Brief trip report on recent trip to Luang Prabang, Vietnam and Siem Reap
Jan 16th, 2016, 01:17 PM
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Brief trip report on recent trip to Luang Prabang, Vietnam and Siem Reap
We returned recently from a 3 week trip to Luang Prabang (Laos), several cities in Vietnam (Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon) and Siem Reap (Cambodia). I wanted to share a few recommendations for others planning a similar trip. I’m not going to comment on places like museums and other historical sights because everyone should/will do some of those things.
Based on recommendations on this Forum, we worked with Tonkin Travel, a Hanoi-based travel agency, to plan the trip. They were excellent in every way – reasonably priced, responsive, able to adjust as necessary. I would highly recommend. In fact, we had planned and priced a nearly identical trip through a US-based company before I read through the Forum recommendations, and were quoted a MUCH higher price for a nearly identical trip. I know that many on the Forum indicate that an agency isn’t needed for travel in this area and they are probably correct, but we really liked having the full service in each place with transportation and local guides already arranged. Our guide in Luang Prabang was particularly wonderful – I’ll find and post his name separately. Our favorite hotels were the Hanoi La Siesta Hotel and Spa, their sister hotel in Hoi An called the Essence Hoi An Hotel and Spa and La Maison D’Angkor in Siem Reap. All three are lovely smaller hotels with fantastic service. In Hanoi, the hotel arranged a walking food tour around the Old Quarter that was just fantastic – our guide was a chef with his own restaurant outside the city - we ate extremely well in places we would never had the courage to try (and we’re pretty adventurous when it comes to eating) and it was just great fun following him all over the Old Quarter and hearing about his life and family.
In fact, the food was a real highlight of our trip. We took cooking classes in Luang Prabang at the Tamarind Garden – which is located a bit outside of town in a lovely grotto setting with the full cooking school outside under a covered roof. We also took cooking classes in Hue at the y Thao restaurant (a lucky last minute substitution due to a rained out biking schedule) and in Hoi An at the Green Bamboo cooking school. All the classes were completely different, focused on regional specialties and great fun as well as really instructional. I would recommend even for non-cooks because the markets and cuisine are essential to understanding the culture of these places. Probably the most fun we had on our trip was the XO Motorbike Food tour in Saigon. We were picked up at our hotel by lovely young women with motorcycles who drove us all over Saigon visiting true “local” restaurants, ordering the particular specialties at each place and explaining about the food, the neighborhood and the general scene. In between restaurants we visited some uniquely Saigon locales that aren’t in any guidebooks. After having watched the CRAZY motorbike traffic all over Vietnam from the vantage point of vans, taxis and tuk-tuks, it was a complete hoot to be in the middle of it ourselves. Really, really fun. Apparently XO Tours also does motorbike shopping tours as well, which I would have down in a heartbeat if we had known.
We found Luang Prabang nice but very touristy but enjoyed our hikes and trips outside of town; we would have been content with a day trip to Halong Bay and to continue south instead of the overnight on the junk – the Bay is beautiful but the ride from and back to Hanoi is excruciatingly long and boring; and we didn’t care for the city of Siem Reap at all. But we had a great time on our trip and would gladly visit again.
Based on recommendations on this Forum, we worked with Tonkin Travel, a Hanoi-based travel agency, to plan the trip. They were excellent in every way – reasonably priced, responsive, able to adjust as necessary. I would highly recommend. In fact, we had planned and priced a nearly identical trip through a US-based company before I read through the Forum recommendations, and were quoted a MUCH higher price for a nearly identical trip. I know that many on the Forum indicate that an agency isn’t needed for travel in this area and they are probably correct, but we really liked having the full service in each place with transportation and local guides already arranged. Our guide in Luang Prabang was particularly wonderful – I’ll find and post his name separately. Our favorite hotels were the Hanoi La Siesta Hotel and Spa, their sister hotel in Hoi An called the Essence Hoi An Hotel and Spa and La Maison D’Angkor in Siem Reap. All three are lovely smaller hotels with fantastic service. In Hanoi, the hotel arranged a walking food tour around the Old Quarter that was just fantastic – our guide was a chef with his own restaurant outside the city - we ate extremely well in places we would never had the courage to try (and we’re pretty adventurous when it comes to eating) and it was just great fun following him all over the Old Quarter and hearing about his life and family.
In fact, the food was a real highlight of our trip. We took cooking classes in Luang Prabang at the Tamarind Garden – which is located a bit outside of town in a lovely grotto setting with the full cooking school outside under a covered roof. We also took cooking classes in Hue at the y Thao restaurant (a lucky last minute substitution due to a rained out biking schedule) and in Hoi An at the Green Bamboo cooking school. All the classes were completely different, focused on regional specialties and great fun as well as really instructional. I would recommend even for non-cooks because the markets and cuisine are essential to understanding the culture of these places. Probably the most fun we had on our trip was the XO Motorbike Food tour in Saigon. We were picked up at our hotel by lovely young women with motorcycles who drove us all over Saigon visiting true “local” restaurants, ordering the particular specialties at each place and explaining about the food, the neighborhood and the general scene. In between restaurants we visited some uniquely Saigon locales that aren’t in any guidebooks. After having watched the CRAZY motorbike traffic all over Vietnam from the vantage point of vans, taxis and tuk-tuks, it was a complete hoot to be in the middle of it ourselves. Really, really fun. Apparently XO Tours also does motorbike shopping tours as well, which I would have down in a heartbeat if we had known.
We found Luang Prabang nice but very touristy but enjoyed our hikes and trips outside of town; we would have been content with a day trip to Halong Bay and to continue south instead of the overnight on the junk – the Bay is beautiful but the ride from and back to Hanoi is excruciatingly long and boring; and we didn’t care for the city of Siem Reap at all. But we had a great time on our trip and would gladly visit again.
Jan 18th, 2016, 02:23 AM
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Interesting that we all have different takes on places.
We are in Siem Reap right now and liking it a lot because there are so many different things to do; we are much more into the temples than we thought we'd be. In fact, we have now extended our stay to 10 nights. However, we think the area around downtown and Pub Street is appalling and are so glad we chose to stay on the other side of the river yet within walking distance of lots of places.
flyingboxx--Siem Reap is extremely easy to plan on your own, and you do not need an agency's assistance. Every hotel has trusted drivers and guides. If you do not want to do it on your own, you can have them arrange things once you arrive or even before you arrive.
We are in Siem Reap right now and liking it a lot because there are so many different things to do; we are much more into the temples than we thought we'd be. In fact, we have now extended our stay to 10 nights. However, we think the area around downtown and Pub Street is appalling and are so glad we chose to stay on the other side of the river yet within walking distance of lots of places.
flyingboxx--Siem Reap is extremely easy to plan on your own, and you do not need an agency's assistance. Every hotel has trusted drivers and guides. If you do not want to do it on your own, you can have them arrange things once you arrive or even before you arrive.
Jan 18th, 2016, 02:38 AM
#6
Excellent timing! We're going in a little over two months, just got back confirmation yesterday for La Siesta. And I was looking for cooking classes in Hoi An and in Luang Prabang.
Glad you said what you did about the Halong daytrip thought. We've been debating that - we keep feeling like we don't really want to spend a night on a junk, as much as seeing Halong feels like something we'd miss if we didn't go somehow.
You're ticking all the boxes, so thanks!
Glad you said what you did about the Halong daytrip thought. We've been debating that - we keep feeling like we don't really want to spend a night on a junk, as much as seeing Halong feels like something we'd miss if we didn't go somehow.
You're ticking all the boxes, so thanks!
Jan 18th, 2016, 10:25 AM
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Great info, more details, please, we are planning a very similar trip next year. Can you give us a break down by number of days in each place? And your itinerary with transfer details (if by train, bus, etc) from A to B? And what would you do differently next time? Thanks.
CC, I need to go and find your planning posts...hope you have some, right?
CC, I need to go and find your planning posts...hope you have some, right?
Jan 18th, 2016, 02:52 PM
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xyz99, not really - only a couple posts. Was evaluating LP as a hot season choice last week (we decided to go anyway, over Lao New Year and leave Ha Giang for another time). And one yesterday I had one looking for a Ninh Binh place to stay. We decided on a well reviewed homestay on TA when the thread here didn't get a hit (it did later, with some good related advice). That was about it, I think.
Jan 26th, 2016, 09:11 AM
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Hi xyz99,
I think you were asking for more details? Below was our itinerary.
1 28/11/2015 LUANG PRABANG ARRIVAL
2 29/11/2015 LUANG PRABANG
3 30/11/2015 LUANG PRABANG
4 01/12/2015 LUANG PRABANG - HANOI
5 02/12/2015 HANOI
6 03/12/2015 HANOI
7 04/12/2015 HANOI - HALONG
8 05/12/2015 HALONG - HANOI.FLIGHT HANOI-HUE
9 06/12/2015 HUE
10 07/12/2015 HUE - HOI AN
11 08/12/2015 HOI AN
12 09/12/2015 HOI AN
13 10/12/2015 HOI AN - DA NANG - SAI GON
14 11/12/2015 SAI GON – MEKONG – SAI GON
15 12/2015 SAI GON – SIEM REAP
16 13/12/2015 SIEM REAP
17 14/12/2015 SIEM REAP
18 15/12/2015 SIEM REAP - DEPARTURE
With respect to doing things differently...I would have liked more time in Saigon and less in Siem Reap. Otherwise, it worked out well. Had we had the opportunity, I would have added another week to the trip and spent more time in Vietnam, visiting the Highlands, etc.
Happy planning!
I think you were asking for more details? Below was our itinerary.
1 28/11/2015 LUANG PRABANG ARRIVAL
2 29/11/2015 LUANG PRABANG
3 30/11/2015 LUANG PRABANG
4 01/12/2015 LUANG PRABANG - HANOI
5 02/12/2015 HANOI
6 03/12/2015 HANOI
7 04/12/2015 HANOI - HALONG
8 05/12/2015 HALONG - HANOI.FLIGHT HANOI-HUE
9 06/12/2015 HUE
10 07/12/2015 HUE - HOI AN
11 08/12/2015 HOI AN
12 09/12/2015 HOI AN
13 10/12/2015 HOI AN - DA NANG - SAI GON
14 11/12/2015 SAI GON – MEKONG – SAI GON
15 12/2015 SAI GON – SIEM REAP
16 13/12/2015 SIEM REAP
17 14/12/2015 SIEM REAP
18 15/12/2015 SIEM REAP - DEPARTURE
With respect to doing things differently...I would have liked more time in Saigon and less in Siem Reap. Otherwise, it worked out well. Had we had the opportunity, I would have added another week to the trip and spent more time in Vietnam, visiting the Highlands, etc.
Happy planning!
Jan 26th, 2016, 11:24 AM
#10
Excellent report. I differ with you however on Halong Bay and Siem Reap. The drive to Halong Bay and back from Hanoi is boring but the overnight on a very nice small junk was wonderful. We all wished that we could spend a second night on it. Also enjoyed the town of Siem Reap. Luang Prabang is on our list but it sounds like we need to visit sooner than later.
