Peru or Vietnam/ Cambodia?

Rambosmum

Recently returned from a trip to Thailand - Phuket (not so good, but nice for a relax) Chiang Mai (LOVED IT!) and Bangkok (great, but a bit 'western').

We are considering our next trip. Husband wants Peru because it looks interesting and we've never been to South America, I want Vietnam and Cambodia because I loved Thailand and wanted to explore more of Asia.

Has anyone got any tips/advice/info from personal experience which may help us make a decision.

PompeyPete

How long will the trip be for?

Will you be going on an organised tour or independently?

I've not been to Peru or Vietnam [yet], but am a regular to other countries in SE Asia [visited Cambodia twice]. If you're travelling independently then you need at least 2 to 3 weeks in Cambodia to do it justice.

Vietnam is very long and skinny, and the north and south have different climates, so choosing your season might be worth considering.

Travelling around Vietnam is slow, especially by road [carnage on wheels!] or train. Internal flights are quick and cheap, but you'll be missing the action along the way.

Me and OH are going to Vietnam independently for the whole of this September, and will probably only scratch the surface of what the country has to offer. We'll be travelling around quite a lot by domestic flights/train, and by the end of the month I expect that we'll be wishing we'd loitered a bit more.

benjus

I've not really been to Asia (apart from a couple of weeks working in Singapore) but for some reason I've always found South America far more interesting. I definitely recommend South America, although I have heard great things about SE Asia (particularly Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos), so it's not an easy decision.

You already know you like SE Asia, so read up lots on Peru and see if you come around to the idea. Even if you don't go this time, I urge you not to miss South America.

Rambosmum

It will be for 2 weeks, probably in November. We usually go independently but if we'd get better value from an organised trip we'd be willing to look at that.

Ballard

I've only been to South America once (Brazil/Argentina/Paraguay) and loved it but have been to Asia a lot. I've only been to Cambodia/Vietnam once and that was over ten years ago so can't offer you much in the way of advice.


One thing that tends to put me off South America is that direct flights are few and far between (and generally expensive). Whenever I've looked at flights they either involve flying via The States or Europe. Whilst this shouldn't be the deciding factor in a destination the idea of spending 7 hours in Madrid each way does put me off.

PompeyPete

As you've only got 2 weeks then you don't want to be spending too much time travelling getting to and from. So choose your flights from UK wisely.

You can't do justice to Cambodia AND Vietnam in 2 weeks. You can try it, but all you'll be doing is ticking a few boxes, and rushing round spending too much time sat in Airports.

So choose one of them.

If you want to go to Vietnam then chose either North or South. Northern Vietnam should be warmer and sunnier. Hanoi, Sapa and Halong Bay looks easily doable, and are easy to arrange on arrival in Hanoi. It'll be rainy season in the south, that shouldn't be a reason not visit, but rain can mean flooding, which could mess up your plans.

Cambodia = Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), which is great if you're into clambering round temples for a few days. And Phnom Penh if you're interested in the Pol Pot era (Killing Fields, S21 Genocide Museum). There's other places to visit (Kep, Kampot, Battambang and more off the beaten track places), but travelling around can be slow, and will quickly eat into the time you've got available.

You won't get better value on a organised tour, and will be strictly restricted to the itinerary. But with only 2 weeks available, and as you aren't familiar with either country then it might make sense to have someone else making all the decisions.

theEnd

Been to both and Vietnam wins easily for me.

Voyager2002

The two offer vastly different experiences: the best advice is to do both, but each time for longer than two weeks! That might not be practical...

The downside of Peru is that it is a bit more expensive than Southeast Asia, and there is rather more violent crime. So if you simply want to experience Latin America, you might consider starting with Cuba: it has some of the same plus points, but very low levels of crime and plenty of direct charter flights from the UK (these will be for exactly two weeks and if you book carefully they are sometimes very affordable). In fairness, costs within Cuba are rather higher than in Peru and of course it is a long way from the Andes!

Vietnam and Cambodia have a great deal to offer, and can be very affordable apart from the cost of getting there, and the amount of time that flights eat up. Personally I only travel that far if I can stay away for more like a month.

thebigbosh

Just got back from 2 1/2 weeks in Peru and had a great time. Did 2 weeks in Vietnam back in November 2013. Both countries were excellent.

Vietnam definitely cheaper. But Peru has the spectacular Machu Piccu.

We managed to save a bit of money in Peru by organising our trips and way around ourselves but I speak a bit of Spanish and if you haven't got any it's best to go on a tour. And there's no need to do a lengthy trek in order to get to MP, you'll see inca trails all over the sacred valley.

Vietnam we did a gap adventures tour (Hike, Bike, Kayak) in 10 days and loved it. And you get to see both north and south.

Saw no crime in Peru and never felt threatened anywhere, although did have to pay a cop a £20 bribe because I'd been driving with my lights off (during the day!). Vietnam also very welcoming and incredibly safe, although I know it's very easy to get ripped off (although still cheap even then).

You can't fly directly to Peru or Vietnam at the moment but you can get relatively easy and cheap connecting flights.

Anyway, can offer advice on both countries and happy to help further if PM'd.

ibizafan_2

My eldest son is in Peru at the moment. He flew via Madrid to Rio first. He always fits in as much as possible, and his last trip to South America incorporated flying to São Paulo, then going to Uruguay and Argentina. He does love S.E. Asia though, but obviously it is a completely different experience. My OH and I are doing a tour of Patagonia etc in October. S.E Asia doesn't really appeal to me TBH, although I've been to Singapore on my way back from Oz. However, South America really does interest me, and I can see us doing another trip if we like it. Last time I heard from my son, he'd spent a day on Copacobana beach and was going to visit the Christ statue. Lucky devil!

Miró

I've just come back from Peru and did a 2 week Cambodia/Vietnam trip a couple of years ago. Of the two I preferred Cambodia & Vietnam. Angkor Wat is an amazing place to visit and the trip down the Mekong Delta is well worth doing. Loads of history, some of it very upsetting but fascinating at the same time, (Genocide Museum, Killing Fields). Peru has its attractions, Machu Picchu is stunning but gets very crowded, the Colca Canyon to see the condors flying, (if you are lucky!), is great but be aware that altitude sickness can be a problem in Peru. We were at 16,000 ft at times and some of our party had to be hospitalised due to the altitude. Anything else you need to know please feel free to PM me.