If your plan is to be back in Chiang Mai or Bkk for Songkran, and you want to see Vientiane and Vang vieng, and keep to a budget, then I would leave Cm for Songkran. How about starting in Nong khai, Vientiane, Vang vieng, and on to Luang phabang. Go on towards Hanoi overland via Nong khiaw, Muang ngoi neua, and Muang khua, by boat, with dramatic karst scenery. Then you have a choice of Sapa, Mai chau, or direct to Hanoi. This will save you a flight from Laos to Vietnam, and you will see a lot more of Laos, without the crowds, and see the far north of Vietnam.
Bangkok for Songkran was not my idea of fun. You can't move.
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2807 results for Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang
2
Mp63
pierrot.genin
Dear travelers of the world,
We are planning a long trip in South East Asia with my girlfriend and Thailand is a big part of this.
We will be going south and enjoy the coasts before going up north to Chiang Mai and cross the border to Laos.
As we have time, I would love to be able to make the route from Bangkok to Chiang Mai by car. This would also be a good way to discover the area close to the border with Myanmar which, I have heard is amazing and has a different vibe from the rest of Thailand.
I have looked it up a bit and I drafted a possible itinerary but I would love to have your recommandation on places we would be missing or should avoid (driving times are from google map so I don't know how much I should trust them):
° Bangkok to Kanchanaburi (170 km - 2h30)
° Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya (164 km - 2h11)
° Ayatthaya to Sukhothai (354 km - 4h30)
° Sukhothai to Doi Inthanon National Park (306 km - 5h20)
° Doi Inthanon National Park to Mae Hong Son (194 km - 4h20)
° Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai (250 km - 5h)
The idea would be to make the trip in 10 days tops.
Any good advice is more then welcome!
Cheers,
Pierre
11
Chiang_Mai
Don't want to turn this into a Chiang Mai topic but this year has been the worst in the 15 years I have lived there by far. i am retired so free to travel so got out and have spent the past month 'hiding' on the beach in Bang Saphan & Prachuap but have to go home next week but only for 5 days before heading to Vietnam for a month. April is usually our hottest and most polluted month so wish you luck there.
Everyday I have been hiding down south air in Quy Nhon has been excellent so very much looking forward to getting there.
Enjoy Nha Trang
koji82
Hi there,
I would like to give some new information to whom it may concern. Since the thread I found on Google regarding hospitals in Luang Prabang was closed and the last reply is 8 yrs old, I guess it will be helpful open a new one.
I injured myself on a boat from Thailand to Luang Prabang and got stitched in Pakbeng. They have some kind of medical room there with very limited equipment and not really clean. Ah yes, and nobody speaks english there. So I don't recommend getting injured there :). They charged me 500.000 KIP for stitching and medication, which is not a lot of money. But I was told later, that it was too much. But well, who cares. There was no other option. Maybe not the best situation to compare deals for getting stitched.
Once I arrived in Luang Prabang I went to the Provincial Hospital, which is located a few km outside of the center. They have an emergency room left from the main entrance. Equipment is ok, not very clean, but at least the had gloves. They speak little english, but they did not understand all of my questions. Their attitude is ok, but I would not say it was really friendly. They cleaned my wound and charged me 30.000 KIP (3 EURO). I would not go there with any major issue though, if possible. Try to get transferred to Bangkok instead.
The next time I went to Phakans Clinic. It is located 50 meters on the left from the entrance gate to the provincial hospital. Just follow the sandy road on the left and soon there will be a sign saying 'clinic'.
The building is brand new and super clean. Everything 10 times better than in the official hospital. The nurse and doctor speak very good english and are very, very friendly. They charged me 100.000 KIP(10 Eur / 11 USD) for cleaning and dressing. So the price is much higher compared to the provincial hospital, but still extremely cheap. And if you have insurance, which you should, it does not matter. And if not, it is just money and your health is more important.
Finally, I hope nobody here ever gets injured in Laos. But if something happens, I hope my post will be helpful for you.
PS:
Phakans Clinic on FB for Photos and directions:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phakans-Clinic/1441221376091623?nr
9
richiavo
The hotel we have stayed in the last 3 times we have stayed in Bangkok has allowed us early check in without any charge, but as above it would have depended on them not being full. The only way you can absolutely guarantee is booking an extra night. I have never been able to sleep anyway so I drop my bags go for a walk and get something to eat so not really an issue if I couldn't check in. We have used the Rambuttri plaza. But the same as happened in Chiang Mai a couple of times coming off the night train. I found most places in Thailand much more relaxed on check in than other countries.
12
endtimesreport230734
So what would an itinerary for a week be in Vietnam and a week in Thailand for instance. All they are doing is filling up their passport and ticking boxes and they will see little of each especially if wanting to do it on a budget
At the end of the day OP has to decide if they want to stretch the surface or see a bit more of fewer countries.
Well that is so easy. With a well established domestic flight network in both countries, it's easy to get around and get a taste of each place.
Everyone is different - some people want to see as much as possible in as little time as possible, others come for 2 weeks to laze just on one beach. Some people will find the latter too boring - don't get me wrong, I love beaches, but I would never spend 2 weeks just getting a tan on one beach. That's something Europeans like to do, but Asian tourists tend to have less time and prefer seeing more places in a limited time. Either way, everyone's tastes and circumstances are different.
Well what would an itinerary look likr for a week in Thailand and Vietnam? Geez...that's hard to answer not knowing what someone's tastes are but let's see here: 2 days in Bangkok, 2 days in Chiang Mai and 3 days in Hua Hin or even Krabi. Catch flights between these cities (could even do a triangular loop like Bangkok-Chiang Mai-Krabi-Bangkok catching direct flights between each of these cities).
In Vietnam, 2 days in the Mekong Delta, 3 days in Mui Ne or Nha Trang (Nha Trang is accessible by air, so that might be the better option) then 2 days in either Danang or Hanoi.
A traveler like the OP might consider spending all their time in each country in one geographic area to limit travel and then visit other areas/regions of that country on a future trip. For example, spend 7 days just in central Thailand (Bangkok, Ayuttaya, Hua Hin) and a week just in southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh, Mekong Delta and Mui Ne).
Aside from gap year backpackers, most tourists tend to spend only a week or two on vacation and seem to be quite satisfied with their travels. Many people like to leave something for next time, rather than "doing" a country by spending 3 months in each destination so they can see everything because they'll never be back again. I personally don't know anyone who thinks this way; most travelers consider making a repeat visit to a country they liked.
9
Chiang_Mai
I have lived in Chiang Mai for 15 years and this year is undoubtedly the absolute worse for pollution caused in part by farmers burning off old crops. It's been so bad that this month the city took the top spot for most polluted on the planet 4 consecutive days and looking at today's levels it's likely top again. I am not home and haven't been for a month and won't be until the end of April when pollution will hopefully have tapered off but it won't clear until the rains hit mid to late May.
Fortunately nowhere in Vietnam is seeing anything like the levels in northern Thailand and Laos.
24
xplorn
First, I would 100% ride a scooter in and around Chiang Mai. It takes some getting used to and learning how traffic flow works, but as a novice I picked it up after a day. After a tour of about 1200 miles around the north, including pretty remote areas, on a 125 I found nearly all the traffic considerate and fair. It may have helped they probably knew we were tourists at first glance. Road conditions were excellent except a couple stretches of construction on some major roads. We got stopped a few times at police checkpoints but bringing out an IDP immediately got me waived along.
There are many rentals in Chiang Mai. After visiting a few, a friend and I really liked a one-woman operation called Infinity. She uses the sidewalk in front of her friend's bar (SAX music pub, next to the Blue Mango bar) during the day. Location is 127-129 Moon Muang Rd on the east side of the old city near the Tha Phae Gate. Contact #s were Aoody- 081-417-1623, Na 095-651-5448. She was friendly and very easy to work with and would be up front with what she could offer for insurance. Her bikes had a chain and padlock for security. We never felt that we were ever in an area that would require it as all around the north it felt friendly and safe.