Itinerary Advice - Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos & Thailand
 

We are planning a 5-6 week tour starting in Hanoi working south and west in January & February 2013. We are considering going from Hanoi to Luang Prabang to Da Nang (Hue & An Hoi) to Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap to Bangkok. We plan some side trips and some flexibility in itinerary. We are looking for comments on the itinerary and suggestions on "must see" places.

Where are you flying in and out of?

As you have it now, you enter VN twice, so would need a double entry visa. Also, last I checked there were no direct flights from Hanoi to LP. It's possible that may have changed. But if you go from north to south in VN, then fly to Siem Reap (there are non-stops from HCMC to Siem Reap) and then on to Luang Prabang and end in Bangkok, I think you could do each one of those flights as non-stops. That will save you a lot of transit time.

we spent nine weeks visiting those areas this past January and February. It was great! As kathie pointed out you don't want to enter VN twice. you could start in Hanoi and go South ending in Saigon. Then fly to Siem Reap and then to LP and finally on to BKK. Lots of trip reports on these areas on this board including mine-do a search and you'll get lots of great information.

When you're in Hanoi, it's well worth a side-trip to visit the beautiful Halong Bay (about 3 1/2 hours drive). We just returned from a 3 day (2 night) trip which we found to be wonderful (one night is probably too short unless you're pressed for time).

It will be cool on the bay in January but the sights are stunning and very well worth a bit of a splurge to get on one of the nicer boats since there are many which are cattle-wagons with too many people for our liking.

Also, a couple of "must sees" in Bangkok - the Siam Niramit show and the Calypso ladyboy show. Very well worth the money!

Read about people's experiences on Halong Bay in January. It is likely to be cold and wet, and many people report they could see very little because of the mist and that they were cold the whole time they were there. Halong Bay seems to be one of those places that people either love (like Gabi) or they feel is entirely over-rated and they are sorry they wasted their time there. So read lots of opinions and look at lots of photos to help you decide whether to include it on your itinerary.

Hanoi itself is a fascinating city, do give yourself time to explore.

We were in Halong Bay in February this year. As Gabi & Kathie said about January, it was definitely cool & misty, verging on cold. Many people showed up for the trip in light clothing and flip flops and were very cold when on the water. I planned ahead for cooler temps and had a hat & gloves and wore several layers and was fine temperature wise. Even with the cooler temps and mist, I am still glad I had the chance to experience the Bay -- it was stunning. The mist added a very different dimension than I'm sure it looks in the brilliant sunlight. Its really a matter of time I think. We were on a 9 week journey so to take a chance on going to Halong Bay and getting not so great weather was ok. Not sure I would have felt the same on a shorter trip. We went on the Dragon Pearl III which was a very nice junk. The drive out to HB is long and relatively boring and we had light rain and drizzle pretty much the whole drive out to the Bay.

Not sure what your interests may be, but Mai Chau in VN is lovely. Its about 3-4 hours outside Hanoi and well worth a couple days to explore and visit the villages. We were totally fogged in during our couple days in Sapa, so as with HB, u have to weigh whether u want to chance it.

We were underwhelmed by Halong Bay. The karst formations are beautiful, and probably worth a look, but for us it wasn't worth the 3-1/2 hours drive each way.

Unless something has changed since my visit a few years ago, there are direct flights between Hanoi to LP. I believe that 2 carriers fly this route.

Halong Bay in January is iffy. I had misty, cloudy weather and while I was glad to have seen it once, I wish I had waited until another trip when I could have gone at a more favorable time of year. You can see similar formations at Tam Coc, which is much easier to reach from Hanoi.



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We are just beginning the planning, so we are considering flying into Hanoi and out of BKK, but we are not stuck on those plans. Have read some trip reports, but still have lots of questions. We use this forum a lot and really appreciate the good insights.

What is the problem with multiple entries into Viet Nam other than a more expensive visa? Have done that in other countries without many issues.

Can anyone comment on Sa Pa and whether it is worth the time? We are in our early sixties and no longer trek if that makes a difference.

There are direct flights from Hanoi to LP on two different airlines.

As long as you buy a multi-entry visa, the only logistical downside of entering VN more than once is the wait in the passport control lines.

Do check the "direct" flights - are they non-stop? Even though they are direct (meaning one flight number) do they have one or more stops? Do you have to change planes? Travel logistics can take a lot of time.

For me, another issue is that flying from one country to another you are changing cultures and languages. I always endeavor to memorize a few words of the local language, then promptly forget it as I move to the next country and memorize new words. You are visiting 4 countries in a relatively short time, I think you will find it easier to immerse yourself in one culture and move to the next rather than going back and forth.

People either love SaPa - or not. Note that it will be cold and rainy - maybe even snowy in January. The people I know who have enjoyed SaPa the most have enjoyed long walks in the hill country. Be aware this area is not "untouched." For instance, there are locals who have learned to curse at travelers who don't buy from them. Some people find this merely annoying, others find it aversive.

Vietnam airlines currently fly between Hanoi and LP. (If its changed in the last week or so I'm in big trouble as I've got the flight booked for mid June.)

There are no problems with multi entries into Vietnam except the extra cost.

Sapa is fine even if you do not trek, there are lots of villages & markets close by to explore. There are however lots of other tourists around, particularly at weekends.It is possible to stay at some of the more remote villages in the valley (v. basic, but a great experience ) but I am not sure if any can be reached other than on foot. As others have said a big consideration is the weather at that time of year. We were there at the same time and had sunshine, blue skies and 70f for our trekking days and then when we left to drive ovre the mountain passes to Lai Chau and Dien Bien Phu we were in really thick fog and 40f. The next day we heard that it was snowing in Sapa!

Another beautiful area in the north is the Ba Be Lakes areas which is around a 6 hour drive from Hanoi. We stayed in a homestay. again basic but great hospitality and food (cooked over an open fire inside the house!). We had the option of short (5km) or Long (20km) treks or just wander around the villages and maybe fish in the river. The main reason for visiting was to take a boat along the interconnecting lake system which was cold but wonderful. Ba Be could easily be combined with Sapa and i thing the roads have improved since we were there so it may not take as long from Hanoi.

The Mai Chau valley is much closer to Hanoi and would be top of my places to visit as a side trip. Wonderful scenery, good food and hospitable & friendly people , particularly if you stay in a homestay.

Some photos of all 3 places on our blog http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/3/tpod.html

I was not particularly taken with Halong Bay and would not bother particularly at that time of year.

As you are intent on flying into Danang, I would suggest getting the train from there to Hue as it it is one of the more spectacular train journeys in the world. Takes around 4 hours as it winds through the tunnels and passes of the marble mountains and along China beach. Much better than the car option IMHO.

A word on Halong Bay in March 2011: Our trip there was cancelled due to fog and mist. We were going to rebook a few days later but a Hanoi guide advised us that we would see still very little given the weather conditions. Another few days and we heard a couple at the next table in a restaurant expressing their disappointment at their Halong Bay tour--pea-soup fog, nearby boats looming up close, inability to see anything very much at all. It didn't even sound mysteriously "atmospheric" and romantic.

I asked the guys on our boat when the best time to come to HB-they said that really July is about the only time they rarely get fog or mist. For us it was not socked in with no visibility. That's what we had for 2 of our 3 days in Sapa and it was cold and wet and many places had no heat. brrrr. At least the boat we were on in HB had heat.

I am just finishing a four month trip through Southeast Asia and China and visited all the places where you are going and know you will have a great time. Laos was a favourite of mine--as I wrote in a blog, it "stole my heart." One place very few tourists visit but ended up being one of my best days was to Kampong Khleang on Tonle Sap. It is where houses sit on stilts and where life goes on much as it has for many, many years. There were very few tourists there. A tuk-tuk driver took me from the B&B where I was staying in Siem Reap (and I am travelling solo). There is a different place on Tonle Sap closer to Siem Reap that I understand has been ruined by tourism so I am not recommending that. This place is the real thing. (I put a little write-up and photos about it on my website http://bit.ly/xMZXXF.)

Fanjoy, the link did not work. Could you repost?

Fanjoy, the link still does not work. Could you repost? Thanks