Asia - South-East Asia Mainland
Messages: 79,429 - Threads: 9,567
Sep 29, 2005 9:46 PM
chaskemp
last reply
May 11, 2013 6:15 AM
Drtraveller
89 replies
81,957 views
FAQ Thread for Mainland SE Asia
This branch covers:
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam
Here you will find links to information on health issues, visas, transportation, volunteering, weather, food, and more. Links to well-regarded resources such as Travelfish, Tales of Asia, Canby, and so on are also here.
Note: This is a FAQ/internet resources post, not an area for asking questions (nobody will answer questions here) or a place to post personal blogs, photos, etc. Please do post updates or added information that will help others find their way around the Southeast Asia mainland.
CK
Guidebook Updates
To get the latest updates to any of our guidebooks - or to add your own - visit the Guidebook Feedback branch of the Thorn Tree. See below for links to all the guides relating to mainland SE Asia.
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Oct 9, 2005 3:24 AM
hongha
last reply
Dec 15, 2010 8:18 PM
Zif
149 replies
514,331 views
location:
Vietnam
FAQ Thread for Vietnam
The purpose of this thread is to provide answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about traveling in Vietnam I hope that this FAQ helps newcomers and others plan their trips to Vietnam. I would like to thank all the posters who have contributed information to this thread. To make searching easier for you, please find my index of some major topics as follows:
1. Visa for Vietnam => find posts #115, 117, 111
2. Ha Long bay tours/Cat Ba => #83, 84
3. Vietnam - China border crossings => #7
4. Vietnam - Laos border crossings => #8, 50, 58
5. Vietnam - Cambodia border crossings => #96, 107
6. What to see in Vietnam? => #12
7. Taxi/bus from airport to cities => #3
8. Train in Vietnam => #76
9. The lunar new year (Tet) => #23, 80, 114
10. Bus from Hanoi to Vientiane => #79
11. Bus/train from Hanoi to Kunming => #105, 106
12. Bus/train from Hanoi to Nanning => #95, 99, 100
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Tubing in Vang Vieng area - a warning
Lonely Planet continues to receive disturbing reports of fatal accidents involving travellers tubing in and around Vang Vieng. There are several threads discussing this on Thorn Tree:
LAOS - VANG VIENG TUBING SCENE
Australian man died while tubing
as well as some newspaper coverage on the subject.
Lonely Planet advises extra care and wearing a life jacket when performing this activity, especially during the wet season when waters flow up to four times faster than normal. Travel insurance does not always cover more dangerous activities, and you won’t be covered if something happens to you while you’re under t...
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May 23, 2013 2:18 AM
Datrufon
last reply
May 23, 2013 2:34 AM
carolinenixon
1 replies
24 views
location:
Myanmar
Cooking Classes Myanmar
Hello.
I think I'm falling in love with Burmese food. Does anyone know where I could learn to cook these delicious meals? I am in Myanmar for 3 weeks so I am flexible on the location. Also any idea of the price?
Thanks
May 22, 2013 11:42 PM
carquinyoli
last reply
May 22, 2013 11:42 PM
carquinyoli
0 replies
12 views
location:
Myanmar
Getting a Myanmar Visa from Delhi
Hello! We would like to know if anyone has any information about getting a visa to Myanmar from Delhi's embassy. In the website it says it usually takes 2 working days but the only post we could find on the net was from a guy who couldn't take his plane last year because on this embassy they told him that his visa would take 10 days! We don't have the plane ticket yet because we want to know how it works usually. We also know that from Bangkok it's much easier but we are in India now....
Another question.... Anyone knows if it's possible to enter to Myanmar from Delhi and after leave the country via Bangkok?
Thank you in advance for all your answers and help.
May 22, 2013 11:04 PM
hopscotchhippo
last reply
May 23, 2013 2:18 AM
hopscotchhippo
2 replies
39 views
location:
Myanmar
Accommodation in Pyin Oo Lwin and Hsipaw?
Hi all!
Does anyone have recommendations for accommodation in Pyin Oo Lwin or Hsipaw?
Thanks!
May 22, 2013 10:13 PM
locomotingcharlie
last reply
May 23, 2013 3:51 AM
Brax
1 replies
35 views
location:
Laos
Gibbon Exp OR Plain of Jars
I am throwing up between the two for January 2014.
Hoping that there is somebody out there who has done both. If so, what do you think?
I have heard mixed reviews of the GE and it is $$, and the Plain looks great, but will probably buy some flights (still cheaper than the gibbon experience...)
Thanks!
May 22, 2013 8:57 PM
Roadking95
last reply
May 22, 2013 9:35 PM
Roadking95
2 replies
73 views
location:
Vietnam
Finally a good taxi story
To balance out all the bad taxi stories of late, we have a good news story about a taxi driver.
http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/9872/cabbie-returns-2390-to-aussie-couple
May 22, 2013 8:06 PM
trixiestone
last reply
May 23, 2013 12:25 AM
larsay
2 replies
45 views
location:
Vietnam
Cycling Vietnam in Late Fall
Hi
I am a 41 year old Canadian female looking for anyone else who might be interested in cycling Vietnam mid to late November with no specific time frame in mind. I'm a budget travel but not so frugal that I won't pay a couple of extra bucks for a nicer room. Any advice is welcome too. Thanks
May 22, 2013 7:22 PM
tominwhitecenter
last reply
May 23, 2013 3:45 AM
ae123456
1 replies
28 views
Hanoi hotel recommendation 3 days
We're going to be staying in Hanoi for the first three days of our trip to Vietnam.
Can anyone recommend a good place for $25-35 USD a night?
I'm looking at Hanoi Rendezvous Hotel, any +/- experiences?
Thanks!
May 22, 2013 6:59 PM
adpcmr
last reply
May 22, 2013 11:03 PM
galleyboy
2 replies
61 views
location:
Myanmar
Pre approved Visa on arrival to Myanmar
Does anyone have any recommendations for pre-arranged visas on arrival to Myanmar? We don't have time to send our passports to the embassy in D.C.! I have seen a couple websites but I'm not sure which ones are trustworthy. We are leaving in two weeks.
May 22, 2013 3:53 PM
GOODTIMES46
last reply
May 22, 2013 10:55 PM
Dale164
3 replies
88 views
location:
Cambodia
Airport transport
Hi,
Ariving in PP in a few weeks on a flight from Bangkok
My hotel in on street 172
I have read there is both taxi's and tuk tuks at the airport
What do you recommend and how much should I pay
Tank's
May 22, 2013 3:49 PM
crowned
last reply
May 23, 2013 3:49 AM
ae123456
4 replies
91 views
location:
Vietnam
Vietnam - november, travelling Solo.
Can you advise please; I plan to fly from Ireland via UK in Nov and then to vietnam.
the plan is to have 4 days in Hanoi; some days in the middle of the country near the coast and then the last 4 days or so in HCMC.
Will be travelling on my own and now over 60... so any advise from anyone would be helpful.
I think I will just organise tours when I get to the different areas.
Thank you,
Chris.
Flight from Myanmar to India
Hi all,
I would like to get from Myanmar to Delhi. All I could find were flights via Bangkok or KL which were quite expensive... has anyone traveld from Myanmar to India? Can you recommend any Airlines?
May 22, 2013 7:45 AM
frisbee
last reply
May 22, 2013 6:31 PM
tumbleweeds
1 replies
47 views
location:
Vietnam
getting cash at atms
Cos I've got a Halifax Clarity card (recommended for you UK travellers), I don't get charged any silly fees. But I've noticed that different atm's in Saigon charge differing fees, ranging from 20,000 dong upwards to 2.5% of the dong amount withdrawn.
Is this standard throughout Vietnam, or is this just cos I'm in the touristy areas? Do any atms have no extra fee?
Cheers.
May 22, 2013 5:57 AM
davidst
last reply
May 22, 2013 9:12 PM
Roadking95
5 replies
162 views
location:
Vietnam
Dont eat dog meat when in Vietnam
I write this thread to try and persuade you to avoid eating dog meat at a restaurant in Vietnam.
A lot of the dogs are moved from Thailand in trucks under terrible conditions. Please read the following url
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/640801-dog-meat-mafia-inside-thailands-smuggling-trade/
Obviously a lot of the demand is for the Vietnamese people but also there is the tourist restaurants. By eating dog meat you are increasing the demand and contributing to this cruel trade.
May 22, 2013 4:21 AM
sds2
last reply
May 23, 2013 3:16 AM
letemspeak
2 replies
65 views
location:
Myanmar
Soe Brothers Guesthouse
I'll be in Hpa-an tomorrow & tomorrow AM is my last Internet access. I thought I read that Soe B's Guesthouse has bedbugs, but now can't find that topic. Any recent reports from Soe Brothers GH please?
May 22, 2013 2:45 AM
tweeden
last reply
May 22, 2013 4:39 AM
jonappleton
1 replies
87 views
location:
Myanmar
Visa and money
I will be working in a hospital in Yangon for one month and want to travel around Myanmar for some time after that, thus staying in Myanmar over 30 days (about 40 days). Has anyone experiences with extending your visa in Myanmar?
Also: Staying that long means needing enough money. There ought to be ATMs in Yangon right?
Dont want to be carrying around thousands of USD...
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