Cambodia and Vietnam

danandjens_worldtravels

The beach in Cambodia is probably Sihanoukville, we stayed there 2009. Although nice food, good bars and a super locals, there is alot of poverty in Cambodia and it is in evidence in Sihanoukville,(street/beach kids and the Cambodian government clearly and quite rightly working to end child sex abuse) if you want to just relax then head back to Thailand, Koh Chang is near the Cambodian boarder and is a lovely island, get a boat over to Trat and a bus back to Bangkok for your flight home.

A train from Hanoi to HCMC is a long journey, we stopped in about 4 places in Vietnam using the bus, you should at least stop somewhere on the way as Hanoi and HCMC are cities and the smaller towns are different. Hue or Hoi Ann, personally I preferred Hoi Ann.

We used Sinh Cafe bus company, for an open bus ticket which stops in any number of places you can arrange to go to the towns you want. http://www.sinhcafe.com/english_info/info_opentour.htm Their sleeper buses have three rows of double bunks, and a kind of capsule bed, Your upper body/head is at about a 30 degree angle (this can be altered but doesn't go flat) and your feet are enclosed. The person in front of you is raised above your feet (their head) don't worry they are not too close, in fact I don't remember being able to see them, and unlike Thai buses you do get some sleep because you are in a more relaxed/sleeper seat.

There are LOADS of fake sinh cafe's so research carefully and use the addresses listed to make sure you get the right buses. LP should have the correct address. In 2009 the real company gave away t shirts, which when you are travelling is a pretty good deal. Its 2013 now and they are still in very good nic!

I also think 5-7 days in Siem Reap is too long, just do the three, we spent only a day at Angkor Wat and with a tuk tuk/taxi it was enough to see the main sites. There is not much else in the town that will fill your time.

Halong bay is also worth it, an overnight boat trip is common and waking up in the bay was lovely (for about 10 mins before all the boats started their engines - :rotfl:)

I also agree LP and RG are just guides, not bibles!! Use them to get an idea of where the budget accommodation is but avoid the actual listings as those listed are rarely as good or as cheap as their neighbours.

elantan

Just saw these other messages, I didn't receive any emails

Am looking forward to getting home to plan this holiday in more depth

Leanne1812

Hi, I have travelled to both and loved them equally.

I notice other posters have urged you not to miss Hoi An and I would agree there. It was probably my second favourite after Halong Bay (a must). We had 3 days in Hanoi during the 1000year celebrations and it was fantastic. Our only disappointment was Ho Chi Minh's body was away to Russia for maintenance ( a bit morbid I know but I would have liked to pass by his casket) I felt 3 days was enough to see Hanoi's sights. We stayed at Elegance Diamond, great little hotel, modern & clean and a good location just a couple of minutes walk from the lake. If you're looking to splurge then the Metropole is a stunning building again in a great location.

Our next stop was Halong Bay. We chose a luxury cruiser after reading lots of horror stories and were so glad we did. The company was Paradise Cruise and it was beautiful. When we saw the other junks ours was the prettiest boat on the bay. The cabins were lovely with private balcony & the food was superb.

Next stop was Hoi An. We thought overnight train would be a good choice. See the countryside and arrive refreshed and relaxed the next morning. We chose the most expensive cabin thinking it would be quite luxurious and had a dining area. It was a major disappointment. There was no dining cart, we had some crackers and had to make do with them for dinner! The cabin was dirty, my husband took off his sandals and I'm not exaggerating when I say his feet were black walking around the cabin. The toilets were not clean and when I asked staff for some more tissue I was told "later" while he played on his phone! As we left our cabin I saw the staff straightening up the beds ready for the next passengers. No clean bedding was used so I have no idea how many people had slept in those sheets before we did..... Our arrival was supposed to be 10.30am and we didn't get to Hoi An until 6.30pm. To say the journey was awful would be an understatement. Maybe others will have had a positive experience but I would never travel a long distance by train in Vietnam again.

Thankfully Hoi An was just lovely and we soon forgot our stressful journey to get there. It has a fantastic mix of restaurants, shops and a decent beach too. Very casual relaxed vibe in the town and the locals are very friendly. Plenty of tailors though I would check reviews. I did get some made to measure knee high boots and hubby refered to them as my wellies with heels. They were quite different to the model in the shop I was shown. For only £25 it wasn't a big deal.

We visited HCMC the previous year and while I preferred Hanoi it was worth a visit. Lots of war history and plenty of survivors only too willing to share their stories. Heartbreakingly sad, it brings home the horror of war. The Cu Chi tunnels is a must see. The tiny tunnels have been widened to accommodate the larger western frame but its still pretty cramped. It is quite amazing to see how people lived, had babies, surgery, cooked and outwitted the Americans when they discovered the tunnels. They were very resourceful, everything the Americans discarded they found a use for. Is a very informative visit. Many may say its very much slanted in the Vietnamese favour but would you expect anything else? They tell the story from their point of view.

Just realised I have prattled on, maybe you know so much now you won't need to visit!!

I'll end here but if you want my experience in Cambodia I'd be happy to share.

Leanne

poor_johno

Leanne1812 wrote: »

Maybe others will have had a positive experience but I would never travel a long distance by train in Vietnam again.

Very true, I saw many people complain about the trains when looking on tripadvisor and this originally put me off but I still went ahead with it. I also couldnt book one of the 'luxury' cabins so was a little concerned but in fact I really enjoyed the experience. Yeah sure the trains are run down and a bit grubby and I think we arrived 30 minutes late in the end but this all added to the experience for me. I would probably do it again too.

Leanne1812

poor_johno wrote: »

Very true, I saw many people complain about the trains when looking on tripadvisor and this originally put me off but I still went ahead with it. I also couldnt book one of the 'luxury' cabins so was a little concerned but in fact I really enjoyed the experience. Yeah sure the trains are run down and a bit grubby and I think we arrived 30 minutes late in the end but this all added to the experience for me. I would probably do it again too.

I know what you mean but the fact we paid for luxury and it certainly wasn't added to my frustrations. No food, intermittent air con which meant a stifling cabin and the very long delays when the train just came to a standstill for at least a couple of hours at a time made for an unpleasant experience. Good luck to you that your journey was more bearable than ours.

travelguide2

There are many good companies that I can see on Tripadvisor but just leave you a note that supporting local is a good way !

claire16c

We only did a short journey by train around 3 hours so managed not to have to use the loo, it was fascinating a lady came along with a trolley selling chicken and soup type food, and all the men in the carriage were gathering at a table to play cards. Everyone else slept. I had no desire to do a longer journey though when you can fly so cheaply!

PompeyPete

Lol.

Flying is cheap, but not necessarily quick because of getting to airports, time for checking in, and possible delays.

And flying, you miss everything you might have experienced by travelling overland. Surely one of the main reasons for visiting anywhere in SE Asia is seeing the country, embracing the country and people at ground level, and not from 30,000 feet!

Visit for longer, don't try to crush too much into your time-frame, linger when you feel like it, and travel overland in the biggest vehicle possible or preferably by train.

Leanne1812

That was the plan Pompeypete,

I romanticised the journey thinking it would be a delight to see the countryside, meet some people and have a nice dinner on board. The reality was pot noodle, dirty cabin, dodgy aircon and I think everyone on board used our toilets in the mistaken belief they might be superior. The long, long delays added to our misery. I can laugh now but at the time it was awful.

Two Aussie guys on board had a massive row as they decided not to bother getting off at Hue as their plan was to explore for the day then carry on to Hoi An later in the evening. As it was 5.30pm instead of 9.30am their day was wasted as they had booked their hotel in Hoi An, the police were called and eventually they were allowed to carry on with their journey, nobody was booked in their cabin so it really didn't matter, such pettiness was unreasonable. The attendant wanted some cash for his pocket to let them stay and they refused, rightly so.

PompeyPete

Leanne. You'd have missed all that on a boring flight.;)