Hey everyone,
I plan on hitting Sth East Asia for 6wks in early July/mid-Aug. I've never been to that part of the world and have no idea how best to plan the trip. I was thinking Hong Kong-Singapore-Hanoi- travel down with some stop offs-HCMC-Cambodia-Bangkok-ChangMai-Koh Sumi-Bangkok-HK-Home (Dublin)
Not sure of HK is realistic, just seems like a cool city to visit! But might be more cost effective to fly in and out of either Bangkok or Singapore. My main focus is Vietnam & Thailand.
I was told stay on the east coast of Thailand as it'll be rainy season.
I've looked at Air Asia and they seem v reasonable. Not sure if it's realistic to bus it down through Vietnam and into Cambodia. I have 6wks, but need to keep the costs down as I plan on meeting my other half in Thailand for the last leg of the trip to party/relax in the sun, and maybe splash out on some nice accom!
Does anyone have any advice or tips on the above? I'm only starting to look into it all now!
Thanks a mil!
6wks in South East Asia for a First Timer
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In my experience it's almost always less expensive to fly into Bangkok. Air Asia is my airline of choice for flights within the region and I recently flew with them from Hanoi to Bangkok.
Singapore and Hong Kong are both relatively expensive cities for accommodations so if cost is a factor you may want to skip 1 or both. When I'm in Asia I like to make a short visit to one or the other but they aren't essential to my well-being.
There are inexpensive trains between Hanoi & HCMC and also between Bangkok & Chiang Mai. I'd do that for the experience or if your budget demands. Otherwise flights aren't expensive. More train information here: www.seat61.com
If your main focus is Thailand and Vietnam, then flying into and out of Bangkok makes more sense. If it were me, I'd pick EITHER Hong Kong or Singapore for a few days. Either one is easily reached from Bangkok, and the flights are not long. These two cities are a bit more costly for hotels.
Maybe someone will chime in on the possible airline connections for Chiang Mai, Cambodia and HCMC with an air pass from (???) airline... can't think of which one offers this! A search on this forum would probably find it for you.
Koh Samui is relatively expensive to fly to, but flying is the quickest way to get there. You and your other half might enjoy a splurge on Samui and then move on to Bangkok for a few nights before heading home, and stay in one of the 5* splurge hotels there as well.
"Not sure if it's realistic to bus it down through Vietnam and into Cambodia" entirely realistic for a 6 week trip and a great way to really see the country. Buses are cheap and there is an extensive and developed network. Any guesthouse will arrange tickets for you. MmePerdu has already provide a link to seat 61 which is a superb resource for trains which, apart from Cambodia, are a great way to explore SEA. The only issue I see is the weather at that time of year. Parts of Vietnam and Cambodia can be subject to flooding at that time making ground travel sometimes difficult. That said it is a good time to travel as the scenery is greener and there are far fewer tourists around making sights like Angkor Wat more enjoyable.
Useful websites for travel in the region include www.travelfish.org and www.talesofasia.com for Cambodia. www.hostelworld.com and www.hostelbookers.com are great resources for booking inexpensive accommodation ( not just hostels)
Useful for accommodations: www.airbnb.com.
Happy Travels!
I'm planning my trip. Intend to take sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Leaves around 6:30 pm and arrives around 9:30 am. This was recommended to me from another travel forum. My daughter used NOK Air to fly-ferry combo ticket to Koh Samui this past December. About $60 USD one way. Return direct flight K. Samui to Bangkok on Bangkok Air. From Bangkok she went on to travel in Cambodia ending in Phnom Penh, flying back to Bangkok, home to China.
Be aware that if you go from Cambodia into Thailand by land you get 15 day no charge tourist visa waiver. Only get 30 days if you enter Thailand by air.