we are planning to fly airasia from bkk to hanoi then stay in halong bay area, sleep in a junk overnight and do some fishing, snorkelling etc. though i have read that saigon and the south is better . really we need to get back to thailand over land so am thinking if we fly to saigon then from there around the coast to sihanoukville in cambodia or even a flight to phonm penn then a buss to snooky.

the thing that is really putting us off is the train or journey from hanoi to saigon . too long .

and is hanoi really a more beautifull better city than saigon ? i guess saigon and around that area also have lovely beaches etc

cheers for any advice.

HCMC has more of a 'western expat scene' and that's why some folks prefer it to Hanoi...

I've lived and worked in both places and prefer Hanoi...

It also depends on the time of year as the weather in the two places can be very different.

going in sept.

You always can fly from Hanoi to HCMC. Or: Split the trip with stops in Hue and Hoi An/Da Nang. From Da Nang you could also fly to HCMC.

I dont think that there is real choice between the two big cities. Both are are a very nice combination of SEA and European culture. The people are more civilized than in Thailand and in Cambodia anyhow.

From HCMC it is a 6 hrs bus ride to PP. Unless you want to see PP you might like to take the route to the Mekong delta and on to the border. The HCMC-PP ride is boring as is most of the PP-SHV ride. Plus MUCH less truck traffic on the Kep-SHV route as compared to the PP-SHV route. Not sure why you want the beach in SHV when Vietnam has better places on offer.

As for the SHV - Thai border section of your trip: There is an 8.30 AM bus from SHV direct to the border checkpoint. The bus is ok. It is better than the vans who have a habit of bad crashes. The 8.30 service is the only one direct to the check point. It saves you headaches and money at Koh Kong bus station. Not a nice place and definitely not nice people at that bus station.

In sum, I suggest to spend more time in Vietnam at the expense of Cambodia. Dont forget the Vietnamese food - makes me hungry right now.

going in sept.

Both should be OK at that time.

Just fly from Saigon to Hanoi. Best beaches are central Vietnam.