[Closed] Vietnam and Cambodia tours..

No one? Really..
STW is normally the font of all knowledge..
*Is disappoint* 😕

travel doc for some shots

I cycle toured Vietnam in 1999 and went to Cambodia around 8 years ago. Highlight for me was the North West - Tonkinese Alps I think it's called. Rode from Sapa back to Hanoi the long way round - took about 9 days I think. Nowadays you can do it by motorbike bike or as part of a tour, or on public transport I guess. It's utterly breathtaking and there's lots of culture in the form of hill tribes etc. A bit off the beaten track too, since most tourists just go to Sapa and don't venture beyond. If you're short of time, Sapa is worth a visit.

Other highlights for me: Mekong Delta, HCM city, Hanoi, Hoi An, Marble Mountains, overnight train. Halong Bay looks ace but touristy (I never made it there). In Cambodia, I only had a week. Ankgor was great but get there at the crack of dawn to avoid (some of) the crowds. I enjoyed Phnom Penh too. Food in SE Asia is amazing. My tip - eat on the street as much as poss. Enjoy yourself.

We went in January.

Flew Heathrow to Hanoi, non-stop with Vietnam Airways on a 787. Very comfortable.

Booked a trip round Halong Bay with [url= http://www.ethnictravel.com.vn/index.htm ]Ethnic Travel[/url] which is a brilliant company who take you to places off the tourist trail.

Then flew down to Hue, Motorbike to Hoi An, Got the Sleeper Train to Mui Ne for some windsurfing, Train to Saigon and another trip with Ethnic Travel around Mekong Delta.

Flew back on 787 from Saigon. (Locally it's known as both Ho Chi Minh and Saigon, equally)

Magnificent trip. January is too cold for the mountains though so next time (and there will be a next time) we'll go a bit later and up in the mountains. But January is a great time to go. We cycled and kayaked on the Ethnic Travel trips and swam each day in Halong Bay. We went just before Tet (Chinese new year) and the flowers being grown in the Delta, and being shipped to Saigon on the river were magnificent.

Ethnic Travel really impressed us. They took us to places where tourists rarely go. Homestays, floating villages etc. We went on a little boat right in the middle of the floating market - mooring up against barges selling coffee and noodles for breakfast at 6 in the morning and passing bowls across to market traders who in turn were tied up to our boat before we whizzed off to another barge. And looking at the boats full of "proper tourists" all packaged up in life jackets and watching from a safe distance!

When we were cycling around the Delta I got very disoriented and asked our guide what would happen if we got separated. There was just me, Mrs BigJohn and "Lucy" our guide. She said just to stop, and she would ask the locals if they had seen the foreigners. They don't see many.

I spent year in cambodia 3years back.
I got to ride with the guys from FlyingBikes.
They do local and go further afield for races and rides
They may know of cycle touring expeditions.
I was mostly on dirtbikes there
If you ride motos I can give you ideas,of tours or places to go solo
Like Cardamom mountains.
You need to see Angkor Wat
Sihanoukville and the islands there are more party places

Just stay away from there for Chinese New Year!

Angkor temples: hire a bike in Siem Reap, and cycle there. It's much easier to avoid all the coach parties that way, as you can cycle in the opposite direction and have the place to yourself. For the temples further out, hire a tuktuk and driver for the day. Book somewhere with a pool as it's very hot, and you'll want to cool off after cycling.

Phnom Penh. Great place to spend a few days, with brilliant street food. You'll want to visit S21 and the killing fields. it's truly horrific but gives you a much better understanding of the country.

You have the option of going north up the Mekong Delta into Laos, the Si Phan Don islands are stunning, and it's not that far by bus.

Not bothered about riding if I’m honest, as my wife ain’t a big fan, sadly. 😐

do you like wildlife? or partylife? or quiet beaches? junglehiking?
or the nightlife of phnom penh and the sights and mess there?

Not bothered about riding if I’m honest, as my wife ain’t a big fan, sadly.

It was more about practicality than anything else. If she doesn't want to cycle at all, I'd still use tuktuks. Get a good guidebook and enjoy the temples without the crowds. You can negotiate a price with the driver upfront.

When we were there, there were stories of thieves on motorbikes taking bags from people in tuktuks, so keep your valuables down by your feet.

The cycling with Ethnic Travel (with the exception of their cycling-specific trips) is minimal to optional.

I've not been to Cambodia but here are my Vietnam tips:

I'd recommend going to Cat Ba Island (instead of Ha Long)and spending a few days on a junk with these guys:

http://www.asiaoutdoors.com.vn

The scenery is very similar to Ha Long but much quieter. We climbed and kayaked during the day and spent the night of the junk with them and it was bloody brilliant. Bonus if your into climbing at all as you can do some DWS. The crew on the ship were locals and came swimming with us in the phosphorescent plancton after a few too many rice wines haha.

War based stuff: Doing the tunnels from HCMC was pretty cool, I really enjoyed that; our guide really opened my eyes to the Vietnamese perspective on the war (something that was confirmed by the recent BBC documentary). Also the War Museum in HCMC was excellent. The Hanoi Hilton was less good.

I really enjoyed the madness of Saigon but it's a bit of a culture shock coming into it straight from the Uk due to the 40C heat, 100% humidity and 8 million people. Certain streets are very "gap yeaaaar" and others are very much not so.

We started there for 4 days so everywhere else felt pretty "quiet" in comparison. The jet lag was pretty wild and we slept for 24 hours on arrival.

Hoi An was lovely, very peacful and an excellent place to properly relax for a few days after Saigon (and buy a hilarious tailored suit).

I'd also add that Danang is pretty grim and I wouldn't bother. It's basically an artificial city which the government has forced as the third city of the country and thus it has very little history / interesting sites.

Out itinary was London > Saigon > Da Nang, taxi to Hoi An > Fly to Hannoi > London. Never got to visit the north which was my one regret from the trip, Sapa looks like a cracking bit of the country and i'm a mountain man at heart.

Doing a hiking tour with KE Adventures (Vietnam & Laos) later this year.

Lots of choice on their website if you want something particular. Can't personally recommend them yet but have heard good feedback.

Yes I think we went to Cat Ba not Halong, but look similar. Hanoi is an absolute don't miss. Make sure you see it before the 20th century (yes, 20th) catches up with it.

hanoi is an exhilarating city, so many difference sides to it. we also went to sapa in the northern highlands and ha long bay.
the scenery is fabulous, the people modest and lovely - we twice were invited into small wooden shack houses for tea !
went with a super wee company called backyard travel, nothing was too much bother, and quite cheap.