Hi all,
I`m hoping to go travelling in September of next year for a whole year. One destination i have in my itinerary is Hong Kong. From there i would like to visit Vietnam for maybe a week or two.
I`m not planning on doing any serious travelling within the country as its one of my first destinations and i`m not sure how i`m going to cope with the culture shock of a developing country such as this.

Anyway, i`m an enthusiastic photographer and have a keen interest in the Vietnam war.
I was thinking of flying from Hong Kong to either Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) or Hanoi to spend a week or two exploring, taking photographs and finding out a bit more about the war. However, i`m unsure as to which city i should go for.

Does anyone have any recommendations or advice? I`m leaning towards Hanoi at the moment as i would like to visit Ha Long bay.

Thanks for reading and merry christmas.

There was a quote in a guide book I read for Vietnam that went along the lines of 'whichever city you visit first, that will be your one true love, no matter the charms of the other'. I wanted to go to both Hanoi and Saigon but budget demanded only one so we chose Saigon and absolutely loved it. There are many sad aspects of Vietnam, there are still reminders everywhere you look of it's violent history, however the people's spirit and desire to move forward is inspiring. I was afraid of being shell shocked by the culture difference too, however the country as a whole is very friendly, a smile and a nod makes their day, usually. Only the hawkers were a little persistant, however they are mainly entertaining

My partner is also into photography and could not have been happier with so many subjects - people, temples, countryside, industry, war remnants. Just be careful where you take photos - it is still a communist country and some areas are sensitive.

Wherever you choose I hope you have a good time and er, Merry Christmas to you too.