Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia for Winter 2025/26

dont_use_vistaprint

Looking for some advice for people who have spent quite a bit of time there please.

Nov - end Feb, any major weather problems in any of the areas ? 

Is it 45 days VOA if flying in to Vietnam ? Can it be extended by going to an office or the border, or better to apply for 90 days ? I want to stay 60-90max days, but dont know my routes yet and they may change once there. Are Laos and Cambodia VOA at the borders?

Which the easiest and best value country of those 3 for budget travel  & nice plentyful food  etc. I found food in Indonesia and Philipines pretty bad compared to Thailand and Malaysia once out of major cities.

I'll lbe travellig light , hand luggage only , 30L Berhaus 247 small pack with 1/2 the space taken by laptop, FF Camera and Lenses. Are there any essential items you'd take that could be an effort to get once there ?

Thanks !

Doshwaster

90 days of winter in SE Asa sound like an excellent idea.

Never been to Laos but have been to Cambodia and Vietnam twice

Of the two, I would spend most of your time in Vietnam. Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are worth 2-3 days each but neither were places I felt like lingering for longer. You could easily spend a month or so in Vietnam without scratching the surface

Visa rules change regualrly but it looks like it is still 45 days 
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/vietnam/entry-requirements

If you have 60-90 days available then I would keep your itinerary as flexible as possible. You never know where you are going to love or realise you hate and want to move on immediately.

Maybe something like
2 weeks in northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Sapa, Halong bay, Ninh Bình)
2 weeks central Vietnam (Danang, Hue, H, An)
2 weeks Laos (can't advise)
1 week Cambodia (Phnom Penh and Siem Reap) + maybe a week at one of the beach towns (Kampt, Koh Rong - but never been to either)
2-3 week southern Vietnam (HCMC, Mekong delta, Dalat, Nha Trang)

Maybe even a cheeky break in Bangkok to split things up.

Don't worry about what to take. Pack light and then buy what you need enroute.

Accomodation in Vietnam and Cambodia can be ridiculously cheap. I've never paid more than £15-20 a night for a room in a guest house but you can go cheaper in hostels or higher for an occasional luxury treat. The usual booking sites all work well plus Agoda.com and AsiaRooms.com have more of a focus on SE Asia. If travelling long term it may be worth just booking a night or two through a site and then sorting out a cash deal when you get there.

Food wise, I've never had a problem. Both Vietnam and Cambodia are fine though the range of western options available is probably behind Thailand.

SiliconChip

I did those countries, plus Thailand, for 4 months over the winter of 2008/9. Weather wasn't a problem, there was very litte rain at any time, and it was mainly warm and sunny, although I did have to buy extra clothes in the north of Laos as it got pretty chilly at night.

I think my experience is too out of date to offer much help with visas, but I'd expect the required information to be available online these days. I do remember that I had to extend my Lao visa while I was in Vientiane, I think it was initially 30 days and I stayed for another couple of weeks.

Food can be good in all 3 countries but if you get off the beaten track (and you should) you may find restricted eating out options and not a lot of choice. Overall Vietnam probably had the best food and parts of Laos the worst.

I travelled with similar luggage to you and found that it was about enough space, although I did post a few things home on the way round to free up some space for later purchases, and towards the end I had to buy another cheap small bag to fit in more souvenirs. 

I can't recall anything that I wished I'd take with me and couldn't get while I was there. I did take 4 months supply of prescription medication with me, and I started planning my pre-departure vaccination schedule about a year in advance, some of which were available free and some I had to pay for. For malaria propylaxis I took daily doxycycline, starting before I left and continuing for a couple of weeks on my return.

dont_use_vistaprint

SiliconChip said:

Food can be good in all 3 countries but if you get off the beaten track (and you should) you may find restricted eating out options and not a lot of choice. Overall Vietnam probably had the best food and parts of Laos the worst.

Thanks! This is what I found with Indonesia & Filipines, off the beaten track I was constantly hungry, very salty and scarce amounts of chicken claw with little or no spice  but thai food anywhere is delicious….

winkowinko

It was about 20 years ago, but we travelled down the Mekong by speedboat to Luang Prabang from the north Thai border. Journey was supposed to last about 7 hours, but about an hour before we were due to reach Luang Prabang the weather turned (almighty thunderstorm) and we had to abort the journey and seek refuge in a cave (thank god the driver knew this cave existed). Unfortunately by the time rain eased, the sun had gone down and it was now pitch black, and it was deemed too dangerous to attempt to complete the journey as the speedboat didn't have any headlights.

So about 8 of us in total, all different nationalities and unable to communicate with the driver, had to spend the night in the cave until the sun came up again. To this day, I still can't figure out if it was one of my life's greatest or most terrifying experiences.

jbrassy

I've been to all of those countries on two separate occasions in the last 10 years. Went to southern Vietnam and Cambodia in 2015 and Laos and Northern Vietnam in 2023.

I'm not sure about longer term visas as I only stayed in each place for less than a week at a time. However, i can recommend the following itinerary:
1 - fly to Bangkok. From there you can get an overnight train to Vientiane. I think 2-3 days is enough to spend in Vientiane.
2 - a new train line has been built connecting Vientiane to Luang Prabang. LP is the main attraction in Laos. You should consider 3-4 days there. 
3 - if possible, fly to Hanoi from LP. However, you may have to take a long bus journey.
4 - in Hanoi there is loads to see. One of the strangest things I've done on a holiday is see Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. The queues are enormous so get there early. You should spend 3-4 days in Hanoi. From there, try and do a cruise around Ha Long Bay. I've haven't been myself, but I've also heard Ninh Binh is beautiful and people like to do multi day moped tours in the countryside. 
5 - there is a train which connects Hanoi with HCMC. You could stop off at places along that line, although I haven't been to anywhere in between Hanoi and HCMC.
6 - spend 3 days in HCMC. From there, you can do a cruise along the Mekong Delta and many tours will drop you in Phnom Penh. 
7 - spend 3 days in PP. Worth seeing the killing fields while you're there. 
8 - travel to Siem Riep to see Angkor Wat. Giant Ibis is a good bus company if you want to take an overnight bus.

9 - I would recommend at least 3 days to see the temples around Siem Riep. From Siem Riep, you can get a cheap Air Asia flight to Bangkok where you can fly home.

With all of this, you can find good advice on the trains on the Man in Seat 61 website. If you take any buses, I would recommend booking through 12go.asia

I've been to those countries around November and March time and the weather is excellent. All three countries are superb in their own right. However, I think Vietnam is the standout destination. Huge place with loads to see, whereas there isn't as much to see in Cambodia outside of Siem Riep and PP and Laos is mainly about LP.

SiliconChip

jbrassy said:

...whereas there isn't as much to see in Cambodia outside of Siem Riep and PP and Laos is mainly about LP.

I really wouldn't agree with this, and I suspect it may be because you didn't actually go to many of the places outside of Siem Riep and Luang Prabang (neither of which would be particularly high on my list of places to hang around at once you've seen the local sights). 

In Cambodia I'd recommend going south to Kampot and Kep, west to Battambang (if the bamboo railway is running it's definitely worth a trip, although it may not be running now), and north to Banlung if you're planning to go overland to Laos via 4,000 Islands (Si Phan Don). 

In Laos the Bolaven plateau in the south east is worth a visit (spectacular waterfalls) and throughout the north and west of the country there are amazing places to visit, such as the Plain of Jars, Vieng Xai and villages in Oudomxay province, and Sainyabuli province which is only really accessible from the Mekong and where you're unlikely to see many other tourists.

dont_use_vistaprint

winkowinko said:

It was about 20 years ago, but we travelled down the Mekong by speedboat to Luang Prabang from the north Thai border. Journey was supposed to last about 7 hours, but about an hour before we were due to reach Luang Prabang the weather turned (almighty thunderstorm) and we had to abort the journey and seek refuge in a cave (thank god the driver knew this cave existed). Unfortunately by the time rain eased, the sun had gone down and it was now pitch black, and it was deemed too dangerous to attempt to complete the journey as the speedboat didn't have any headlights.

So about 8 of us in total, all different nationalities and unable to communicate with the driver, had to spend the night in the cave until the sun came up again. To this day, I still can't figure out if it was one of my life's greatest or most terrifying experiences.

Had a few similar experience's in my 20’s! I  think when young we take far more risks and are more chill, I ended up off grid in all sorts of places for weeks or months on end….

i spent my middle years traveling business class and earning lifetime Marriot elite. Now I’m retired and re-learning how I used to travel.

dont_use_vistaprint

SiliconChip said:

jbrassy said:

...whereas there isn't as much to see in Cambodia outside of Siem Riep and PP and Laos is mainly about LP.

I really wouldn't agree with this, and I suspect it may be because you didn't actually go to many of the places outside of Siem Riep and Luang Prabang (neither of which would be particularly high on my list of places to hang around at once you've seen the local sights). 

In Cambodia I'd recommend going south to Kampot and Kep, west to Battambang (if the bamboo railway is running it's definitely worth a trip, although it may not be running now), and north to Banlung if you're planning to go overland to Laos via 4,000 Islands (Si Phan Don). 

In Laos the Bolaven plateau in the south east is worth a visit (spectacular waterfalls) and throughout the north and west of the country there are amazing places to visit, such as the Plain of Jars, Vieng Xai and villages in Oudomxay province, and Sainyabuli province which is only really accessible from the Mekong and where you're unlikely to see many other tourists.

Thanks for this perspective. 

Doshwaster

SiliconChip said:

jbrassy said:

...whereas there isn't as much to see in Cambodia outside of Siem Riep and PP and Laos is mainly about LP.

I really wouldn't agree with this, and I suspect it may be because you didn't actually go to many of the places outside of Siem Riep and Luang Prabang (neither of which would be particularly high on my list of places to hang around at once you've seen the local sights). 

In Cambodia I'd recommend going south to Kampot and Kep, west to Battambang (if the bamboo railway is running it's definitely worth a trip, although it may not be running now), and north to Banlung if you're planning to go overland to Laos via 4,000 Islands (Si Phan Don). 

In Laos the Bolaven plateau in the south east is worth a visit (spectacular waterfalls) and throughout the north and west of the country there are amazing places to visit, such as the Plain of Jars, Vieng Xai and villages in Oudomxay province, and Sainyabuli province which is only really accessible from the Mekong and where you're unlikely to see many other tourists.

Those are fair points - but it depends on what you want from the trip.

If it's to get off the beaten track and explore away from the crowds then there a lot to see and do in Cambodia. However, if you want to stop within the tourist bubble with western comforts of food and accomodation then the options are more limited than Vietnam and certainly Thailand.

dinhoecotour

If you are holding UK passport, you will get 45 days stay in Vietnam (Visa waiver).
Leave and re enter Vietnam to get another 45 days in Vietnam if you do not want to apply for an evisa (90 days).