Advice on Cambodia & Vietnam please.

Old Feb 1st, 2016, 01:54 PM
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Advice on Cambodia & Vietnam please.

Hi, I will be travelling solo to Cambodia and Vietnam in a couple of weeks. First time to Asia, but not my first time travelling solo. I am 46 - mostly interested in history, culture and nature, a bit of cycling, walking etc, and also some chill time. Will be staying for 33 nights.

This is what I have planned so far and would welcome feedback and suggestions for the rest of my itinerary.

Arrive Ho Chi Minh at lunchtime on 15th Feb. Stay two nights.
Arrive Phu Quoc 17th Feb lunchtime, leave 21st Feb lunchtime. Do Discover Scuba in Phu Quoc
Fly to Can Tho - arrive afternoon on 21st Feb
21 Feb - Can Tho.
22nd Feb - Visit floating market.
23 Feb - .Mekong Eyes for trip to Can Tho overnight.
24th - Cruise ends - shuttle to Saigon.
25th - Fly early am from Saigon to Siem Reap.
Spend either 5 or six night Siem Reap for Angkor temple and chilling and sightseeing in between.

1 or 2nd March to 7th March - undecided.

Possibilities - 4 nights Hanoi.
2 or 3 nights Ninh Nin area by train.
2 nights Paradise Hotel & 1 night Paradise Halong cruise - can't decide if worth it as I get travel sick in mini buses.
4 nights including train Sapa - but not sure as I like walking in peace and quiet.
3 nights Hue if time allows.
3-4 nights Hoi An.
If have time left - 4 nights Nha Trang to complete scuba diving course, but not essential as can do it in Europe.

Also wondered about Phnom Phen but some bloggers say they felt less safe there recently.

I'm not going to try to fit in all the above but some advice on what I have booked so far and the options I'm considering would be appreciated. I don't want to miss must sees and experiences but I don't want to spend too much time travelling around. I will do most internal travel by plane - except Hanoi to Ninh Binh (train) and Hue to Hoi An (train).
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Old Feb 1st, 2016, 01:57 PM
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sorry meant 1 or 2nd March to 18th. 18th to 19th will be in Saigon for flight home.
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Old Feb 1st, 2016, 04:41 PM
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I can just give you a couple thoughts.

We are in Cambodia now as part of a 6 week trip. If you can fit it in and want to spend the money, look at an overnight from Siem Reap to Preah Vihear temple on the Thai/Cambodia border. We spent 11 nights in Siem Reap and visited nearly all of the temples. Preah Vihear was right up at the top as one of our favorite experience. We are in Kampot right now and liked it so much that we extended our stay to 5 nights. You can get here easily by flying to either Sihanoukville or Phnom Penh. We've talked with lots of single females here who are comfortably traveling on their own.

For some less touristy experiences that are very nice in Vietnam look at Bai Halong Bay (north of Halong Bay) and BacHa (walking and fascinating minority markets) rather than Sapa area.

Be prepared for heat! It is beastly hot here in Cambodia already. Locals are saying this is but another example of climate change; there really has been none of the usual cooler winter weather.
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Old Feb 1st, 2016, 05:40 PM
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I can add a few thoughts about Phnom Penh, although we were travelling as a couple, we talked at length to several solo women travellers. They felt comfortable there, as did I when venturing out alone - being sensible of course, weighing risk.

There's an Architecural tour we found fascinating, plus some fairly recent dark history. Toul Sleng and the killing fields were very confronting, but helped to put the country into context for me on a previous trip in 2011.

I have a trip report from our second time there in December 2015, PP is toward the end.

I agree with julies (glad you're enjoying) Kampot is lovely, and it's not hard to get to.
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Old Feb 1st, 2016, 10:17 PM
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A few thoughts:

Rather than double back to Saigon continue from Can Tho to Chau Doc (a wonderful place to spend a few days) and get the boat to Phnom Penh from there. PP is definitely worth a couple of days at least. I found it as safe there as anywhere in Asia, but then, I am neither travelling solo, nor female!

If you want to get your scuba qualification why not do the first part ( inc theory etc. ) in Europe and then complet in Vietnam. That way the boring, but essential parts are done in a swimming pool in the European winter and you get to do some nice dives in tropical waters. Choose you dive school carefully. Jeremy Steins Rainbow Divers is v. Good.

I presume you mean NInh Binh? If so, rather than spend that amount of time there, I would consider incorporating your visit into a tour from Hanoi and include some hiking in mountains. We used Ethnic Travel who were very good and not expensive.

If you get travel sick think very carefully about the Ha Long bay trip. The journey is long (5 hours) hot and boring.

Hue to Danang ( for Hue ) is an excellent trip!

It is still possible to find some quiet places to hike in Sapa but you will have to really push your operator to take you there and it will involve some overnight stays in basic accommodation. Ba Be lakes and and Ha Giang are quieter alternatives.

We did most of our hiking between Mai Chau and Ninh Binh. More details and photos on our blog @ http://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/

I agree with the previous comments re Kampot. We spent a lot of time there. It is possible, with a little effort, to get there from Phu Quoc.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2016, 12:17 AM
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Interested in history? You should spend at least 2 full days in Phnom Penh.

To get a vivid idea of people went through under Pol Pot you need to spend a couple of hours each at the Killing Fields (KF) and S21 Genocide Museum.

Easy to do by Tuk Tuk from your hotel. Start after breakfast, visit KF first. The site is well presented, and the admission charge includes an audio guide. As soon as you put the headphones on you'll become totally immersed.

Then back into town for S21, which is a raw experience.

Then lunch close to S21. Then if you fancy a bit of market shopping, the Russian Market is closeby.

Then back to your hotel, freshen up, have a swim. Between 1700-1900 there is an Happy Hour at the Foreign Correspondents Club on Sisowath Quay. It's a lovely place, get there a litle early and grab a seat on the balcony overlooking the river and the madness on the road below.

Finish the day with dinner at one of the many restaurants along Sisowath Quay.

Great day out, you'll learn a lot about living Cambodian history, and maybe make a friend or two over a few drinks at the FCC.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2016, 12:25 AM
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To get to Hoi An by train from Hue, you have to get off at Da Nang, and then taxi [about 350k dong].

That train ride is very scenic, and travelling north to south you need to sit on the left hand side for all the best views. And believe it or not the 3rd Class compartments are best as the windows will be open.

You haven't mentioned Da Lat. Worth a look at.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2016, 03:24 AM
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We got to Phnom Penh today and were very pleasantly surprised by what we found. We like the city.

We are traveling as a couple, but as a single female traveling alone as you are contemplating what I'd do is find a comfortable hotel in a quiet area with tons of restaurants within a couple blocks and also an on-site restaurant. That way when you go out to eat at night, you won't need to venture more than a few blocks from your home base. In fact, even as a couple, that is our plan for the evenings and dinner.
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Old Feb 7th, 2016, 12:47 PM
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Thanks everyone. Julies - I've enjoyed reading about your trip as you travel. Thank you for the great tips. Good plan staying close to restaurants to make things easier/safer in the evenings. I will look into Preah Vihear.

Sartoric, I really enjoyed reading your trip report. Thank you.

Thanks Crellston. I came across your blog a little while ago & have found it v useful. I will look into doing a group tour.

Unfortunately the cruise I booked finished in Cai Be. They do have the option to take their bus Chau Doc afterwards but it is a 4 hour journey.

Thanks for the great info LancasterLad. Da Lat does look v nice, but I get the feeling that it's going to be impossible to see everything I want to on this trip without rushing, so I may have to visit more than once.
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Old Feb 9th, 2016, 06:23 AM
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I wasn't traveling alone when I was in PP, but I did venture out on my own a few times- never felt unsafe (23yo female at the time) I really enjoyed the city, and found the Killing Fields and S21 to be very educational and horrifyingly sad, but a necessary part of learning about a country that I quickly grew to love. I had the same guide in Siem Reap and PP and he shared his own story about the Khmer Rouge and it is a story I will never, ever forget.

The central market is very similar to any other market save for the building which it's in, which is just lovely. (And high ceilings so it's COOL in there!)

Head to the FCC for a great view of the river and a nice meal.
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