2 weeks - Thailand & Vietnam
 

My husband and I have two weeks to spend in Thailand & Vietnam. We have never been to SE Asia. Does anyone have a recommended itinerary/"must see & do" list for 2 weeks here? We like outdoor activities & beaches more than cities.
Any suggestions are appreciated.

First-- you should decide which country you want to visit most and spend all your time there. Two weeks is too short to do both countries justice. Second, cities are an important cultural aspect of both countries -- bangkok in thailand and hanoi in Vietnam.

What are your interests? You say outdoor activities but do you mean treking or water activities? What made you want to go to these countries? What do you want to see and experience?

There are usual 2 week itineraries for both Thailand and Vietnam. As Gloria suggested, you should probably choose one or the other. You could do both, but it would be too brief an exposure. Also, if you give your budget constraints, we can recommend lodging and activities.

i agree that you might be happier visiting one or the other, but both can be done in a wizz-bang trip...

thailand is the most tourist friendly of the two...vietnam got a late start..
most of us like northern vietnam better than the south...

in thailand you can have a city vacation: bangkok and chiang mai and a beach vacation: samui, phuket, krabi, chang, phi phi, hua hin and others, as well as an upcountry vacation in the golden triangle around chiang rai...

you would do best to get a SE Asia guide from your library or bookshop and do some reading first to compare the two..

myself i could spend two weeks in bangkok alone...

tell us something about your budget, what you like to do and where you are coming from and you will get much better answers...

Aloha and thank you all for your responses.
Where to begin: My husband and I have explored parts of South America & it was amazing. We decided that since we moved to Hawaii that it was time to explore another continent.
I have had friends who have gone to Thailand and loved it. My husband and I have both read a lot about Vietnam and it looked intriguing as well. Thus, our decision to explore this part of the world.
We had hoped to have three weeks in SE Asia, but due to work constraints we will have only 16 days total, including travel time.
As far as cities vs outdoor: We want to see places like Bangkok and Hanoi, but not spend all of our time there in the city. We would like to experience things that these places may have to offer, but we would like to spend most of our time "off the beaten path" in low key areas, ie: snorkeling off islands that are not filled with tourists and resorts, experiencing the feel of small villages and local life.
As far as budget, we could afford to spend a fair amount of money, but staying in a resort with down pillows and room service is not what we want. Nor is paying for a tour to see the regional highlights with 100 other people. We would rather stay in a bungalow on the beach near/in a small village, even if it has no hot water and we have to apply bug repellent and have a mosquito net. We'd like to know the intriguing things to see in the area and make our own agenda. As far as food - our preference would be eating fresh fish or noodles and having a few beers at one of a few restaurants in the area - not having an American meal at a resort or in a big city. Some of our most memorable experiences have been at places that are off the beaten path. Here in Hawaii, as with most other places, we can spend a lot to get the luxuries that one would expect for such $$, but we can also spend very little to get a plate lunch and sit under a palm tree in front of the biggest, most beautiful surf on a nearly vacant beach. This is the type of experience we are looking for.
Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!
-Amber

with only the 16 days and with what you have written above, i would suggest one or the other: thailand or VN....

thailand offers all that you want...bkk is a wonderful place and i would suggest you have 3 days there to start and 2 days at the end at a minimum and would prefer 4 and 3...in between i would go either north or to an island, but probably not both...a place like samui might suit you...picking an island depends on the weather so time of year is a consideration...at samui you can relax at the beach, travel around the island, do limited hiking, eat in small restaurants with great fish...it is all very local...i would not stay at chaewang bch given what you have said...i think bophut might suit you...

on the other hand you could go up into the golden triangle which is very local and laid back....