yeastmode

I will be going to SE Asia this summer for a little less than a month. Is this itinerary feasible? I plan on doing this overland, just want to know if I'm trying to cover too much in too little time and if I'll be spending too much time on buses and trains. I do need to go to Saigon last as I'm flying out of there. Any suggestions and advice are much appreciated.

Hanoi/Halong Bay (5 days)
Travel to Luang Prabang - 2/3 days (add a day, stop in Nong Kiaow)
Luang Prabang (4 days)
Travel to Bangkok - 2 days (stop in Vientiane over night?)
Bangkok (4 days)
Travel to Siem Reap & Angkor Wat (4 days with stay)
Travel to Saigon - 1 day to PP - 1 day to delta - 2 days in delta
Saigon(3)

Cicerone

I would really urge you to try to get a flight to your home country out of Bangkok and do this itin as Vietnam first, then Cambodia, then Laos, then Thailand. I really think you will find it tiring to trek back overland to Vietnam toward the end of your trip. Alternatively, you might consider flying from Bangkok to Ho Chih Minh, as IMO that cost is worth the time and hassle factor of avoiding another overland trip. For what it is worth, Ho Chi Minh is my least favourite palce in Vietnam and IMO could even be skipped entirely. You could also reverse the itin and fly into Bangkok and out of HCM.

I am not up on the logistics of travelling from Siem Reap to Luang Prabang, but I am sure it is possible, it might involve going via Thailand for a while.

However, I actually think you might want to give Luang Prabang a miss. You may want to just spend more time exploring areas of Vietnam or Cambodia. I thought Hue was just fascinating, a lot of people like Hoi An (which is also nice) and places like Sapa are worth considering or other more untouristed areas. Much as I like Luang Prabang, it is fairly touristed at this point. (So is Siem Reap but it has Ankor Wat so you can’t really argue with that.) LP just seems like a lot of travel for you when you might find places in Vietnam, Cambodia or even border areas of Thailand that are more off the beaten path.

I don’t think 5 days between Hanoi and Halong Bay is enough. Hanoi is actually very interesting.

Kathie

Your itinerary has you going in and out of VN, which means you'll need a double-entry visa. I agree with Cicerone, it would make more sense to get an open-jaw ticket into Hanoi and out of Bangkok. Also, check which of these routes are flown by Air Asia. The ticket on Air Asia will be cheaper than overland travel and will give you more time in the places you want to see.

I think you could probably make this itineray work, but be aware that overland travel can be slow and is often subject to delays.

yeastmode

Thanks for the advice. I already booked the ticket so I need to fly out of Saigon.

daawgon

I think you will find the overland route from Hanoi to Luang Prabang to be quite difficult (most people go overland from Central Vietnam - considerably easier). Are you going to Bangkok on business? If not, that is the place I would leave out. Bangkok has very little in common with the rest of the trip - much too developed and polluted for me. I must say that is one of the strangest itineraries I've seen in a while!