Opinions on South East Asia route!

milkado

Hi I'm looking for peoples opinions and suggestions on the following route through South East Asia! I have 8 weeks and was wondering if anyone would suggest longer or shorter stays in any of these places, places I'm missing or any must do's!!

Fly to Kuala Lumpur, 1 night there
Fly to Siem Reap 5 nights there
Bus to Phnom Penh 1 night
Sihanoukville 3 nights
Phnom Penh 2 nights
Ho Chi Minh 2 nights
Nha Trang 4 nights
Hoi An 4 nights
Hue 4 nights
Hanoi 9 nights- includes multiday trips to Sapa and Halong Bay!
Fly to Bangkok 4 nights
Fly to Chiang Mai 5 nights
Border town 1 night
Mekong slow boat 2 nights
Luang Prabang 4 nights
Vang Vieng 3 nights
Vientiane 1 night
Fly to Kuala Lumpur 3 nights
fly home!


any suggestions would be great, thanks!

oh and my budget would be about €2000 for food, drink, accommodation, tours etc, is that enough??

Leslie91

milkado wrote: »

Hi I'm looking for peoples opinions and suggestions on the following route through South East Asia! I have 8 weeks and was wondering if anyone would suggest longer or shorter stays in any of these places, places I'm missing or any must do's!!

Fly to Kuala Lumpur, 1 night there
Fly to Siem Reap 5 nights there
Bus to Phnom Penh 1 night
Sihanoukville 3 nights
Phnom Penh 2 nights
Ho Chi Minh 2 nights
Nha Trang 4 nights
Hoi An 4 nights
Hue 4 nights
Hanoi 9 nights- includes multiday trips to Sapa and Halong Bay!
Fly to Bangkok 4 nights
Fly to Chiang Mai 5 nights
Border town 1 night
Mekong slow boat 2 nights
Luang Prabang 4 nights
Vang Vieng 3 nights
Vientiane 1 night
Fly to Kuala Lumpur 3 nights
fly home!

any suggestions would be great, thanks!

oh and my budget would be about €2000 for food, drink, accommodation, tours etc, is that enough??

Dunno about the budget these days but I did all the above in a fraction of the time u have. Phnom Penh is great, spend more time there. Take it u will do killing fields/S21?. 5 nites in Chiang Mai?, does that include an overnight trek?. If not 5 nites is loads. Similarly Siem Reap, 5 nites?. Luang Prabang disappointed me. How u getting to border from Chiang Mai?, lots of cowboys offering to bring ya. The slow boat is just that, slow. Bring a good book. Vang Vieng is a mad place. 3 nites just right there.

Seriously though u could find urself wishing u were moving on a bit quicker. If u were u would save urself a few bob too.

Doc

Leslie91 wrote: »

Dunno about the budget these days but I did all the above in a fraction of the time u have. Phnom Penh is great, spend more time there. Take it u will do killing fields/S21?. 5 nites in Chiang Mai?, does that include an overnight trek?. If not 5 nites is loads. Similarly Siem Reap, 5 nites?. Luang Prabang disappointed me. How u getting to border from Chiang Mai?, lots of cowboys offering to bring ya. The slow boat is just that, slow. Bring a good book. Vang Vieng is a mad place. 3 nites just right there.

Seriously though u could find urself wishing u were moving on a bit quicker. If u were u would save urself a few bob too.

I have to say I disagree with a lot of this. Fist off I loved Luang Prabang all of Laos was amazing! Make sure you go to the waterfall it is really beautiful. Phnom Penh I found incredibly depressing S21 and the killing fields took it out of me but I think it also had to do with bad luck with the people I met and places I went out in also I split up from a really good group of people just before getting there. I don’t see why you are spending 4 nights in Nha Trang, Hoi An, and Hue but only 2 in Ho Chi Minh city? Saigon / Ho Chi Minh is a really cool place you should swap a couple of days from the others for it. It’s a pity you are going to only take the slow boat at the end of your trip, it’s a great way to meet people I did my trip in an opposite loop to the way you are planning and meet people from that boat all the way around. Buy lots of beer / cheep whiskey before you get on the boat because as it costs a lot more once your on also bring a pillow to sit on the benches can be very uncomfortable. I had a good Ipod dock and about 20 of us turned our seats into a big circle and started chatting drinking and playing music. A tip for Vang Vieng as long as you can swim is not to rent a tube at all. You really don’t need it and so many people end up losing their deposits because they bring it back late or there isn’t enough tubes at the last bar to bring home. All you really need to rent is the water proof bag for your towel / camera / money. Just take a tuk tuk to the first bar and swim / float down the river. Its just as fun and way cheaper. Siem Reap is a cool place no doubt about it a good tip is that a day pass will let you enter the temple complex to see the sunset the day befour and sunrise the next day if you want as a full day will take it out of you as it is a massive place. There is lots to do in Chiang Mai 5 days will fly.

Your route looks pretty good as I said I have been to all of the places on that list but did it kind of traveled in the opposite direction to you. You are also missing out the Islands off Thailand which are beautiful. I spent about €1000 a month in SE Asia but I spent about a month in each country I visited except for Cambodia. Your budget should be ok but are you counting flights in it?

dory

It sounds good. You're seeing very little of Malaysia which was my favourite of the countries but it's all about what you're into I suppose.
You can get a train up to Chiang Mai as well. I enjoyed the experience, I flew back but was glad I got the train in one direction.
Can't imagine spending 5 nights in Siem Riep. So maybe stay flexible. Booking flights would of course ruin this flexibility.

jank

The trip looks good but you are doing it a bit arseways.

Why not start by going to KL to Bangkok and do your Thailand and Laos bit there and then fly to Hanoi from Vientainne? Then Vietnam and Cambodia, or even when you finish Vietnam in your trip go to Laos first then Thailand if you get me.
It makes no sense to go to Bangkok after Hanoi if you are planning to do Laos.

milkado

Leslie91 wrote: »

Dunno about the budget these days but I did all the above in a fraction of the time u have. Phnom Penh is great, spend more time there. Take it u will do killing fields/S21?. 5 nites in Chiang Mai?, does that include an overnight trek?. If not 5 nites is loads. Similarly Siem Reap, 5 nites?. Luang Prabang disappointed me. How u getting to border from Chiang Mai?, lots of cowboys offering to bring ya. The slow boat is just that, slow. Bring a good book. Vang Vieng is a mad place. 3 nites just right there.

Seriously though u could find urself wishing u were moving on a bit quicker. If u were u would save urself a few bob too.

thanks for help! Think i will add a day to Phnom Penh, yeah gonna go to killing fields and S21! In Chiang Mai I'm doing an overnight trek and hopefully a trip to the golden triangle that's why I'll be there for 5 nights, in the case of Siem Reap I found a lot of activities that I'd be interested in doing like horseriding in the surrounding area, also the hostel I have decided on has a pool and also it will give me time to recover from jet lag so I think 5 days there would be good! No idea how I'm getting to the border from Chiang Mai, any suggestions for a reputable tour company? And I prefer to settle down and relax in places for a few days so if I have a few days of not doing much it would suit me grand haha I'll have my boyfriend for company anyway!

milkado

Doc wrote: »

I have to say I disagree with a lot of this. Fist off I loved Luang Prabang all of Laos was amazing! Make sure you go to the waterfall it is really beautiful. Phnom Penh I found incredibly depressing S21 and the killing fields took it out of me but I think it also had to do with bad luck with the people I met and places I went out in also I split up from a really good group of people just before getting there. I don’t see why you are spending 4 nights in Nha Trang, Hoi An, and Hue but only 2 in Ho Chi Minh city? Saigon / Ho Chi Minh is a really cool place you should swap a couple of days from the others for it. It’s a pity you are going to only take the slow boat at the end of your trip, it’s a great way to meet people I did my trip in an opposite loop to the way you are planning and meet people from that boat all the way around. Buy lots of beer / cheep whiskey before you get on the boat because as it costs a lot more once your on also bring a pillow to sit on the benches can be very uncomfortable. I had a good Ipod dock and about 20 of us turned our seats into a big circle and started chatting drinking and playing music. A tip for Vang Vieng as long as you can swim is not to rent a tube at all. You really don’t need it and so many people end up losing their deposits because they bring it back late or there isn’t enough tubes at the last bar to bring home. All you really need to rent is the water proof bag for your towel / camera / money. Just take a tuk tuk to the first bar and swim / float down the river. Its just as fun and way cheaper. Siem Reap is a cool place no doubt about it a good tip is that a day pass will let you enter the temple complex to see the sunset the day befour and sunrise the next day if you want as a full day will take it out of you as it is a massive place. There is lots to do in Chiang Mai 5 days will fly.

Your route looks pretty good as I said I have been to all of the places on that list but did it kind of traveled in the opposite direction to you. You are also missing out the Islands off Thailand which are beautiful. I spent about €1000 a month in SE Asia but I spent about a month in each country I visited except for Cambodia. Your budget should be ok but are you counting flights in it?

thanks for help! yeah I heard great things about Luang Prabang, I have loved every city that is deemed a world heritage sight so I'm hoping it won't disappoint! In the case of Ho Chi Minh I'm gonna try add another day there but don't really wanna take off days from other places in Vietnam because I have read about great activities in them all! Slow boat sounds fun! Hopefully we'll meet people for travelling through Laos with at least!! haha hmm not sure about swimming, boyfriend would prob prefer having something to hold onto at least! Would love to go to the Thai islands, if friends of ours are going I might rearrange the trip a bit! Not counting flights in the budget, have them sorted out separate!! Have been looking up hostels and activities and stuff and it seems like our budget should be just about right haha

milkado

dory wrote: »

It sounds good. You're seeing very little of Malaysia which was my favourite of the countries but it's all about what you're into I suppose.
You can get a train up to Chiang Mai as well. I enjoyed the experience, I flew back but was glad I got the train in one direction.
Can't imagine spending 5 nights in Siem Riep. So maybe stay flexible. Booking flights would of course ruin this flexibility.

Thanks for help, gonna save Malaysia for another trip haha just going to Kuala Lumpur because of cheap flights! Think we'll stick with the flight to Chiang Mai since it seems pretty cheap and we'll be getting trains all through Vietnam! Did you get any trains in Vietnam? They comfy? I found a lot of things I want to do in Siem Reap like horseriding and river tours and stuff plus the hostel has a pool so I'm hoping it'll be enough to keep me entertained, if not I can head to Sihannoukville early haha

milkado

jank wrote: »

The trip looks good but you are doing it a bit arseways.

Why not start by going to KL to Bangkok and do your Thailand and Laos bit there and then fly to Hanoi from Vientainne? Then Vietnam and Cambodia, or even when you finish Vietnam in your trip go to Laos first then Thailand if you get me.
It makes no sense to go to Bangkok after Hanoi if you are planning to do Laos.

I'm flying Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap because Air Asia has cheap flights to it and I'm flying Hanoi to Bangkok because of cheap flights again.

I couldn't find any cheap flights from Hanoi to Vientiane. My route makes sense for cheap flights cause I can fly KL to Siem Reap cheap, Hanoi to Bangkok cheap and Vientiane to Kuala Lumpur cheap!!

It is def the cheapest way I could see how to do it!

giles lynchwood

Check out thaivisa.com,phuketgazette.com,before you go to thailand.

darrenh

Here's a good place for itineraries www.travelfish.org

Luang Prabang is a really cool place. I understand what another poster said here about not getting a tube in Vang Vieng, but the currents in the river can be pretty tricky and if your not a strong swimmer i wouldn't advise it. There is a long journey in the water after the last busy bar and the chances are it will be dark. A tube comes in handy then! You never have the same tube either. When leaving a bar you just pick up another one and go.

jank

milkado wrote: »

I'm flying Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap because Air Asia has cheap flights to it and I'm flying Hanoi to Bangkok because of cheap flights again.

I couldn't find any cheap flights from Hanoi to Vientiane. My route makes sense for cheap flights cause I can fly KL to Siem Reap cheap, Hanoi to Bangkok cheap and Vientiane to Kuala Lumpur cheap!!

It is def the cheapest way I could see how to do it!

Bad way to go about it IMO. you will be spending more on accommodation than on cheap flights. You can eliminate one of those flights if you fly direct to Vientiane from Hanoi. Kinda like putting the wagon before the horse.

vixenbees

I think 4 days in Hue is quite long... theres not much to the place. Do a tour of the DMZ and have a look at the royal palace and thats it really. You could take a day from Hue and add it onto Ho Chi Minh city since you said you might wanna spend an extra day there.

Luang Prabang is probably one of the nicest towns ive ever been in in my life. You're going to love it. The food is unbelieveable, the market is waaaay better than anything you'll find in Bangkok, the activities are great (we did the kayaking), the bars are cute, and the temples are amazing. You'll also get a cheap room in a guest house here with a very high standard.

You probably wont need 3 nights in Vang Vieng also. Its literally 3 streets long and a bit of a kip. You could just go tubing 3 days straight though

your other stops look spot on - enjoy