Myanmar or Vietnam
 

I would like to take a side trip from Thailand with only four days should I go to Myanmar and would I be able to see Mandalay & Bagan or go to Vietnam and see Hanoi & Halong bay.

Thank you for any inputs

you could do either really....it depends on which interests you most....
myanmar...you could spend a full day in yangon and consider it seen and then fly up to mandalay for 2 days....if you hired a guide he/she would get you around to the important sites...

VN: you could also do hanoi in a day and 1/2 and maybe two days for hyphong and halong bay....

having been to both, although not up to mandalay (ssen pictures only)...i would find myanmar more interesting (for me)

To me four days seems like enough time to do one place only, so either Hanoi if you choose VN or if you choose Burma, choose either Rangoon or Mandalay (the two cities you can fly to directly). If you try to do two places in four days, you'll see either lots of the Vietnamese Roads (not great) or the insides of Burmese airports (also not the most interesting).

U could also consider Luang Prabang in Laos or Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) for your side trip - both are very doable in 4 days and well connected by air. Where are u going next and what is your agenda during the 4 days? May be able to advise u better.

Thank you to you all for your inputs, I'm leanning towards Myanmar because I love old temples, saw Ankor last year and I was blowned away. maybe I'll fly directly into Mandalay and see Bagan, is there a lot of temples in Luang Brabang? I'm flying in and out of of Bangkok where I will be for business.

Thank you.

Luang Prabang is full of lovely wats. They are not ruins, but are working temples with monks in residence.

If you really want to see Bagan (rememebr there are hundreds of temples there), you need to take more than 4 days in Burma. Last I checked there were not daily flights to Mandalay from BKK. Just getting to Bagan and back in a four day period will take careful timing. If you actually want to see temples while you're there... well, I think you get the picture. You'll obviously have to use flights inside Burma, which are not all that reliable in terms of departure and arrival times.

Thank you Kathie, you're right I can't find any direct flight to Mandalay wish i had more time.

John

Air Mandalay, a privately run airline, is safe and dependable. We flew them and the flights all departed and arrived on time. If you like temples, Luang Prabang and Bagan have the most, albeit, they are very different from one another. Both are magnificent. You won't see as many in Vietnam but Vietnam has other attributes. It's beautiful, the people are wonderful (as they are in Burma and Laos) the food is fabulous. I guess I haven't made your choice any easier so try and be content with the fact that you can always go back and see what you've missed!

Thank you Laurieco, yes you have made the choice a little more difficult but very usefull since I have not decided yet, i have a few more days to decide.

Since Bagan is a must-see, I agree with previous posters that you cannot do Myanmar in 4 days with the fact that there is no direct flight to Bagan. Unless you plan to visit Myanmar again.

If you haven't been in Cambodia, I'd suggest that you visit Angor Wat instead; 4 days is about right. And after Angor, you can believe that you have pretty much covered Cambodia.

i'm facing the same dilemma: Myanmar or Hanoi (i have 4-5 days) in April. Many posters talk about Bagan; is Yangon (and nearby area) interesting enough for 4 days?
Talk about tough choices!!

You could fly into Yangon early am from BKK on Thai air and then see Yangon with a guide and car. Next day fly up to Bagan and stay at Bagan Hotel (right amongst the temples) and hire a car/driver for 2 days and then fly back to Yangon & return to BKK. You can easily see the 12-15 main temples in a 1-2 days. We used Santa Maria Tours & travel in Yangon for our air and some accom bookings. They were excellent. Just email them and tell them what you want to do & voila! They were cheap too!! Check out www.myanmartravels.net for some ideas. An excellent guide in Bagan is Kyaw Thura Aung. He is a local business owner and guides part-time. His email is [email protected]
Now & again one must fit tailor the destination to the available time! Have fun & good luck with your trip!