Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam
 

We are planning a trip to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam in November and need some advice.

We will be flying in and out of Bangkok.
We would like to spend one day in Bangkok then (not necessarily in this order):
3 days Four Seasons Golden Triangle
3 days Siem Reap
3 days in either Ho chi Min or Hanoi
and finally 3 days at the beach/island. My question is which is better having 3 days in Phutet in Thailand? or 3 days on a Junk in Halong Bay? or 3 days on a island in Hoi An?

In what order would you recommend the above travel, to minimize flying and traveling time?

Hi-

I would definitely choose Hanoi over HCMC...a much more charming and interesting city (in my opinion)
3 days in halong would be too long, and I am pretty sure Nov can be typhoon season on the central vietnam coast...so I would pick a Thai island based on weather at that time of year.

Take some time to figure out which routing makes the most logisitic sense for your itinerary. For example, you can fly from Hanoi to Siem Reap direct, and from Siem Reap to Phuket direct, and from Phuket to Chiang Mai. (although it would probably be nice to conclude at the beach.)

i could not imagine spending 3 days on the junk....one overnite should be sufficient...

have you allowed for travel time....each time you move around will require the better part of one day....

consider hua hin as a beach place...the hyatt is fantastic...

i think i would do this:

bkk
golden triangle
hanoi/halong
beach
bkk

eddie at sea tours might get you a good flying rate to VN: [email protected]

Hi kch246.
very hard schedule you are planning. Its doable but not much recreation.
For swimming and beachcombing Phuket is the best.
Halong is quite cold and rainy in November.
There is a medium class beach a few miles away from the old town of Hoi An with plenty of hotels. But havent seen any islands around where you can stay.
Bangkok-Chiang Rai/Chiang Mai- Siem Reap- Hanoi/Halong-Bangkok- Phuket- Bangkok or Bangkok- Saigon- Danang/Hoi An- Bangkok at the end is possible.

Thanks everyone for your input, it is extremely helpful. If Hanoi/Halong Bay is going to be cold and rainy in November, would it be more seasonable in HCMC?

Also, what will the weather be like at the Golden Triangle in November? Will it be cold?

I haven't been to Hanoi in November, but another fodorite (filmwell) was. Here is a link to his blog, with pics:
http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/the_Georges/ (scroll down for Hanoi?Halong)

There have been many discussions about HCMC vs. Hanoi, and 99% of us come out in favor of Hanoi. Big, modern, busy vs. charming & historic...no contest for most...

Another place to consider for beach time, if you want to stay in Vietnam is the Six Senses Hideaway at Nah Trang. I stayed there in May '06 and it was amazing, but the weather (risk of typhoon) might not make it the best choice for November.
http://www.sixsenses.com/hideaway-anamandara/index.php

All of Vietnam can be rainy in November and while Saigon can be warmer it is a much less interesting city.

Personally, I think you are spending far too much time flying places and going to too many places. I would skip the 3 days on a in halong or Phuket or an island. Add a day to Hanoi and do an overnight to halong bay. Take the other two days and add them either to Bangkok or to northern thailand.

Another vote for Hanoi over HCMC, and against three nights on Halong Bay.

HCMC seems to be hot and humid all year. I found Hanoi in Nov. a definite improvement over Hanoi in Dec., but it is not as predictable. I have friends who had great weather there in Dec.

Hi, nobody answered your question about Golden Triangle. Downhills and next to the river the climate is tropic. I dont know if you wanna go further and/ or up the mountains. Over 3000 or 4000 ft could be a lil bit more chilly but not really cold.

When we were in Hanoi in November the weather was lovely. It was in the 70-80 degree range and very pleasant. Im the Golden Triangle in November, it was probably 85 during the day and it cooled of some at night.

Hi there, I have lived in Hanoi for over two years, and November is lovely. We had visitors and we went to Halong in the late october and the weather is gret. Aug and Sept are rainy but by October the rain has stopped and the sun comes out to play. I have been to HCM and it is a city, the Chu Chi tunnels were the highlight, but it is just another city for me, gret place to get all those knock offs.
Only do one night on the Junk.
Phuket is nice and I love the resort like places so I cannot talk about other hotels. Hope you have a great time.

SJ