Vietnam forum

Thanks for your input - it's REALLY appreciated. Like I said, I haven't really grasped how big the countries are to figure out if my "wishlist" of places to see is overly ambitious as you said. I'm of course not planning on doing everything, just putting the feelers out there to see if my preparation is on track.

Thank you again. Do you also happen to think 3 weeks per country also for Thailand, Cambodia and Laos is about right? I could do 4 weeks in Vietnam and less in another place?

Andy

Cambodia and Laos could be done well with 2 weeks each I believe. Thailand has many good places to stop off in and you'd want more time there - I'd say 4 weeks. Vietnam also about 4 weeks. These are pure guesses, and it depends on your interests and how fast you like to move. The pace of life here is considerably slower than in the West, so you want to slow down too to enjoy this trip. I think that with so much time, it's near impossible to set strict timelines - go with the flow and weather. The time of year will also be a factor - for instance, you really don't want to be in Vietnam over Tet (mid Feb '12).

I do think the order you do these countries is somewhat important. For instance, I think starting out in Thailand is a very bad idea. Why, because Thailand is the jewel of SE Asia - you will be spoiled rotten there with the wonderful food, wonderful sex, wonderful beaches - Vietnam will look like a junkyard to you then. You have to learn the ropes, so to speak, and it will take a few days to do. Just my 2 cents!

@ antoniamitc-hell - thanks for your reply. I guess I just want to soak up as much of each country as I can and not miss any of the "must-sees" in each place, which I guess is very doable in my time-frame.I will crack on with my other itineraries and do as you suggest, scale back a bit and assess which might be the must-sees on my list and wing the rest when I'm there

@ daawgon - thanks also for your replies - I fly into Bangkok late Sept and was thinking of heading straight into Cambodia after 2 days of getting my bearings. Then into Vietnam, Laos and back up and around Thailand where I finish in December. Weather-wise, do you think that's the best way round? Oh, speaking of my age, 34 isn't thaaaaaat young, haha, and I'm female!! I will take into consideration about the drivers out there and try to be as careful as possible and not opt for the cheapest anything just to save a buck or two.

Thank you both again - all your help is easing my nerves. Still feel extremely disorganised but that's 'cos I'm doing this out of my comfort zone (organised treks in the past).

Andy

You won't be able to get a Vietnam visa at the border. If arriving by air, you can arrange a pre-approval letter (online) a couple of days beforehand, then you just pay for your visa at the airport. But if you arrive overland, you will need to sort it out ahead of time. So, from Cambodia, you can arrange it in Phnom Penh before you leave if going overland.

Same will apply if arriving overland from Laos, although I'm sure if you can arrange a visa there or not. Probably in Vientiane if anywhere? Search around on this site in the visa and you will get more info.

Posted from within Vietnam.

You can get Cambodia visa at Thailand, but you should apply some days before in order to avoid urgent. As I know, at the border Cambodia visa on arrival can be accepted. You can think about this.