Southeast Asia forum

As long as you're flying the long distances and you understand that you're on the move quite a bit, it's doable and reasonable. You might consider flying Siem Reap to BKK just to make the most of your time in Bkk. Three days in Halong Bay might be a bit long. I had 2 nights there (on boat both nights) which I thought was a good amount. I'd tend to spend the extra night in Hanoi.

Have fun!

Not to be too rules based here, but usually you post trip reports AFTER the trip.

Why you would want to do all this running around I don't know. But hey, it's your trip.

It's none of my biz really, but I think you'd enjoy that trip far more if you cut it down a bit. For instance, Vietnam - what the h___, you've skipped the really good places just to take a Halong B. cruise.

I say skip Vietnam entirely so you can enjoy more of Thailand and Cambodia - Vietnam deserves it's own 3 week trip.

I would say three weeks certainly does scratch the surface of a country, unless we're talking about China, Russia, India etc.

But I agree with you daawgon - going all the way to 'Nam just for HB, while it is nice, is not worth the effort.

MM - I'm sure that was the case but I think the definition of scratching the surface (in terms of food, sights, religion, levels of poverty to name a few) would be satisfied by a 3-week trip to most countries. It should also allow for enough down time to relax and absorb a few places anyway.

Btw, I thought you hated use of the word "culture". Or is it only when "annoying backpackers" use it.

Look, it's possible to whizz around and see the highlights in a couple of weeks. It gives you a fleeting exposure, lots of excitement, and a general taste of what it's like there. And that's fine when that's all the time you've got. But when you have time up your sleeve, the more time you can spend in a place, the better you get to know it, the better you get to understand it's culture, vibe, quirkiness or whatever. I've been in NZ for 35 years, and there are STILL places I haven't been to.

A general rule of thumb, where possible is to try to allow 3-4 weeks per country in SEA if possible. That allows some level of immersion, and the ability to enjoy what the country has to offer at a relaxed pace. If you can't spend that long, then cut down the destinations within the country. Otherwise the whole experience just becomes a blur in your memory once you are back home, and you end up needing a holiday from your holiday. There's always a compromise to be made.

In the end, you will do what's right for you in your circumstances. But do lots of reading, take people's advice on board - and then you can make informed decisions. Look at your itinerary, look at probable flight times, work out how much sitting around time or wasted down time that you will have - and decide if you are OK with the answer!

Either way - go forth and enjoy!

After considering your suggestions, I've decided to knock a few places off my list and will hopefully visit them next year (with a little more time). What I've left is a few places that I'm sure are worth seeing, visiting or experiencing. I've read through past posts but hopefully those of you who are more seasoned can help lend me a hand in helping me decide!

Looking to experience culture/life/attractions in the relatively short amount of time I have in each time, your help is appreciated.

2 days in Phnom Penh
Anything would help me here!

4 days in Siem Reap (including travelling from Phnom Penh)
Angkor Wat for sure

5 days in Chiang Mai (travelling to from Bangkok by plane)
Elephant trekking? Sunday night market?

So I'm back from my trip and know why many of you consider less as more, while I still travelled around more then I liked it was just enough of a balance between quantity and quality. For anyone else planning a trip on limited time hopefully would my suggestions would be of help, time spent at each destination doesn't include travelling to and from.

PHNOM PENH - I spent two days and managed to see much of city, including the night markets, I think if I spent an extra day here I would have gone on some of the excursion available.

SIEM REAP - I spent three days here and got to see a lot of Siem Reap and all of Angkor, which took me two days alone. Again, an extra day or two would have helped venture further, but nevertheless, an eventful three days.

CHIANG MAI - I spent 4 days here and could have stayed for much, much longer, there is so much to do and if that doesn't attract you, being in a calm and cultured city will. I can see why many prefer Chiang Mai to Bangkok.

PHUKET - Overcrowded and not what I expected, Bangla Road is just a long road full of go-go bars, great if you're into that, but not exactly what I envisioned!

KRABI - I spent 2 days here and thought it was quiet, calm and somewhere to put your feet up and plan your Island trips from. Much preferred to Phuket, but I guess this is down to preference.

Sorry for the brief details but if anyone wants to know more, I'm happy to give something back to this great forum (",).

If you are traveloholic then you can use your 3 weeks in the Indo China and probably can visit all the prominent land marks. But I would love to spend those 3 weeks to cover small area, relaxing and lazing around most of the time.