Planning for Thailand-Cambodia-Vietnam trip.
 

Hi Guys,
I'm planning for Thai,Cambodia and Vietnam tour-My husband and my 10 year old daughter are both coming,we're all excited actually.Main question is safety for my daughter and is boarder crossing between Thai-Cambodia-Vietnam safe?I'm having hard time doing this itinerary; and i have to add this is my husband and daughter's first international tour so any suggestions and pointers are highly appreciated.

Day 1. -Bangkok to Ayutthaya-4 days -
We're going to skip the fun at BKK and head for Ayutthaya for 4 days, i'm a bit of photo enthusiast and my daughter like nature,Elephant ride is something shes interested.(is 4 days too long or short?how many days is sufficient to see all of Ayutthaya?).

Day 5 -Heading to Bangkok- 6 days.
We're gonna visit the Siam water world first,temples ,palace,visit floating market,and we might sign up for cooking classes too and shopping.

Day 7 -Cross boarder to Siem Reap,7 days.
Planning of getting a 3 days pass at Angkor wat,visit temple,palace and signing up for khmer cooking class.Does anyone know of activities for my little girl in this part of town?

Day 14-Bus ride to Phom pehn,5 days. Spend time visiting museums,palace and temples .Any suggestion? Day 20- bus ride to Saigon for 6 days. Visit tourist attraction,havent really had the time figuring out what to do in Vietnam ,apart from i really love Pho.Any suggestion? Might visit Nha trang or Hanoi....

Thats pretty much it,any feedback and suggestion on hotels,accomodation,restaurants,child friendly activities and points of interest are all greatly appreciated,and yes we only got average budget.

Thanks a lot, Liv

Liv,

Ayutthaya for 4 days is too long IMO. You can see the ruins in a day especially since you're going to Siem Reap(Ankor Wat) later on. I would do a day trip there only. The "best" ancient ruins in Thailand are further North around Sukhothai and Sri Satchanalai and for that you would need to at least spend the night or two there.

When you write "Siam water world", do you mean Siam Water Park(theme park) or Siam Ocean World(Paragon Mall)?

Yup, 4 days is way too long for Ayutthaya, Go for a day trip like Hanuman says, or at most, an overnight. If your daughter wants to ride elephants, consider going to Chiang Mai and visiting the Thai Elephant Conservation Center at Lampang. Chiang Mai is also the best place to do a cooking class.

Are you going overland from Bangkok to Siem Reap? If so, read all of the details so you can avoid the scams: www.talesofasia.com With the amount of time you are spending in Siem Reap, I do hope you will do something with the PLF. www.theplf.org This is an activity your daughter will enjoy and that she will long remember.

Five days in PP is also too long.

Most of us prefer Hanoi to HCMC.

Hanuman ,

Thanks for the tip i was thinking 4 days is too long too,might cut it off for a day trip and add Sukhothai and Sri Satchanalai as you suggested.Which is better Siam Water Park(theme park) or Siam Ocean World(Paragon Mall)?

Kathie,

Yup, we are going inland from Bangkok to Siem Reap since we're Filipino citizen, i guess we won't have a lot of issues with visas.but i'll check out that link and the PLP;
Is 2 days in Phom pehn sufficient to see the main city?
Hanoi is a bit far but they say that the train system in Vietnam is affordable and efficient,i might look into that too.Thanks so much for your input Kathie really appreciate it.

Liv

Liv77,

Siam Water Park or Siam Park City is a theme park or amusement park with a gigantic pool/artificial sea with artificial surf - http://www.siamparkcity.com/en/home.php

Siam Ocean World is an underwater tunnel type of attraction so that you can see the fishes from below the surface - http://www.siamoceanworld.co.th/

Regarding the ancient ruins in Thailand, I would caution you that they are not in pristine conditions such as those in Angkor Wat. These are mostly ruins left after destruction by invading armies and hold significant importance to Thais but a tourist might not find them interesting or good to look at. Traveling to Sukhothai and Sri Satchanalai requires a lot of time driving so that's another factor you should consider.

I have some photos from Sukhothai and Sri Satchanalai and they might help you to decide if it's worthwhile for you to visit: http://khun-pook.smugmug.com/History...43014489_Jqk9Y

there is a nice zoo in bangkok too near to where the king lives...

AY is not really "nature"... it is a large ruin site... not sure that you would find elephants there either?? personally i would skip it totally and go to siem reap (angkor) for the very best of the ruins and also for preservation.... i would prefer 4 days there too...

i might have some concern about the water at a water park?? is it totally safe?

Liv
I have replied to your other thread. Agree that one day is enough for Ayutthaya.

Regarding Visas for Cambodia, I have always done the eVisa... Costs $25.00 vs $20.00 at the border, but, its much one less thing to worry about there..

http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/

Hanuman,
Siam Ocean World sounds nice.Thanks for sharing the link.
rhkkmk ,
I'll definitely add the zoo part-i don't really want to have violent complains from my daughter,when we visit a lot of temples, ruins and old stuff.
Gearsau,
We're Phil's Nationals-i think we're exempted with visa in Cambodia,Thanks for the input:)
Ezytrav,
I'm afraid there will be no time for Indonesia-honestly we will be drain of resources at the moment we're done Vietnam whew!

Hi there
your trip planing sound very good, lately conflicted happening between 2 country, you should rather fly to Siem Reap, of course that happening is farway but safety is first care for trip on a broad, bus ride from Sieam Reap to Phnom Penh take around 5 to 6 hours, landscape is ok, but interesting stop in grill spiders shop. if you continue travel to Vietnam, it is good experience on Mekong to river ride to Chau Doc border then move through mekong rive and reach Saigon city, then gradualy up to northern of Vietnam
have fun mate

I would not recommend flying from BKK to Siem Reap...So expensive for three people.
Its much cheaper to take a taxi to Morchit bus depot , then purchase three tickets at Baht 212 each to Aranyaprathet, then either shuttle bus ( maybe free) or Tuk Tuk 80 baht to border .
Cross the border into Poipet/Cambodia,and take a taxi US$ 48.00 for the 2 hour ride to Siem Reap. I have done this 4 times now.
For three people flying from BKK, you could expect to pay maybe US$600 or so for three seats. There is only one airline flying( Bangkok Airways) the BKK to Siem Reap route, and they charge a fortune. If you flew from BKK to Phnom Penh, it would be cheaper, but then you have a 5 to 6 hour journey to Siem Reap.

As you are going BKK to Siem Reap then Phnom Penh, this is the best way so you dont back track.
Three people by road from Bangkok to Siem Reap will cost approx US$80.
Avoid any buses in Bangkok that say they can take you all the way to Siem Reap. Its a scam, and you end up with a bus filled with back packers and it will stop far too many times. You will still have to change at the border.
The best and cheapest way is bus to the border, and taxi to Siem Reap. Alternately, you may wish to investigate taxi from Bangkok to the border. No taxi will be able to take you all the way.

According to Wikipedia, you dont need a visa for Cambodia, but, probably best to check http://wikitravel.org/en/Cambodia

Jackychan,
Thanks for the input:) Where is the grill spider shop? .
Gearsau,
Yup travel inland bet BKK-Siem Reap-Phnom Pehn our best option, saving all the dinero for our last leg -Hanoi. I include Hanoi after HCMC since we're in Vietnam on that time,might as well Visit their capital as well.Do you have any tips on their train system?
And luckily we're still Filipinoes we're visa exempted in Cambodia,Thailand,Vietnam( nice to save some bucks).
Thanks again for your replies(you should make a guidebook for Cambodia-you knew a lot of things).

Liv77,

Glad to be of assistance. Sorry that I cant help re Vietnam. Haven't been there. My experience of Cambodia is really only in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

All the best....Peter

A lot of things to see in Vietnam. Mekong delta, Phu Quoc island, Ho Chi Minh city, Nha Trang beach, Lang Co, Mui Ne, Tra Co, Da Lat,etc. and many more in the north (if you have time). Just consider which destination is suitable to your preferences and heading forward.