hoi An is amazing and we loved the bustle of Ho Chi Min. The train from Danang to Hue was a nice ride, and cheao, about $3 for a sleeper car, but buy your tickets at the station, they are A LOT more expensive on line. Cat Ba Island was really cool too, we liked it better then Halong Bay.

That's the same as central Americas rainy season. It's usually a little rain but one year we got major rain later than normal. I just don't risk it anymore....just in case

We love an authentic holiday. Is there fun outdoor/adventure type things to do besides just sit on the beach?

And where does a person fly in to?

we flew into Ho Chi Minh and then out of Hanoi, we travelled South to North but you can do either way. Personally we liked the south more.

how many days do you think you need I am a guesthouse kind of girl..maybe one beach day and the rest some good adventures. Not much into temples and museums.

That really depends on you, I think there would be more adventure type things in Thailand, personally, but my husband and I were in Vietnam for two months and are planning to go back again, as soon as possible, we loved it there.

I spent 2 weeks in Thailand last year..Chang Mai was my favourite/ But we love the wild life/animals, mountain adventures, boat tours, experiences the locals authentic real life, night markets,...that kind stuff.

We did 2 months in Thailand as well. If you ever get to go back Kanchaniburi Elephant's World was an amazing day. When in Vietnam we did a boat tour in Cat Ba, Hue and Hoi An. There is a pretty cool amusement park in Natrang. Saigon (Ho Chi Min) we hired a cyclo for a city tour. Also did Ben Tran market. Hoi An was my favorite city I think. We stayed at Viva Homestay, that was close enough to the ancient city, offered free bike rentals ( the ride was about 10 min) and free breakfast for about $11 a night. The staff were friendly and the homestay was very clean and modern.

Have you been to Cambodia? Was considering going to Phuket for a few days, Cambodia a few days and the on the Vietnam.

Haven't been to Cambodia but if you aren't into temples or museums then you may want to pass. I have been researching it lately because I was thinking about visiting next time we are close to the country, bur there isn't much more going on there.

I live in cambodia now and would highly recommend stopping by! It's awesome here

Thailand and cambodia were awesome . We werent a fan of vietnam - but found it was very cheap. If you go the south was good . If wanting to go to ha long bay for the sights.. Thailand has the same sights and seemed way nicer. . Also saves a crazy long bus journey to get to the north.. spent 5 months travelling around se asia.

Why didn't you like Vietnam?

Didnt prefer it to the other places is all ! The south is alot better.. there was a really cute town we stayed in for a bit but i cant remember the name of it ! But its all on preference though! We just prefered the other countries there

The BEST part of my 2012 Bike Trip to Vietnam was the pre-trip to Sapa - trekking and touring. We went there with http://topastravel.vn, and stayed at the Topas Ecolodge for two nights. Our guide, May, was amazing! At the time it required a long overnight train ride from Hanoi - it appears you now go by a vehicle shuttle. After the bike trip we did a post trip to the island of Phu Quoc (by air from Saigon) - lovely but not too touristy yet. Beautiful beaches. I went in Feb so can't comment on fall weather.
TOPASTRAVEL.VN
Tours to Vietnam 2016-2017, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar - Travel

Sapa area is great in the fall. We did a hike to a village/ homestay in the mountains

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I went with my mother to Ha Long Bay (Beautiful!) But the over night boat we were on was riddled with cockroaches! I was so disgusted. Of course, my native Vietnamese mother barely batted an eye.

I read that there will be direct service from Calgary to Tokyo soon, so that might help. I've seen advertised anywhere from 900-1290.

Fall (Oct/Nov) is best to see Hanoi (or north region) because of the cool temperatures. You walk all day in the sun and no sweats!
Sapa depends on the season to see best scenery. We were there in April and it was just bare bare fields...If you don't go to Halong Bay, then Ninh Binh has water ways where you can see mountains on the water. You can visit some historic sights there and go on a little boat tour where they take you along the river and you can see houses and fields on the side (and the operator of the boat sings for you in Vietnamese Folklores. But this might depend on the tour). Danang or Nha Trang beaches are beautiful. The Danang Hyatt was quite nice for us. I heard Phu Quoc island is quite beautiful. Depends on what you want to do.

Thanks. We are deciding between Vietnam and Japan and trying to get as much feedback as possible. I really appreciate the info!