hi, im planning a trip later this year and want to start in hong kong then head over to vietnam taking in the sights over land. has anyone done this? i know of a few guided tours that do it, many of them say its a bit off the beaten track but stunning places to see. Any advice would eb great? how easy is this trip as just a couple with no tour to save money?
hong kong - hanoi by land boat etc????
Hi gandk
The best time to visit Vietnam is from September to May, and to travel the whole beautiful Vietnam from North to South, you would need to think of about 2 - 3 weeks holiday, here are some sample tours that highlights the beauty of Vietnam from the charming Hanoi capital city to the bustling Saigon.
Hello from Vietnam,
There are many non-stop flights from Hongkong to Hanoi. It's reasonable. From Hanoi you can buy organised tours to some spots surrounding. Organised tours, exactly grioup tours is even cheaper than you organised yourself. Halong Bay, Sapa can't be missed. You can have some added tours like Hoa Lu - Tam Coc, Perfume pagoda. And for sure you will love wandering in Hanoi. O
From Hanoi, you can travel along the coast line to the North, visit Hue, China beach ( Vietnamese call it Non Nuoc beach) in Da Nang, then Hoian,........ Bus is cheapest way to travel, train is nice but more expensive, flight is the best if you don't have much time and it's price is just a little bit more expensive than train.
October - May is the best time to visit Vietnam.
Enjoy!
[ Edit: Edited on Jan 22, 2007, at 11:11 PM by KimVN ]
Hi, I think you can go to Vietnam by train. There is a train from Nanning (not far away from Hongkong) to Hanoi, and the price is cheap. I think it's the nearest way to go to Vietnam from China. 
hi there thanks for those, i really need to speak to someone who has done hong kong to hanoi over land and taken in the sight on the way. I have found tours that do it the other way around but no one seems to do it starting in hongkong and finishing in vietnam. Can someone please let me know anyone that organises such a tour?
thanks
[ Edit: Edited on Feb 7, 2007, at 8:27 AM by gandk ]
I've done this overland, and it's easy to do it and take in some things on the way on your own.
The simplest thing is to get the overnight bus from Guanghzhou or Zhuhai [Macau border] to Guilin and Yangshuo, and spend a few days there, then head down to Nanning and on to Vietnam that way. There is a train 3 times a week (rather, there was last year, assume it still runs now) from Nanning to Ha Noi. Failing that, it's easy enough to get a bus to the border and across, or all the way.
If you have more time in China, you can go from Guilin/Yangshuo via Nanning to Kunming - a cool city - and then further West to Dali, Lijiang and Tiger Lepaing Gorge. Then track back to Kunming and get the bus sleeper to the border, and cross over to Vietnam at Lao Cai, from where you can either go up to Sa Pa, or down to Ha Noi. South of Kunming towards the Lao border you have Xis'bana whiuch is a lovely area, although trickier to then cut across to the Vietnamese border without retracing to Kunming.
[ Edit: Edited on Feb 7, 2007, at 8:55 AM by Gelli ]