gottabee

My husband and I are finally taking our honeymoon and have settled on Cambodia and Vietnam. We are flying into Phnom Penh on December 24, 2009 and flying out of Hanoi on January 8, 2010! SO, I basically have 2 weeks to play with and wanted any and all suggestions for itinerary.

From what I've read on the forums, I gather we should do the following at least to start:
Dec 24 - arrive mid morning, get visas, get to a hotel
Dec 25 - Phnom Penh
Dec 26 - AM bus to Siem Reap; catch sunset at Ankgor Wat
Dec 27 - Angkor Wat
Dec 28 - More AW and surrounds
Dec 29 - Finish Siem Reap area and find our way to Vietnam?

Also, any suggestions on the best/economical way to get to Hanoi? Should we stop by Saigon? Any thoughts greatly appreciated!!!

Kathie

No question that the fastest way to get to VN is to fly. At that time of the year (the busiest time for tourists) you would be wise to have reservations for hotels and air. Note that it takes three full days just to visit the major temples in the Siem Reap area. There are dozens of accessible temples, so consider how much time you want in Siem Reap. We spent a week and would have enjoyed even more time.

Whether to stop In HCMC depends on what you want to do/see in your time in VN. Many people find Hanoi to be a more interesting city than HCMC, with some of colonial architecture and ancient pagodas intact.

Do you have a guidebook yet? Spend some time with the guidebook to see what interests you most.

jm1971

I was in Cambodia and Vietnam last fall. I agree with Kathie the more time you can spend at Angkor the better. I spent four days and wished I had a little more. Highly recommend reading up on it before so you will know the major kings and periods when the temples were constructed. I think you will get more enjoy it more. Also one little tip if you are a new visitor to s.e asia. The heat and humidity take a while to get used to, I literally was sweating the entire time I was there,so its best to just slow down and take your time.
I was in both Saigon and Hanoi. If you are interested in Vietnam War history you would enjoy Saigon. You can also take an excursion to the Mekong delta region which I enjoyed. I spent three nights in Saigon and thought it was plenty of time

Pat_Rick

Gottabee, we (my husband, our granddaughter, and myself) just booked a trip to Cambodia and Vietnam, leaving LAX on Dec. 25 arrive in Phnom Penh on Dec. 27, and coming back on Jan. 9.

We have
2 nights in Phnom Penh, stay at Raffles Hotel Le Royal
fly to Siam Reap
4 nights in Siam Reap, stay at Hotel De La Paix
fly to Saigon
2 nights in Saigon, stay at Renaissance Riverside Hotel (using Marriott points)
Drive to Can Tho via Cai Be, cruise to Dong Hoa Hiep...
over night in Can Tho at Victoria Can Tho Hotel
Cruise and drive back to Saigon to fly to Hanoi
2 nights in Hanoi, staying at Sofitel Metropole
Drive to Halong Bay
overnight on Jasmine Junk
Drive back to Hanoi
Overnight stay at Sofitel Metropole
Fly back to LA.

We have two cooking classes, one in Siam Reap and one in Hanoi.

Pat

Pat_Rick

Oh, the flights are not that expensive.
Phnom Penh – Siem Reap 88 USD/per person.
Siem Reap – Saigon 136 USD/per person.
Saigon – Hanoi 108 USD/per person.

Pat

thursdaysd

"Oh, the flights are not that expensive....Siem Reap – Saigon 136 USD/per person."

Well, "expensive" is all in the eye of the beholder. You can do it on the ground for much less, and have more fun doing it.

Katina54

Hi Pat_Rick,

Your itineraries look so great, my family of 4 also going to Thailand and Cambodia next year, we're now looking to book our trip to Cambodai too. I would be happy if you could advice us where you book them or you do on own?

With best wishes,

Pat_Rick

We booked our trip with Mr. Ann at GLOBAL TRAVEL & TOURS in Cambodia directly. This is a private tour since we do not like group tours. We research the trips ourselves and then make arrangements using e-mail and Skype. Here is his contact information. He has been very responsive to us, and there are many positive reviews of him on the Internet. His pricing is also more reasonable than what we obtained from US-based sources.

No 113, Street 130
Sangkat Phsa Chas, Khan Duan Penh
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
Tel : (855) 23 224738
Fax: (855) 23 224739
Mob (855) 12 828759
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.globaltravel-cambodia.com
internet chat: skype "anncambodia"
internet chat: yahoo "annglobaltravel"

We were in Thailand from 12/25/04 to 1/9/05 (we were in the air when the tsunami hit), We had a wonderful guide for Chiang-Mai in case you are interested.

His name is Joe, his e-mail is [email protected]. He charged us 900B for half a way (pick us up from the airport, take us to the hotel, then take us around Chiang Mai for half a day). 1500B for a whole day, 3750B for the three of us to the Elephant Camp (all inclusive), and 6000B to the Golden Triangle and the Hilltribe Village. On the day of our cooking class, he picked us up from the hotel in the morning, picked us up from the cooking school in the afternoon, took us to an internet cafe, then walked us to the weekend market, told us to call him on his cell phone when we are done and picked us up at 9pm. He didn't charge us for that day at all. He is very reasonable, reliable, speaks great English, just all around a great guy. You will not regret to hiring him, we think he is the best. His cell phone number is (was) 01-6716063. I hope his contact information is still current.

Pat

crellston

I agree with thursdaysd, overland travel is much more fun, you will see more of of the country and its cheaper.

Also, iBootTravel - advertising your website is not allowed on this forum

Katina54

Hi Pat,

thanks very much for your sharing us the information, my family also booked the trip with Mr Ann. He wonderful to deal with. Prompt with responses and honest with price.

JAN 24: fly to Siam Reap via Bkk (booked the private tour with Global Travel Cambodia)
4 nights in Siam Reap, stay at Hotel De La Paix
fly to Phnom Penh
2 nights in Phnom Penh, stay at Raffles Le Royal

We also have 20minutes scenic flight.