jeairas

I'm taking a trip from March 2nd to March 24th, either planning on flying in to Ho Chi Minh city or Bangkok, then make my way down to Singapore and stop for 2-3 days in Tokyo on my way back to San Diego (as it didn't cost any extra to stop in Tokyo).

I've travelled from Hanoi to Bangkok before (about 10 years ago). Does anyone have any "must sees" from Bangkok to Singapore? Any thoughts on if I should fly into Ho Chi Minh city as opposed to Bangkok (this will subsequently give me less time for the Bangkok - Singapore traveling.

Also, with regards to Tokyo, is 2-3 days way too little? I just want to get a feeling for the city and see a few things.

With regards to the entire trip and my style, I love seeing off the beaten path type of stuff, a hole in the wall restaurant where all the locals eat, a great market or street food area, cool day trips or 2-3 day excursion trips (I did a 3 day trekking excursion in Sapa, Vietnam 10 years ago and it was amazing).

Any pointers, suggestions and overall help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

kja

I spent only about 2.5 days in Tokyo, which was enough for me -- but my interests did not include much of what many people go to Tokyo to see/experience, namely, the modern, electronic, anime, etc., side of the city. (I mean no criticism of those things -- they just weren't high enough on my list of priorities to include in the limited time I had.) I went for the museums and the extant traces of traditional Japan and just the tiniest tastes of the modern city. If you haven't already seen it, you'll find a wealth of information about Tokyo at
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2164.html

I haven't been to the other destinations you are considering, and so can't help there.

jeairas

Thanks kja!

harrybridges

maybe you can go china, there are many options for you, you can go shopping in HK, tour

amln

I'd suggest to visit southern Laos:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Laos/

Plenty of not so visited places around Champasak, the Bolaven plateau and the 4000 islands area.

jeairas

Those are great ideas AMLN, what's the best way to get there? From Ho Chi Minh city or Bangkok? Via bus, train or what?

Thanks!

Kathie

Remember that if you fly into VN, you will need a visa. If you aren't planning on spending time in VN, opt to fly into Bangkok - no visa cost, great air connections to elsewhere in SE Asia.

Some of the things you mention you are interested in makes me think of Penang. Stay right in Georgetown and sample what many consider to be the best street food in the world.

jeairas

Great point Kathie, thanks! What transportation would you recommend as I make my way from Bangkok south towards Singapore trough great places like Georgetown, etc?

Kathie

You have plenty of options in terms of transport. In addition to flying (and there are cheap airfares on Air Asia), there is the train and there are excellent luxury buses in Malaysia. I'd choose which legs to do overland and which to fly according to what I wanted to do/see.

jeairas

Great, thanks again!

amln

The key access point to southern Laos is Pakse. Pakse has an airport with connections to all major places in the region (Lao aviation). The simplest access is probably via Bangkok. Perhaps it's possible to exit south overland into Cambodia and continue the trip from there.

Johahn

I spent about 10 days in Tokyo and even that was not enough for me. The city just has so much to offer. If you like good food, then you should definitely extend your stay there. As for Singapore, how many days do you intend to stay here? I live here if you want any tips.

As to whether you should go to BKK or Saigon, it all depends how you want to travel? Are you backpacking? In which case you could do the following (it'll be a little tight but not impossible). Saigon, Nha Trang, Danang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi (and Halong Bay), BKK and then Singapore.

You can read more here: www.asiaescapades.wordpress.com


Cheers,
Johahn

jeairas

Hi Johahn, I've decided to just fly into Bangkok and make my way to Singapore and then to Tokyo, i.e. Skip Vietnam and/or Cambodia/Laos this time around. The amount of time in Singapore is very flexible depending on what the city has to offer but likely anywhere between 2-5 days. I love to try great food places, vibrant areas and would like to check out some tech gadget stores as I here Singapore has a lot to offer in that respect. Being that you live there, what are some of the top things I should see?

With regards to Tokyo, what food places would you recommend? I definitely plan on visiting the famous fish market (tsukijui).

I'll be traveling light, staying in hostels and hotels.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!