What’s the best way to make the most of Vietnam?

Q A friend is heading for Vietnam. He’s badly organised and does not appear to have given his itinerary much thought beyond flying into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh City. He goes next week and is up for exploring. What do you advise?

Name supplied

A Early April is an excellent time to visit Vietnam: the climate is fresh, mainly dry and not too hot. The friendly, welcoming people of Vietnam comprise the nation’s greatest joy. Their country, with alluring scenery and deep culture plus a French influence, provides many experiences for your friend to enjoy.

My top-to-toe highlights start in Hanoi, Vietnam’s handsome capital. It is a relatively serene Asian city, full of parks and lakes. He can find his feet, adjust to the heat, explore the markets and devour delicious street food. From the nearby port of Haiphong, take a boat trip to Ha Long Bay, the main tourist attraction in North Vietnam. The location is hauntingly beautiful: a dramatic seascape decorated by limestone pillars that rise from the water.

Heading south, ideally by train, Hue is well worth a stop: a relaxed central Vietnam city filled with temples, pagodas and monasteries. A short way south, Hoi An has a Chinese quarter and French colonial architecture that earned it Unesco World Heritage status.

Ho Chi Minh City, the nation’s energetic commercial hub, was the former capital of South Vietnam: Saigon. What’s known here as “the American War” (but in the west as the Vietnam War) is described from the victors’ perspective at the War Remnants Museum. Outside the city, visit the underground war tunnels of Cu Chi. They were dug by the Viet Cong army and were the scene of some brutal confrontations.

Finally, with a day or two to spare, venture 50 miles southeast to the coast and the resort of Vung Tau: a most likeable resort on a peninsula.

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Q If you buy alcohol miniatures at duty-free, can you consume them on a plane?

Ian U

A The sale of miniatures of vodka, whisky, gin and tequila at duty-free is a contentious issue in the aviation industry. It is perfectly legal to buy alcohol in bottles small and large at the airport. You can take them on board almost all planes. For example, British Airways says: “You can bring up to five litres of alcohol ... This can travel in your cabin bag if you purchased it in the airport duty-free shop.” Airlines sometimes make very few exceptions for specific flights (typically to Ibiza in the early hours) when they are banned.

Even though you can carry them into the cabin, generally the airline’s rules mean you cannot drink them on the plane. Jet2, which has long been tackling alcohol-fuelled disruptive behaviour on its flights, says: “You may not bring on board alcohol for the purposes of consumption whilst on the aircraft. Only alcoholic drinks purchased on board may be consumed during the flight.” This does not have quite the status of a law. But since it is implied to be a command from the captain, all passengers are expected to obey it.

Some airlines have made an exception. For example, in the past Royal Brunei has positively encouraged travellers to bring their own alcohol on board – with cabin crew serving mixers as required to passengers. There was even a promotion whereby business travellers were given vouchers to spend on wine at shops at Heathrow before boarding the plane to Borneo.

The presumption, though, is that drinking duty frees on board is banned. Some passengers ignore the rules – and there are serious concerns in the aviation industry about the issue. Partly it is financial: if an airline is selling a miniature for £7 while the duty-free shop is only £3, the carrier is losing out on sales. But the main issue is one of safety and conduct on board. I think at present it would be deeply unpopular for alcohol to be banned from aircraft. But in the late 1980s, British Airways was handing out cigars to passengers on Concorde – I enjoyed one along with vintage Champagne. But by 1990, BA started banning smoking on its flights. Views can change swiftly. And while no one enjoys a drink on board a plane more than me, I do seem to arrive at my destination rather fresher after traveling on airlines that are dry.

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Q I am one of many people who have only just checked their passport after the strike began. Mine runs out on 10 October 2023. I want to fly from Manchester on 14 May to go to see a friend in Antalya, Turkey. It’s the only time I can travel because of work and I am very unsure if I will be allowed to enter. Can you help?

Name supplied

A Around 1,000 members of the PCS union working for HM Passport Office this week began a five-week strike in a dispute over civil service pay. The government says it has contingency plans in place and that the time you should allow to renew a passport – 10 weeks – remains the same. While many people are getting passports quicker, I think it would be reckless to try to renew in the 39 days between now and the day you plan to travel.

The rule for Turkey for British passport holders is: you must have 150 days of validity on the day you enter the country. As (bad) luck would have it, I calculate that on Sunday 14 May you will have just 149 days remaining.

If you can possibly travel on the Saturday, then you will meet the rules – just. I have no doubt you would be warmly welcomed by passport control on arrival. But I have a nagging fear that airline ground staff might possibly quibble. Ideally, travel on Friday 12 May. There are plenty of nonstop flights from Manchester to Antalya that day, including a couple of afternoon departures on Jet2. The very last departure is at 6.20pm on SunExpress.

If Friday is not possible but Saturday is, then just go armed with the advice from the Foreign Office: “Your passport should be valid for at least 150 days from the date you arrive.” You will have exactly 150 days, which should suffice. Note also you will need a blank passport page for the entry and exit stamps.

Incidentally, while researching this topic, I discovered that citizens of six European countries, including France, Spain and Switzerland, can enter Turkey on a passport that has expired within the last five years.

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Q Myself and three girlfriends have a trip to Paris booked with easyJet Holidays in late June. Obviously the situation with the protests and strikes in France is uncertain. We are wondering what to do; we have not paid the final balance yet – just the deposit. Should we contact easyJet and change our destination? Lisbon and Milan would work for us. Or should we just wait it out and hope for a resolution to the French pension issue? Your advice would be very much appreciated.

Lynda K

A I understand your concern. I imagine that instead of looking forward to a relaxed and indulgent holiday in the French capital, you are apprehensive about what might await you. This week has seen renewed and sometimes violent protests against President Macron’s plan to raise the pension age by two years to 64. The Foreign Office warns: “Since mid-March, there have been spontaneous protests in central Paris and elsewhere in France. Protests are likely to take place and could occur with little notice.” The US State Department adds: “Exercise increased caution in France due to terrorism and civil unrest.” In addition, some top tourist sites have been closed from time to time.

Yet I suggest you work on the basis that the intensity of the anger directed against the French president will dwindle, and that your trip will go ahead just as you originally planned. My optimism is based on conversations with people in the travel industry who are having to work with the current messy situation – and also speaking to British holidaymakers in France (which is where I happen to be writing from).

One family has just spent five days in Paris, and say that demonstrations sometimes impeded their plans because streets in the city were closed off by police. But overall they had a terrific stay without feeling in any danger, and report that this is actually a good time to visit because some people are being deterred by the headlines, leaving the city less crowded than it might otherwise be.

My prediction may be unduly optimistic, though. If I am wrong, and the conflict were to deepen, then it would be appropriate to speak to easyJet Holidays closer to departure and ask if there is any flexibility. Holiday companies will often be flexible if their customers have reasonable grounds to fret about a particular destination. But short of the Foreign Office warning against travel to Paris – which I think is extremely unlikely – there is no legal obligation on the firm to offer an alternative.

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