Trip Plan - Part 3 - Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos

Trip Start Feb 26, 2008

Trip End Ongoing

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Sunday, February 10, 2008

4th Country - Vietnam
By the first or second week in June we should be in Hanoi, Vietnam. We have no set plan for Vietnam just to take things day by day but there are a few things we'd definately like to make time for. We'll spend a few days in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. In Hanoi we plan to spend a day by the Hoan Kiem lake and sample the speciality foods in Cam Chi. We might also venture into the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. We'll also try to find out from other backpackers what their highlights have been in Vietnam. Something we'll definately be doing is making the short trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay.

Hanoi

Halong Bay

In Halong Bay we'll take a 3 day boat tour around the 3,000 islands that make up the bay. We'll also make a stop off at the Cat Ba Island National Park famous for its various species of Monkey. From Halong Bay we'll make our way down the east coast of Vietnam where we'll stop off in the town of Ninh Binh where we'll hire bicycles and visit the Cuc Phuong National Park, Hoa Lu the ancient capital of Vietnam and maybe take a rowboat on the Ngo Dong river to see the Tam Coc rice paddies and rock formations.

Ninh Binh

Hue

Another place we'll be visiting in Vietnam is Hu� about halfway between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. In Hu� we'll visit the Citadel, the Royal Tombs, Thuan An beach and maybe do a cruise on the Perfume River. After Hu� the next stop will be the city Danang where we'll be relaxing on the beaches and possibly making the trip to the Marble Mountains before we take the short trip south to Hoi An.

Da Nang

Na Trang

Here we'll visit the Old Town, the Japanese Bridge relax on the beach (again) and, if we're here at the right time, go to a full moon party on the beach. From the beached area of the east coast we'll make our way inland to the central highlands and stop off in the mountainous town of Dalat, surrounded by lakes, waterfalls and forests. We'll rent a horse for the day and explore the surroundings of this area of southern Vietnam. From Dalat we'll go back to the south east coast to Na Trang, a party town with everything from booze cruises to snorkeling in the reefs to the Giant Seated Buddha and the Long Son Pagoda, we'll probably spend a few days here. Another place we'll probaby spend a few days in Vietnam is Ben Tre in the Mekong River Delta. A small town on the beach and not a very touristy place in comparison to Na Trang which has its advantages - cheap accomodation, nice food and a relaxed location to tour the Mekong Delta.

Ben Tre

Ho Chi Minh City

From the Mekong delta we'll make our way inland again, this time to Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, its the biggest city in Vietnam, with its fair share of poverty and prosperity. There's loads to see and do here, palaces, museums, pagodas, mosques and temples. There's also water parks, a famous zoo and loads of places to get a decent meal for less than a couple of euro. From Ho Chi Minh City we'll depart Vietnam by boat or by road to our....

5th Country - Cambodia

Our first stop in Cambodia will be Phnom Penh the capital city. We'll spend time here around the lake, visiting the treasures in the National Museum, the Wat Phnom, the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. Depending on our mood we might also visit the Killing Fields from the Khmer Rouge era or the Genocide Museum.

Phnom Penh

Sikanouville

From Phnom Penh we'll hopefully make the trip south to Sihanoukville. This area of Cambodia is full of white sandy beaches and crystal clear water so it will be a good place to unwind for a few days. After Sihanoukville we'll make our way back to Phnom Penh where we'll either take a boat or bus to the second biggest city in Cambodia, Siem Reap. In Siem Reap we'll get up early to see the sunrise behind the famous Angkor Wat and then take a tour around the ancient Khmer city of Angkor Thom.

Siem Reap

Siem Reap, like Phnom Penh has everything from 5 star hotels to budget guesthouses, all kinds of bar and restaurants and western style pubs and nightclubs so we'll be kept busy for the few days we spend here. We'll probably visit one or two more places while we're in Cambodia but we've no set plan so we'll just play it by ear and if we hear about an interesting place to go and it's logistically possible, we'll go. From Cambodia we'll most likely fly to our next country.....

6th Country - Laos

Whether we fly into Laos or arrive by road our most likely first destination will be Vientiane. Famous for its morning markets, Vientiane is the capital city of Laos.

Vientiane

Luang Prabang

We'll probably only spend a couple of nights here before moving on to Luang Prabang. Here we'll visit the Royal Palace Museum and either rent bikes to cycle to local villages or go canoeing on the river. A must do while in Laos is tubing. Floating down a river in a tube, stopping off at river bars along the way for beer and cocktails.