Vietnam: Planning the Trip

While we intended to wake up early and see the town we had two things against us:
1.) utter exhaustion from traveling constantly
2.) the fact that we still needed to work out a solid plan for our month long journey between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Our trip schedule plus some suggestions in case you plan to visit:

Ho Chi Minh

Mekong Delta (you have the option to deeper into the Mekong and catch a hydrofoil to Phu Quoc Iland)

Phu Quoc Island (you have the option here to take a hydrofoil back to Vietnam near the border and cross there instead of going back to Ho Chi Minh. If you choose the border crossing you can make your way from the Cambodian border to Kep and then onto Sihanoukville . From there take a bus to Phnom Penh)

Phnom Penh & surrounding villages

Siem Reap - Angkor Wat

Hanoi

Sapa

Hoi An (this is a great in between spot between the two big cities in Vietnam. It an excellent shopping city especially if you want some custom digs.)

Ho Chi Minh City

Travel Tip: Sun n’ Sea Travel

These people were excellent, they work fast and effectively to ensure that your trip desires will be met. What I was most impressed with is that our particular agent was thorough. She herself had been to most of the locations we pointed out and she was willing to tell us what we could skip and what we shouldn't miss.  They worked with us to customize our trip so that it wasn’t just an out of the box pre planned trip.  While they can certainly do that, I recommend doing a bit of research before you go so you have a pretty good idea of what you want. For me it was home stays, elephants between temples, cooking classes and a bit of culture beyond the temples. 

Hint: a private driver may be recommended to you to get to some of the lesser traveled places.  They are fairly costly.  Ask for local arrangements and be up for an adventure.  Most of all make sure you have flexibility in your schedule.  If not, then consider tweaking your travel plans just a bit.