Hi Everyone,

I'm just beginning to start on my planning for a trip to Cambodia but I'm having a hard time narrowing my focus down.

To start off here's a bit of our background. My husband and I are in our late 20s and independent travelers. We dislike going on group tours and much prefer going on our own if we can, or hiring a private guide if it's something that will greatly enhance the experience. We like to save money where we can and are generally budget travelers but I wouldn't say shoestring. We work hard so that we can play hard and aren't afraid to splurge on something if it's a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing and also will take a domestic plane flight if it saves a ton of time. We much prefer adventure to the city (our hobbies at home include rock climbing, ice climbing, and mountaineering) and we are active people. We dislike crowds but know that they are inevitable at times if we want to see the popular spots when it's not a torrential downpour

Now to the questions!

We will have ~18days in the country (this excludes travel time to and from the US (Portland)). Should we just focus on Cambodia or will we have enough time to explore Laos as well? Vietnam? Or....should we start in Laos and then head to Cambodia? Anything specific we should focus on? Where would you fly into/out of?

Options for dates are December 2nd - 21st or January 13th - Feb. 1st. There may be a slight chance of Nov. 4th-23rd as well. Is there an appreciable difference between these months? Cost? Crowds? Weather?

Oh, and one more quick note....we've spent 3 weeks in Thailand a few years ago and loved it (we would totally just go back there but want to experience new things!).

I think that's it for my first questions. I'm mainly trying to focus on plane tickets for now in order to work the rest out later.

Thank you so much for your time!

Hi!

First, I am pleased to let you know that you should not spend 18 days travelling in Cambodia as in Cambodia people just travel 3-6 days only and the spots you should visit are Phnom Penh (with Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, and Independence Monument, National Museum, Russian Market and Wat Phnom temples) and Siem Reap (with Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphoun, the Terrace of Temple, Elephants Terrace of the Leper King, Angkor Wat ...).

Laos is a country which has no ocean and the hot weather. It is not so interesting to visit Laos many days, but you still can experience about 3 days in Laos as the traditions and customs of Laos are also special.

Vietnam is the best destination among 3 countries. Why so? Vietnam has a long beach along the country. If you come to Vietnam in December or January you will see that the weather of the North and the Centre is different from the South. It's winter in the North and the centre (about 10-25⁰C) and summer in the South about 23-32⁰C). Its capital-Hanoi is the city for peace with the Old Quater, Lake of Restored Sword, Ethnological Museum... Moreover, Vietnam attracts many travellers with its world heritages such as Ha Long, My Son and Hoi An. Nha Trang, Mui Ne are the beaches attractings many tourists. If you plan to go there, you should book the room before at least 3 months. Saigon is also not to be missed with the activeness of a young city. In general, you will see that Vietnam is a country of tourism thank for its hidden charm.

Second, the cost in the period from Dec. to Jan. will be high as it's peak season, but the weather is good.

With warmest regards,
Dzung Nguyen

Something tells me Dzung Nguyen is a little biased towards his home nation ;)

I don't agree with a lot of his advice. Whilst there is less to "see" in Laos than Vietnam, Laos is not about sights. It's about experiencing nature, enjoying very cheap SE Asia travel and appreciating the warm people - the most approachable and hassle-free people in SE Asia, in my opinion (certainly a lot less hassle for the tourist than Vietnam).

3 days is also insufficient for Cambodia. A week would probably be the minimum for the place. LOTS of sights, INCLUDING beach resorts (although not as developed as those in Vietnam).

Sure, Vietnam has its beaches, and quite a lot of sights. It demands a lot of time. It's also a country of real hassle for tourists. You will be hunted down like a dog for your hard-earned dollar. Buy some earplugs, as the calls for "motorbike taxi?" every 30 seconds will otherwise drive you insane.

I have a special place in my heart for all three countries, and would return to any of them in a flash. I just wanted to give a more balanced view of each of them, from a Western tourist's perspective, after the previous biased summary.

As per your specific questions, 18 days in Cambodia is great, but I would consider involving a little time in Laos too. Even if it's only to pop up into the south - Si Phan Don - see the dolphins, get a bungalow, and chill the hell out! You can come back and see Luang Prabang etc another time - you'll be converted to Laos if you spend a few days there, trust me! ;)

As for flight hubs, Bangkok is the SE Asia flight hub. You can then get a cheap flight on Air Asia (book online, in advance, for cheapest fares) into Cambodia. Travel around Cambodia and Laos is best done overland.

I'm not sure there would be a huge difference between those dates. End of Dec tends to be peak season for Thailand. Maybe cheaper slightly outside of season. Perhaps someone more expert on the weather in Cambodia can help.

Have a great trip ;)
Steve

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3 - 6 days?? Who are these people? :p

Cambodia has so much more to offer than described here. In my view 18 days is not enough for Cambodia alone, let alone other countries in the region.

If you come to Cambo do not miss the amazing (if limited) coastline. Start off around Koh Kong/Sihanoukville and then move East through Kampot to Kep. All along the coast are amazing islands (much like the Thai islands across the Gulf of Thailand) that are very underdeveloped. Also, the journey from Kep to Phnom Penh (depending on which route you take) is one of the most beautiful journeys I've ever taken. Astonishing.

In Phnom Penh there's a lot to see and do. Shoot off some assault rifles, check out the markets (Central and Russian are the main tourist spots but there are loads to see), the temples, the Toul Sleng museum, palaces, riverside, etc etc.

Siem Reap offers a gateway to the temples of Angkor. There are 5 days of interest right there considering some of the more widespread temples. You can do it in 2 or 3 if time is short and just hit the closer ones. However long you spend though it's an amazing place.

Places like Sisophon and Battambang are interesting places to see Cambodian city life and for rural life...take your pick! One of the most beautiful parts are Ratanakiri in the extreme north east. Hard to get to but SO worth the effort.

There're lots of places to take a river cruise. The Siem Reap to Battambang one is the most popular/touristy but there are others. Recommended!

Basically, anyone doing Cambodia in 3 - 6 days hasn't even scratched the surface!

Laos is also amazing but will also need at least 3 weeks or so of exploration. If you want to pop in briefly , right on the Cambo - Laos border is 4,000 islands (Si Phan Don as Steve has mentioned). Laos has no coastline but this (nearly) makes up for it. If you're in Siem Reap it won't take you long to get to 4,000 islands. Also, agree with Steve that the Laotions are the warmest and friendliest people in SE Asia. Simply beautiful people.

Vietnam was my least favourite of the 3 but that may just be preference. Not that it's a bad place but the people there seemed to lack sincerity/honesty/integrity. That said I met a few good people and am still friends via arsebook.

In a nutshell, my advice is to stick with Cambodia for your 18 days with a possible jaunt into Laos for 4,000 islands if you have time at the end. Either way you'll have a blast. Enjoy!

Just wanted to drop a quick line thanking you all for your balanced advice. I appreciate the tips! It's looking like we will be going in December and focusing on Cambodia with maybe an exit strategy to Laos if we forever reason get over/underwhelmed. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I continue to narrow it down but your suggestions have definitely helped!