SwanF

I guess I will be part of the "28 million", due to the fact the I will be flying into and out of Bangkok in March. I will however only be spending one night in Bangkok outward and return and the next four weeks in Vietnam. Due in no short part to unsolved tourist murders, harassment of tourists in Police shakedowns and the general anti tourist xenophobic attitude of the Thai's. Add in the fact that Thailand is not the cheapest SE Asian country for a months travel, i really cannot see me spending much time in LOS in the foreseeable future.

I wish I could have bypassed BKK altogether, but alas to get from London to Vietnam, its the cheapest and quickest route.

I wonder how many other "statistics" in these numbers are doing the same as me? Using BKK as a transit for a day or two, then off to the main holiday in Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos etc?

Find a Canadia Bank ATM, they are the only ATM that does not charge in Cambodia for withdrawals. I think the limit is $300 USD, but it may be higher.

You can only get Vietnamese Dong once in Vietnam, its impossible to purchase it outside the country as its non convertible. Just make sure you have an ATM card with low fees, that's the best way to travel. Otherwise USD or THB are easy to exchange in Vietnam, just be careful you don't get short changed!

I have been following this thread with interest. Having spent a month in Vietnam in 2008, I left the country with mixed feelings. I was overwhelmed with the hassle factor at times and the constant arguing with street vendors trying to charge up to 10x the actual price was challenging at times. I also got way overcharged for a Halong Bay boatrip from my Hanoi Hotel,

However, I found Vietnam possibly the most fascinating country I had visited in SE Asia, I certainly preferred it over the fake smiles of Thailand and quite admired the hard working Viets and respected their ability to drive a hard bargain! I am returning for a month next March starting in HCMC and working myself North to Hanoi.

Back in 2009 one could get a hotel room with AC, fridge etc for $15 in Hanoi/HCMC and 10$ in the rest of the country. Bia Hoi was 3000 Dong a glass and the wonderful vegerian food in the Com Chay restaurants was 15000 Dong! I know prices since then have gone up by 50% plus, but it was not just the good value of Vietnam I enjoyed, it felt then like real Asia, much more so than more developed and tourist jaded Thailand with its overpriced lazy service in Hotels.

As previously noted I am a vegetarian, I don't shout about it as no one should care, but it makes me laugh when people cry about dogs being eaten in Vietnam, dog, pig, cat, cow, snake are all living creatures that are killed to eat, really apart from cultural connotations in the west regarding keeping dogs as pets, whats the damn difference?

Nice post Swan,

Hanoi is a wonderful city and I love the way the streets all have a flavour of their own.Some metalworkers,others are making granite carvings etc.

The waterfront is great as is the garden area around Uncle Ho. Love the Continental Hotel and the waterfront plus Halong Bay which is worth the three day trip on a junk.

Light years away from the tawdry Pattaya.

Glad you like Hanoi. Back in 2008 I preferred Hanoi over HCMC, yet never spoke to anyone who agreed with me on this! Maybe it was because it was the first place I saw in Vietnam when I flew in from Bangkok? Although I like to think that I enjoyed the old quarter with its run down Parisian feel, drinking Bia Hoi with the locals, tucking into a Banh Mi Baquette and simply taking in the atmosphere of a truly interesting Asian Capital city.

Don't get me wrong Ha Noi was hard work at times, but I have some great memories of that City and cannot wait to revisit next year.

Its interesting to see posters saying that Vietnam is changing for the better tourist wise, Call me cynicaI but I will be convinced on that when I visit and see for myself. One thing is for sure, a lot more Thailand expats are giving the Nam a chance and that is a good thing to see. I was never a lover of Thailand and the events of the last year have only reinforced my belief that overpriced, bloated and complacent Thailand has had its day. I am interested to hear whether other posters feel the same?

If you think Vietnam is bad, try Egypt. Horrible for scams.

If you think Egypt is bad, try India.

I actually didn't find India worse than Vietnam for lying and cheating one out of money. I visited Vietnam before India and the former prepared me for the latter. Saying that Vietnam is my favourite country in SE Asia and I am a big fan of India too!

I have been following this thread with interest. Having spent a month in Vietnam in 2008, I left the country with mixed feelings. I was overwhelmed with the hassle factor at times and the constant arguing with street vendors trying to charge up to 10x the actual price was challenging at times. I also got way overcharged for a Halong Bay boatrip from my Hanoi Hotel,

However, I found Vietnam possibly the most fascinating country I had visited in SE Asia, I certainly preferred it over the fake smiles of Thailand and quite admired the hard working Viets and respected their ability to drive a hard bargain! I am returning for a month next March starting in HCMC and working myself North to Hanoi.

Back in 2009 one could get a hotel room with AC, fridge etc for $15 in Hanoi/HCMC and 10$ in the rest of the country. Bia Hoi was 3000 Dong a glass and the wonderful vegerian food in the Com Chay restaurants was 15000 Dong! I know prices since then have gone up by 50% plus, but it was not just the good value of Vietnam I enjoyed, it felt then like real Asia, much more so than more developed and tourist jaded Thailand with its overpriced lazy service in Hotels.

As previously noted I am a vegetarian, I don't shout about it as no one should care, but it makes me laugh when people cry about dogs being eaten in Vietnam, dog, pig, cat, cow, snake are all living creatures that are killed to eat, really apart from cultural connotations in the west regarding keeping dogs as pets, whats the damn difference?

$50 is the going price or about $12/seat

Thanks for the reply. I decided to fly from BKK to siem reap in the end 3400B on Cambodia Ankor air. I simply could not be arsed with the landtrip after spending only 48 hours in Bangkok after flying from London!

Why not take " The Train " ??? ( sorry but i travel everywhere by train! ) lol there are 2 trains a day from Bangkok's Hua Lampong station and i think the trains is about 40 baht.Turn your trip into an " adventure with great scenery "

Hello Canarysun,

Time is of the essence, I am only away for a month and the train takes too long and requires getting up too early! I have done the train thing when I had a year in SE Asia and whilst I agree its a great way of travelling and meeting locals, its just not practical this time round.

Just googled the train, it leaves at 5.50 am, nah too early!!

I am going to be spending a week in SHV next month. I would like to visit Kampot for a day/night during this week. I am thinking a hiring a bike from Snooky and getting a room for the night at a guesthouse.

I have rode bikes around SE Asia before. Can anyone advise on the state of the road, how busy/safe it is, or would getting a bus be preferable?

I enjoy riding bikes instead of bussing it, but have never done this stretch of road before, how long is it, approx. 2 hours?

Lastly, is it dodgy leaving the bike overnight in Kampot, because of theft, if so can anyone recommend any GH that are safe to leave the bike in their grounds?

Hi,

Has anyone on here got an idea of how much a taxi from BKK to Aranyaprathet is at the moment? It will only be for 2 people, so a standard taxi is all I need. Also whats the best way to go about it? I guess negotiating with a cab driver is better than booking through a hotel or travel agent?

Ill be staying in the Rambuttri area near KSR and would like an early cab, say around 7am to try and beat the midday border Queues at the border with Poipet.

Thanks in advance.

Hello all,

I am going to be travelling from Bangkok to Siem Reap next month. Has anyone recently got a taxi from Poipet to Siem Reap, managing to avoid the tourist bus station scam and its overpriced bus and taxi rates?

Is it possible to walk into Poipet and negotiate a taxi and if so what the going rate these days? The bus station price is $50, according to what I have seen on Google. Is the price around $30 or so away from here and how much hassle is it to do this?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks for all the useful info guys!

Hi all, I am flying into Bangkok on the 27th December. Staying for one night only, then hop onto an early morning bus to Ko chang. i was going to stay at a hotel close to Swampy and get the Airport bus to Ko chang, but I want go into the Ko san area, havent been there for 3 years! I have got the well warned against ko san bus to chang before with no problems, I am wondering whether to just book through an agency in the area or to go to Ekamai and get the Government bus? Anyone one here used the services recently, are they really that bad, I had no trouble 3 years back, maybe I was just lucky?

http://www.floralshi...rt.com/home.htm

Thanks Larry, another option to consider!

Check out this hotel.....5 minutes from the airport and they pick you up and drop you back at no extra cost in their brand new minibus.

Clean rooms with all mod cons. I have used them many times.

HL

Bus from airport is very fast and reliable. I think there is 3 buses in the mornings. one at around 6.50 one around 7.30 and one 8.30. They go direct to Laem Ngop pier.

<BR>Bus from airport is very fast and reliable. I think there is 3 buses in the mornings. one at around 6.50 one around 7.30 and one 8.30. They go direct to Laem Ngop pier.<BR>

Thanks for the advice! I reckon I will use the VIP service 392, as long as it is not fully booked, it looks better and faster than using a Ko San Rd guest house bus booking, says takes 5 to 6 hours incl ferry, leaving at 730 am, hope it all pans out ok!

A big hello to this great forum I have been lurking on for years!

I am returning to LOS after a 3 year absence on 27th December. I arrive at 7 PM and I am wondering whether to bother jumping into a cab downtown to ko san road area or simply to stay at a hotel such as Thong Ta, near the airport in order to have a nice sleep after a long flight from London with a stopover in Delhi! I have stayed at Thong Ta before and know it is in a non desript part of town, but downtown BKK is something I have seen many times before and ideally I want to just get down to Ko chang early the next morning and secure a hut at this peak time of year!

Has anyone used the newish airport to Ko chang bus/ferry combo? Is it much quicker than going from Ekamai? I know its a bit boring not heading into the City proper, but I reckon a real good nights sleep followed by a taxi back to the airport for the (I would assume faster) Ko chang bus is the way to go, any ideas people?