Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam/Thailand

Hi,

looking for a destination for a 3 week or so trip in late May and was considering the above 4...all or some. I know it's not a lot of time so it would involve a bit of internal plane travel.
I guess my questions are has anyone done this type of trip and if so, what would they recommend in terms of where to start, what to see etc.
Also what will the weather be like at that time of year....am getting conflicting info from various websites.
And vaccinations....is it too late to start getting them now?

thanks for any help or nuggets of info

Delboy,
I did something like that back in Nov06, 3wks for Bangkok, Cambodia, Vietnam. Itineary was as follows;
Bangkok for 3 days then flew to Sien Reap in Cambodia for about 100 euro cos overland journey sounded like a nightmare. 2 days in siem reap then got car from there to phnom penh for 40 dollars (u could bus it for 10 dollars, takes 6 hrs). 2.5 days in phnom penh then bus to ho chi minh. 3 days in ho chi minh then flew to danang (i think) to go to hoi-an half way up the coast for about 50 dollars. 3 days there, great beach then bussed it to Hue, 1 night there, waste of a night really. Flew to Hanoi (50 dollars again with vietnam airlines) 3 days there, day trip to halong bay, some people stay there over night, then bacnk to hanoi for a day or so, then went by overnight train to Sapa for some trekking, then back to Hanoi and home!!! I've had mixed reports about laos, not a whole lot there. I really recommend internal flying in Vietnam, its pretty cheap and you onlyhave 3 wks. In saying that Vietnam, whilst interesting, the nightlife was fairly tame. We were 3 lads, might be a different story if you are a couple.
As for the weather it varied eveywhere, bankok was hot, cambodia was sweltering, ho chi minh and hoi-an was super but hanoi was cool. Apparently nah thrang is a good beach resort in vietnam.
Think we got our shots about 6wks before going. www.tmb.ie or consult a doctor!!!

Check this company based in Cork who specialise in the region

http://www.discovertravel.ie/

Hi,

A couple of years ago, as part of a longer trip I spent three weeks between Thailand and Laos.

Briefly, spent a day or so in Bangkok. Got an overnight train to Nong Khai on the Thail/Laotian border. Spent two nights there before going on to Vientiane.

From there I spent a couple of days in Vang Vieng (spectacular karst mountains, river swimming, cave trips) before going on to Luang Prabang (atmospheric colonial town - world heritage site).

From here I went up river to Nong Khiaw and then on to Luang Namtha in northern Laos.

After some time in Luang Namtha (great for hiking) I spent two days travelling down river to a more northern part of the Laos Thai border. (Huay Xai)

A couple of days were then spent in north Thailand before another train from Chang Mai back to BKK for an onward flight.

While sparse on details if you look at these destinations on a map you'll get an indication of the areas involved. All travel was overland - between trains, boats, buses and chicken wagons it was a brilliant and memorable trip. Internal flights are cheap though if you did want to fly. I believe internal flights in Laos are not recommended for those without parachutes/ nerves of steel.

Can't speak for Cambodia of Vietnam but Laos is an absolutely amazing country to visit with lovely people, fanstastic scenery and a glimps of how little some people in the world live with.

Final note is that many people do this trip somewhat in reverse, travelling to Northern Thailand first, then to Huay Xai. From there you can get a two day boat down the Mekong to Luang prabang, and on to Vang Vieng etc. That's 'the circuit'.

Final final note - you can see a lot in three weeks, but in Laos and Cambodia at least the travelling can take all day long. Its great, but can be grueling.


Enjoy, I'd go back in a heartbeat and would love to take in southern Laos next time.

thanks all,sounds good...could probably fit in a lot in 3 weeks.

But the weather is the worry....am getting differing reports on what the weather would be like in late May, but it does seem like it will be fairly wet all over....dont want to be stuck in any of the places you mentioned above if the monsoon is in full steam

BCPK said:

3 days there, great beach then bussed it to Hue, 1 night there, waste of a night really.

Click to expand...

Totally agree, Hue is a dump!


I've been to both Thailand and Vietnam, on separate trips. In Vietnam we did Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh in 17 days, that's almost the same time you're trying to squeeze four countries in to.

I think Vietnam and Thailand each warrant at least a fortnight so think you're trying to do too much here. Personally I preferred Vietnam, the charm of Thailand without the sleaze. I agree about internal flights with Vietnam Airlines, upgrade to business class for about $15USD, well worth it in my experience.

I did thailand/laos/vietnam last year over four weeks.

Couple of days in Bangkok. Then went down south to the islands koh phangan/ koh samui. Then back up to bkk and directly onto a sleeper for Udon Thani. If you want to discover the real thailand, go inland. The islands/south are plasticky (of course it depends on what your looking for too). I had assumed as much beforehand but had agreed to travel down there with someone and check out the full moon party on koh phangan which turned out to be a major dissappointment.
Anyways, if your planning on travelling to the north of thailand, I can highly recommend booking a sleeper on the train. Found it very comfortable - I was weary from travelling at the time and the sleeper allowed me to travel whilst recharging the batteries into the bargain. Nong Khai (further up from Udon Thani) may also be an option - its on the Mekong. From there to Vientiane is not far at all (take a bus - and have some dollars ready for border control). If you get that far, you have to cross the border into laos. Its interesting - the french left a big impact on it. I didnt spend long there - and maybe should have dedicated more time to Laos.
Took a 36 hour bus ride to Hanoi - it was very seriously painful. I knew it was going to be - but it was also a life experience! (wont go into detail as I'd have a few pages to write about that journey). If your going on to vietnam, probably the sane option would be to fly. As already mentioned, Lao Air is dodgy (they're using some rickety old cold war era russian made planes). But i'm not sure if theres any other way to fly from there?
I spent some time in Hanoi - was largely dissappointed - and it was bloody cold...as cold as Ireland. took a trip out to a town halfway to sapa where there were no tourists - that worked out very well. Also took in Ha Long Bay (day trip). Flew back to bkk from Hanoi via Air Asia (South East Asias answer to Ryanair). If your in Hanoi, I can recommend the museums (and i wouldnt normally be into that sort of thing). I am in no rush to go back to Northern Vietnam but other travellers told me that the South is totally different. I may try that some time in the future - combining it with Cambodia.

One important thing to consider. You only have three weeks. Don't try to fit in too much..less is more. To really explore south east asia, you'd need half the year!