Planning Trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand in November
May 9th, 2016, 09:12 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 318
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Planning Trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand in November
My husband and I (in our 50's) are planning a 2 week trip for our 30th anniversary. We are just starting the planning. We don't know if we should use an agency to plan the trip and if so, which one is the best. We like to travel on the high end and like to sight see, shop, eat, go to museums, and see everything we possibly can. We generally travel privately with a driver but don't know if that works here. We were also recommended to combine the trip with land and a river cruise , any thoughts on that? I would appreciate any help on planning this trip.
May 9th, 2016, 09:48 AM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 33,288
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Two weeks is not enough time to see all three countries. So decide what things are most important to you. Traveling by car and driver is inexpensive in these countries, but you'll need flights as well as you are covering a lot of ground.
Two weeks allows you to visit three places (not whole countries), for instance, Bangkok, Siem Reap Cambodia, and a beach or
Hanoi, HCMC and Siem Reap (November is a bad time to try to visit DaNang/Hoi An/Hue as there are torrential rains and flooding)
If you are interested in a cruise, take a look at Pandaw.com for their cruises on the Mekong. This is a company started in Burma (Myanmar) and offers culturally enriching experiences as opposed to the cookie-cutter European cruise lines. I've been on one of their cruises in northern Burma.
No need for a travel agent - it is very easy arrange travel in this part of the world. However, sometimes it makes sense to use a local agent for some things. For instance, if you decide to spend your two weeks in VN, you might want to use a local agent to book hotels, as they can often get you good prices on very nice hotels.
As you figure out where you want to go and what you want to do, come back and ask more questions we can help you get going gone the planning.
Our photos of mostly SE Asian travels: www.marlandc.com
Two weeks allows you to visit three places (not whole countries), for instance, Bangkok, Siem Reap Cambodia, and a beach or
Hanoi, HCMC and Siem Reap (November is a bad time to try to visit DaNang/Hoi An/Hue as there are torrential rains and flooding)
If you are interested in a cruise, take a look at Pandaw.com for their cruises on the Mekong. This is a company started in Burma (Myanmar) and offers culturally enriching experiences as opposed to the cookie-cutter European cruise lines. I've been on one of their cruises in northern Burma.
No need for a travel agent - it is very easy arrange travel in this part of the world. However, sometimes it makes sense to use a local agent for some things. For instance, if you decide to spend your two weeks in VN, you might want to use a local agent to book hotels, as they can often get you good prices on very nice hotels.
As you figure out where you want to go and what you want to do, come back and ask more questions we can help you get going gone the planning.
Our photos of mostly SE Asian travels: www.marlandc.com
May 10th, 2016, 05:41 AM
#3
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 29,053
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I too prefer self booking which people on this forum gladly help with.
for 2 weeks, I suggest visiting only 3 places max.
Bangkok will give you drivers and/or public transport; fab restaurants; a river to cruise on; lux hotels at reasonable prices.
PLUS November is the perfect month.
I suggest you purchase a general guidebook or get one from your library and seek out things that interest you. come back to us with ideas and we will help you broaden a visit.
Vietnam is easy to combine with Thailand, although with only 2 weeks I think I would choose one or the other
for 2 weeks, I suggest visiting only 3 places max.
Bangkok will give you drivers and/or public transport; fab restaurants; a river to cruise on; lux hotels at reasonable prices.
PLUS November is the perfect month.
I suggest you purchase a general guidebook or get one from your library and seek out things that interest you. come back to us with ideas and we will help you broaden a visit.
Vietnam is easy to combine with Thailand, although with only 2 weeks I think I would choose one or the other
May 11th, 2016, 07:22 AM
#4
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,476
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'd endorse Kathies recommendation of a Pandaw cruise from Siem Reap to HCMC. The cruise is seven days, and you could spend a few more days in each of SR and HCMC. Pandaw is wonderful, we took this cruise about 5 years ago and have since taken another in Myanmar. You will see rural villages in Cambodia and the Mekong delta area.
