Travel recs for SE Asia- Vietnam, Cambodia, etc

[havernell]

Hi all,

We are going to SE Asia for three weeks for our honeymoon and are currently planning out what we want to do. So, I wanted to see if anyone had any recommendations for things we shouldn''t miss.

We are set to fly into Hanoi, Vietnam and out of Bangkok, Thailand and definitely also want to hit:

Vietnam- Halong Bay, exploring around Hoi An/Hue, trekking and market visits around Sapa/surrounding areas
Cambodia- Angkor Wat, would also love to ride the bamboo trains around Battambang, but not sure if we''ll have time

We originally wanted to also visit Luang Prabang in Laos, but now we''re not sure if we''ll have time or if the expense is justified. I''ve heard Laos is great from numerous people so I''m sad to maybe miss it, but the sites in Vietnam sound more attractive (at least per my guide book). Has anyone been to Laos? If so, what did you do/see? Would you recommend it? Same goes for Cambodia- anything besides Angkor you would recommend?

We haven''t really planned anything in Thailand other than Bangkok. It''s not that we don''t want to see it, but that we don''t have the time on this trip. Since Bangkok is a common stop over on flights to Asia, we figure we may have opportunities to visit Thailand again in the future more easily than we could visit Vietnam or Cambodia....

We''d prefer to see more "real life" stuff (in between the more famous tourist sites) which is why I''m excited for trekking to villages and markets around Sapa, but I''m worried those are cheesy/disney-esqe now too as more and more tourists are doing that these days it seems. So, if anyone has any suggestions on how to best see the non-tourist side of these countries, I''m all ears. We don''t speak any of the local languages, so that hinders us I know, but perhaps it''s easy to hire a local guide/driver to take you off the beaten path??

Thanks for any suggestions!!

 

[chiapet]

I can''t give you advice on the places that you''re going to because I haven''t been there but you can get really good tips & suggestions on www.tripadvisor.com. I find that alot of people who post there give great recommendations on non-touristy things to do.
Have fun!

 

[JulieN]

Pictures from last summer, Ha Long.

 

[JulieN]

One more.

 

[JulieN]

Viet Nam is not touristy or disney-like at all, though I did feel like there were more tourists in Ha Noi than in Sai Gon.

All I can think about when you say hiring a driver/guide is the tourist scenes in Slumdog Millionaire (which you must see if you haven''t, yet.)

 

[Porridge]

Have only been to Thailand, totally recommend flying down to Koh Samui (worth it to see the airport alone!), scuba diving/snorkling in Koh Tao, a few relaxing days on the very private and stunningly beautiful beaches on the north east shores of Koh Phangan. If you guys are into crazy partying, stay around for the full moon party. Have a few days trekking in the jungle in Chiang Mai, and wander around the night markets in the city. Meet other travelers on the Khao San road in Bangkok, and the the palace is definitely worth a look. Thailand also has many spectacular national parks (see here)

That''s all I have from personal experience! Enjoy!

 

[CDNinNYC]

FI and I did a 5 week trip through Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam in 2007. We've since heard great things about Laos and wish we had included it in our trip.

One thing you might want to consider doing in Siem Reap is to go see the floating village. If you'd like to see photos, let me know. We bought the three day pass for Angkor Wat; at the third day I was seriously burnt out from seeing the ruins. We loved the nightlife in Siem Reap; great local restaurants and bars; lot's of fun.

In Vietnam, we landed in Ho Chi Minh City, spent a couple of days there, then took an over-night train to Nha Trang, 'the Vietnamese Riviera'. It's a great resort town with 6 miles of white sandy beach and azure water, backed by green hills and palm trees. I recommend going here if you can fit it in. We then flew into Hanoi. One 'local' thing we did in Hanoi that was fun was getting tickets to see a local water-puppet show.

Please don't be taken for a ride in Bangkok if you're going to visit the Golden Palace. There are locals hanging outside the entrance all telling you the same story that the palace is closed for a few hours. They try to convince you to take a tuk-tuk to the shops so you can spend money. I don't know if you're into Thai Boxing but they had frequent matches when we went. (I don't have too much info outside of Bangkok; we spent most of our time in Thailand in Koh Samui.)

Of the three countries we visited, Vietnam was the only one we had issues with the language. There was a point where we had to draw a picture of a train because we couldn't communicate to the taxi driver we needed to go to the train station!

 

[BigDiamonds]

I''ve been to Thailand and Cambodia, but not Vietnam or Laos. Okay, I went to Laos for a day but that doesn''t really count.

I did it very backpacker style so it was just kind of a different experience all the way around.

I can tell you that I actually had some pretty cool experiences in Cambodia. We (I was with another backpacker girl I met in Thailand) flew into Phnom Penh. When you land there is a huge gathering of moped drivers right outside waiting to accost you. We happened to get lucky and got two really nice young guys who drove us around for the three days we were in the city. The economy is so poor that both of these guys had college degrees and were clearly very educated (we talked extensively about politics, the Iraq war, history, etc. in English), but they couldn''t find professional jobs. I think they asked to be paid something like $2 a piece for the entire day of driving. It''s totally worth it because they double as tour guides, and if they like you they can take you to more "local" places. We ended up grabbing some beers in a local bar with our guys, which was very cool. One of the people we met there offered for us to come have dinner in his home the next night, but that was a little beyond our comfort level for two young women traveling alone so we declined.

Of course from there we took a ferry up to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. The ferry is the stuff that breaking news specials are made of, so it is not for the faint of heart. We had to ride on the roof and at one point the boat choked on a diaper and was stalled in the middle of river for about 45 minutes. Also the toilets are just holes that dump into the river - be very careful if you happen to have your only credit card in your back pocket, as my travel companion will tell you!

Angkor is amazing, the place has a really special energy even with all the people. You will see plenty of monks there praying, and you can''t ignore the fact that these temples are more than just a tourist attraction.

The whole experience was amazing, but I do have to say that Phnom Penh was one of the only places in all of my travels where I felt genuinely unsafe. Again though, two young blond women have to be particularly careful, so I had a different level of concern that you will probably have. However, I would caution you to be very very careful about going too far off the beaten path (not to mention, you literally should not walk off of any path because they have many active land mines).

Sorry, I know that isn''t specifically the info you were looking for but hopefully it helps with the planning a bit.

 

[BigDiamonds]

Oh wait, forgot to recommend Ao Nang in Thailand...it''s down on the southwest coast in Krabi. It was a little touristy but in a grungy backpacker way, which is a little different.

Also wanted to second the warning about the tuk-tuk drivers and the scams with the shops in Bangkok. It definitely happens and you just have to be very firm. However, don''t let that stop you from getting a suit custom-made for you! I got a great navy pinstripe that fit me perfectly (at the time

) for about $120.

 

[mrscushion]

I went to Laos in early 2000, took a boat from the Thai-Laos border down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. I thought Luang Prabang was really pretty, back then it still seemed pretty sleepy, I'm sure by now things have changed. In Bangkok I would get a guide to do a private boat tour on the Chao Phraya river, it's a great way to see the city. Oh, and if you can, have breakfast (it's amazing) or drinks on the terrace of the Oriental Hotel overlooking the Chao Phraya. It's a great view, amazing service and there is so much history in that hotel, it's a really cool place to hang out.

 

[havernell]

Yay! Thanks to all of you who replied! You''ve definitely given us some new places to look into and more ideas for our trip. This is great! A few specific follow-up questions:

JulieN- looks like you took a junk cruise in Ha Long Bay. Do you happen to recall the name of the junk you took? If so, would you recommend it?

CDNinNYC- I would love to see photos of the floating village near Siem Reap! How did you get there and do you recall the name of the village/area? Also, I''m glad to know that 3 days is sufficient to see a good deal of the Angkor ruins- that''s how many days we were thinking of spending there (and getting the three day pass).

BigDiamonds- I love your description of the ferry to Angkor Wat. I''ve spent significant time in Nepal, Uganda, and Zambia doing field research, so I''m definitely used to the perils of third world public transportation and pit toilets! So, overall, would you say Phnom Penh is a place to definitely make sure we see, or would our limited time be better spent elsewhere?

mscushion- Thanks for the info! How was the boat trip along the Mekong? What type of boat was it, how did you arrange it, how long did it take to get to Luang Prabang? That sounds like it could be interesting.

Any other recommendations or suggestions welcome!

 

[BigDiamonds]

Phnom Penh does offer some unique experiences, but I think there is too much else to see to justify spending time there. However, I do recall that it was a lot easier to arrange transportation in and out of there than Siem Reap.

 

[havernell]

Date: 1/17/2009 8:14:40 PM
Author: BigDiamonds
Phnom Penh does offer some unique experiences, but I think there is too much else to see to justify spending time there. However, I do recall that it was a lot easier to arrange transportation in and out of there than Siem Reap.

Okay, good to know. I think we will skip Phnom Penh (unless we need to transit through there to get to the Angkor area). But I think you can fly right to Siem Reap- I should double check that. Anyway, thanks for the reply!

 

[innerkitten]

I haven''t lived in any of those places but have traveled there. I really enjoyed Northern Thailand and did a lot of hiking up there. I''m not really the type that enjoys lounging around on the beach all day and found there was more to see up North. Went as far as the Burmese border. Even stayed in a Lisu village over night.

If you go to Laos I recommend traveling by boat down the makong. You''ll see a lot that way.

Also if you get to Sumatra (I love Indonesia) visit the orangutan rehabilitation center.

 

[mrscushion]

Date: 1/18/2009 12:28:20 PM
Author: havernell

Date: 1/17/2009 8:14:40 PM

Author: BigDiamonds

Phnom Penh does offer some unique experiences, but I think there is too much else to see to justify spending time there. However, I do recall that it was a lot easier to arrange transportation in and out of there than Siem Reap.

Okay, good to know. I think we will skip Phnom Penh (unless we need to transit through there to get to the Angkor area). But I think you can fly right to Siem Reap- I should double check that. Anyway, thanks for the reply!

Yes, you should be able to fly directly into Siem Reap.

RE: the trip down the Mekong, let's see -- I don't remember it all, unfortunately -- I was just out of high school back then. I think we were on the Mekong a couple (2-3) days. There were several stops along the way visiting different villages. I remember the scenery being absolutely breathtaking. It was a wooden boat that traveled a bit faster than the typical "slow boats" that are pretty crowded but not as fast as the other kind, the "speed boats" that usually get hired out privately by tourists. I don't recall the border town from which we left, but I will go now and do a little research on the web to see if I can reconstruct the trip and then report back!

 

[mrscushion]

Date: 1/18/2009 4:20:09 PM
Author: mscushion

RE: the trip down the Mekong, let's see -- I don't remember it all, unfortunately -- I was just out of high school back then. I think we were on the Mekong a couple (2-3) days. There were several stops along the way visiting different villages. I remember the scenery being absolutely breathtaking. It was a wooden boat that traveled a bit faster than the typical 'slow boats' that are pretty crowded but not as fast as the other kind, the 'speed boats' that usually get hired out privately by tourists. I don't recall the border town from which we left, but I will go now and do a little research on the web to see if I can reconstruct the trip and then report back!

OK, I think I found it -- this is what we did: Luangsay Cruise. We were up in Northern Thailand visiting Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai and then went from Chiang Rai to Houei Say on the border, which is the departure port for this river "cruise". We did the 2 day/1 night trip, although there is a long option as well. This is probably the most luxurious way to go and is reflected in the prices. The boat is beautiful and pretty comfy, and so is the lodge they have you stay at. I was traveling with my parents at the time; however, there are definitely many backpackers on the same route who take the 'slow boats' (with stop-over in Pakbeng) or 'speed boats' on a much more affordable budget. But whichever way you go, I recommend this journey because of the absolutely stunning scenery and the sense of history, too, that traveling down the Mekong entails.

For what it's worth, I believe that from Luang Prabang, we flew into Vientiane and from there you can go pretty much wherever you want, back to Bangkok to grab your flight home, or on to a beach vacation.... though nowadays you can probably get anywhere straight from LP, back then it was a bit more limited.

ETA: Here is a screenshot of a map that shows start and end point of the route in relation to Bangkok: Map

 

[JulieN]

Sorry, I don''t know the name. It was just booked through the hotel I stayed at. We had an English speaking tour guide, and most of the others on it were not Vietnamese, though a few were.

 

[babysteps]

Hi Havernell - nothing to add at the moment but we are headed for a week to Bangkok and Angkor Wat on Friday (Chinese New Year vacation) so I will be sure to add in anything I loved/learned when we return! (We are flying direct from Bangkok to Siem Reap - it''s just an hour). We needed visas issued for Cambodia - they came back with our info. in lovely calligraphy! When is your honeymoon going to be? Sounds like you will have an amazing trip

CDNinNYC - would love to see your Cambodia photos if you don''t mind posting a few!

 

[CDNinNYC]

I hope ya''ll are ready for a bunch of photos!

This one is in Koh Samui, Thailand. Highly recommend a visit if you can fit it in. Can you spot the monkey profile?

 

[CDNinNYC]

Beach at Koh Samui...

 

[CDNinNYC]

Ruins at Angkor Wat...

 

[CDNinNYC]

Crazy snake tree...

 

[CDNinNYC]

Trees attacking the ruins...

 

[CDNinNYC]

More ruins...

 

[CDNinNYC]

And more...

 

[CDNinNYC]

There are some seriously steep stairs at the ruins. Make sure you have good shoes on.

 

[CDNinNYC]

I love this photo. FI gave this girl money in exchange for some postcards and she went running with it to her mother. (PS: you will be hounded by children asking you to buy things from them while their parents sit in the shade. These kids are SMART: they know every language spoken!)

 

[CDNinNYC]

On the way to the floating village. These kids were pumping water to take their baths. Many of the homes along the way has signs indicating they were provided by donations/charity.

 

[CDNinNYC]

I don''t remember the name of the floating village but I don''t think there''s more than one in the Siem Reap area.

 

[CDNinNYC]

These are the boats available to take you on the ''tour''. The entire cost to charter the boat with two ''guides'' was $15.

BTW, when we arrived at the Siem Reap airport, we took a taxi to our hotel. We ended up booking this taxi driver for the 3.5 days we were there. He was available to us at all times; drive us to and from the airport, to the ruins, in-between the ruins (they are not within walking distance), to the floating village, dinner, etc... He also acted as guide at times. It was great to have an air conditioned car after walking around the ruins for a while. Total cost was about $100.