Vietnam is a great photographic destination but we were concentrating on landscape photography. We travelled from the Mekong Delta in the south to Sapa in the north. Much of our itinerary covering Can Tho (Mekong Delta), Phan Thiet, My Son, Marble Mountains & Halong Bay offered great landscape and cultural interest but little in the way of French Colonial architecture. Saigon (HCMC), Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Sapa, offered interesting architecture both French and Vietnamese.
We travelled mainly by car with a driver, which can be an interesting experience at times! There are good internal flights and train service. We used an Australian company called Travel Indochina (offices in Ho Chi Minh City, UK and USA) their service was very efficient and they provided excellent guides. Their guide in the South Ho Sy Cung was part-time and also had his own business providing tours
cung_kingofheaven@yahoo.com. We stayed in a range of hotels 4/5 star International quality to 3 star local hotels. I preferred the smaller local hotels but as we were staying for just a few nights location was the most important factor. Travel can be very tiring there so slow down spend a couple of days in each location with local day trips to nearby sites.
The Vietnamese people are charming, very hospitable hosts and we found the quality of food on offer superb. Have a wonderful trip.