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[Travel] Vietnam and Cambodia holiday ideas etc



Nostalgia

New member
Mar 22, 2012
67
Thinking of around 2 weeks, with per person budget of around £2000. Looking at including some major sights, cities, some beach time and ideallysome trekking or living in among the real life as opposed to luxury overnight stays. Anyone done this, can give tips on travel ,time of year, where to go and how etc?
 


fleet

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2003
12,222
Saigon is a nice city. Enjoyed going to where Greene wrote The Quiet American. US foreign policy has left a lot to be desired. You have to go to the killing fields too. Very painful but important to grasp the evil of Pol Pot. Also there is a torture camp in the capital that is worth visiting. Happier things - Siem Reap and the temples are very good to see.
 


ferring seagull

Well-known member
Dec 30, 2010
4,606
My brother told me that the tunnels which the Viet Cong constructed were well worth a look if that becomes a possibilty in your schedule !
 


Vicar!

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2003
1,130
Worthing
Siem Reap 4 nights, Phnom Penh 3 nights, fly to Hanoi 3 nights, train Danang then onto Hoi An for duration. Will PM.
 


Djmiles

Barndoor Holroyd
Dec 1, 2005
12,060
Kitchener, Canada
Me and my girlfriend are in Asia for 4-5 weeks I’m Aug/Sept. Including 4 nights in Siem Reap, 3 in Phnom Penh and 4 in Ho Chi.
 






bhafc99

Well-known member
Oct 14, 2003
7,049
Dubai
Hoi An yes. Siem Reap too. And I preferred Hanoi to Saigon personally.
 


pauli cee

New member
Jan 21, 2009
2,366
worthing
The seagulls bar in pp has unfortunately closed due to...
Personally I wouldn't feel the need to spend too long there, as pleasant as it is, if you're on a short time scale, ( I spent months getting drunk by the riverside). The main sites can all be done by hiring a tuk tuk or motorbike for the day, and unless you're mega into temples, ( or have a lot of time, I spent a few days there), a full day around ankor wat can be enough.
As for trekking, I did some excellent 3 day treks in both the NE and NW, very untouched country at the time, and great fun. We also stumbled across Pol Pots graveside, a mound surrounded by upturned sprite bottles round the back of someones house which gets frequently vandalised.
Kep and Kampot also nice day trips in Cambodia.
Let me know if you want me to scratch my head harder for the the trekking places, my bro has lived there for 10+ years so I'm sure he can help
 




daveinprague

New member
Oct 1, 2009
12,572
Prague, Czech Republic
Sent there in April 75. The idea being bringing the British Consul out of Da Nang. Rex Hunt. Trouble just follows that bloke. We never picked him up anyway, Americans did. Went to Cambodia straight after. Never figured out why. Never fancied it again.
 
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HastingsSeagull

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2010
9,236
BGC Manila
Will be in Siem Reap for 4-5 days in a couple weeks. Bit of a break from my summer holiday in Thailand. 1st trip to Cambodia so watching this thread with interest.

Won't be going to PP, but very interested in any day trips from SR that aren't just the main temple complex :)
 


Peteinblack

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jun 3, 2004
3,578
Bath, Somerset.
Siem Reap 4 nights, Phnom Penh 3 nights, fly to Hanoi 3 nights, train Danang then onto Hoi An for duration. Will PM.

Yes, I'd endorse this itinerary for Cambodia - having visited these cities (twice) with Mrs Peteinblack. The temples at Siem Reap are one of the most beautiful sights (sites!) in the world - Angkor Wot is the main attraction, but there are many other temples, and ruins of temples being swallowed-up by the forest, in the surrounding area; hire a local tuk-tuk driver for a 1/2 day tour, but agree the price before setting off.

In Phnom Penh, a visit to the 'Killing Fields', where many of Pol Pot's victims were buried - sometimes still alive - in mass graves, is essential, but harrowing.

For Vietnam, definitely visit Hoi An, Hue, and Hanoi.

One tip - crossing the road can be scary; no zebra crossings (or not when I was there a few years a go). You have to take a deep breath, and step off the kerb into the traffic, and keep walking at a consistent pace (don't stop or speed-up) - drivers will steer round you. Pretty scary when you're halfway across a busy road in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) city, and a bus or lorry is coming towards you and then veers round you at the last minute!
 




The Birdman

New member
Nov 30, 2008
6,313
Haywards Heath
Did great tour South Vietnam Saigon the chi tunnels and boat trip down the Mekong then to Cambodia Angkor Wat then Laos couple of days another river trip water falls hill tribes and then Hanoi vist Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and then Halong bay for couple of days with all lime stacks looking out for James Bond.
Just be prepared for upset stomach. It was a great experience meet some nice locals and taxi drivers didint know who The seagulls were just Man united and I said watch for the seagulls, this was ten years ago, hope this us starting to change.
 


Trufflehound

Re-enfranchised
Aug 5, 2003
14,104
The democratic and free EU
Halong bay for couple of days with all lime stacks looking out for James Bond.

You'd need to take some pretty powerful binoculars for that. The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed around Phang-nga in Thailand, about 2,000 km from Halong Bay...
 


Trufflehound

Re-enfranchised
Aug 5, 2003
14,104
The democratic and free EU
One tip - crossing the road can be scary; no zebra crossings (or not when I was there a few years a go). You have to take a deep breath, and step off the kerb into the traffic, and keep walking at a consistent pace (don't stop or speed-up) - drivers will steer round you. Pretty scary when you're halfway across a busy road in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) city, and a bus or lorry is coming towards you and then veers round you at the last minute!

Don't know if things have improved, but when I was there way back in 1992 it was trebly scary after dark. No vehicles ever used their lights, and the street lighting was so pathetic they may as well not have had any. As you crossed you could hear the traffic whizzing past your ears, but you couldn't see it bearing down on you.
 




Nostalgia

New member
Mar 22, 2012
67
The seagulls bar in pp has unfortunately closed due to...
Personally I wouldn't feel the need to spend too long there, as pleasant as it is, if you're on a short time scale, ( I spent months getting drunk by the riverside). The main sites can all be done by hiring a tuk tuk or motorbike for the day, and unless you're mega into temples, ( or have a lot of time, I spent a few days there), a full day around ankor wat can be enough.
As for trekking, I did some excellent 3 day treks in both the NE and NW, very untouched country at the time, and great fun. We also stumbled across Pol Pots graveside, a mound surrounded by upturned sprite bottles round the back of someones house which gets frequently vandalised.
Kep and Kampot also nice day trips in Cambodia.
Let me know if you want me to scratch my head harder for the the trekking places, my bro has lived there for 10+ years so I'm sure he can help

hi Pauli, would be great if you could get any more trekking info, thanks
 


Nostalgia

New member
Mar 22, 2012
67
Did great tour South Vietnam Saigon the chi tunnels and boat trip down the Mekong then to Cambodia Angkor Wat then Laos couple of days another river trip water falls hill tribes and then Hanoi vist Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and then Halong bay for couple of days with all lime stacks looking out for James Bond.
Just be prepared for upset stomach. It was a great experience meet some nice locals and taxi drivers didint know who The seagulls were just Man united and I said watch for the seagulls, this was ten years ago, hope this us starting to change.

Did you organise it yourself, anymore precise details on Mekong trip and river trip water falls hill tribes... thanks
 


brighton_girl87

New member
Jul 18, 2006
2,319
One tip - crossing the road can be scary; no zebra crossings (or not when I was there a few years a go). You have to take a deep breath, and step off the kerb into the traffic, and keep walking at a consistent pace (don't stop or speed-up) - drivers will steer round you. Pretty scary when you're halfway across a busy road in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) city, and a bus or lorry is coming towards you and then veers round you at the last minute!

When I was in Ho Chi Minh, I was dithering so much that a little girl (no older than 8 years old) grabbed my hand and led me across the road!
 








ofco8

Well-known member
May 18, 2007
2,386
Brighton
My brother told me that the tunnels which the Viet Cong constructed were well worth a look if that becomes a possibilty in your schedule !

Definitely this. Really enjoyed the visit to these and the war museum. However the museum is a bit gruesome. Obviously shown from a Viet Cong perspective.

We also took a trip to the Mekong Delta and had a fascinating boat trip through the vegetation and villages.
 



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