beachmama7

Here comes one of those ridiculously impossible posts regarding which place will give us more "bang" for the buck. My husband is a Vietnam vet and has been thinking about returning to the country to make peace with that era. He was diagnosed a year ago with brain lymphoma, so he doesn't have the energy for strenuous hikes and our funds are limited. We both love learning about cultures and enjoy wildlife. We have saved up almost enough frequent flyer miles to go to one or the other location. Seems to me, from what I've read, that there's more to do in India and more wildlife. We've already been to Nepal, Thailand, Costa Rica, and Botswana. Anyone have a suggestion for us? I know, I know, they're both so different! But if someone could kindly point out the pluses and minuses for those places for a three week trip, I'd be VERY grateful!!! Beachmama 7

hobbes

One input would be how strenuous a trip do u want. Traveling in India due to the sheer size of the country and the road/air network not being very wel developed is a little more taxing than Vietnam which is after all much smaller. Having said that 3 wks is a reasonable time to cover a fair bit in India. What time of year you are planning this trip in is another input. India has distinct seasons when it is much better to travel. I LOVE India and given the $ rupee exchange rate you can get a fair amount of "bang for the buck". Post re time of year and I will be able to give you better suggestions.

rhkkmk

i agree that india would be quite difficult if strength is an issue...

might i suggest a week in bali, some time on lombock (sp) and the remainder of time in and around singapore....

Lyndie

We're off to India in December. We have travelled to Vietnam twice and it is very easy to get around by air, road or rail. However there didn't seem to be much wildlife when we visited!

I understand India has a very famous National park called Ranthambhore which has tigers, leopards, bears and some amazing birdlife & reptiles. Others here will be able to give you more details. If I was in your husband's position I'd go for the big one & see India while he is still able to. Good luck to you both!

alice13

Never been to Vietnam but have just made a very short trip to Cambodia. The temples of Angkor Wat and surrounds fulfil the culture requirement and there are some fascinating journeys to make. Don't know whether there would be enough that is easily accessible to fill 3 weeks - and the wildlife might take some finding. India, on the other hand, offers so many possibilites. With only 3 weeks you would need to concentrate on a single region. The south is gorgeous; the far North awe-inspiring. You could do the usual itinerary for first time visitors and check out Rajasthan. Re wildlife - never been to Ranthambhore but have visited Corbett NP. Look - it's difficult to see tigers!! BUT I only spent 3 days in Corbett. I didn't see one but 2 out of the 12 people in the hostel accommodation there DID. One bloke managed a sighting on two separate occasions. You can take game drives in a jeep or ride an elephant. There are wild elephants and peacocks too. Lovely.
India just has to be one of the best value destinations around especially if you don't have a big budget as there are plenty of good places to stay that are outwith the chain/international/luxury hotel bracket.

I am so sorry to hear of your husband's illness.

Craig

Viet Nam is on our list of future travel destinations but for our next trip in February, we have chosen India. Hobbes made a good point that it depends when you go. Although I wouldn't think that there would be strenuous hiking in either country, India gets VERY hot starting in April, making any kind of effort strenuous. The hot season is followed by the monsoon season when the game parks are not open - that leaves October to March as the best time for you to visit India.

glorialf

Injdia is a much harder trip because it requires so much travel.I'd spenda at least two weeks in Vietnam and go beyond the "normal" cities -- go into the Central Highlands which is fascinating and I'm sure important to a Vietnam vet. Spending at least two weeks there will enable you to really meet the people rather than just seeing sites.

Then I'd either go to Laos, Bali or Cambodia. The first two for their wonderful culture and the latter for the temples.

Craig

glorialf - Please educate me. I have not been to Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia and am traveling to India in February for 12 days (Agra, Jaipur, Ranthambore and Delhi). It seems to me that there would be just as much travel in seeing Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and other cities in Vietnam with Laos/Cambodia and/or Bali. Assuming in India, you choose to do Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan (Jaipur, Ranthambore, Varanasi, Udaipur and 1 or 2 more towns) in a 3 week itinerary, I don't see where there is much more travel involved - even if you substituted some time in Goa for time in Rajasthan.

glorialf

First I meant they should go to either Laos or Cambodia -- not both.

I just felt that India was harder. I spent three weeks doing Rajasthan and found it took even more time to get from place to place than it did in Vietnam. I have never spent less than 2 weeks in Vietnam which meant that I stayed in places more than one night so maybe that's why it seeemed easier to me.

I just think you can do Vietnam without having to take more than one flight and unless you stick to one area that's virtually impossible in India. And I walked a lot more in India on rougher terrain or at least that's the way I recall it.

beachmama7

I gratefully thank those of you who responded so quickly to my post. Although there seems to be some discussion about how much more difficulty there is in going to India vs Southeast Asia, I'm getting the drift that we'd have a smoother time doing Vietnam plus either Cambodia, Laos, or Bali. Since my husband is till recovering from a tremendously horrific treatment regimen that ended just a couple months ago, his strength has been compromised. Although India sounds SO intriguing, I'm thinking that it might be better to do it in the future (and I am HOPING that we will indeed have a long future together!). For those who've been to Southeast Asia, any recommendations on going either in February or March? The longer we postpone the trip, the better he'll be doing physically. Just making plans right now to go is very therapeutic. BTW, to Alice: When we went to Nepal a couple years ago, we DID see a tiger!!! That was one of the most profound experiences of our lives. We may have to forgo the wildlife aspect if we choose Southeast Asia, I guess.
Thank you again to you all for your input. I'm really hoping we can have a good time, even with our limitations.

glorialf

The later you go the hotter it gets.

Kathie

There are some wonderful things you can do in SE Asia that are easier travel. I'd recommend visiting Luang Prabang, Laos, a wonderful World Heritage site filled with working wats and old French colonial architecture. It's slow moving, and while you'll likely do a lot of walking, it's easy walking (or you can hire a tuk-tuk). There are good accommodations at moderate prices.

It would be a shame to go to SE Asia without also at least a few days at Angkor. It's strenuous climbing all thouse temples in the heat, but there are ways to make it easier on your husband while he's still recovering from his treatment. (Use a car to get from temple to temple, you can see many temples without much climbing, take a rest from noon to 3 pm with perhaps a swim and lunch).

Choose an area of VN to focus on, so you can spend more time enjoying and less time traveling. A few flights would make it possible to see all three (Luang Prabang, the temples at Angkor and part of VN).

hobbes

Alternatively u could combine Vietnam and Bali. Bali is a stunning, small laid back island and you could spend 2 weeks exploring Vietnam then 1 week chilling out in Bali. Before you completely abandon India you could consider in Feb Kerala and Sri Lanka. Travel wise not very hard - for wild life in Kerala you could go to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkaddy (there is an amazing govt run hotel right in the middle of the forest), for a back water experience you could go to Kumarokan or Trivandrum then you could go on to Sri Lanka, visit the elephant orphanage, tea plantations, Colombo. IN terms of bang for buck this trip will be very effective - 1US$ = Sri Lankan 75-80 so you can really stretch the dollar. Both Kerala and Sri Lanka are lush and green making driving thru them very scenic.

massagediva

To be honest,this doesn't sound like a travel question,per se,but a life question. I don't mean to be indelicate,but if he needs to make peace with his time in Vietnam,shouldn't he go there while he can?

beachmama7

Again, I appreciate all the feedback. Massagadiva, you make a very valid point. I think what's most important is that my husband gets the opportunity to resolve any leftover feelings from his time in the "Nam." I guess I wasn't really thinking there'd be enough of interest there, and in adjoining countries, for that period of time. Regarding Bali (which does sound appealing), is it safe these days? Is it expensive? I've heard it is a gorgeous country! Would it cost a lot to add it to our itinerary? Also, any suggestions for tour agencies or did most of you just wing it and get an agent once you arrive in the country? Thanks again for keeping me focused!

marmot

beachmama7, I'm not a vet, but I could truly say that Vietnam was the defining event of my young adult days. At the time I was violently anti-war. 30 years and 100's of books later, I've come to understand the complexity of the issues.

I went to Vietnam just after it re-opened for tourism in the early 90's. The government's reception to foreigners was still a little raw. For example the brochure in my hotel room urged Americans to visit the War Museum to learn about atrocities committed by our troops. A little rough on the PR front.

None the less, it was an important trip for me emotionally. Now that VN has become a major travel destination it's very tourist-friendly. I'd agree that you and your husband should go to VN first and visit some of those ghosts.

VN has some nice beach areas, but the weather there will be coolish in February/March. Also check the dates of Tet (lunar new year) which I believe will take place mid-February. This is a wonderful time to visit VN, but requires more planning.

After VN, I'd second the motion that you head for Bali for fun and serenity. Bali is safe and cheap. Accomodation can be had for any budget. You can cruise through some of the Bali threads on this forum for specific suggestions, but basically there's a beach area and an inland area. Both are wonderful the former for sun and fun, the latter for culture and serenity. Bali is not particulary strong on wildlife (except for amazing birds) but it's profoundly beautiful.

It's also a deeply spiritual place and if your husband is interested in traditional healing this is the place to find inspiration. The Balinese (and Indonesians in general) are among the world's most hospitable people and your husband will be well taken care of. (I wouldn't say that about the Vietnamese!)

From HCM city or Hanoi, probably the best way to get to Bali is through Singapore.

If you feel you'd like to get in touch with a Balinese tour group this is one that I'd highly recommend. It's run by an American college professor who is one of the world's foremost experts on Balinese drama and mask making and her Balinese dancer husband. If they're in Bali at the time of your trip, they will tailor a program to your interests.

http://www.danutours.com/index.html

If money is an issue, you really don't need a tour group as Bali is extremely user friendly.

Best wishes to you and your husband.

dperry

We just returned from Vietnam and had a wonderful time. We were in Hanoi and took a very relaxing 2 day trip to Halong Bay with Handspan tours. The boat was incredible! This may be something you're interested in. I have also been to Cambodia, and consider visiting the temples of Angkor one of the highlights of my life. I would suggest going when the weather is cooler, as the heat can really sap your strength.

Kathie

Bali is wonderful, but it will add expense to your trip, as you'll have to fly probably from Bangkok to Bali and return. That's a much more expensive flight than the internal flights within VN, for instance. It's also a much longer flight.

There is more than enough of interest in, say, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to keep you busy and interested for at least 6 weeks, so three weeks will mean you have to select wher you want to visit and what you want to do and see.

Does your husband want to visit VN specifically, or are there other specific places in SE Asia he wants to see? Has he talked with anyone about visiting VN and what the impact on him is likely to be? Some vets find visiting VN to be very healing, others find it tears open old wounds. He (and you) should think about that before you go. Also, VN is harder travel than many other places in SE Asia. The tourist infrastructure is still developing, and the ideas about how to interact with visitors are, like marmot said, still a bit rough. You can visit museum where you will, in fact see photos of Americans committing atrocities, or you'll see parts of a fighter that was shot down over Hanoi. The official propaganda line is still that the "freedom fighters" were fighting "the Americans and their Lackeys" [South Vietnamese]. There is no official acknowledgement that it was a civil war.

VN is renowned among SE Asian travelers for the number of "scams" travelers encounter. VN is the only place in the world that I've visited where the street vendors (young men selling books in Hanoi, for instance) will shout obsenities at you if you don't buy. Sapa, an "unspoiled" hill tribe village is often voted as the place in the world with the most problematic touts, who follow you relentlessly and shout obscenities if you don't buy. It is the only place where I have ever been harangued by young women guides that we should give them each US$50 "to go to school" in addition to other payments for an hour or two of guide work. I tell these stories not to discourage you from going (I was very glad I went to VN), but to prepare you for some of the more difficult aspects of travel in VN, ones which are likely to be even more difficult for your husband, given his wartime experience there.

If he really wants to return to VN, I highly recommend that he spend some time talking with someone (such as at a Vet Center or the VA) who has counseled VN vets and has experience with VN vets who have traveled to VN.

Craig

I am rethinking my earlier post in the context of what is important to your husband - you should really ask him how important returning to Viet Nam is and go with it. Otherwise, I agree with the above posters comments that Bali is a great place to spend some time.