Ideas for Vietnam and Cambodia

Z

Zarkov

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I have two weeks holidays and wanted to get a taste for Vietnam and Cambodia.

Any one any advise? Lots of tours out there and information but hard to find something different.

I wanted to get off the tourist beaten track if possible.

Also will two weeks be enough?

any good web sites travel companies?

Thanks

Zar
 
Off the beaten track in Cambodia may not be the best idea in the world - landmines abound.....

2 weeks isn't a whole lot of time to see the region - Vietnam is a very big country. I went from Ho Chi Minh city to Hanoi in 4 weeks and it felt a little rushed.
At that time, tourists were limited to a distinct 'tourist trail' and encouraged to use the tourist buses (government policy apparently).
Things may have chilled out now.

Vietnam and Cambodia are definetly worth going to though - just don't try to do too much in a short space of time!
 
If you head towards Ban Lung (Ratanakiri provence) in north-eastern Cambodia you'll find yourself well away from the main tourist haunts. There are some nice villages in the surroundings, waterfalls, volcanic lakes, national parks etc. It can be slow going to get to some of these remote parts and if it's the rainy season they can become impossible so you'd need at least a week to get there, see it and get back.

Your better off making your own way there and then talking to the locals about finding someone that will guide you around the area. You might have to forego some of your comforts as it's not that developed so maybe it's not everyones cup of tea. To back up what bogwarrior said about the landmines... if you don't walk off the well worn paths you should be fine; the locals live with the threat of landmines and uxos daily and just use common sense to avoid them.
 
It may be well on the beaten track but Angkor Wat in Cambodia shouldn't be missed ... if you're going there it's definitely worth at least 2 days to see it properly - it would be a shame to go to Cambodia and not go to Angkor Wat it really is awesome ...

Despite it being touristy it's so large (stretches over a huge area with many different temples) that at many of the sites there won't be that many tourists at all
 
Thank you all for your advise.

Did you all pre book or would you recomend arriving and then seeing what is on offer there?

Thanks again

Zar
 
I didn't prebook anything when I was in those parts. It might help to prebook a few hotels (especially your first night or two) but generally it's probably best to see what the lie of the land is when you're there in person. If you talk to other travellers you meet out there, who are coming from areas you intend to go to, you will generally get good advice.
 
I would agree with the previous posters.I didn't get to Cambodia-very slow to travel around apparently.I spent 2 weeks in Vietnam.I travelled from Ho Chi Minh up to Na Trang.
Fabulous country with fabulous people.Easily my favourite country in SE Asia.Ho Chi Minh while chaotic is fantastic.You should also check out the \mekong delta & the tunnels that the Viet Cong used.Muin Ne further up the coast is also well worth a visit.
Enjoy
 
Thank you for your ideas.

One more question I wanted to go in august but its rainy season is likely to be a big problem?
 
Some of the remote areas can become almost unreachable during the rainy season. You might have to be a little less ambitious with your plans and/or have a backup in case you have trouble getting to where you want.
 
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