vietnam Hong kong Thailand

joebob

Going for 3 weeks visiting these countries staying in ho chi min and bangkok as well as phuket and koh samui.
Apart from the usual sightseeing places museums temples markets etc, has anyone got any recomenndations for other places to visit any local tips, advice on changing money, any general tips and info on travelling around cities.

Voyager2002

Top tip: get a guide book.

Ho Chi Minh is a hole: Hanoi would be a better choice.

Doshwaster

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Top tip: get a guide book.

Ho Chi Minh is a hole: Hanoi would be a better choice.

A guide book? How very quaint. Yes, they can be good for ideas but places change rapidly so printed books are always out of date as soon as they are published so always check online for the latest information.

I wouldn't call HCMC/Saigon "a hole", I had a pretty good time there but it is a rapidly expanding city with skyscrapers popping up all over the place. I would agree that for a more authentic Vietnamese experience Hanoi might be better even though it is chaotic for the first time visitor especially if you have limited experience in SE Asia.

An itinerary of Hong Kong, Saigon, Bangkok, Samui and Phuket in 3 weeks mens three big cities and then two of the most expensive beach resorts in the region. 5 places in 3 week also equals 3.5 nights per place plus all those travel days in between (and flight to/from UK). I would probably reconsider by dropping one of the destinations totally and changing another for somewhere a little cheaper and/or relaxing. Do you really want to do Thailand and Vietnam on the same trip?

A few years ago I did Hong Kong, Hanoi (inc Halong Bay) and Hoi An in 2 weeks and found that was a doable pace (though I could have easily spent longer in Hoi An) so you could add another destination such as Hue or Sapa to take it to 3 weeks.

joebob

Doshwaster wrote: »

A guide book? How very quaint. Yes, they can be good for ideas but places change rapidly so printed books are always out of date as soon as they are published so always check online for the latest information.

I wouldn't call HCMC/Saigon "a hole", I had a pretty good time there but it is a rapidly expanding city with skyscrapers popping up all over the place. I would agree that for a more authentic Vietnamese experience Hanoi might be better even though it is chaotic for the first time visitor especially if you have limited experience in SE Asia.

An itinerary of Hong Kong, Saigon, Bangkok, Samui and Phuket in 3 weeks mens three big cities and then two of the most expensive beach resorts in the region. 5 places in 3 week also equals 3.5 nights per place plus all those travel days in between (and flight to/from UK). I would probably reconsider by dropping one of the destinations totally and changing another for somewhere a little cheaper and/or relaxing. Do you really want to do Thailand and Vietnam on the same trip?

A few years ago I did Hong Kong, Hanoi (inc Halong Bay) and Hoi An in 2 weeks and found that was a doable pace (though I could have easily spent longer in Hoi An) so you could add another destination such as Hue or Sapa to take it to 3 weeks.

All booked now 4 nights ho chi 3 hong kong 3 bangkok 3 phuket 7 in koh samui . Did you take cash use cards or change money there,

joebob

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Top tip: get a guide book.

Ho Chi Minh is a hole: Hanoi would be a better choice.

read books been on trip advisor lonely planet. Just good to get other peoples opinion.

The_Fat_Controller

For Thailand, DO NOT get any Thai Baht in the UK, rates are awful.
If you fly into Suvarnabhumi and need to change money, go down to the basement by the airport rail link, rates are much better there than in the main part of the terminal.
Best rates elsewhere are at the official money changers rather than Thai banks, however they can be fussy about marked or torn notes.
ATMs charge 220 THB (£5.50) and will also offer Dynamic Currency Conversion, which you should reject as the rates are rubbish, check your own bank's fees !
If you use a credit card, same applies, reject DCC and pay in THB.

fifeken

joebob wrote: »

All booked now 4 nights ho chi 3 hong kong 3 bangkok 3 phuket 7 in koh samui . Did you take cash use cards or change money there,

If you're starting in HCMC, once you're through immigration and customs and in the main arrivals hall there are ATMs. I used a Citibank one which added a charge of about £2. The exchange rate is around 30,000 to 1 GBP so prepare yourself to be withdrawing in the millions!

Have a printout of your exit flight details with you at immigration as they'll ask to see it.

Can't speak for Hong Kong, but in Thailand cash is about guaranteed to be your best option. If you have to use a card, try asking for a cash advance over a bank counter to avoid ATM fees of over £5. Some will do it, some won't.

Doshwaster

joebob wrote: »

All booked now 4 nights ho chi 3 hong kong 3 bangkok 3 phuket 7 in koh samui . Did you take cash use cards or change money there,

In both Thailand and Vietnam, cash in king with cards only widely accepted in top end restaurants. Don't change cash before you go, just take new, crisp and undamaged Sterling in 20s or 50s (exchange places will give a slightly higher exchange rate for 50s but they must be in perfect condition - any with tears will be rejected)

No problem using cards in Hong Kong. Just be sure to use one without a foreign use charge.

ATMs can be expensive to use in both Vietnam and Thailand but take one or two cards as backup. My current favourites are Starling for debit, Halifax Clarity for credit card.

DUKE

We visited the islands in HK, you get the ferry from the pier, it doesn't take long & it's so cheap. Mui Wo was my favourite. Kowloon Park was interesting. Do take a trip on the ding ding, it's only about 20p & you get on & off as you please. If you go up Victoria Peak don't make the mistake we did & think you can nip back through pokfulam Park, it's a nice walk but it takes absolutely ages. 3 great places you've chosen there!

badger09

My son lives in HK and I've visited 9 times (so far) so very familiar with HK Island & several of the surrounding islands.

Where are you staying and what are you interested in?

You can easily avoid cash completely. An Octapus card could be very useful. PM me if you have specific questions on HK

I think in Bangkok, the only time we've needed cash was for taxis. You really need to watch them as several have attempted, unsuccessfully;) to rip us off. In Phuket, Cape Panwa area, so away from the main tourist areas, credit cards were widely accepted, and demands for cash were the exception, rather than the rule.

joebob

some useful tips there thank you.