Vietnam / Cambodia / Thailand next year

bylromarha

BakerBoy wrote: »

I'll have to change that maggiesoup!!!

We hated Bangkok, but it was at the end of a three-week trip and we were pretty much ready to go home.

Ditto - we did too!

Had to return for interconnecting flights onto other places and decided to stay in the hotel swimming pool rather than go wandering again.

Each to their own, but not the place for family Byl.

maggiesoup

Hello everyone,

Sorry been off piste for a while.... life takes over if you don't watch it. So, we've pulled together a rough itinery for our 20 day trip (in no particular order):

Vietnam
Mekong Delta Cruise
Cu Chi Tunnels
Dalat (maybe too cold we're going at start of November?)
Hoi An (girl at local Vietnamese restaurant also suggests Panang?)
My Son Sanctuary
(Not sure if we have time to go to Hanoi too or should we omit any of the above and definitely go there? Halong Bay does look wonderful)

Cambodia
Angkor Wat
Phnom Penh
Siem Reap
Kampot ?
Battambag?

I would dearly love to get a tuk tuk man several times for the day. Do you think his wife would give me a cooking lesson in their house, would be fun!

Also I would be very grateful for any any advice on how one gets from one place to another if it's further than just a tuk tuk journey? Are the trains good or too crowed? Ibis bus? internal flight?

It seems from what everyone says that it's too risky (get stuck with people you don't like) and needlessly expensive to book flights and a fully inclusive guided tour when we can do it ourselves.

Thanks again!
Mags

totallybored

maggiesoup wrote: »

Hello everyone,

Sorry been off piste for a while.... life takes over if you don't watch it. So, we've pulled together a rough itinery for our 20 day trip (in no particular order):

Vietnam
Mekong Delta Cruise
Cu Chi Tunnels
Dalat (maybe too cold we're going at start of November?)
Hoi An (girl at local Vietnamese restaurant also suggests Panang?)
My Son Sanctuary
(Not sure if we have time to go to Hanoi too or should we omit any of the above and definitely go there? Halong Bay does look wonderful)

Cambodia
Angkor Wat
Phnom Penh
Siem Reap
Kampot ?
Battambag?

I would dearly love to get a tuk tuk man several times for the day. Do you think his wife would give me a cooking lesson in their house, would be fun!

Also I would be very grateful for any any advice on how one gets from one place to another if it's further than just a tuk tuk journey? Are the trains good or too crowed? Ibis bus? internal flight?

It seems from what everyone says that it's too risky (get stuck with people you don't like) and needlessly expensive to book flights and a fully inclusive guided tour when we can do it ourselves.

Thanks again!
Mags

I really liked Hanoi and I also enjoyed the Halong Bay cruise even though I was on my own and I'm not a boat person.

I did trains around Vietnam. It was an experience. I'm not sure I'd want to do it again but I'm glad I did it. I then did buses into and around Cambodia the first time and then taxis around the second.

Leanne1812

Hi,

I've just returned from 10 days in Cambodia.

This was my 2nd trip there and I'd be more than happy to go again & again.

We flew to Siem Reap from KL with malaysian airlines. 2 nights in SR, 1st time we had 3 nights, that's probably better if you really want to explore Angkor Wat ( you do realise Angkor is in Siem Reap?) From there we flew to Sihanoukville (£70 each one way) and had a really lovely chill break on the beach for 6 days. Some hate Sihanoukville and will steer you to Kampot or Kep instead. I can't comment as I haven't been to either yet. We liked the laid back relaxed vibe but didn't stay too close to the centre which is noisy. Battambang was also recommended but logistically I felt we'd be going back on ourselves and spending too much time travelling. After Sihanoukville we travelled by taxi ($55) to Phnom Penh for 2 nights. I love PP but my husband couldn't wait to leave this time. I think there were more beggars & scammers than last time we were there. It is worth a visit in my opinion especially if you are interested in Cambodia's tragic history under the Khmer Rouge. There are lots of nice bars & restaurants along the riverside which is the main area.

What's important for you to consider is travelling between the 2 countries. If you do Vietnam 1st and work from north to South it's easy enough to get to PP from Ho Chi Minh. I can second recommending Hanoi for a couple of days, a one night Halong Bay cruise ( do lots of research on junks & check reviews on TA). From there we travelled to Hoi An which we both loved. Then south to Ho Chi Minh. We took a train from Hanoi to Hoi An and I hated it. It was supposed to be overnight and arrive at 10.30 the next morning. We didn't get there till 7pm at night! This is why I prefer to fly now, too much time wasted stuck on a train. It was the same cost to fly but we thought the train would be exciting & we'd see the countryside. In my opinion it was not worth it.

Hope this helps a little with your planning, I'd reiterate again to carefully plan travelling between the countries to maximise time spent enjoying your holiday instead of wasting a lot of time on buses or trains.

PompeyPete

In Cambodia flying between points is obviously quicker, although you have to factor in getting to and from airports, hanging around and possible delays.

No trains! By road the bigger the vehicle you're in then the safer you'll feel [unless your're sat in the front seat, when you'll feel as though you're in a video game]. The best bus company between PP and SR, and PP and Kampot is Giant Ibis. I've used Giant Ibis, and they were absolutely fine.

Between SR and BB there's no Giant Ibis service, so we used Capitol. Cheap, but old buses.

Taxis are an option, but they're small vehicles, and on those roads I wouldn't feel safe.

Don't travel overnight by road!

If you want to visit the Killing Fields, S21, Russian Market while you're in PP, then it's easy to hire a tuk tuk for the day for about US$20 including a tip. Start early with the Killing Fields before it gets too hot.

Angkor Historical Site is easy by tuk tuk too. We've done loads of vast historical sites, so a one day pass @ US$20 was enough for us. Tuk tuk cost us US$20 for the day and we just covered the short route inside the Park. Don't visit if rain is forecast as some of the ground, steps etc get very slippery.

Apart from PP, SR [Angkor] and BB, Kampot and Kep are well worth a couple of nights from PP. I haven't been to Sihanoukville.

lovesgshp

Saigon is great to visit. We had 2 cyclo riders who we hired for the duration of our stay there and they were great. Spoke some English and showed us just about everywhere in the city. They were also our security in the market areas, as they would walk behind to make sure no pickpockets came near. We always bought them lunch and dinner and went to the local street food stalls with them.
Phnom Penh: Again great to visit, before Siem Riep. We had a regular daily tuk-tuk driver, so no need to keep negotiating prices. Visited all the local area, including S21 etc. We were in PP for about a week, and because we knew how poor these guys were, we gave him $50 to buy food for his family, who lived in a small village some distance over the river from PP.
We were invited for a meal there,as a thanks for helping them.... nothing special, but simple local food. After that, we went to the village temple, as it was some kind of festival. What lovely, friendly people that were there, as we were made so welcome, even though we did not speak the language.
Following on from that, we went to SR, by coach, but took the tuk-tuk driver up for a holiday. He found his own local hotel, which we paid for, but it was so cheap it was no problem. His brother arranged with another TT driver to take us around each day to Angkor etc. There is so much to see around the Angkor site, that it is worth getting more than a one day pass.
If you go to the Raffles hotel in PP, you will probably find Simon, or his brother there, outside with their TTuk!!!