Planning a trip to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam...

dartboardio

Hi everyone. So, me and my boyfriend are hoping to take a month or two to travel around / to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, in the summer and not necessarily in that order..

I'm looking for people who've done the same, general tips, best itinerary, places to stay/go, I've found decent flights such as flying to bangkok one way for around 200 pp..

The plan is to get a one way flight to each place, and pick a return place.. so example, fly to bangkok/thailand, then take a flight to cambodia siem reap (which seems to be cheap enough 80 euro) then onto vietnam, is this what most people do?

I've seen that people say you should just go to bangkok and see what you wanna see and move on.

All tips and advice appreciated

How much spending money, etc. How much luggage.

dartboardio

Anyone?

minzabud

I travelled through Thailand,Laos,Vietnam,Cambodia with my girlfriend last year over a two month period, can help you out if I can with any questions, obviously didn't see and do it all and spent more time in some places than others so could be biased!

Basically started in Bangkok in October and moved up to Chang Mai in northern Thailand and took the slow boat into Laos and onto Vietnam, travelled north to south and into Cambodia and then back to Thailand in December for the better weather on the islands.

The Buster

I havent done what you are proposing but going to Vietnam for a month in June and have been to Thailand a few times. Even though I am always guilty of trying to see too many places my one piece of advice is dont try to see too many places. See fewer places well. For example Chang Mai is small and you would think you would see all in 2 days, stay 5 or 6 days and do it right.

Rather than book one way flights consider booking multi-trip flights, especially if price is similar. Or at the minimum book your flight out and flight home on the one ticket (different entry and exit point) Try Skyscanner or Kayak or other online booking engine for these. Some insurances require one ticket for holiday insurance so if you are unfortunate enough to need to use travel insurance might be good to have.

toadfly

Have only done Thailand but would recommend Chiang Mai, the Elephant Rescue about an hour from there is worth a day trip.

We went to Koh Tao and Koh Samui, preferred KT. Rent a bike and go exploring every day.

kilns

Siem Reap itself is not a nice town, not much to see and do around there but Ankhor Wat is amazing, but it is doable in 1 day, so I would hire a tuk tuk for the day and get them to bring you around the whole site, your hotel usually has tuks tuks so they can arrange.  If you are in Siem Reap for a second day, I recommend heading out to the floating villages, its about 45min/1 hour by Tuk Tuk, its an experience and you need to be confident transferring between boats while on the water but its well worth it seeing those villages.

iwillhtfu

dartboardio wrote: »

Hi everyone. So, me and my boyfriend are hoping to take a month or two to travel around / to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, in the summer and not necessarily in that order..

Our summer or theirs (storms/hot,sticky/humid/wet but not cold.)

I spent a few months travelling through Thailand/Laos/Vietnam/Cambodia although it was nearly 15 years ago now.

Anyway back then it's a well worn trail

Bangkok - Khao san rd
Chian Mai - elephants
Chiang Rai - jungle en route to Huay xai and the slow/fast boat each have there draw back. Weigh up the risk/reward yourself
Luang prabang - Tubing down the river
Vientiane - First big city you'll meet on your way when I was there it had the only ATM in Laos
Dong ha - Gateway city we got held hostage buy a dodgy van and vietnamese Army intervened but that's a whole other story
Da nang - nice spot don't recall it much possibly DMZ area
Hoi An - Shopping custom clothes at budget proices some good some not so good
Nha Trang - beach and a bit of luxury
Ho Chi Minh City - A typical SEA city bussling and full of everything
Phnom Penh - Vaguely recall to be honest
Siem Reap-Angkor Wat - tomb raider eat your heart out. Get yourself a private tuk tuk and be sure to tip him they don't earn a whole lot.
Bangkok - you could possibly stop off in Kao Chan it's an island south of Bangkok and a nice little spot.

Above is only a a tiny glimpse of what you can do there is literally all kinds of everything where you could honestly spend the rest of your days exploring.

The biggest issue I see for you is time and as you can see from above I've only mentioned going South Vietnam if you want to go North - Halong bay etc you'll definitely be short on time but you may be able to take internal flights.

you also give no input as to what your budget is or what your standards are. When I travelled there I was with my girlfriend and we had a budget of $10usd/night and managed to get by. Obviously the odd night we'd book some place nice $30usd (push the boat out a bit)

In bangkok we stayed here https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Sawasdee+Smile+Inn/@13.7603412,100.4929225,358m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x30e2996d4832387f:0x8065685f9d4c263c!2sKhaosan+Silver+Shop!8m2!3d13.7586111!4d100.4983333!3m4!1s0x0:0x2990f9ff622730b7!8m2!3d13.7603412!4d100.4940207. It was by no means fancy a typical thai hostel plywood walls bring your own lock for the door but you get used to these kid of places and it was nicely tucked out of the way in a community area and a kick boxing camp down the lane which held some good fights.

You'll have to sit down yourself and work out what you want to see or do, If it's beaches and chilling out just go do the islands Ko Phi phi is where you'll find "The Beach" it's busy but it is a pretty special place. There are numerous other beaches equally as nice.

Any questions just shout and I'll answer best I can obviously it's been a while but it's a trip I'd recommend to anyone.

In thailand get used to the usual comment "Same Same but different" Knock off central. Go visit some of the markets if for no other reason than the atmosphere.

In general if someone other than a door man at the ritz offer to carry your bag they're probably going to look for some money before you get it back. This will be very apparent at all of the borders in particular the Cambodia/Thailand border there's a bit of a no mans zone between the pair so there's a bit of a walk from bus to bus. At times you can't be the shrinking violet and need to be assertive and not worry about hurting someones feelings.

It's a great experience.

mighty magpie

you don't need to fly everywhere.

We flew into bangkok, worked our way north on trains and buses.
crossed border into laos and got a 2 day boat to luang prabang from chiang mai.
bused it through laos.
flew vientiane to hanoi.
bus and bike all through vietnam.
bused HCMC to phnom penh.
bus through cambodia then flight from siem reap to bangkok to get extended visa (visa length is longer when arriving by plane compared to by land).
bus and boats through southern thailand.
then krabi to singapore.

all that in about 3.5 months.

duffman13

Hey I've done that itenary but I did Laos aswell.

An overview of what you asked in terms of flying from one country to the other. If you fly from Don Mueang airport in Bangkok you can usually get an airasia flight for about 25 euro so it's fairly cheap. A little more expensive to fly from Siem Reap/Phonmh Penh to Vietnam but if you fly back through bangkok with airasia it can be cheap still. The other option is to get a bus, I would strongly avoid this, it's horrendous and can take up to 36 hours.

For luggage id only bring what you can fit in a backpack, minimise what you bring and if you do forget something you'll pick it up cheap somewhere.

Budget wise that's really up to you. If your not in a rush you can use overnight trains etc. I did the loop with my missus and we stayed in a mix of hostels and hotels. Booking.com and hostelworld.com will give you an idea of cost but as a couple you could spend as little as 10 to 15 euro a night or a lot more depending on type of accommodation. Food is so cheap and delicious particularly in Thailand. Local food for two again 10 to 15 per day but if you eat western food you can double that.

Getting around while in each place is usually walking or a taxi/tuk tuk. Cheap really but budget about 5 or 6 euro a day to be safe. Activities and sightseeing are usually cheap or free but keep maybe a fiver a day for that. Some days you'll pay nothing then others you'll have to spend 40 euro at Angkar Wat. You could be comfortable for as cheap as 40 a day but I've seen people spend a lot more if they are heavy drinkers etc.

Have you any idea what you wanna do in each country? A rough plan would be fly into Bangkok, stay 3 to 4 nights as there is a decent amount to see. Hostels are plentiful and cheap and private rooms are usually in around the same price you'd pay for two beds in a dorm so it's really up to you in terms of how much you wanna spend on accommodation.

You can head south to go island hoping, overnight train (sleeper) and then boat can bring you to Koh Samui, Phangan or Tao for around 20-25 euro. Train is comfortable and not as bad as it sounds. You can get the boat between the three islands for around 9 or 10 euro a trip then.

A bus and boat (7 hour day)can bring you to the otherside (Krabi, Phi Phi and Phuket) just keep your valuables on you as some of the bus operators on this route can be a bit dodgy. You can fly or get the train and boat Combo back to Bangkok.

North Thailand is beautiful, particularly Pai which you can get to from chiang mai. Ayutthaya is decent and there is a few national parks around there. Great train links from Bangkok to there on overnights.

When in Vietnam id start in Hanoi and work down, 90% of people travelled this direction unless your on a guided tour in which case they usually go the opposite way. Id massively recommend doing Castaways in Halong Bay with Hanoi Backpackers, its amazing. I took trains the whole way down Vietnam most of which were overnights. Cheap (10 euro) but not as comfortable as the Thai ones. I stopped of in Hoi An, Hue, Nha Trang and somewhere else I can't remember. If your really feeling adventurous I met a lot of people who did it by motorbike and it looked incredible.

If you've any specific questions I'm happy to help.

dartboardio

hey everyone thanks so much for the response... plenty of information from you all and tips i didn't take into account such as maybe flying using airasia instead of long bus rides.. and also the thing about not trying to see too much, i was thinking of just looking at bangkok, and cambodia instead of trying to fit in vietnam too.

i suppose personally myself I'm not too keen on spending all my time on island/beaches. I want to see temples, markets, busy towns, nightlife (not necessarily always drinking - can do lots of that at home) i want to shop in markets, eat the food, go to cafes, i suppose we would be on a not necessarily tight budget, (take in mind i've to start saving yet ) i would say about 1000 all in all for accom /travel? and maybe 800-1000 spending money hopefully ? (each) so for the whole thing ill be spending around 1500-2000 would that be okay? for 3/4 weeks... or completely off target?

dartboardio

so basically , fly into bangkok, stay for 3 or 4 days to see what you need to see, move around thailand using either cheap flights or trains (id prefer flights) should i book all these well in advance? and when i go to new towns book a guesthouse for that night..

we want to always or most of the time be together as 2 , not sharing with loads of people..
we wont be doing a crazy amount of drinking either, lots of eating out though, i want to find cheap and cheerful food, accomodation, nothing too fancy but don't wanna be in a dangerous place either not saying cheap is dangerous but you get my drift..

mighty magpie

spending of 2000 for 4 weeks should be more than fine.
private rooms for 2 people in hostels should not be that expensive.

please do not discount vietnam, could easily spend an enjoyable month there alone and it is much cheaper than thailand.

iwillhtfu

mighty magpie wrote: »

please do not discount vietnam, could easily spend an enjoyable month there alone and it is much cheaper than thailand.

Truth.. If you're looking for an experience don't bother with Thailand and go spend your time in Vietnam you won't be disappointed.

geecee

mighty magpie wrote: »

private rooms for 2 people in hostels should not be that expensive.

Hotels in Thailand are often cheaper than the hostels(3-500B per room, not per person)... so bear that in mind when you are looking!

The hostels only advantage is being able to mix with other travellers.

I haven't seen anyone mention Phnom Penh in a positive light... I was there in January and loved it! The people there were so welcoming and the atmosphere along the river front at sunset was amazing...

This place has amazing views over the river for some sunset cocktails
https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Hotel_Review-g293940-d8306602-Reviews-Panorama_Mekong_Hostel-Phnom_Penh.html

Or you could try the Foreign Correspondents Club across the street for some old school colonial atmosphere

dartboardio

Yeah I found found that odd. That hotels and flights for a week say in one spot came to fairly cheap! Like 700 for a week for two people including flights and pretty (extremely) nice hotel. Think we want to stay in a nice hotel for a week then go on the different place every night or three route.

Go Tobban

I've been through SE Asia three times now so have seen a good bit at this stage

Personally I think Thailand has lost a lot of it's charm over the years. Its all very commercial and nowhere near as cheap as people would have you believe. Still worth a trip though. I'd stay a max of 2 nights in Bangkok with your timeline. Ideally 1 night when you arrive and 1 when you're leaving, assuming you're flying home from Bangkok as well

I'd recommend flying straight to Hanoi and working your way down Vietnam on sleeper buses. They are comfortable enough to get some kip on and a great way to see the country. We stopped off in Hue, Da Nang , Hoi An, Nha Trang and then on the Ho Chi Minh. Loads to see and a very interesting country with an amazing history. Great to party in as well and it's miles cheaper than Thailand and less commercial

From Ho chi Minh, we got a bus up to Phnom Penh in Cambodia(took 6 hours if I remember correctly). A lot of poverty there and is seedy in parts but a fantastic city to see. 2 nights is plenty there imo. Then a bus up to Siem Reap/Angkgor Wat which is absolutely amazing. One of my highlights.

Then fly to Thailand's islands and party away. I loved Phi Phi personally. Nice and relaxed with great beaches. Samui, Koh phangan, Phuket and some of the smaller islands are well worth a visit plus the weather is usually good at that time of the year

Top tip! Book any internal flights at least a week or two in advance. They are expensive(150-200e) if you leave it late

Enjoy. It'll be a great experience

Phil D

Last time I was in Thailand I was not impressed at all. It's a lot less about backpacking now and a lot more about middle class Chinese and Indian family package holidays. A lot of the main tourist places were very sleazy and full of scams. The islands on the east seemed better. There were plenty of things to do on Ko Samui like waterfalls and waters ports for a few days and Ko Phan Ngan was good for the bars and parties but you have to stay on a beach like Haad Rin as getting around the island is difficult without a mope-head and I heard stories about gangs of muggers and wild dogs late at night so be careful walking. I was told Phuket was awful before I went and it was so I'd avoid there unless you're heading to Malaysia and Krabi has a lot of tourist activities and was nice if you're into rock climbing or need a stop off in a nicer hotel but it's not worth going out of your way for if you're heading to Cambodia and Vietnam.

Phil D

I prefer to take buses but the border crossing from Bangkok to Siem Reap was a nightmare and not worth the time. It's a much better option to fly and avoid traffic and delays if you can get a cheap flight.

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

geecee

Taxi travel from Bkk to Siem Reap is an often overlooked option... especially if there are 3/4 people

Taxi from BKK to Aranyprathet (Border town - Thai Side) would take 3 hours and cost 2500B (€68)
Taxi from Poipet (Border Town - Cambodia Side) would take 2 hours and cost $35 USD

So all in its 5 hours and €103 + 1 hour for the border crossing
So as cheap as 26€ for 4 people

Time wise its actually pretty much the same time as flying if you add up:
1 hour travel to BKK airport, minimum 2 Hour Checkin time, 1 hour flight, Immigration in SR, Travel from SR airport to your accommodation, flight delays etc

As a bonus you get to experience the wild west that is the Aran/Poipet border... something to tell your grandchildren about!

Go Tobban

Phil D wrote: »

I prefer to take buses but the border crossing from Bangkok to Siem Reap was a nightmare and not worth the time. It's a much better option to fly and avoid traffic and delays if you can get a cheap flight.

Jesus yeah that's a good shout actually

We were hours at that border and they decided to ''tax'' us a special price to get through. Was only 80 or 90 a piece but still, a kick in the balls no less

govietnam

how is your trip?

asteroids over berlin

jeez, it makes me sad to hear Thailand is gone commercial. I backpacked it,Cambodia & Vietnam 2 times, amazing times - circa 20 years ago now, i never felt so free and in such beautiful surrounds!

pavb2

Interesting thread what would the highlights be in Vietnam, Cambodia im thinking of going for 3 weeks in Sept.

MarkY91

pavb2 wrote: »

Interesting thread what would the highlights be in Vietnam, Cambodia im thinking of going for 3 weeks in Sept.

Angkor wat in siem reap, Cambodia is unmissable.

I only did southern part of Vietnam but Saigon is worth the visit along with a meekong delta tour. I also visited nha Trang. Avoid it. Just full of Russian tourists on package holidays. Signs are even in Russian.

pavb2

Where is the best place to fly into and to book flights and best itinerary.

MarkY91

pavb2 wrote: »

Where is the best place to fly into and to book flights and best itinerary.

www.kayak.com for flights.

Breaks then up into shorter but more flights for s cheaper price.