Hi Lisa
I did have a lonely planet guide with me in my computer in pdf format, but I got a brochure from a toursit booth and walked around with that. I don’t really like having to follow guides and listening to what they say, as I will forget most of it at the end. I prefer to walk at my own pace with printed info about the site, I will learn the saem, and save a few dollars (sometimes a lot!).

I am happy I could help Hanna! Spreading the word about MaiTravelSite means a lot to me and is a great way of helping me out too. I look forward to hearing about your trip!

Hi Hanna!

OK, with this info I think I can offer better advice. Mind you they are general ideas because (fortunately) issues like accommodation are easy to solve on the spot in these countries.
So, for South Korea I would suggest:

1) Seoul- We stayed at the Beewon Guesthouse, whish is small yet affordable and, above all, very convenient to the best tourist attractions-within walking distance! For those further away there is a metro station right by. I would suggest you spend a couple of days in Seoul, maybe a third for the DMZ tour.
2) Gyeongju a couple of days here will be relaxing and interesting too. Great places to walk, see temples, take pictures.
3) Perhaps you might want to consider a short temple-stay, or if not Shotko in the North East coast was a place I liked very much.

For Japan

1) Land in Tokyo, spend a couple of days there
2) Make sure you get a JRP (japan rail pass) before leaving your country, as you can only purchase them from outisde Japan. The 1 week pass is about 350 USD more or less but you’ll be able to move around the country fast and use Tokyo’s metro with it.
3) Consider visiting Kyoto, Hiroshima and getting to Mount Fuji, staying in Fukuoka. As for accommodation for the latter, I strongly suggest you stay with Mochan at his place in Shizuoka (http://www.wish-club.com/) Read more about couchsurfing in google, and I highly recommend you stay with Mochan, as he will drive you around and show the best of the area. He will also take you to Mt Fuji, allowing you to climb it or simply see it.

For Vietnam

Don’t fly to HCMC, fly to Hanoi instead. Hanoi is very close to what I consider Vietnam’s best attractions.
1) A couple of days in Hanoi are enough to see the chaos, yet indule yourself on what a big Vietnames city is like. It is a great experience. There are many hotels to choose from, many cheap ones too.
2) While in Hanoi book a tour to Halong Bay on a Junk boat- don’t miss this!! ( I wish I could remember the company I went with cause they were cheap and great, but unfortunately I don’t)
3) Book as well a tour to Sapa, and I suggest you make it a 3 night instead of 2 night. The train ride is over night, comfy cabins, but the AC is strong(have a sweater with you). I did not get any sleep though. If you do spend a night in Sapa there are many hotels to choose from when there, most at 25USD or less per room.

Hope this helps! I’d suggest you visit my blog’s pages for each destination, and you’ll get an idea of what to expect. Feel free to ask me all you want 🙂

Thank you for your reply.
My friend and i talked about the trip and since we gonna go for 3 weeks we both think that we don’t really wanna spend on fancy stuff, for the hotel as long as it’s safe and have the bathroom in our room then we good :).

We wanna see the culture, the way people living, food, and of course ….shopping
we’re both love Asian food and would love to try street food or eat at local market.
We not the type of climbing mountain or go to the woods to explore things, we’re kinda sightseeing type like the palace, temple, market….

Hope you can give us some suggestion, i really appreciate your advice. Thank you

No problem Hanna! 3 weeks would give you more time in each place and although you would of course not see all of each country, you would leave with a much better flavour of what it is. I do have some suggestion for where to stay…is this an adventure trip or are you traveling on a budget (backpacking), or is it a leisure trip where you don’t mind spending money as long as you are comfortable? It does make a difference 🙂

Wow, thank you so much for your super quick reply, Federico :). you’re the best.

So you think 4 days is not enough and I should stay for a week at each place.
I love that idea because I would love to see other places too and seem like it doesn’t cost that much more maybe I should do it.
Well, I gonna talk to my best friend and ask if she could take 3 weeks off. That would be perfect.
By the way, do you have any suggestion for places to go or where to stay because this is the very first time for us to travel by ourselves so we’re little nervous.
Any suggestions would be great. Thank you.

Hello Hanna! Thanks for stopping by! Let’s see, in my opinion you should probably first fly to Tokyo, then on to Seoul and from there to HCMC- it will be cheaper this way! As for the time, I frankly don’t think 4 days in each is enough. I mean it is enough to see each city, but not to get an overview of each country- you will miss the best of what each has to offer! Also, getting around in Japan is very expensive. Your best bet is the 1 week rail pass, and with that time you could see (hike?) Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Hiroshima and even some other city at a more leisurely pace. In Vietnam, you will find the best of it in the North: Sapa, Halong Bay and some mid-country coastal towns. Seoul is interesting and easy to visit, but there are other towns and experiences to be lived in the country. Why the rush? Can you get a few more days?

cheers