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Ha Long Bay or Bangkok?
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OlaMaz
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My friend and I are planning a cycling trip thru vietnam and cambodia, and are tossing between adding on a trip to Ha Long Bay before our tour or adding a few days in Bangkok after our tour.. These are two very different places and we're having a difficult time deciding!
are 2-3 days enough to see Bangkok? and should I save that for a whole trip of Thailand?
#1 Posted: 28/12/2011 - 11:30
busylizzy
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2-3 days is enough to see some highlights of Bkk and to do a bit of shopping.
Which place should you go to? Well, they are completely different so it depends on what sort of experience you are looking for.
From a logistical perspective, I would suggest Halong Bay since you are already in Vietnam, and because you are going to Thailand another time by the sounds of it. That will save you time (flying, airport waiting, etc, etc) and expense. Are you likely to return to Vietnam? If not, again, it makes sense to see Halong Bay since you are there anyhow.
#2 Posted: 28/12/2011 - 13:04
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MADMAC
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It all comes down to are you a city person or a country person. Bangkok is a huge, sprawling, cosmopolitan city. It has everything. Halong Bay is obviously a place of natural beauty. Where to go depends on what your interests are. I have ZERO interest in Halong Bay and will most certainly never go there. I would go to Bangkok every time. But I'm not you.
#3 Posted: 29/12/2011 - 02:18
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DLuek
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Nothing to add that Bizzy and Mac haven't said, except that personally I'd do Sapa over Ha Long Bay.
#4 Posted: 29/12/2011 - 03:21
OlaMaz
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Thanks! not an easy decision at all!
I'm definitely a mix of city and nature, which makes the decision hard. There is so much to see and definitely not enough time..
How long would you need for Sapa, and how do you get there? Bus?
#5 Posted: 29/12/2011 - 10:40
DLuek
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Sapa is usually reached by train, and more often the night train. I took the day train - great scenery but slower trip. As I recall it was somewhere around 10 hours. For the whole trip 4-5 days is good, unless you want to explore the more outlying villages. If you like nature I'd go with Sapa over Ha Long Bay . You can see the pics I took of Sapa here, and here's what I took in Ha Long Bay / Cat Ba Island.
#6 Posted: 29/12/2011 - 12:06
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Nice pics. If I only had 3 days, would that be too short for Sapa? And should I maybe look at going to somewhere like Mai Chau for some northern countryside. Looking at early March 2012.
#7 Posted: 30/12/2011 - 14:59