Amsterdam to Vietnam. Advice needed and appreciated.
Replies: 12 - Last Post: Sep 23, 2012 12:30 PM Last Post By: arizona
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Amsterdam to Vietnam. Advice needed and appreciated.
I am in the process of planning one of my dreams, which is travelling through Europe to Vietnam, with my starting point being my hometown, Amsterdam.I am planning to do this on a low budget, and so obviously do not mind hitchhiking. Hitchhiking is getting much more accessible nowadays, through websites where people offer rides. Travelling from Amsterdam to Turkey will pose no problem, but it's the trip after this that becomes tricky.
I would like to travel from Turkey through Iran, and then end up in India. As most of you are aware though, Pakistan isn't one of the most stable countries at the moment, and I am unsure about the plausibility of travelling through this country to get to India.
So this poses my first question; Do you guys think it is possible and smart to travel/hitchhike through Pakistan or should I consider buying a plane ticket in Turkey to India?
After my arrival in India, the subsequent countries I would like to travel through are, respectively; Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Ofcourse I would like to go to Thailand and Cambodia, but to try and keep this topic simple, my final destination is Vietnam.
Now I have arrived at my second question; Considering the fact that I am on a budget, how much would a journey like this cost, realistically? Bare in mind that I will be trying to live on the minimum, paying for food, shelter and travel (travel also including paying Visa's when required). How much money will I need at least, realistically?
I am a beginner at the world of backpacking and can use advise and direction by more experienced travellers. Is my trip realistic? Is there any advice on a different route I can take to get to Vietnam?
I am sure I have more questions I would like to ask, but first I need to see if these questions can be answered in the first place and if there is general interest in my topic in the first place :)
Thanks in advance!
1
Hi Beastfood!Welcome to TT!
After my arrival in India, the subsequent countries I would like to travel through are, respectively; Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
In short, you can't cross Myanmar overland so the route you are planning won't work. You would need to fly from India to Thailand and to continue from there.
If you want to go overland from India to Vietnam, you'll have to make it through China and in order to reach overland China from India, you only have two options:
1) India-Nepal-China: This option means go through Tibet. Regulations for foreigners traveling through Tibet can change at any moment without prior notice. It's not unknow to be closed for foreigners. Even being opened, you would need a special permit. Take a look at the Asia-North East Asia branch for more info.
2) India-Pakistan-China: From what I read, the border between Pakistan and China seems to be closed some months due to adverse weather conditions. You can try to get more info about that border post and the area surrounding it (e.g.: about safety) in the Asia-Indian Subcontinent branch.
I can't help you with your budget questions but, if you want to make all the route overland, you could consider a route through Russia and China, if your budget allow it.
3
Newsflash ! ! ....That info is dated in 2009. It would be nice if you provide a more recent source. In any case, it doesn't change what I said in #1. The OP would still need to enter Myanmar from India or Bangladesh. There are also some areas in Myanmar closed for foreigners... For example, there's a boder with Thailand opened for foreigners but you can't get there overland from, let's say, Yangon. The replies to that thread linked in #2 seems to suggest that would be the case also with that border with Laos.
4
Coming soon (if not already open) to a border near you....http://www.vietnambudgettour.com/webplus/viewer.asp?aid=1320&pgid=31 (20th Sept. 2012)
5
So have you gotta more up to date one?http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2245130
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2196003
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2101505
How about....
http://www.vietnambudgettour.com/webplus/viewer.asp?aid=1320&pgid=31 (20th Sept. 2012)
A quote from your link: The date of openning the unnamed check points are under negotiation (...).
In any case, as I said above, it doesn't change what I said in #1, you can't cross Myanmar overland.
7
not sure if you're aware but you need to get the Pakistan visa in your home country and can't get it on the way.8
Hitchhiking is getting much more accessible nowadays, through websites where people offer rides.
That's not hitchhiking, that's ridesharing. If you use those websites, you will be expected to pay the drivers, and you won't be saving much money compared to buses. And once you leave Europe, those ridesharing communities just aren't a phenomena. But you don't even need to rely on a ridesharing website: hitchhiking from Amsterdam Istanbul can be done within three days. Just jump from petrol station to petrol station across Germany and Austria, and once you get to Hungary it's plain sailing. See Route to Istanbul at Hitchwiki for details.
Still, if you just want to get from Europe to Vietnam overland for cheap, go through Russia and China. Then you only have two visas to worry about and the border crossings are relatively hassle-free. If India is on your itinerary at all, you're just not going to suceed at an overland journey.
9
Thanks for the reactions guys, the points made about India and the troubles of reaching it are a sobering, but necessary to know reality. I have been in China once during a previous travel and I must say it only left me craving more, so the fact that it might be easier traveling through China and Russia doesn't seem that bad at all. It does seem like a rather long way around, but I have read hitchhiking through Russia goes relatively easy. China on the other hand, seems a little trickier.I am still wondering about the budget though, what would be a realistic number for, let's say, 6 months?
11
@5leloi: I'd suggest you to ask in the Europe-Eastern Europe & the Caucausus branch where there's a good expert in Russia. Alternatively, you can try to ask in the Asia-North East Asia branch to see if someone got it in China recently. BTW, don't forget to specify if you are a (alien) resident of the country where you plan to apply.12
Much info on the RTW Branch.I assume you read Dutch, these guys traveled from Arnhem They didn't travel on a minimum budget and chose to travel through Russia and Mongolia. Trans-Mongolian was used.
Apart from the relatively expensive transport costs, you can pick up many ideas about spending your money in a good way for food and lodging and some warnings for scams.
