Traveling to Vietnam (possibly Cambodia as well), leaving from Bangkok, July/August with no Asian travel experience. Friends suggest G.A.P. Tours as better/cheaper than planning it myself. I am going with two sons 16 & 21. Can anyone offer any feedback on GAP or other tour companies, as well as, the advisability of going via a tour company versus planning it ourselves? Thanks.

Hello Andy,
I don't know the tour company you mention so can't make any comments.
Mr Kimbo and I are frequent visitors to Bangkok and have recently travelled from there to both Cambodia and Vietnam - first time to both places.
We hate the idea of being on a shedule where our days are organised according to a timetable as we like to spend time just walking around at leisure, going on day trips, having leisurely lunches etc. so we opt to arrange things ourselves.
For both Cambodia and Vietnam it was really easy!

1. Do a bit of research first and decide which cities and which hotels and go from there.
This site is a good starting point, but not many threads here - have a look at tripadvisordotcom where you'll find forums, hotel reviews, things to do and places to go as well as advice on which airlines fly to your destination.

2. You can book and pay for flights online (AirAsia, Bangkok Airways,Pacific Airways - Vietnam Airlines has a website, but you can't book online - you need to either ring their office or book with a travel agent)
We booked Bangkok-Siem Reap-Phnom Penh-Bangkok - booked and paid online. It's worth noting that this airline offers a special fare for a multi-trip journey such as this - good savings - check out the website.

3. Hotels can also be arranged online or you can use a local travel agent.
After researching hotels using tripadvisor reviews, we booked our own hotels in Cambodia - used agodadotcom - and for Vietnam we used a company I found by doing a google search for Vietnam travel agents - saigonhotel-link.com - good rates and good service - you can phone them or do it all online from booking to payment. They offer a lot of budget options not found on other online booking sites.

Once you get to your destination, you can book day tours.
Although it might sound a bit 'last minute' to those who like everything done in advance, it's not a problem at all - you can usually book the day before. At 8pm we were in Sinh cafe booking our next-morning trip to Cu Chi Tunnels and we're really glad we booked once in Vietnam as we saved a lot of money... e.g. quoted $32 USD per person for private tour in car but ended up paying $5.25USD per person to do same thing on a bus tour. We were also quoted 200USD for a private tour that we discovered we could do for about 1/4 of that price. Domestic flights are also cheaper to organise through a travel agent when in HCM - there are hundreds of them in and around backpacker area in HCM.

In Siem Reap, it was easy to hire a tuktuk to drive us around town so we could orientate ourselves on the first day (negotiate price first!) and also hire a tuktuk to take us to the temples - no tour necessary.
In Phnom Penh we hired a tuktuk for trips to the shops and the prison camp in town but chose a car to go to the Killing Fields ( a fair way out of town and pretty dusty so a car was a better option).

Not sure what your budget is but we could recommend Prince D'Angkor in Siem Reap - very nice in a good location - probably 4 star - good rates on agoda... think we paid about 80USD a night for a deluxe room (very nice) and rackrates displayed in hotel were 240USD ! There are many cheaper options and some of these are quite near Pub Street/Night Market which is a good spot - you can find out about these on tripadvisor forums. Whatever you choose, I recommend that you DON'T stay in any on the airport road - not walking distance to anything.
For PP, Himawara Suites was a good choice - at the quieter end of Sisawath Quay, but a short walk to restaurants, bars and shops.

Hope this has helped.... planning things yourself sounds daunting for first-timers but it's easy when you have the right information. You just need time to do the research beforehand.

Great help. Thank you.

Thanks again for the great advice. More questions:

What airline did you use for the multi-trip booking as per quote below?

"We booked Bangkok-Siem Reap-Phnom Penh-Bangkok - booked and paid online. It's worth noting that this airline offers a special fare for a multi-trip journey such as this - good savings - check out the website."

Also, for first time travellers to SEA, travelling out of Bangkok, is it possible to name four or five "must go" places? Our interests and ages vary and some of us are on a spiritual-like-journey.
Thanks.

For the flights Bkk-Siem Reap-Phnom Penh-Bkk, we went with Bangkok Airways.
I can't remember the price we paid (somewhere in the 200+ USD per person) but it was cheaper to book all flights with their "Discovery Airpass" option than any other option available at the time. Under this system you book between 3 and 6 flight sectors....the international sectors (Bkk to either Siem Reap or Phnom Penh and return = 2 sectors) and then book one domestic sector between SR & PP - total 3 flight sectors.
There are other options shown on the website - multi-destination and their promotions.
I've just had a look at their website and they have a '2 for 1" promotion on from June-Sept if you book with American Express card.
You'd need to go to the website - bangkokairdotcom - and check prices for these options to see which one works out cheapest and most convenient for you.

Otherwise you could book Bkk-Ho Chi Minh -Bkk with either Bangkok Airways or Air Asia and leave yourself enough time to do some domestic flights within Vietnam or else a cheap flight HCM- Cambodia once you get there.

The must sees in Siem Reap -
1. of course the temples, but we found seeing two was quite enough seeing we only had four days there. How people can go 'temple viewing' every day is beyond me.... very tiring in the heat.
We chose Angkor Wat and the one that was used in the film Lara Croft Tomb Raider movie - that's the temple that's slowly being consumed by the huge tree roots... quite amazing in places. We just got a tuktuk to take us and wait outside.
2. night market (a very interesting open air bar right at the back too with a bar tender who does the bottle juggling thing)
3. Pub Street (lots of little bars and restaurants)
4. Cultural Centre out on the airport road.... we didn't see this either but sounded interesting enough.
5. A trip in a tuk tuk is an interesting way to see the place.... the main road near the local market a real eye opener... amazing what you see in the traffic....... e.g. motorbike with 3 pigs splayed out across the pillion seat ! then our driver did a uturn in the middle of a sea of motorbikes. YIKES!
He also took us around the back streets where we saw a stone carving workshop (sweatshop) and lots of shanties on the river - such poverty but such friendly people - the little kids came out to wave hello and were delighted when we took their photo and showed them.
6. A visit to the Foreign Correspondents' Club - this has been turned into a very stylish restaurant/bar with upstairs dining room and balcony - rather Raffles style with the colonial architecture and the overhead fans. There are lots of framed photos and newspaper clippings of the Khmer Rouge/Pol Pot era.

In Phnom Penh the 'must sees' are a bit more depressing.....
1. Tuol Sleng - the high school that was turned into a prison camp/torture centre. It's a sobering experience like many such historical sites but gives an understanding of the events that have shaped this country.
2. Killing Fields - I didn't go there (one sobering experience was enough for me) but my husband went and he said it looked just like a paddock but it was the knowing what it had been that made it sombre.
3. The Royal Palace/Silver Pagoda and other buildings in the compound... this is in town on Sisowath Quay, so it's easy to get to from most of the hotels in that area.
4. Lots of interesting bars, restaurants etc. along Sisowath Quay.
5. The Russian Market - quite big and you can buy everything from silk by the metre, items made of silk, wooden articles etc.etc. as well as shoes, clothing, jewellery and other stuff that tourists seem to want.

Both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh cater well for tourists but we liked Siem Reap better because it was much more laid back and easier to get around.

For more information on both of these places - photos too - suggest you take a look at Cathy and Gary's travel pages........... the link is on here somewhere. Mark????

If you feel like a bit of a beach break, you could do that in Thailand or Vietnam easily enough. I'll be posting a JBR Part 2 on here later this week.

Thank you very much Kimbo for such presice information. You have answered a whole pile of questions with your two replies. Andy

Since GAP is a Canadian tour company I assume that you are coming from there. I note that it is budget travel with hotels in the 2 star category in sometimes poor locations like the Royal in Bangkok. Nothing wrong with this if this is what you want. Kimbo gives good advice and since I have not been to Vietnam I cannot help you much on that end. Cambodia yes as I have been several times and there is more to the country than Siem Reap with its world known temples. I disagree with using a tiuk-tuk especially in the july/august heat. An air-conditioned car is best although it will cost more and perhaps a guide. In Phnom Penh a guide is not necessary but again car beats the tuk-tuk for comfort.
You say july/august, does that mean you will be traveling for two months. If so you could spend 2 weeks in Vietnam, say 11/2 in Cambodia (see more of the country other than SR and PP), visit Luang Prabang in Laos, explore northern Thailand, spend at least 5 days in Bangkok, maybe a beach in the south, visit Malaysia or Burma or both. On the way there or back you could also stop in Hong Kong. These are just examples of thing to do and see.

What type of hotels were you thinking of budget, mid-range or deluxe and price range. Two rooms or 3 in a room.

Bangkok Air has the Discovery Pass as mentioned and you have to buy a minimum of 3 flights. This pass is also good on Siem Reap and Laos airlines. International flights are $100 and domestic 60. Add $22for fuel charges etc for each flight plus airport taxes. The pass has to be obtained outside of Thailand either from a travel agent or by calling a BA office.

Let us know some more information and we may be able to assist you further with your plans

Oh yes Scotters - I didn't think of the summer heat when I wrote about the tuktuks - our trip around town was fine, but the trip out to the temple area was hot ! and that was December so I guess August would be much more unpleasant.

As I'm writing this post, I'm watching a documentary about Cambodia (Killing Fields, Tuol Sleng and the reign of the Khmer Rouge as well as a bit about the beach area of Sihanoukville. If you have Discovery Travel & Living channel, you might be able to see it.
From 14th -18th April this channel is also showcasing Thailand so if you have this channel it might help with the holiday planning.

We are regular visitors to Thailand but recently decided to explore further afield, hence our visit to Cambodia at Christmas and Vietnam at Easter.
We'd like to visit Luang Prabang too - looks very interesting.

Thanks for the suggested itinerary Scotters. Your advice is very welcomed and you are right, we are residents of Canada and quite naturally “hot weather” challenged.

We will be in SEA for at least two months, possibly three months. I am considering getting dental work done in Bangkok, treatment of which spans three months from start to finish. The “very tentative” plan is to land for several days in Bangkok in early June and then spend the rest of June in northern India, returning to SEA for July and August. We are wide open to suggestions.

We (3 people) have a midlevel travel budget – US $60 to $70 each per day max, which we hope will cover everything except air flights. We would prefer to avoid sharing rooms. At different points, we would like to stay for a while to get to know the local culture, renting three bedroom condos or bungalows.

We also have a spiritual bent and thus are more interested in things Buddhist than the normal tourist type stuff.

Your suggested itinerary sounds great. I look forward to more information and details.
Thanks, Andy

Looking forward to your next Vietnam JBR Kimbo! It's one country I haven't been to... it hasn't been top of my list for some reason...maybe because about 60-70% of the people I meet are a bit negative about it. Others love it and say the scenery is stunning so will be very interested to hear what you have to say.

Burma is THE place to go for all things Buddhist ...Buddhist temples, golden stupas and monks everywhere. It's amazingly photogenic country, and far more "authentic" than anywhere else I've been in SE Asia. (My avatar is a photo of lady I met in a hill village there BTW). It feels rather like you're in a time warp and have gone back100 years in time. It's well worth seeing but it's pretty hard-core transport-wise if you don't want to contribute too much money to the regime by using air transport and "luxury" trains. Think 24 hour journeys on very clapped out and uncomfortable buses on terrible roads....they'd be deep mud during the rainy season so maybe not a good idea this trip. But think about it if you ever come back during the winter months when it's dry season. There's an atmosphere there that is quite unique and the people (as opposed to the regime) desperately need your money. I didn't meet anyone, even rebel leaders, who wanted independent tourists to stay away. People going there on package tours were another matter.

Luang Prabang is also a good place to go if you're into Buddhist things. It's a bit more geared to tourism but it has lovely old temples, teak houses, exquisite hand woven silk, rice cakes drying in the sun, mist rising off the Mekong in the morning and breath-taking mountain scenery between there and Vang Vieng. There are nice treks to hill villages north of Luang Prabang where the mountain scenery is also beautiful and you can explore the countryside surrounding Luang Prabang on a hired bicycle.

I was there out of season (October) though, and it was a few years ago. I've heard it's become a lot more touristy in recent years and is absolutely mobbed in peak season over Christmas and New Year. Not sure how busy it would be in the summer months.

If you decide to go there I wouldn't recommend traveling by slow boat from Northern Thailand ...you'll find it extremely uncomfortable as they pack in tourists like cattle and you spend two days on very hard and cramped wooden seats with an overnight stop in a rat hole called Pak Beng en route. Fly there if you can and go back south to Vientiane by road.

Are you sure the dental work in BKK will take 3 months? That seems incredibly long. Remember there aren't the usual delays waiting for appointments you have in the West. My root canal and crown only took a few days and I just walked in to BIDC without an appointment.

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