What should I do in 22 days in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam?

Question

I am in Bangkok for 22 days in January 2009 and want to see Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Can anyone recommend how many days to spend in each country and what to do when I am there.

Thanks

Nick

Answer 1

I'll do my best. If I were you I would I would start in either Saigon or Hanoi, work my way to the north/south (depending where you start), cross over to Cambodia, and then hit Thailand. It depends what you are looking to do, if you want to party a lot and don't care for the culture/history, Thailand may be your favorite place; however, if you are like me and realize you can party anywhere, and want to see the good stuff, I would skip Thailand completely and go to Laos/China.

Cambodia:

This was my favorite place in SE Asia. They have a very tragic and recent history. Google Pol-Pot if you want to learn more. The majority of the country is in their 30s or under due to the massive death toll caused by the communist regime of PolPot in the 1970s. More on this below. There is a ton of s*x available in Cambodia, some of it with underage girls, which is deplorable at best. Be careful though as in 1998, over 50% of the prostitutes there (around 5$ USD a go) had AIDS. I wouldn't go for it, but then again I'm not into that kind of stuff.

Siem Reap:

The # 1 place you most definitely have to go out of all those countries is Angkor Wat and the other associated temples. This is the largest collections of temples in the world. They are preserved great, tons of beauty, just breathtaking. Built in the 12th century, it is almost 100 times larger then the next largest site of it's kind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_wat

Phnom Penh:

This is the capital, in the south of the country, on the Mekong Delta. Full of wonderful people and many great Wats and temples. They usually have some awesome crafts and what not down by the river. I would visit the Silver Pagoda, check out the Royal Palaces, Wat Phnom (giant working clock in the grass), and the old French architecture. There is great history here about the Pol Pot regime and it's atrosities. Visit S-21 (Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum), this was a school before the regime took power, and was turned into a prison and torture facility. They have many amazing pictures and you can get a real idea of the struggle the Cambodian people endured. Just outsite of town you can visit the "Killing Fields". Another site of tragedy, where the bodies of millions were tossed after the genocide that took place. There is a large glass tower full of human skulls from that time.

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Vietnam:

One of the most beautiful countries on Earth. From a historical and cultural standpoint there is more to do here then you have time to handle. You can visit war sites, temples, and beautiful landscape.

Hanoi:

This is in the north and was the headquaters for the NVA during the war. You can visit the Hanoi Hilton (the old POW Prison during the war), quite a sight. The city reminds me of how a French colonial town should look. Very quaint. Cyclopousses are the preffered method of travel in the city, they are carraiges pulled by bicycle.

Danang/Hue:

This is in the central area. I definitely recommend driving from one to the other as the coastal highway you take is simply gorgeous. Danang was the major airport for the US during the war and is growing rapidly into a bustling city. Hue on the other hand was the site of the most infamous battle of the US/Vietnam war. The Tet (New years) offensive was launched and a large battle took place for control of Hue, in particular, the citadel in the middle of the city. Like most of SE Asia, it is well kept and you can still see the effects of the war.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon):

This is the capitol and is located in the south of the country. You can check out the embassies and what not, but this city is my least recommeneded one of your trip. It is simply a HUGE city infested with millions of people. Nothing great....

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Thailand:

I haven't been to Thailand since  2001 and when I went it was only for a few days as a luxurious kind of wind down before the trip back to the states.

Bangkok:

Wat Phra Kaew is worth seeing. I'm not sure if you have seen Anna and the king or whatever that movie was but it is featured there. It is almost a city within the city. Unlike other temples it does not contain living quarters for monks; rather, it has only the highly decorated holy buildings, statues, and pagodas. Many of the structures are golden and one of them houses a splendid Emerald Buddha. You can take a small boat through the many river channels throughout the city. I recommend having one of them take you to the Snake Farm at 1871 Rama IV Road. It's pretty awesome. They have guys who dodge cobra strikes and give live cobras kisses on their head all the time avoiding the bite. The snake farm doubles as a zoo, and although the animals conditions are pretty poor, it is still a cool zoo. You can get close enough to the animals to get your hand bitten off if you wanted to. Bangkok does have a redlight district, but when I was there I was only 16 and went with my parents so I didn't have the pleasure of  

Answer 2

Hi, nick. we'll welcome you to Thailand.  hope you can stay in thailand at least a week!!

When you are in Bangkok, walk as much as you can. Do not do as most tourists and visitors who only move by taxi or tuk-tuk. Walking around Bangkok, you will find more interesting things than you have

ever imagined. The hidden Bangkok is really not far from the tourist streets but there are no tourists there. Just a couple of blocks from the main roads, you will find rows of market stalls and restaurants with more authentic foods, people and goods than the tourist traps can offer.

Wat Pho is one of the largest Wats in Bangkok, and is quite famous for its large reclining Buddha with inscriptions of this former university’s teachings on the feet of the statue. However, while the Wat and the Buddha may be popular tourist stops, just separate from the temple itself and around the back lay the monks’ quarters, where quiet lanes house monks praying and going about their daily work. Also, taking the back entrance to the Wat from Maharat Road instead of the grand front entrance along Thai Wang Road will lead you to a quieter area of the Wat without the throng of tourists lining up to see the reclining Buddha. Out back there are fountains, small chedis, salas and shrines. This is the temple school area and there is even a basketball court where sometimes you will see monks shooting some hoops in their brilliant orange robes. It is a quiet place for relaxing and taking in the beautiful architecture of the monastery.

don't miss pattaya too.  There are far too many attractions to list, but anything and everything is here:  aquarium, wildlife parks, elephant treks, go karting, water parks, beaches, boat rides, boat tours, video arcades, fun restaurants, reasonably priced shopping, and hundreds of other things and places to go.  All reasonably priced.   Also Mini Siam park, a few botanical gardens, and day boat trip to Koh Larn, 20 minutes by speedboat 400 baht one way, or 45 minutes by ferry boat... boats leaving from Bali Hai pier, just past Walking Street... boats leave about once an hour.   Koh Larn is beautiful, like paradise... almost.

If you need more information about thailand, try http://www.discovery-thailand.com . They also offer online hotel booking with up to 75% off.  

greetings from bangkok