BootsnAll Travel Community

As part of my RTW trip I will be flying into Vietnam (HCMC) on the 5th November 2008 and we have until 25th Feb 2009 to explore SE Asia overland before flying on from Singapore.

Has anyone experience in doing a similar route? I'm not sure of the best order to visit each of the countries. Currently I am thinking of heading North through Vietnam, Cut across Laos near Vientiane, into Thailand to Bangkok via Chiang Mai then into Cambodia.

This then means I have a fair bit of backtracking to do to get to the Thai Peninsular (and then on through Malaysia), unless I can get a boat / ferry across the Gulf?

On another note, any recommendations where to try and be over Christmas?

Any help appreciated!

Cheers,

Simon

Are you trying to get to singapore completely overland?

I think the route you suggested sounds good, but you'll have to be pretty organized to cover all that ground, and still have time for Southern Thailand and Malaysia. I'm basically doing to same route backwards in a similiar amount of time.

From the research I've done my biggest recommendation would be to fly to Cambodia from Bangkok. The flights are so cheap that its worth your time (i've heard its a rough overland route). You may even want to see if there are flights directly to some places in S. thailand directly from PP or Siem Reap.

Can you start in Hanoi? Then you could head south to Ho Chi Minh City, then from there head into Cambodia. You can visit Phenom Phen and Siem Reap, then head up the Mekong into Southern Laos (4000 Islands area), then up to Vientenne, then Laung Prabang. From LP, you can continue along the Mekong to Thailand, transfer down to Chaing Mai, then down to Bangkok. From Bangkok, you can either fly directly down to Singapore, or take a train through Malaysia. With four months, you could spend a month in each country or a little more in some and less in others. This schedule will give you a continuous, unbroken path through each country. I only recommend it because I'm planning to do the same route in the opposite direction about the same time that you'll be there

.....Pelke

Yeah we were planning to do it all over-land. Can't start in Hanoi (though I would if I was booking my ticket over again). I think perhaps flying to Cambodia then onto the peninsular if possible might be the best bet then.

Can anyone recommend a way to book those flights, or best just to sort it when we're in Thailand? It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if we had to fly back to Bangkok.

Also, would it be possible to go over-land from Cambodia into Trat & onto Ko Chang?

Cheers again,

Simon

Hi
I won't be able to contribute to your routing. However, I live in Singapore and can share what's on during the Christmas period.

For 6-7 weeks beginning mid-Nov, the main shopping belt is decked with pretty fairy lights, baubles and other decorations according to the theme of the year. The entire 5km stretch of road from Orchard Road to Marina Bay is beautifully lit up. Here are some photos I took of the Orchard Road Christmas Light Up in 2006 and 2007.

There are several free performances on the streets and in the malls. On Christmas eve and New Year's eve, there are countdown parties over the island, particularly at Clarke Quay and St James' Power Station. There's also the Marina Bay Countdown Fireworks on 31 Dec night.

I hope this helps you decide where to stay during Christmas.

You don't need to fly to Cambodia. It would be a shame to break up a wonderful overland trip like this. You can cross in the south and spend a night either/or at Koh Kong on the cambodian side , or Trat on the Thai side. These are two of my favourite towns in S.E Asia. The great thing about having four months is that you can find those little, overlooked places between the big destinations.

gotta agree with Jack, you do have four months, worth looking into...

Thanks for the advice everyone. One more thing, what would be the best bet for getting a 2 month Thai visa when we arrive in Vietnam?

Cheers,

Simon