Thinking of around 2 weeks, with per person budget of around £2000. Looking at including some major sights, cities, some beach time and ideallysome trekking or living in among the real life as opposed to luxury overnight stays. Anyone done this, can give tips on travel ,time of year, where to go and how etc?
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[Travel] Vietnam and Cambodia holiday ideas etc
- Thread starter Nostalgia
- Start date
Saigon is a nice city. Enjoyed going to where Greene wrote The Quiet American. US foreign policy has left a lot to be desired. You have to go to the killing fields too. Very painful but important to grasp the evil of Pol Pot. Also there is a torture camp in the capital that is worth visiting. Happier things - Siem Reap and the temples are very good to see.
ferring seagull
Well-known member
- Dec 30, 2010
- 4,607
My brother told me that the tunnels which the Viet Cong constructed were well worth a look if that becomes a possibilty in your schedule !
Djmiles
Barndoor Holroyd
Me and my girlfriend are in Asia for 4-5 weeks I’m Aug/Sept. Including 4 nights in Siem Reap, 3 in Phnom Penh and 4 in Ho Chi.
The Mole
Well-known member
Hoi An, Hoi An and Hoi An
The seagulls bar in pp has unfortunately closed due to...
Personally I wouldn't feel the need to spend too long there, as pleasant as it is, if you're on a short time scale, ( I spent months getting drunk by the riverside). The main sites can all be done by hiring a tuk tuk or motorbike for the day, and unless you're mega into temples, ( or have a lot of time, I spent a few days there), a full day around ankor wat can be enough.
As for trekking, I did some excellent 3 day treks in both the NE and NW, very untouched country at the time, and great fun. We also stumbled across Pol Pots graveside, a mound surrounded by upturned sprite bottles round the back of someones house which gets frequently vandalised.
Kep and Kampot also nice day trips in Cambodia.
Let me know if you want me to scratch my head harder for the the trekking places, my bro has lived there for 10+ years so I'm sure he can help
Personally I wouldn't feel the need to spend too long there, as pleasant as it is, if you're on a short time scale, ( I spent months getting drunk by the riverside). The main sites can all be done by hiring a tuk tuk or motorbike for the day, and unless you're mega into temples, ( or have a lot of time, I spent a few days there), a full day around ankor wat can be enough.
As for trekking, I did some excellent 3 day treks in both the NE and NW, very untouched country at the time, and great fun. We also stumbled across Pol Pots graveside, a mound surrounded by upturned sprite bottles round the back of someones house which gets frequently vandalised.
Kep and Kampot also nice day trips in Cambodia.
Let me know if you want me to scratch my head harder for the the trekking places, my bro has lived there for 10+ years so I'm sure he can help
daveinprague
New member
Sent there in April 75. The idea being bringing the British Consul out of Da Nang. Rex Hunt. Trouble just follows that bloke. We never picked him up anyway, Americans did. Went to Cambodia straight after. Never figured out why. Never fancied it again.
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HastingsSeagull
Well-known member
Will be in Siem Reap for 4-5 days in a couple weeks. Bit of a break from my summer holiday in Thailand. 1st trip to Cambodia so watching this thread with interest.
Won't be going to PP, but very interested in any day trips from SR that aren't just the main temple complex
Won't be going to PP, but very interested in any day trips from SR that aren't just the main temple complex
Yes, I'd endorse this itinerary for Cambodia - having visited these cities (twice) with Mrs Peteinblack. The temples at Siem Reap are one of the most beautiful sights (sites!) in the world - Angkor Wot is the main attraction, but there are many other temples, and ruins of temples being swallowed-up by the forest, in the surrounding area; hire a local tuk-tuk driver for a 1/2 day tour, but agree the price before setting off.
In Phnom Penh, a visit to the 'Killing Fields', where many of Pol Pot's victims were buried - sometimes still alive - in mass graves, is essential, but harrowing.
For Vietnam, definitely visit Hoi An, Hue, and Hanoi.
One tip - crossing the road can be scary; no zebra crossings (or not when I was there a few years a go). You have to take a deep breath, and step off the kerb into the traffic, and keep walking at a consistent pace (don't stop or speed-up) - drivers will steer round you. Pretty scary when you're halfway across a busy road in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) city, and a bus or lorry is coming towards you and then veers round you at the last minute!
The Birdman
New member
Did great tour South Vietnam Saigon the chi tunnels and boat trip down the Mekong then to Cambodia Angkor Wat then Laos couple of days another river trip water falls hill tribes and then Hanoi vist Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and then Halong bay for couple of days with all lime stacks looking out for James Bond.
Just be prepared for upset stomach. It was a great experience meet some nice locals and taxi drivers didint know who The seagulls were just Man united and I said watch for the seagulls, this was ten years ago, hope this us starting to change.
Just be prepared for upset stomach. It was a great experience meet some nice locals and taxi drivers didint know who The seagulls were just Man united and I said watch for the seagulls, this was ten years ago, hope this us starting to change.
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
You'd need to take some pretty powerful binoculars for that. The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed around Phang-nga in Thailand, about 2,000 km from Halong Bay...
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
Don't know if things have improved, but when I was there way back in 1992 it was trebly scary after dark. No vehicles ever used their lights, and the street lighting was so pathetic they may as well not have had any. As you crossed you could hear the traffic whizzing past your ears, but you couldn't see it bearing down on you.
- Thread starter
- #15
hi Pauli, would be great if you could get any more trekking info, thanks
- Thread starter
- #16
Did you organise it yourself, anymore precise details on Mekong trip and river trip water falls hill tribes... thanks
brighton_girl87
New member
- Jul 18, 2006
- 2,319
When I was in Ho Chi Minh, I was dithering so much that a little girl (no older than 8 years old) grabbed my hand and led me across the road!
daveinprague
New member
Maybe an asian thing. Some schoolchildren helped me down some icy steps in Japan haha
Sussex Nomad
Well-known member
I'm going to Laos next year, well looking forward.
Definitely this. Really enjoyed the visit to these and the war museum. However the museum is a bit gruesome. Obviously shown from a Viet Cong perspective.
We also took a trip to the Mekong Delta and had a fascinating boat trip through the vegetation and villages.