Hi! My husband & I will be traveling to SE Asia in late November/early December. Not including travel time from USA, we will be there for a total of 11 days. We will be arriving in BKK and leaving out of HCMC and will have a full day in each city on our arrival/departure dates. Any suggestions on shortening or lengthening our stays is greatly appreciated!

Nov 29 Bangkok
Nov 30 Bangkok
Dec 1 outside Bangkok
Dec 2 outside Bangkok
Dec 3 Bangkok to Siem Reap
Dec 4 Siem Reap
Dec 5 Siem Reap
Dec 6 Siem Reap to HCMC/Saigon
Dec 7 HCMC/Mekong Delta
Dec 8 HCMC/Mekong Delta
Dec 9 HCMC

I'm still researching activities, but those will be filled in later.

Thanks in advance!

Is this your first trip to SE Asia?

I'm not sure what you mean by "outside Bangkok" but there is plenty to keep you active and interested in Bangkok for your short stay. Indeed, I would consider 4 full days a minimum to see the major sites in Bangkok. Since you are going to Siem Reap, I do not recommend a day trip to Ayutthaya from Bangkok. It takes three full days just to see the "major" temples at Angkor. If either your flight from Bangkok to SR is early morning or your flight from SR to HCMC is late in the day you'll have the three days.

I think you have a bare minimum of time in each place. if that's all the time you have, you've done a good job of allocating it. If you can add even an extra day or two, that would be great.

Thanks Kathie. Yes, this is our first visit to SE Asia. By outside Bangkok, I am referring to a couple tours we are planning to visit the floating market, Kanchanburi, fishing villages, elephant village, etc. We will probably leave Siem Reap later in the day to spend more time in Siem Reap. We want to see the major temples, but we really aren't into leisurely strolling around them.

Unfortunately we're not able to extend our trip

IMO, you have so little time that I wouldn't visit Kanchanburi (unless you are WWII history buffs) nor any elephant camps (there are two camps near Chiang Mai that have good reputations, the others do not) near Bangkok. Are you employing Tong to take you to the Floating Market and the fishing village? If so, that day trip gets rave reviews from Fodorites. If you are talking about a group tour to the Floating market and a fishing village, I'd cross it off my list.

There is so much to see and do in Bangkok, you'll have a hard time even getting a glimpse in two days.

It might be useful to look at some of our SE Asia photos at www.marlandc.com There is a large section on Angkor. We stayed a week and saw about 26 temples - not nearly all of them. There are also Bangkok photos from a number of trips. A quick look at them will give you a flavor for some of Bangkok's amazing places.

i agree with kathie---this has got to stop or i have to beat her to these posts....

way too much to do in 11 days, imo, but you have it laid out now...
if it were me, and its not, i would cut siem reap altogether....i would add days to bkk and a day to saigon... i think you would be happier all around when you conclude your visit....

for one thing upon arrival in bkk you will be beat....for at least a day or two, so don't schedule much on those days....so more days would be helpful...

i would do:

nov 29---relax by the pool
nov 30 bkk in a/c--mall maybe
dec 1 outside bkk
dec 2 grand palace, etc
dec 3 outside bkk
dec 4 bkk sightsee and shop
dec 5 bkk
dec 6 bkk to saigon--will take all day really
dec 7 saigon area
dec 8 saigon area
dec 9 saigon

to me this would make an outstanding trip, but no angkor this trip

you really need 3-4 full days in SR

Yes, we want to take the tour with Tong. Also, my husband wants to go to Tiger Temple - which I know can be a little controversial - but he really wants to go, so we can't miss it.

Thanks for the photos, they're absolutely beautiful! Going through them will really help me plan our itinerary!

I think the way you've divided your days is fine. I understand the desire to see as much as possible considering that it's your first trip. If you can accept that you might not see everything you want in those cities, you will be fine. It will just whet your appetite for another trip. Don't underestimate the power of jet lag. It's good that you've scheduled your days outside BKK for days 3 and 4.

Last December I went for 8 days to Bangkok and Siem Reap, but it wasn't my first time to either place. We did a day trip with Tong which included the Tiger Temple. I left feeling very conflicted and I'm not sure I'd recommend it now after some recent things I've read. But obviously that's for you to decide.

You can see my trip report and photos at www.wired2theworld.com.
Go to the "Thailand and Cambodia 12/07" trip. I have other trips to Thailand and Cambodia there as well. We've not yet been to Vietnam but are planning a trip for next July.