SE Asia in 3 Weeks
 

Hello

I am planning a 3week vacation from US. We prefer small cities, heritage sites, light hiking/kayaking and cultural activities. Will arrive in Bangkok. Was wondering if we should just push through to Phuket to avoid big city and get over jet lag on beach or save this for the last leg. Our itinerary also includes Chiang Mai, Siam Reap and Hanoi/Halong Bay.

With this itinerary, how many days are needed in each locale (note we will travel via plane to save time)? What are “no not” miss places? How would you construct the legs of the trip.

thank you.

Siem Reap (3 or 4 nights), Hanoi (2 or 3 nights), Halong Bay (1 or 2 nights)... Make your own plan!

To prepare for your time in Siem Reap, pick up a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples. It takes three full days just to visit the major temples, meaning you would need to spend 4 nights in Siem Reap. You need one night for Halong Bay, but it takes up most of two other days getting to/from Hanoi. I would want at lest 3 full days in Hanoi.

I'm not a fan of Chiang Mai, and two days there is more than enough for me.

When is this trip? Is the greater Phuket area the best beach area for the time of year you are traveling?

Chiang Mai is famous for its lantern festival but until the middle of November so I will spend 2 days in this place. I agree with Kathie, a copy of Dawn Rooney's book Angkor: A guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples can help you explore Siem Reap completely. The duration of the trip to Angkor lasts for at least 3 days, both for taking photos and adore the major temples.
About Hanoi/Ha Long Bay, if you want to immerse in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay, there are several famous places like Hanoi Old Quarter, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, street foods... - 2 days in Hanoi. In addition, it takes more than 3 hours to get to Ha Long Bay from Hanoi, do you want to spend some quality time on a cruise boat with delicious seafood and excellent wine? So another 2 days in Ha Long Bay. In summary, Hanoi/Ha Long Bay (4 days overall).

Missing BKK at the start of a visit has some advantages, if you are flying out of BKK on your way home, just leave a couple of nights for when you've acclimatised to Thailand a bit and you might get more out of BKK.

You can start in Bangkok (3 nights), Chiang Mai (3 nights), Phuket & surrounding islands (5 nights), then catch direct flight with Air Asia to Siem Reap (3 nights), fly to Hanoi (3 nights), Ha Long bay (2 nights).
alisa