Ankor Wat
 

I am planning a trip in the fall to Vietnam and of course Ankor Wat. I am looking at various tours. I would like to hear from people who have visited Ankor Wat would 2 1/2 days be sufficient and is their anything else that s/b seen in the area .If anybody has been on tours to Vietnam would appreciate names and some feedback Thanks !

You can see the major temples--Ta Prohm, Bayon, Angkor Wat--in 2 1/2 days.

I would suggest that you spend 45 mins. walking around the Central Market. You can buy Cambodian silk and t-shirts here cheaper than from the touts you will see at the temples. It is also interesting to see the food products (monkey meat, for example) that are sold here. Note that the gold merchants are not Khmer, but ethnic Chinese.

You should also visit Artisans D'Angkor to see how young children are being trained as artisans to replace the generation of artisans who were murdered by the Khmer Rouge. You can purchase gorgeous silk and Buddha images in the shop on the grounds.

The usual length of time suggested to see the major temples is three days. Yes, you should be able to do it in two and a half. But how interested are you in the temples? If you are really interested, let me suggest you consider a longer stay. I found that many of the so-called minor temples were the ones I enjoyed most - we were often the only visitors. I recommend Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor, as an excellent guide to the temples.

By the way, there is absolutely no reason to take an organized tour to Angkor. Book your air, book your hotel, and let your hotel set you up with a driver (and guide, if you wish).

i was in siem reap 2.5 days and it really wasn't enough....generally you do not tour all day, but rather take about 3 hours off from noon to 3PM because of the heat and lunch...so your time is really less...i think 3 full days would be great and 4 even better...that way you could have a good look at the most major sites...it gets so hot that you just have to stop sometimes....
kathie is correct that going to angkor wat can easily be done without a tour, but you must have a guide and driver to really maximize your time...they are only $20 each per day...the a/c car is especially helpful to recover between stops....

i did northern VN on a limited tour, using www.asiantrails.com....we were very satisfied with them and it was very reasonable...it was just my wife and myself...so essentially it was a private tour...we did do things on our own also...check out their site...

I went on a sea kayaking tour of Ha Long Bay and a short Sa Pa trek with Handspan, and a tour of the craft villages with Footprints. I highly recommend them, especially the sea kayak tour. You can book tours for yourself, with just a few people, or join a small group. Both companies are very professional, the guides speak good English, and you don't get treated like cattle like on the cheaper cafe tours.