AMA Vietnam - Luggage and other Questions

[OBX Cruisers]

These questions by another cruiser were under a Roll Call for a cruise which is already past. I brought them out to the main River Cruising Board in hopes our Vietnam/Cambodia "experts" will see them. I'm particularly interested in advice on the luggage as we leave in one week! Thanks everyone!

 

Luggage:We are planning on taking 1 checked suitcase(44lbs) each and 1 carry/roll -on each, will these be OK for flight from Hanoi to Siem Reap? What did you use to pack for overnight on Ha Long Bay? Would carry/roll-on work ?

Packing: I have never mastered the art of packing light, any hints for this trip would be appreciated !

Insect repellent and Sun screen: How much will we need ?

Restaurants: Any restaurants that you particularly liked? Did you eat any of the " on your own " meals at the hotel?

[TravelerThom]

In Oct-Nov 2016 I did both the Irrawaddy and the Mekong with Vantage. I am used to traveling light, and did the 5 week trip with a 22 inch TravelPro carry-on. We used Vietnam Airways from Hanoi to Siem Reap and their stated carry-on limits are:

Complying with the safety standard, each piece of hand luggage must not exceed 7kg and the total dimensions (width + heights + depth ) must not exceed 115cm (56 cm x 36 cm x 23 cm (or: 22’’ x 11‘’ x 9’’)

 

Important Notice: In case your hand baggage exceeds the quantity, weight and dimensions as specified above, your luggage must be checked in.

 

7kg is only 15 pounds - no way could I meet that, and my bag is 22" x 14" x 9" so it misses in one dimension. I duly checked it, BUT I did see a bunch of bags in the cabin that were at least as large (and probably as heavy) as mine. IF you have to check your second piece (since enforcement seemed spotty at best, maybe no check required), I think Vietnam Airways charges US$70 for the second bag. YMMV.

[ewizabeff]

Here is our packing list from our trip, in excruciating detail. :) We each had one checked bag and a backpack (plus my shoulder-bag purse). When we went to Ha Long Bay, we just took our backpacks.

 

Each of us went through a little over half of a bottle of the Sawyer 30 insect repellent linked in my packing list. I'd bring one 3 oz bottle per person if I was you. In Cambodia and Southern Vietnam, plan on applying sunscreen at least twice per day. When we were in Hanoi it was in December, so I didn't need sunscreen. That might be different this time of year?

 

My favorite food we had was on our street food tours (independently booked) in Hanoi and Saigon. There's so much good food to eat on the street - bun cha, bahn mi, snail soup.... yum! We went out on our own one night in Hanoi to Cha Ca Thong Long and really enjoyed it. It was an authentic, cheap, no-frills experience. I wrote about it towards the end of this blog post.

[spruce1984]

We just returned from the AMAWaterways cruise in Vietnam and Cambodia three weeks ago and had a wonderful time. It was one of the best trips we have taken and everyone we met enjoyed it immensely.

 

As for luggage you should be fine with what you are planning to take. My partner and I also had two checked suit cases that weighed around 40 lbs and two carry-ons (we also have not learned the art of packing light). For the trip to Ha Long Bay we were fine with our carry-ons. For the flight from Hanoi to Siem Reap the carry-ons were also fine. The tour director explained that the checked luggage is weighed for the whole group so if some luggage is slightly over the weight limit it will be offset by other luggage that is under the maximum weight.

 

You will definitely need sun screen and mosquito repellent. We did not really need it for Hanoi but used it once we got to Cambodia. We used if for the temple excursions and then for the excursions on the Mekong. Each morning we applied the sun screen first, waited about 10 minutes, and then applied the mosquito repellent and this worked for the entire day. The guides also sometimes had mosquito repellent. Our travel doctor prescribed anti-malarial medication but we decided not use it because of the possible side effects. Also, make sure you bring enough hand sanitizer.

 

As for restaurants, we tried not to eat in the hotels since the meals were very expensive and we wanted to experience more of the local cuisine. We arrived in Hanoi two days before the land portion started and stayed at the La Siesta Hotel in the Old Quarter before transferring to the Metropole. The hotel was wonderful and we had three meals in their restaurant, the Red Bean Restaurant, since we were fighting jet lag and did not want to venture too far afield. The food in the restaurant was excellent and the pho there was the best we had in Hanoi. We also hired a private tour guide to show us around Hanoi before we started the AMAWaterways tour and he recommended Chim Sao, 65 Ngo Hue, for dinner. This is about a 15 minute walk from the Metropole or a short cab ride. The food here was also excellent and was definitely worth the trip. And another evening we ate at Nha Hang Ngon, Tran Hang Dao 26 which was recommended by the tour director and was also very good.

 

In Siem Reap we ate at MAHOB Khmer Cuisine which is very close to the Sofitel. The concierge recommended the restaurant and made the reservations for us. The restaurant will also send a tuk-tuk to pick you up at the hotel free of charge. We ate here for dinner one evening and lunch another day since it was so close and the food was excellent. The walk back to the hotel took about five minutes.

 

In Phnom Penh we ate at Romdeng which is a training restaurant where kids from very poor families or who live on the street are trained in cooking and restaurant work so they will have a skill. We went with a group of people we met on the cruise and everyone enjoyed the meal. The front desk on the ship made the reservation and gave us a print-out of the confirmation. We took tuk-tuks that were parked near where the ship was docked to the restaurant. And after the meal the restaurant called for tuk-tuks to take us back to the ship.

 

In Saigon we also ate in another training restaurant, Koto Kumbo near the Sofitel Hotel. This restaurant is in a shopping mall where the Saigon Hard Rock Café is also located. We went with the same group who went to Romdeng and everyone again really enjoyed the food. The hotel can make a reservation and give specific directions.

 

If you have any other questions about the trip let me know.

[OBX Cruisers]

Spruce 1984 - Once the AMA tour officially started, how many meals were there on your own?

Also, just to be clear - carry-on luggage with wheels is fine in the overhead of the planes? Sometimes I've been on trip where they required a soft-sided duffle bag that could actually be stuffed in the overhead. Did your carry-ons come in under the 15 lbs or were those weighed all together as well?

[gnome12]

I wouldn't suggest a roller for a carry-on; a backpack makes more sense.

[spruce1984]

The days meals were not included on the tour were the first day in Hanoi when lunch and dinner were on your own, the day we arrived in Siem Reap dinner was not included, the two full days in Siem Reap lunch was on your own, the day we arrived in Saigon dinner was on your own and the last full day in Saigon lunch and dinner were on your own. While on the cruise all meals were provided.

 

Regarding the carry-on luggage, a good amount of people had roll-ons and no one was checking the weight. We flew Vietnam Air which was not bad

 

Hope this is helpful.

[ewizabeff]

Ah, I forgot about our Siem Reap meals! I had two that I would recommend - The Sugar Palm and Marum. Reservations would be advised at both places, especially for dinner (we went to Marum for lunch).

 

One of the 50 Best Restaurants in Asia is located in Siem Reap. It's a fine dining, tasting menu type place, but because of its location in Cambodia a tasting menu is about $50. We tried to get in but only tried a day or two in advance and they were booked up. Cuisine Wat Damnak.