My Daily Vietnam and Qatar Itinerary and Your Travel Questions, Answered
I’ll continue to edit this post as questions come in.
I traveled to Vietnam and Doha, Qatar, from June 29, 2023, to July 13, 2023, with my brother, Vietnamese sister-in-law, and my niece and nephews. I paid for this trip entirely out of pocket, but the roundtrip Qatar Airways lounge access and then first-class Qatar Airways upgrades on my return flights all came courtesy of Qatar Airways. I had purchased economy round-trip tickets before establishing a relationship with Qatar Airways representatives.
Here was my itinerary:
Thursday, June 29
Departed from FLL to Dallas on Qatar Airways
Dallas to Doha, Qatar (arrive Friday, June 30)
Enjoyed lounge access
Saturday, July 1
Departed Doha to Vietnam (approx. 2 AM)
Arrived in Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon and was picked up by my sister-in-law’s family, and then commuted to her mother’s house.
Sunday, July 2
Arrived at sister-in-law’s mom’s house in the Mekong Delta / Kiên Giang province
Monday, July 3
Explored the Kiên Giang province
Tuesday, July 4
Superdong Ferry from Rach Gia to Phú Quốc island, off the coast of Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand.
Checked into AirBNB
Wednesday, July 5
Beach day and moped rental
Thursday, July 6
VietJet Airways flight from Phú Quốc island to Hanoi (they lost our souvenir bag)
Began 7-Days-Beautiful-Northern-Vietnam-Hanoi-city-tour.docx / web link
Night one: Explored Hanoi
Friday, July 7
Day two: Bus ride from Hanoi to Hạ Long Bay for our overnight cruise
Saturday, July 8
Day three: Leave Halong Bay and go back to Hanoi
Sunday, July 9
Day four: Bus from Hanoi to Sapa (five-hour bus ride)
Visit Cat Village
Monday, July 10
Day five: Visit cable car up to Fanispan Peak
Tuesday, July 11
Day six: Hanoi to Ninh Binh Trang An, Mua Cave, Lotus Flower Pond (save these experiences for cooler weather—it was the hottest day we experienced and was absolutely brutal to get through.)
Wednesday, July 12
Departed Hanoi to Qatar on Qatar Airways
Evening Discover Doha city tour in Doha, Qatar. I originally booked for after, but the desk attendant recommended the evening because of the heat. You still have to pass through customs otw out and security otw in, so you must have your passport and boarding pass for your connecting flight on you. They also give you a form to present at both.
Overnight in Qatar and stayed in Sleep-N-Fly. If you have Qatar quiet room lounge access, don’t bother with this. I didn’t know I would have access to either and I booked it as a backup ($160 for 9 hours). While the room was dark, the fabrics felt undried, the bed was hard, and a shower was another $20 (which I think if you book more than six hours, it should be free.) I also don’t agree we’re cancellation policy; you cannot get a refund within 48 hours of your cancellation.
Lounge access
Thursday, July 13
Departed Doha to Miami on Qatar Airways
We did not have enough time to explore Ho Chi Minh City or travel through central Vietnam.
QUESTIONS I RECEIVED:
Q: Is it easy to get around for non-Vietnamese speaking tourists?
A: It is managable. Tourist-heavy, westernized areas in places like Phú Quốc island or Hanoi have English-speaker servers or front desk staffs, and all tour guides are fluent (but things can get lost in translation). Generally speaking, don’t expect to see signs in English. Gia Hanoi’s (one Michelin star, 2023) servers were fully fluent.
Google maps worked great (I have T-mobile) but those with AT&T had some struggles. Google translate helped at times, but thankfully, we had a native speaker spearheading the trip.
Scooters and mopeds are the main form of transport in the cities, but cabs are available (although most do not speak English.) Their version of Uber is Grab (we found out about this too late), which offers rides and deliveries. Sidewalks are blocked by parked scooters, you literally walk along the streeth edges inches from traffic. Honking is not considered rude, but instead a heads up that someone is coming. We saw zero road rage or accidents during our time despite what felt like constant chaos.
Most people wear sandals or slides because many businesses still require you to take off your shoes before entering. Keep that in mind when packing footwear.
Q: Did you go to Hanoi? Was it cool?
A. I did! Hanoi was our “home base” for the second leg of the trip. It’s beautiful and bustling, and I wish I could have a full extra day there. Keep in mind there are stil communist monuments and undertones. The women in the group were not allowed to enter a historical area because my niece had on biker shorts and I had a tank top.
Some tours will book meals for you (ours had some planned). We also ate at Gia Hanoi (one Michelin star, 2023).
Q. How is the current weather in Fansipan?
Fansipan is a moutain, and like any mountain, the weather can quickly shift. We went there expecting gorgeous views, but we got dense cloud cover, rain, and wind—and it was cold. We didn’t have time to come back another day, so we embraced the eerie vive and did the stair hike anyway. Thankfully, the cable car ride up was absolutely stunning.
RANDOM TIDBITS
Massages and spa treatments are cheap here, running anywhere from $15-$20 for hour-long (or longer treatments.) Hair washing and “blow dying” is sometimes included in full body treatments (this did not go well with my curly hair, but they were insistent on trying), as are breast massages for women—keep that in mind when booking. Massages are done in group rooms with sometimes only sheer dividers between customers. Some massage styles aren’t distinguished, so the therapist just does what needs to happen to work with your body (for example, my first massage included gua sha and hot stones for no additional cost. It is just what they did.) This might be different in hotels, but the two spas we went to both followed these customs.
A printed travel visa is required when visiting Vietnam ($25). Have the visa handy to present with your passport and boarding documents at all airports and gates throughout your commute.
Vietnam is approximately 1K miles long, and the weather varies from north to south. Generally speaking, the best time to visit is in the spring (March to April), when rainfall is light and temperatures are moderate. Intrepid has a great breakdown of the weather by region. For context, I made an Instagram Reel and TikTok of the rain we experienced in Hạ Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh City, Fansipan, the Mekong Delta, and Phú Quốc.