On to Vietnam

This summer we read an article about train travel in Vietnam, touring the length of the country, and were intrigued. Check out the website for The Man in Seat 61 - Vietnam.
After looking at the possibilities we decided to go for it. Early December is decent weather there, after the monsoons, and is usually a quiet travel time before the holidays. After checking out the usual airline websites, I realized the mini-mall in our neighborhood had a travel agent who served many Vietnamese clients. Sure enough, he knew all the best routes and deals, and got us a good price on airfare, Vietnam visa, and a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City with airport pickup service. He was busy, was stacks of Vietnam visas ready to deliver to people (most were travelling for the Christmas holidays).
We leave just before Thanksgiving and will return a week before Christmas. The general plan is to head north on the train, stopping in Hue, then on to Hanoi. We'll spend a couple weeks in the North, visiting the mountain areas near Sapa, home to many minority tribes, and kayaking in Halong Bay on the coast near Hanoi.
We'll finish by going back to Saigon and taking trips around the Mekong Delta by boat and by bike. Basically, everything is a series of short tours, with guides, transportation and lodging packaged together. We have friends who have done similar trips and highly recommend it.

So, off we go. I'll report upon return.