Real Gap Year?

[Reloaded]

Anybody ever gone anything with Realgap.co.uk

A friend of mine went to Vietnam last November with them and managed to persuade me to book up to go for a month in December. Any tips for traveling? Spending birthday, Christmas and new year in Vietnam should be fun :)

[Grig]

Anybody ever gone anything with Realgap.co.uk

A friend of mine went to Vietnam last November with them and managed to persuade me to book up to go for a month in December. Any tips for traveling? Spending birthday, Christmas and new year in Vietnam should be fun :)

I was in Vietnam a year and a half ago, just trying to travel to every Asian destination I can haha.

It wasn't my favorite, but that's because I'm more of a tropical island kind of guy. But what I would say is don't stay in Ho Chi Minh for too long- it's boring and there's really not much to do.

Probably for the younger crowd, Nha Trang would be the best. There are quite a few bars and clubs where people on their gap years go to. I was talking to a group of people from the UK just partying it out there and they said they basically met loads of other travelers and even traveled together from there. There's also a decent beach- but it's quite crowdy on weekends, early mornings and after work as people in Vietnam seem to make it a ritual to swim. Check out some of the island trips like snorkeling; you can also take diving courses there, which is always an awesome experience. Although, I'm quite spoilt and the diving isn't 'the best'. But, if you haven't seen stuff like that before then you'll find it amazing :P.

The historical port town of Hoi An is also a good detour, but yet again only for a couple of days because it's not the most youthful of all places. But because it's so well preserved and a UNESCO heritage site, it's pretty cool to take a look.

There is also Danang and Hanoi that people travel to. But I didn't have time to get up there, so I can't really comment!

Also, are you going by yourself or with some friends?

All in all though, you should have a great and relaxing time, and I'm sure it'll be a blast :D!

P.S: Avoid overnight buses- I'd rather take a train whilst traveling. Roads seem dangerous and you really don't get that much sleep on them.

[Reloaded]

I was in Vietnam a year and a half ago, just trying to travel to every Asian destination I can haha.

It wasn't my favorite, but that's because I'm more of a tropical island kind of guy. But what I would say is don't stay in Ho Chi Minh for too long- it's boring and there's really not much to do.

Probably for the younger crowd, Nha Trang would be the best. There are quite a few bars and clubs where people on their gap years go to. I was talking to a group of people from the UK just partying it out there and they said they basically met loads of other travelers and even traveled together from there. There's also a decent beach- but it's quite crowdy on weekends, early mornings and after work as people in Vietnam seem to make it a ritual to swim. Check out some of the island trips like snorkeling; you can also take diving courses there, which is always an awesome experience. Although, I'm quite spoilt and the diving isn't 'the best'. But, if you haven't seen stuff like that before then you'll find it amazing :P.

The historical port town of Hoi An is also a good detour, but yet again only for a couple of days because it's not the most youthful of all places. But because it's so well preserved and a UNESCO heritage site, it's pretty cool to take a look.

There is also Danang and Hanoi that people travel to. But I didn't have time to get up there, so I can't really comment!

Also, are you going by yourself or with some friends?

All in all though, you should have a great and relaxing time, and I'm sure it'll be a blast :D!

P.S: Avoid overnight buses- I'd rather take a train whilst traveling. Roads seem dangerous and you really don't get that much sleep on them.

Hey,

I'm going on my own, however there are 12 people and the tour leader in the group i will be with.
Most of the trip is arranged by the company, we start at the south and spend a month traveling through country doing different thing, including visiting sites, volunteering, trekking, kayaking in Halong bay etc. However thanks alot for the tips, i will defo look out for the places you mentioned!

[Grig]

Halong Bay has some stunning scenery! I regret not having time to go further up North. That's what I call bad time management. There is a traditional Vietnamese boat you can take, which is nice and you can island hop around as well. Should be some decent beaches further afield. Although the Bay itself doesn't have the best water- from what I'm aware it's kinda a greeny colour, not the crystal blue.

Although for Vietnam, I'm not sure I'd want to stay in a single place for too long!