Need help with itinerary - 2 weeks in S.E. Asia in Early Dec

acinod on 04/05/2015 - 23:20

Hi everyone,

We are a couple planning to go on a 2 week holiday in the first half of December. After considering out student budget and the best places to be in early December, Mainland Southeast Asia was an obvious choice.

We plan to start in Thailand (Phuket, Bangkok), then head to Cambodia (Siem Reap, Phnom Penh) and finish in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City).

Given our lack of experience, we would have a few questions:

  1. Is two weeks enough? We are quite young and so we don't mind packing a lot of things in each day. We also don't plan to come back to Southeast Asia anytime soon so we want to see as much as possible.
  2. If two weeks really isn't enough for the places we are going for, what should we leave out?
  3. Is taking the bus the best way to get from one country to the next? We're a bit concerned about our safety and thinking flying may be better since we only have 2 weeks. But we don't want to spend too much.
  4. What is there actually to do in Cambodia besides the Angkor Wat? Is it just a bunch of temples? We are more interested in beaches and shopping so we're just worried that we might get bored.
  5. Should we go on a tour for any of the countries or can we get around with just English?

Thanks in advance.

Travel

Comments

  • Eeples on 04/05/2015 - 23:52

    I think you should Google 'Vietnam Cambodia tour' and look at those itineraries…..

    Then copy it or plan a similar one…..and do it yourself.

    Ps. I have been to Southeast Asia many times and I would actually recommend Myanmar (Burma).

    Eg. Fly in to Mandalay (2 or 3 days), catch a boat to Bagan (2 or 3 days on electric scooters visiting the temples), day trip to mt popa, fly to Yangon (Rangoon) 2 or 3 days…. Surround the trip in a few days in Bangkok or Singapore (if you have the money).

    Googling images of mt popa or bagan…. Will convince you.

    Have fun.

  • saine on 05/05/2015 - 11:09

    Honestly, I think 2 weeks is too short a period of time for that amount of activity.

    Bus travel in Asia is very do-able, with tourist buses ranging from basic to luxury. However, given your short trip, do consider the loss of travel time.

    I would leave out Ho Chi Minh, and do Vietnam another time. You're missing out on a lot of the highlights of Vietnam anyway. Sapa, Hoi An, Halong Bay and Hanoi are all worth a visit. Apparently there are awesome beaches around Nha Trang way.

    Angkor Wat is a complex of temples spread across the jungle which is a photographer's dream. It's not a relaxing beach break, but there was a reason it was used as the set of tomb raider. The town itself has some fun restaurants and spas, so I used to get up early and explore the temples, then indulge in the afternoon/evening. You can do a day trip to the floating villages and Kbal Spean (river of a thousand lingas).

  • NancyCat on 05/05/2015 - 12:43

    My family and I just came back from Vietnam, our favourite was Hoi An (4 days there, could do more), lovely shopping at Hoi An especially custom made clothes/bags/shoes. Beach is about 20 mins away. We also did a bike tour in the country side, it was AMAZING. (It was only a half day tour, but we've done sooo much.) HCMC - not much to do there, shopping mainly market style knock-offs…didn't like it.

    If I were you, I would skip HCMC, and go to Singapore instead. The reason is Singapore is very different to Thailand & Cambodia, it's more modern/metropolitan. Given you've already decided you won't be returning to SE Asia soon, it would be a good opportunity to see a different side of SE Asia. Also, Singapore has great shopping, restaurants, night life …

    We did 5 cities in 16 days in April. AND that's with 3 young children, so for a young couple, I think 14 days is quite doable.

    Have a lovely trip.

  • jvdv001 on 05/05/2015 - 13:17

    Two weeks is too short a time - I know people "do" SE Asia in 14 days or whatever but to cover Thailand, Cambodia and ending up in Vietnam you may well find most of your 14 days is spend getting from one place to the next without spending any time taking in what these places have to offer. If I only had two weeks I would focus on one of those countries.

    Buses are generally faster than trains (no trains in Cambodia) and you can get around using English in most places. Flights with AirAsia are cheap (compared to here) if you need to get between major cities quickly.

    Considering your student budget I would stay in one the countries you suggest - just take what you need in your backpack and take off - if you like cities you may find after landing in Bangkok that a week can be spent there exploring. On the other hand if you don't like cities you can get on a bus and head down south to some of the towns on the coast (buses leave from the airport to most points south).

    For specifics on each place visit some of the forums, Trip Advisor, etc. There you will find feedback from travellers on almost everything.

    Have a good time.

  • SirFlibbled on 05/05/2015 - 13:35

    I recently spent 3 weeks in Vietnam and that wasn't enough. For 2 weeks I'd pick either Thailand or Vietnam and do it well. You wont see much of anywhere trying to do three countries in 2 weeks.

  • dasher86 on 05/05/2015 - 17:19

    I agree with most people above two weeks is a very short time to achieve what you want to do.

    I'd suggest skipping phuket altogether and go to sihanoukville in cambodia.

    Bangkok 3 days for shopping > siem reap 2/3 days temples, shopping and food > sihanoukville 3/4 days beach bars etc > kampot 1/2 days > phnom penh 1 day is enough…
    The rest of the days will probably used for travelling.

    If you're very ambitious skip Kampot and make a beeline to Ho Chi Minh for 2/3 days there.

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