Anyone been? Planning on a ~3month runaround (Cambodia too, don't care about Thailand), so I figured I'd ask the clutchfans first.
Well, I've never been to Australia either, so I figured I'd go there for a bit and then SE Asia. No desire for Bankok or touristy crap, so 'Nam seemed appropriate. Those commies have an impressive number of national parks and protected nature areas. And fishing, and food. But if anybody has any knowledge, I'd love to hear it.
Once I saw Halong Bay on Anthony Bourdain, I knew one day my wife and I will go. Plane tickets weren't too expensive to Hanoi when I checked. I know the place will be touristy as hell, but it's just beautiful.
Ha Long Bay is spectacular. You must visit. The food in Viet Nam is very underrated. Get out and see the beautiful countryside. Visit the tunnels and let locals explain how the VCs used them to escape from and ambush American troops. They also set some mean booby traps that shish-kebabed our troops. Very creative and brutal. The hospitality will embarrass you. For me, it was over the top even by Asian standards.
Hanoi definitely. Food is some of the best you'll ever taste. Halong Bay is touristy but not anywhere near as bad as Thailand.
I've been here for roughly a year, mainly Ho Chi Minh City. Ask me anything and I'll try to answer! I made a post recently about my favorite foods, besides the usual pho.
Did the Vietnam and Cambodia trip in October 2015 and I tell people that is the best trip I have ever taken. Mine was two weeks though but we still got to see everything we set out to accomplish. Hanoi was great. Lots of cheap eats and good street food. Also lots of bun cha. Good museums there. The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and the Vietnam prison (one they kept John McCain) was interesting to see. Ha Long Bay is obviously a must see and about 3 hours from Hanoi. Gorgeous and spectacular. We didn't go to Ho Chi Minh city so not sure about that one. That one is a bit more modern/western than Hanoi (at least that is what the locals told us). We then went from Hanoi to Siem Reap. Angkor Wat was the highlight of the trip...which is pretty crazy since we had just been to Ha Long Bay a few days before. People are very nice in Siem Reap. Also, cheap eats and cheap beer. Some of the best beer I have ever had called Angkor. We then ended the trip with Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh was okay. Obviously a thing to do is the Killing Fields tour. Also, we did a side trip and fired off old soviet bazookas and AKs. We weren't planning on doing it but when you are in the jungle, you get the urge. Anyway, both countries are very very safe. And the people (as I have noticed in East Asian countries) are so so nice. I travel a lot and people ask me where my favorite destination has been. I always go back to Cambodia and Vietnam. If you have questions, let me know.
Thanks for the info. And I do have questions. For starters: what's travel like within the country? Busses? Private cars? Planes? What's Hue like? I know it was a beautiful city but got pretty well demolished during the war...did they do any restoration of all the historical sites?
3 months? That should be plenty of time to see a good swath of the country, depending on where you decide to make your base. Vietnam Airlines is the flagship airline, and it's pretty reliable. Hiring a car always comes with a driver. I'd like to go back to Vietnam someday... I visited when I was 8 (back in 2000), and it was an emotional experience for my parents, who finally had an opportunity to come home after fleeing over 30 years ago. The one region I'd probably suggest that you check out would be the Highlands. Dalat is the major city in the region and it's a great escape from the oppressive humidity. The city's charm comes from the well-preserved French colonial architecture, which is how it got the nickname "Le Petit Paris." The Crazy House stands out, too. It's definitely.... unusual. The architect was really influenced by Gaudi. There are also lots of waterfalls in the region. I'm sure you could arrange a motorbike tour of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and head north out of Dalat to Buan Ma Thuot, Pleiku, and Kon Tum.
Plan at least 2 weeks in Siem Reap alone. The landscape of all the temples is crazy amazing. Find a tour guide and let them walk you through Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. There are some really nice Hotels there that will cater to your every need. As far as traveling in Cambodia, there are tuk tuks everywhere within the city and buses that will take you from city to city. Vietnam seemed to have taxis everywhere, they were pretty shady with their routes though. Food is way better in Vietnam than it is in Cambodia IMO. Phnom Penh really was meh, dirty, cheap and not all that much to see and do, although it has been 5 years since Ive been and there were a lot of construction going up as far as western commercial properties at that time, so theres that.
2 weeks would be amazing in Siem Reap. We were only there for 3 days. Saw lots but obviously the more you stay, the more you get out of it. I thought transportation was pretty easy. Tuk tuks in Cambodia worked great. I don't recall using a taxi except from the airport to the hotel. Tour guides were very plenty also. We actually ended using our taxi driver that took us to the hotel. He did a great job. I assume that most taxi drivers there are tour guides since Siem Reap basically is Angkor Wat. In Vietnam. Lots of Taxis. We took a tour guide that took us to ha long bay. So transportation isn't a problem at all. I'm not sure about planes though. Never been to hue either. Ohhhh Also Cambodia has a lot of Happy Milkshake places if you are into this....
Train network in Vietnam is pretty good. I rode a train from Hanoi to Hue to visit the imperial complex. I would think it would be an awesome ride to take a full train trip from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city
