I'm going on a 2 week GAP tour of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos in April. I have the opportunity to go backpack Vietnam after that with some friends, for 3+ weeks. I need help deciding if I should go to Vietnam. Is Vietnam MUCH different than the other 3? Am I missing a lot by not going?

It's just that at the end of my tour I will have been traveling for 5 weeks already... Adding Vietnam will make it 2+ months. I want to be sure it's worth it if I'm going to neglect my business that much longer

I would appreciate any opinions about this! Thank you!

-Rene

I think most people on this forum, when asked if you should travel more, will answer hell yeah!

Whether Vietnam is markedly different from the other countries you're planning to visit (and there will be plenty who argue that it is) or not, I think you'll gain just as much from the experience itself and that alone will make it worth leaving your regular life at home for another few weeks.

If you can afford it (in both time & money), I say go for it. You're right there and will have been travelling for long enough that you'll be better able to enjoy it than if you came back another time with a short vacation schedule.

I think Hydro is right on. Personally I wasn't especially fond of Vietnam, but I did think it was markedly different from its neighbors, and even if you end up not liking it, I think that travel will be an exceptionally beneficial experience either way. Especially if you are already in the region and don't have to pay for long-distance airfare to get to Vietnam. Should be totally worth it!

I'd have to agree with Hydro and Bideshi. Go there while you're in the 'hood if you have the time and money. It's a long flight to Vietnam from Canada.

Personally, of the four countries you mentioned, Vietnam was my fourth favorite, but that wasn't your question. You wanted to know if Vietnam was significantly different from the other three; to that, I'd say most definitely. From my experience, Vietnam seems to be a Chinese-influenced society, while the other three are more Indian-influenced. You can see this in the food, art and people's temperment. It's also, by far the most populous, so you'd be missing out on the homeland of close to 90 milion people by skipping it.