Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam - Recommendations on order of Trip!
 

I will be in Cambodia for a few months this Summer for an internship. I have a few friends who will be meeting me at the beginning of August. We are planning on spending a few days in Cambodia then we have 2 weeks to explore Thailand and Vietnam. I need to book my flight ASAP so I would like a recommendation on what order to do the trip since I will be starting in Cambodia. Should I fly to Vietnam then over to Thailand then back to the US? Or should I travel to Thailand then fly to Vietnam and head back to the US from there?

Any additional tips on itinerary/ideas are welcome as well :)

My guess is that flying to the US from Bangkok would be the most logical hub. So my sense is it would seem flying to Vietnam and then Thailand would be the way to go.

Just keep in kind what the weather patterns are when you're traveling and to figure out an itinerary taking that into account. I haven't researched summer travel in the region and wouldn't know what places would be best to visit. You might want to figure out what your travel interests are, as 2 weeks is not a lot of time to travel in one country, much less two, especially if you want help in planning.

My guess is that flying to the US from Bangkok would be the most logical hub. So my sense is it would seem flying to Vietnam and then Thailand would be the way to go.

Just keep in kind what the weather patterns are when you're traveling and to figure out an itinerary taking that into account. I haven't researched summer travel in the region and wouldn't know what places would be best to visit. You might want to figure out what your travel interests are, as 2 weeks is not a lot of time to travel in one country, much less two, especially if you want help in planning.

It makes sense to fly in and out of Bangkok (best prices). Note that a week isn't enough to explore VN, so choose the area that interests you most: Hanoi and environs, Hue/Hoi An?Da Nang, or HCMC and the Delta area.

In Thailand, choose two areas, Bangkok plus either the north or the beaches.

Do remember that you need a visa in advance for VN. The pre-arranged visa is possible when you fly in, but not on overland entry.

Hi Kathie,
Hanoi, Halong bay and Sapa , Hoian are the highlight places for Vietnam tour so you should think about this! Saigon and Mekong have not much to see!
Halong bay you should overnight on boat! ( 2 days from hanoi)
Sapa should be 3 nights 2 days with Train
Hanoi should be 2 nights
Hoian should be 3 or 4 nights for relaxing!
Should need any help, please let me know! I am happy to help you! Good luck to you!

For your own international flights, bear in mind that you do not necessarily have to go into and out of the same city for the international flight. You could do a non-stop to Bangkok from the US and then return via a non-stop from Singapore, Hong Kong or Seoul. This is called an “open jaw”. If you use the same airline, it should not cost any more to do this. However, the trick here is that airlines flying non-stop to Bangkok (like Thai) are unlikely to be the same flying non-stop from Singapore, Hong Kong or Seoul. Your best bet in that case is to look at a US or European airline (not sure where you are originating from).

There are no non-stop flights from Vietnam to/from the US (at least not the last time I checked), so you have to change in Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul or Hong Kong. Using Singapore for one of the international legs can work, as there is pretty good service between Singapore and Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Look at Silk Air or Air Asia (latter usually requires changing in Kuala Lumpur). Seoul may also work as a hub for international and then intra-Asia.

Your friends can also route into one city and out of another for the international flights. So look at routes and prices and think about what might work best. I agree that if you or your friends end up with an international flight home out of Bangkok, then ending the holiday in Bangkok makes the most sense.

For getting from Cambodia to Vietnam, as they are located next to one another, you have some options. I am not sure if you will be based on Phnom Penh or someplace else for your internship, the options below are for Phnom Penh:

1. Fly to Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi. Easiest, fastest, but most expensive. And I am not a fan of Ho Chi Minh so if you only have a week, I am not sure I would go there. I would go to Hanoi and then train or fly to other places in Vietnam. Danang has fairly good intra-Asia service (see below) so you could end the trip by flying out of Danang to Singapore or Seoul, for example, and then get an international flight from either.

2. Take a bus from Phnom Penh to Saigon – this takes about 7 hours and is very cheap (US$13), plus scenic. See http://catmekongexpress.com/ While 7 hours may seem like a long time, if you fly you will spend about 6 hours traveling, between getting to the airport, the flight itself, etc (not to mention possible flight delays, which on like Vietnam Airlines, can be an issue)

3. Take a boat from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh – this could be quite scenic and interesting as well as cheaper. The company is called Hang Chau Boat Company; I could not find a website. Again, not a huge fan of Ho Chi Minh but you can heat out quickly from there

4. If you will be in Siem Reap, you can fly from Siem Reap to DaNang on Silk Air. Danang is not much (some nice beaches) but is only about an hour from Hoi An, and is the closest airport for Hoi An. From Danang, you can train or fly elsewhere in Vietnam.

Thank you so much for all of your advice! Our starting point will be in Siem Reap. We have decided to fly to Hanoi (although it is very expensive) then on to Thailand. We now have three weeks instead of two so that will help as well. Once again thank you!!