My family and I (husband, 2 teenagers and I)are going to spend one month visiting Bangkok, Anantara(Golden Triangle), Angkor, and finally Myanmar next December/January. After what's been happening in Myanmar, we do not to know if we'd better cancel the one week there or not. I know it is impossible to predict what is going to happen there in the next months, but we are thinking of changing our plans. We are very sorry to do that, first because we were very eager to visit M, but also because the hotels are already paid for. We are not sure if they are going to refund us...
But my question is: where to go in the week we have. I think the options are: Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, ...?????We would like to go to a "peaceful"country (difficult nowadays).
Any ideas will be more than wellcome!
THANKS everybody
Now, more than ever I need the fodorites'help!!

how about bali....thai air has one daily flight from bkk...you can use air asia too through K/L...

i would hold off a week or so but maybe make hotel res now---able to be cancelled...

I'd opt for Vietnam and Cambodia. I've travelled to about 35 countries, and rated my Vietnam-Cambodia trip (which I did solo) as among the best experiences I have ever had.

I did a fabulous 750 cruise along the Mekong from the delta to Siem Reap, and travelled with www.pandaw.com

I couldn't fault the cruise at all. It was simply the best. It sounds expensive, but when you consider that it includes accommodation, all meals (superb restaurant-style food) generally 2 onshore excursions per day, all tea, coffee, soft drink and local beer, it's actually pretty reasonable.

I have photos at http://www.jmprphotography.com/portfolio7393.html

I stayed at the Bopha-Angkor hotel in Siem Reap (excellent value, and a wonderful boutique hotel, wandered through the amazing Angkor temples and then flew to Hanoi and worked my back down to Saigon.

Email me at [email protected] if you want any more information.

You can also do a search in the Asia forum. Search for "Pandaw trip report" and the search will throw up "Cambodia/Vietnam trip report", which is it!

I'm doing the Pandaw's Burma cruise next year (all going well) because it is one of the most professional operators I have ever run into.

Any of the places you mention are reasonable options, as is Bali (though it's a longer flight). Laos would be lovely, and you could choose one city in VN and plan a couple of day trips. If you choose VN, I'd opt for Hanoi, and you could do an overnight trip to Halong Bay. In Malaysia, Penag was great, especially staying at the E&O. You may have read Kathie's Penang, Chiang Mai and Bangkok trip report, 2006.

If you feel you can't or don't want to go to Burma I would simply expand your time in thailand and Cambodia. Add a few days in PP in Cambodia, add a day or two in Bangkok and add three days in northern thailand -- chiang mai, pai. MHS or other places in the area. Rather than going to a totally different country and culture, how about spending more time where you already are. I have probably spent 8 months in thailand and i still find new things to see and do.