Re: Vietnam and ???? itinerary help please
I previous wanted to go to Vietnam and Beijing in December/January but now realized the climate in Beijing will be very cold.
Vietnam's climate would be just fine in dec/jan.

We previously have been to Vietnam and Thailand (BKK, Chaing Mai, Chaing Rai; Laos (Luang Prabang), and Cambodia (Angor Wat). What other city/country would you recommend to tack on to the Vietnam trip that the weather would be good and cost wise reasonable? We have 30 days for the entire trip. Hong Kong's weather is good in Dec/Jan but costwise it's more expensive.
Thank you for your help.

Burma would be a good choice. Rangoon is a wonderful city with beautiful temples and pagodas, as is Pagan, albeit very different from Rangoon. Inle Lake is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, a few days there would be relaxing but you would see so much, taking boats to the villages built on the water. Burma is inexpensive and the people are lovely.

Thank you for info on Burma!

Any other travel recommendations?
We will be traveling from Hawaii so not interested in beaches. Looking for historical places and a little shopping.
Beijing while cold in December has so much more historical sites, Great Wall, Forbidden City, etc but Hong Kong is newer city and more expensive. Thank you for any other info.

Where are you flying from? Is perfect weather for India or Sri Lanka - both are very cost effective destinations too.

Thank you Hobbes for info on India and Sri Lanka. We will coming in from Honolulu.

What about Malaysia? Some parts of Malaysia will stilll be having rain then, but I've traveled in many parts of Malaysia during those months and while I've gotten some rain, it hasn't been awful.

Considering all the places you've already visited, I would second the vote for Myanmar. It's really really wonderful!!! Dec./Jan. is a perfect time to go. I agree with laurieco, Inle Lake (and the surrounding area) is one of the most beautiful and magical places I've ever seen and I've been just about everywhere in Asia. I spent two weeks in Myanmar last winter and loved every minute.

If you haven't been to Shanghai, it's wonderful, and the temperature is moderate year-round. It's well located, with Suzhou and Hangshou near enough for either day or several-day trips -- they're beautiful and very popular vacation spots with native Chinese tourists.

Thank you for all the replies.
I fanaticize when reading about all these places.

JaneDee, We're also considering Suzhou and
Hangshou as a side trip from Shanghai on our first trip to China. Have these towns become over-run with tourists?

We were there in mid-November several years ago -- many Chinese tourists, which we found to be an integral part of the experience -- especially on West Lake and in the Temple. Don't remember seeing any other Western tourists. Both towns are charming and off the beaten path for most tours. They were my favorite part of the trip.

I'd also pick Burma. My 3 weeks there were among the best in my life.

Myanmar/Burma is also my suggestion. The weather should be perfect and the country is fantastic. Traveled a long two weeks in that country last Nov and it was fantastic. I made a trip report which came on this board.