Malaysia/Vietnam 5 week itinerary

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SteelArmour
SteelArmour

I am very excited to be planning my first ever trip to SE Asia. I will be working in KL for 3 weeks before my husband joins me and we spend another 5 weeks exploring SE Asia. Having done a lot of research, we have finally put a rough itinerary together and we are limiting ourselves to Vietnam and Malaysia, knowing that we can't possibly fit in all the places we'd like to see!

I'd welcome comments on what we've planned and especially advice about the Penang/Lankawi/Cameron Highlands/KL section. I can't decide which order to do all of this in and the best way to get to and from the Cameron Highlands. Should we be travelling to and from KL rather than trying to visit en route from Penang/Langkawi?

KL: 1 day 23/11 (Wed)
(1 day travel) 24/11 (Thurs)
Hanoi: 3 days 25/11 - 27/11 (Fri –Sun)
Halong Bay: 3 days 28/11 - 30/11 (Mon – Wed)
(1 day travel) 1/12 (Thurs)
Hoi An: 5-7 days 2/12 - 6/12 (Fri – Tues)
(1 day travel) 7/12 (Wed)
Ho Chi Minh: 3 days 8/12 - 10/12 (Thurs – Sat)
(1 day travel) 11/12 (Sun)
Penang: 3 days 12/12 - 14/12 (Mon – Wed)
Langkawi – 5 days 15/12 - 19/12 (Wed – Mon)
(1 day travel) 20/12 (Tues)
Cameron Highlands – 3 days 21/12 - 23/12 (Wed – Fri)
(1 day travel) 24/12 (Sat)
KL/Malacca: 3 days 25/12 - 27/12 (Sun – Tues)

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alfredm
alfredm

One week in Hoi An is too much, because the city is quite small. W´hat are you planning to do there for so much time? You could spend more time in northern Vietnam.

Regarding Langkawi: five days are ok if you want to rest for five days in a beach resort, but you'll find better beaches and seawater and cheaper accomodation in southern Thailand.

Three days are too much IMHO in the Cameron highlands. One day or even half a day would suffice.

In case you are interested in wildlife you could visit Ulu Muda or the Royal Belum state park which are accessible from Pinang:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/WestCoast/UluMuda/
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Malaysia/WestCoast/Belum/

See here photos of my trips: https://www.molon.de/
Here are detailed reports of my trips: https://www.molon.de/travelogues/
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nathalie2
nathalie2

OP, is this not excactly the same post that you posted 2 days ago (and where you received plenty of feedback)? Or am I missing something ?

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fatinisa
fatinisa

Hi,
I'm Fatin from Malaysia. Welcoming you here. Penang its just a small island, and you should try a lot of street food there. You can go some hiking at Bukit Bendera and to Taman Negara Teluk Bahang.

Langkawi also just a small islands. 3 day its enough I think. A lot of activity you can do. Langkawi have beaches,waterfalls,history place and also great food.

From langkawi too, you can take a ferry to Koh Lipe, Thailand. Its beautiful worth to go. Just 2 hour from langkawi by ferry.

:)

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SteelArmour
SteelArmour
In response to #2

Sorry for the double post. It occurred to me that I probably should have posted on the Malaysia board rather than the Vietnam one as I wanted advice on the Cameron Highlands section of the trip.

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voyager_2002
voyager_2002

I was in Malaysia recently and sadly could not visit the Cameron Highlands. The general advice seemed to be that it is one destination where you need a car, and in fact is so close to KL that you could fit it into a weekend (or even day-trip) during the period when you are working in KL.

Penang is an absolute gem and deserves more than 3 days. It includes the city of Georgetown, which is both interesting and beautiful, and experiences of natural beauty: hiking in montane rain-forest; pristine beaches in the national park -- even the Botanical Gardens on the edge of town are stunning and deserve at least half a day (as well as being a great starting point for mountain hikes). Fatin has given some relevant place names.

At the end you have tucked in Malacca. This city is usually written as Melaka, and is again a stunning destination that deserves a bit more time. It is interesting in the same sorts of ways as Georgetown, but is considerably older, and I found it easier to meet and make friends with some of the very interesting people who live there.

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