We are about to fill that hole in our travel experience - booked tickets to SEA today. We leave for Hong Kong on January 8th. Fly from there to Hanoi on January 12th.
We will then proceed up to Sapa then down through Vietnam to Mekong Delta where we will turn north again through Cambodia, up through Laos and into northern Thailand. Then down through Thailand until we run out of time. Only internal flight we are considering at this point is Siem Reap to Paxkse. That may change but we generally provide overland - buses and boats. Current ticket for home leaves Bangkok on March 9th.
So we've taken onboard all the FAQs and so on from the SEA branches and some people have sent me their trip reports and best tips for travel in SEA ...have made notes on all that stuff.
Now we are down to more detailed planning. Are there hotels or tour guides or boat trips or ???? that you would recommend?
I did a great 3 day Mekong trip out of Ho Chi Minh city with Singh travel. Well organised, good guide and clean hotels, you can continue on to Cambodia on the same trip if you want. Get your tickets in the backpacker area, Pham Nu Lao. Both Singh and Kim travel also do the $22US (may have risen in price in the past 2yrs!) open bus tickets from HCM to Hanoi (or the other way) Once again good cheap hotels (owned by the above companies, where the buses stop, or you can find your own), had a great time, spent about 3 weeks doing it. There are good, cheap hotels also in Pham Nu Lao, shop around. I stayed in the Prince Hotels in Hanoi, there are several and have nice rooms to suit all budgets. Sapa is amazing and I would go to Ha Long Bay if I were you, but the boat trips are variable in quality (to put it midly). Can't remember the name of the one I used, it was cheap, but ok.
Hope this helps, have a great trip...
It was 5 years ago for me but, as with travela above, I also used Singh (Sinh??) Travel in HCM City, to travel overland south into the delta and then boat(s) up the Mekong into Cambodia, through to Phnom Penh. I found that it was well organized and I was quite satisfied with their service. As I recall, they also do the bus (on/off) between Hanoi and HCM, although I travelled by train mostly, which was quite comfortable. When I went back to Cambodia in 2006, I used buses to circle the lake, from PP to Siem Reap and then from Battambang back to PP; took the boat across the northern end of the lake from SR to Battambang. I found those buses quite comfortable, as was the one down to Sihanoukville.
Glad to hear the good news, I would definitely recommend the river trip from luangprabang on the mekong to the thai border at huay xai or something like that. There are a few ways of doing it on variious boats but don't go for the speed boats as they are dangerous. I will PM you with more details later.
Congratulations on getting your ticket and trip so well organized in advance! I'm having a terrible time with Asia Air's website, and I leave in 2 weeks. I've got myself to KL and back via Hong Kong, and from Denpasar to Christchurch in January, but what happens in between is in the lap of Kali.
Hope you have a wonderful trip.
I enjoyed the 2-day/1-night "cruise" on Halong Bay, near Hanoi. While the departure port is a bit crazy, once you're out on the water it's both calm and fascinating. Generally you can book this trip from any hotel with 1 days notice, and there are several variations for duration. I think the 1-day trip would be a bit too rushed.
The other trip I did from Hanoi was the Perfume Pagoda. I enjoyed this as well, but not as much as Halong Bay. This is a day trip.
Thanks so much - keep it coming. We are incorporating all this and your PMs into our planning. All gratefully received.
When we were travelling about the Mekong last March, a new bus system from HCMC to Siem Reap had recently opened up, that everyone was raving about. Would definitely have used if we had enough time left, for I would dearly love to return to Angkor Wat.
HCMC to Siem Reap
If you do visit Angkor – I suggest your hiring a taxi and a translator. For the licenced taxi cannot get onto the grounds and the translator has so very much information to share with you – they will explain to you the beautiful bas reliefs and everything else, so that you will understand what you are looking at when on your own. They will also get you to sites at the best time of day. The multi paved inner courtyards and covered galleries – with exquisite carvings – will leave you staggered.
Superb Condition And Siem Reap itself, has many very interesting venues.
Luang Prabang is my favourite for Laos – a place to sit by the river in the early morning, and sip their excellent Lao/Arabica coffee as the monks do their morning parade. Rent a bicycle – or hire a boat with guide to go up the Mekong. You'll find the guides inside the buddhist complex which is next to the river ... either that, or there are many sitting about at the levy entry, and along the Mekong - they put up small signs. Relax, relax, relax.
When you get to Sapa there is a cafe there called Baguette and Chocolat just up from steps on the left it is run to help underprivliged kids and teaches them how to be chefs and wait staff and they have the best passinfruit cheesecake all made at the cafe and the meals are very good i know it's nothing to do with touring or treking but a good meal is a good meal.
Budget travel basics for Hong Kong – 30+ guesthouses and GH resources and the only travel guide with a photo of the stairs in the Chungking Mansions. Non-commercial. And my latest masterpiece, nothing but HK budget accommodations and related
Budget travel basics for Southeast Asia - gets you started – expenses, transportation, lodging, eating, safety and scams, countries sections, etc. Non-commercial. Completely updated and tested 10/24/07
Asia 2005, 2006, 2007
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