Questions about an upcoming Vietnam trip...?

Question

I am going on a school excursion to Vietnam in the October holidays of this year for about 16 days. we'll mostly be in the Hanoi area, as well as Halong Bay, Nimh Bihn, Hoa Lu, Lao Chi, Sapa, up to the mountains and many other places. obviously ive never been there so the names i just wrote are probably every small towns and villages!!
anyway, some of the things we will be doing include: staying in a Junk for a few nights (as well as hotels), kayaking, bike riding, treking, shopping, staying with a local family, trying out all the local cuisine and meeting other students.

what im basically wondering is:
1. what to wear? (will shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops be fine for that time of year, or something warmer)?
2. customs or anything i should know about?
3. how much will meals cost (roughly)?
4. warnings or things to watch out for?
5. what is the plumbing like over there? (toilet and showers on the Junk, hotels and local family!?!)
6. things not to miss?
7. things NOT to do?
and any other helpful and handy hints.

thanks heaps guys!!!

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

your going to be just fine, be careful of pick pockets be polite and friendly but dont be some ones fool.. the vietnamese are very friendly and helpful people.. but be cautious..i'm always suspicious of strangers approaching me they almost always have ulterior motives,. though almost all plumbing in viet nam leaks most places have hot water [VERY HOT], and flush toilets, but carry toilet paper and handy wipes with you always, be prepared for the occasional "squat toilet" especially in the mts and on the junk
meals are CHEAP
check out the thousands of questions and answers in this category under "discover" for many helpful hints..just go with the flow you dont need to see everything because anything you do and see will be great..and will go back.. vn is just like that...

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

thank you (30 pts by now!)

Answer 2

Try this website which is informative to me.

Source(s):

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam