SE Asia trip -where to go?

Doshwaster

totallybored wrote: »

Thanks all for your help. I'm going to start booking my flights now and I think I have half an itinery planned!

Sounds like a fantastic plan so far. I'm very envious. As discussed above, as long as you travel light and are prepared to be flexible then I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Be sure to come back to this thread when you get back to give us a full trip report.

puffinmuffin

To get to PP we booked a tour in Saigon which got us most of the way by boat, it took 2 days i think and is certainly the slow but scenic route! It was very relaxing! We spent 2 full days at Angkor but i am an archaeology geek!

If you go to Laos, try to get to Luang Prabang, it was the nicest place we stayed. It was a real antidote to the hectic pace of Bangkok, Hanoi and Saigon. We found Vientiane rather dull.

shockingmoment

We did something similar a couple of months back.

Might I suggest 2 straight nights in Hanoi then Ha Long. When you get back to Hanoi - back to your hotel who are looking after your luggage - then catch the overnight train. Hanoi Hilton is a great place to stay (Maison Centrale) - if you can get a room!!!!!!!!!

If you can - contact Hanoi Kids (google them). Students to guide you round Hanoi for a day - free. Costs a couple of lunches (they know the best places for this!) and they are very knowledgable. Book well in advance.

Try to spend a day / night in Hoi An. We loved it there.

Mekong Delta is something we wouldn't have missed.

Trains are wonderful. Careful with your luggage though! Lock your carriage door and buy a luggage lock (with a loop of steel wire).

Silk sleeping bag liners - a touch of luxury for about £3 in Hanoi.

So jealous!

Making me smile thinking about it.

shockingmoment

Don't forget to sort your visa. Can be a pita. There are agencies that will do this though. We used myvietnamvisa.com. 40usd or so? Allows 1 entry / exit I think.

totallybored

puffinmuffin wrote: »

To get to PP we booked a tour in Saigon which got us most of the way by boat, it took 2 days i think and is certainly the slow but scenic route! It was very relaxing! We spent 2 full days at Angkor but i am an archaeology geek!

If you go to Laos, try to get to Luang Prabang, it was the nicest place we stayed. It was a real antidote to the hectic pace of Bangkok, Hanoi and Saigon. We found Vientiane rather dull.

How did you get to Vientiane? And I've looked at going to Luang Prabang but the bus seems to be about 10 hours and the boat takes a couple of days. I did find that there is a bus from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai which would be useful but again it's a long journey that I'm not keen on.

totallybored

shockingmoment wrote: »

We did something similar a couple of months back.

Might I suggest 2 straight nights in Hanoi then Ha Long. When you get back to Hanoi - back to your hotel who are looking after your luggage - then catch the overnight train. Hanoi Hilton is a great place to stay (Maison Centrale) - if you can get a room!!!!!!!!!

If you can - contact Hanoi Kids (google them). Students to guide you round Hanoi for a day - free. Costs a couple of lunches (they know the best places for this!) and they are very knowledgable. Book well in advance.

Try to spend a day / night in Hoi An. We loved it there.

Mekong Delta is something we wouldn't have missed.

Trains are wonderful. Careful with your luggage though! Lock your carriage door and buy a luggage lock (with a loop of steel wire).

Silk sleeping bag liners - a touch of luxury for about £3 in Hanoi.

So jealous!

Making me smile thinking about it.

I'll have a look at Hanoi kids, a friend had mentioned them too. The Hilton might be a bit more pricey than what I want to pay, I'm being good and trying to do this on a budget!

Do you have any recommendation on the type of junk to get on the Halong Bay trip?

Also, the luggage on trains is worrying me a bit as I'll be on my own and I've never done the backpacking thing before. I won't have anyone to guard my stuff when I go to the loo etc so will it be safe if I lock it to something? I obviously won't leave anything valuable in it. Do I need a sleeping bag too, I wasn't going to take one.

puffinmuffin

totallybored wrote: »

How did you get to Vientiane? And I've looked at going to Luang Prabang but the bus seems to be about 10 hours and the boat takes a couple of days. I did find that there is a bus from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai which would be useful but again it's a long journey that I'm not keen on.

shame, it's such a lovely place. To get to Vientiane we took an overnight train from Bangkok.

Our trip was Bangkok-train to Vientiane-bus to Luang Prabang -flight to Hanoi-bus/boat Cat Ba-Hanoi -overnight train to Hue -flight to Saigon (husband was sick at this point and refused to get another train!) we flew to Phu Quoc island for a few days before heading back to Saigon . River boat to Phnom Penh , bus to Siem Reap and flight to Bangkok
With hindsight it was a lot to do in a month !

I just wanted to add that, although i was with my husband, i would have felt comfortable doing this trip solo. It felt a lot safer than Latin America where i have travelled alone.

shockingmoment

I was teasing you about the Hanoi Hilton....

Hỏa Lò Prison, later sarcastically known to American prisoners of war as the "Hanoi Hilton", was a prison used by the French for political prisoners then for American POWs during the Vietnam War. It's well worth a visit though!

As for the train - make sure you're in a sleeping compartment - you'll be fine. The others in the compartment will be in the same boat!

Sleeping bag not needed but the silk liners are good, and very cheap. All over Hanoi - street sellers.

Junk - We used Indochina junk. http://indochina-junk.com/our-junks.aspx

Your hotel will book this and the train for you - charge a couple of quid but it means you can book well in advance (particularly for the train).

We stayed here:
Hanoi Elegance Ruby Hotel
http://www.hanoielegancehotel.com/he4/
03 Yen Thai Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi. They sorted the train and the junk, had everything waiting for us. Central, cheap, great breakfast, clean, friendly, would stay again!

They even got me a local SIM for my phone!

In fact - that's a good tip. Bring a cheapo mobile (unlocked) and pop a local SIM in it for cheap calls. Invaluable for hotels / trains / taxis etc.

Get the hotel to collect you from the airport. There are lots of taxi scams going on. Not expensive.

And don't forget your visa!
We used www.myvietnamvisa.com

I am so jealous!

PompeyPete

Doshwaster. In my experience the easiest and very enjoyable way into Laos from Thailand is over the Friendship Bridge, which is very close to Nong Khai.
Nong Khai is easy to reach from BKK by overnight sleeper train, and that train ride becomes a memorable experience.
Being right on the Meekong, Nong Khai is a great place to stay, and it hasn't got any pollution, or problems with kamikaze 2 and 4-stroke jockeys.
Here's an excellent guesthouse to stay at for a few days in Nong Khai...

http://www.mutmee.com/

Once over the Friendship Bridge into Laos, Vientiene is a super tuk-tuk away. We had a few days in Vientiene, then bussed it to Vang Vieng for a few days, and then another bus to Luang Prabang, where we chilled for a week. You can then take the 2-day slow boat to Huay Xai on the Thai Border. Or you can fly on to your next destination from Luang Prabang.

PompeyPete

totallybored wrote: »

I did find that there is a bus from Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai which would be useful but again it's a long journey that I'm not keen on.

I doubt that's right!