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Vietnam-Cambodia River Options??


TLCOhio
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Vietnam is getting lots of attention right now from the news media, especially with the recent U.S. President visit there. For early 2018, we are weighing and debating the various pro/con factors for a Hong Kong to Singapore (or reverse) cruise with several stops in Vietnam, plus an excursion that gets us Angkor Wat, etc. . . . VERSUS . . . doing a Mekong River, smaller-ship cruise with before and after, longer land stops/visits for Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Angkor Wat, Bangkok, maybe northern Laos, etc.??

 

Lots of options and factors involved. There are several good cruise lines to consider for such an ocean, Hong Kong-Singapore cruise. Getting on the ship, unpacking once, etc., seems nice and handy. But, the ocean cruises offer only limited time (at some distance away) for Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other countryside areas.

 

We are also looking at the options with Avalon Waterways for their smaller, 38-passenger ship to do the Mekong River for seven days. With their Globus tour/ground connections, they offer some flexible pre- and post-sailing options for doing Hanoi (and Halong Bay), Ho Chi Minh City, Angkor Wat, northern Laos, Bangkok, etc. This river cruise option would allow for doing a more in-depth sampling in both Vietnam and Cambodia, plus, plus. While we have done five cruises on smaller ships with 200-250 passengers, we have never sailed on this small of a ship. The Avalon ship is nice and fairly new, but does not have a wider range of dining places, on-ship activities, etc. We, however, will only be on that ship or any Mekong River ship for a short period of time and there will be lots of shore activities to do during the river stops during this sailing.

 

What other factors, options, potentials, etc., am I missing or not considering in comparing these two cruising concepts/directions/pathways? For those who have been to Vietnam, Cambodia, etc., what were your TOP FAVORITES, can't miss stops, places to skip/avoid, etc.? Reactions, evaluations with Avalon and Globus for this part of Asia?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

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I spent 2.5 weeks in Vietnam/Cambodia (doing the river cruise/land tour with Uniworld) and still didn't get to see all of Vietnam. I don't think quick stops on an ocean liner do it justice at all.

 

For an idea of what the trip was like, check out my travel blog (www.grosstravelchronicles.blogspot.com). I've written up over half of the trip, but haven't quite finished yet.

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We feel the same way, if you just want to be able to tick the box to say you've been there, then ocean cruise will do, if you really want to see the country and meet the people then you have to do the river cruise.

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Hi TLCOhio, this past January we did this trip with Avalon, we spent a few days/nights in Hanoi, we went in early and did a night & day in Hanoi before the majority of the group arrived. We had an overnight in Halong Bay before returning to Hanoi & flying to HCMC for a few nights, the Mekong cruise on the Avalon Siem Reap small ship and we ended up flying from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (city) for several nights before heading home.

 

This was our first time to travel with Avalon and they did a wonderful trip. We thoroughly enjoyed the small group, I think we had 32 with 2 couples joining us in HCMC for the cruise portion only.

 

The food was good, the hotels were quite nice and the small ship was comfortable with large rooms and nice bathroom. By having such a small group you got to know everyone and I think we all enjoyed our time together. The crew was exceptional, nothing was too much of a bother, our country guides very engaging and interesting, the local guides were good, I just can't say enough positive things about this trip.

 

As to on-ship activities, our days were busy, it was very, very hot so after dinner it was nice to relax and get ready for the next day. We did have entertainment on the shop a few nights which was short but very enjoyable and you could always go off ship and do your own thing at night if interested.

 

Some people went on to the post trip to Laos and/or Bangkok but we were ready to return home.

 

Not sure what time of year your interested in, we chose January 12-31 and Hanoi was cool, maybe in the upper 60's-low 70's, once we arrived in HCMC it was like stepping into a sauna. Most of the time it was mid 90+ with high humidity. We took 2-3 showers a day! Being from Houston the weather was similar to our summers, which we weren't quite ready for it was an outstanding tour.

 

Our flights were good, we flew business from Houston IAH to Hanoi via Seoul on Korean Air, return was Siem Reap to Seoul then to Houston.

 

I don't think you'll be sorry choosing Vantage. Whichever you choose have a good trip.

 

It was a great trip and we also felt we would like to return to Vietnam for more exploration.

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We toured Vietnam and Cambodia by land and river cruise in 2011. Cruise friends of ours joined us for part of the time (15 days), we had an extra week..We sailed with AMA Waterways, as at the time we booked, they were the only North American company featuring the Mekong River. By the time we actually went, Viking had just started to get in the market.

 

My friend's very detailed review with some good added tips is here:

http://www.cruisecritic.com.au/membe...?EntryID=80735

 

Our extra time was spent going along the coast from HCM City to Hanoi, where we met up with our friends. Some of the highlights were visiting Hoi An and Hue.

 

Carol

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In Nov. 2015 we did the land/river tour with AMA waterways. We specifically picked AMA because they included Ha Long Bay which is a must see in my estimation.

This tour was wonderful. It was not only the small quaint villages that we saw but the other experiences included in the tour (some of which we never would have done on our own. (pedicycle, ox cart) Everything was first rate.

We flew to Singapore after our Vietnam/Cambodia tour on our own because a one way flight per person was between $50-79 depending upon the airline one chose. Singapore is very doable by yourself. I do wish we would have included Thailand.

Whatever you do make sure you arrive 1-2 days prior to the start of your tour to get acclimated to the time change and hrs of flying.

If you do decide on AMA make sure you begin in Hanoi and send in Saigon as the opposite direction is usually run by the australian counter part.

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I spent 2.5 weeks in Vietnam/Cambodia (doing the river cruise/land tour with Uniworld) and still didn't get to see all of Vietnam. I don't think quick stops on an ocean liner do it justice at all. For an idea of what the trip was like, check out my travel blog (www.grosstravelchronicles.blogspot.com). I've written up over half of the trip, but haven't quite finished yet.

 

Mark_T: We feel the same way' date=' if you just want to be able to tick the box to say you've been there, then ocean cruise will do, if you [b']really want to see the country and meet the people[/b] then you have to do the river cruise.

 

Appreciate these posts and details from both Liz and Mark. YES, these comments re-enforce our leaning to doing the more "in-depth" approach for Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. Did check out Liz's blog and things look nice there. Will check back later as the rest of the sights and sites are detailed and posted.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

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Hi TLCOhio, this past January we did this trip with Avalon. This was our first time to travel with Avalon and they did a wonderful trip. We thoroughly enjoyed the small group, I think we had 32 with 2 couples joining us in HCMC for the cruise portion only. By having such a small group you got to know everyone and I think we all enjoyed our time together. The crew was exceptional, nothing was too much of a bother, our country guides very engaging and interesting, the local guides were good, I just can't say enough positive things about this trip.

 

These many details and aspects from our Texas friend are very, very helpful in knowing more about how "things" worked on your Avalon trip. The "small" ship raised a couple of questions to us, but you have offered excellent perspectives as to why and how things happened so nicely with the other passengers, the staff, guides, etc.

 

If you think of any added details, please share. Look forward to learning more, knowing added tips, suggestions, secrets, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

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We toured Vietnam and Cambodia by land and river cruise in 2011. Cruise friends of ours joined us for part of the time (15 days), we had an extra week..We sailed with AMA Waterways, as at the time we booked, they were the only North American company featuring the Mekong River. My friend's very detailed review with some good added tips is here:

http://www.cruisecritic.com.au/membe...?EntryID=80735

Carol

 

krillsister: Ama. In Nov. 2015 we did the land/river tour with AMA waterways. We specifically picked AMA because they included Ha Long Bay which is a must see in my estimation. This tour was wonderful. It was not only the small quaint villages that we saw but the other experiences included in the tour (some of which we never would have done on our own. (pedicycle' date=' ox cart) Everything was first rate. I do [b']wish we would have included Thailand[/b]. Whatever you do make sure you arrive 1-2 days prior to the start of your tour to get acclimated to the time change and hrs of flying.

 

Appreciate these added posts from Carol and our "neighbor" from Cincinnati. Also, very helpful and providing good, added details, tips. From Carol, I tried to reach that link, but it did not connect me. Any other ideas for reaching those postings?

 

Yes, we are planning to get to Asia early. Will probably fly into Hong Kong and some time there before starting our exploring in Hanoi, etc. Glad you have the tip for spending time in Thailand. That is part of our "plan", also.

 

Keep the great insights flowing along. Very interesting and helpful.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

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Sorry, do not know why that link did not work!

 

Here is the link to the review our friends posted on cruise critic. They did not do the 8 day land portion along the coast of Vietnam, as we did - but I think you will find a very detailed report, with lots of tips, restaurant advice, etc.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=80735

 

Carol

Edited by CJcruzer
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Carol sent that link to me before our trip. She was extremely helpful in answering my questions.

Bring lots of crisp new one dollar bills when visiting Cambodia and Vietnam as well as %'s and 10's. I had over $150 in singles. started collecting them months in advance.

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Good afternoon TLC Ohio.

 

My best advice would be to think outside the box.

 

Having visited Vietnam and Cambodia on many occasions I looked for an opportunity to give my wife the best experience as she'd never been to those shores except a one time Ocean Cruise call to Nha trang.

 

Anyway, I settled for an Australian based company called APT and we took their add on package of tours pre and post cruise along the Mekong.

 

Rather than write reams here I'll provide the links to the reviews I wrote on my cruise blog.The Mekong...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/01/05/amalotus-mekong-river-cruise/

 

16182576282_89dcb8b10b_z.jpg

 

and the Halong Bay add on...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2014/12/09/a-far-eastern-trilogy-part-1-halong-bay/

 

15352159944_a15f5d2b59_z.jpg

 

Both countries are fascinating and it's well worth seeing that little bit more tax just along the river.

 

Whatever you choose, have a great time.

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Loved your travelogue!!!

We will take Vantage's version of this trip in November....we traveled to the Irrawaddy 2 years ago and are anticipating the contrasts and comparisons of the cultures.

 

We loved pulling up to a Riverbank for the night!!!

Also the very sophisticated depth sounder/navigation.......a load voice and bamboo pole we unforgettable.

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Apt is Ama waterways counterpart. They usually sail from Saigon to hanoi. Ama sails from hanoi to Saigon. More aussies leaving from Saigon. Definitely take the land portion of the trip with the river cruise

Those may be the end points of :their tour, but if that is their sailing route you should be on ocean, not river cruise, boards:rolleyes:

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Loved your travelogue!!!

We will take Vantage's version of this trip in November....we traveled to the Irrawaddy 2 years ago and are anticipating the contrasts and comparisons of the cultures.

 

We loved pulling up to a Riverbank for the night!!!

Also the very sophisticated depth sounder/navigation.......a load voice and bamboo pole we unforgettable.

 

Thank you most kindly.

 

I loved your memory of the Irrawaddy depth sounding technique.

 

We are on the Irrawaddy earlier this year and being a retired naval chap I too was fascinated with the technology for checking the river depth under the boat...

 

27531266683_6d10ced952_z.jpg

Edited by Solent Richard
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Apt is Ama waterways counterpart. They usually sail from Saigon to hanoi. Ama sails from hanoi to Saigon. More aussies leaving from Saigon. Definitely take the land portion of the trip with the river cruise

 

That might have been true in the past. Ama is now using a new ship, the AmaDara on this route, and, at least for 2017, it goes both ways between Siem Reap (Tonle Sap Lake or Prek Dam) and Ho Chi Minh City. For the southbound direction with land you fly into Hanoi, do Halong Bay, fly to Siem Reap, and board the cruise to HCMC. For the northbound, fly into HCMC, cruise to Siem Reap, fly to Hanoi, and do Halong Bay.

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That might have been true in the past. Ama is now using a new ship, the AmaDara on this route, and, at least for 2017, it goes both ways between Siem Reap (Tonle Sap Lake or Prek Dam) and Ho Chi Minh City. For the southbound direction with land you fly into Hanoi, do Halong Bay, fly to Siem Reap, and board the cruise to HCMC. For the northbound, fly into HCMC, cruise to Siem Reap, fly to Hanoi, and do Halong Bay.

 

Or go the whole hog with APT and take in Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2014/12/29/far-eastern-trilogy-part-2-good-morning-vietnam/

 

15849196818_cb6b316075_z.jpg

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You might look at Vantage too...good price and seems to offer a similar itinerary. Can't offer a "real" recommendation because we sail in November.

but we did the Irrawaddy trip with Vantage and it was great!

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We want to do the Mekong river cruise and land tour. Trying to decide between Uniworld, Viking or AMA. Anyone have anything really negative to say about any of the brands.

 

Only positive to be honest.

 

Check the itinerary for each and figure out which gives you what you want, they are all pretty similar but there are variations around things like Ha Long Bay which may be included on some or an option on others.

 

Look at the size and style of ship that is used, if you want something smaller and more traditional then Viking or Uniworld may be a better choice, if you prefer something larger and more modern then AMA.

 

I don't think you can make a bad choice, just make sure you go... :)

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Only positive to be honest.

 

Check the itinerary for each and figure out which gives you what you want, they are all pretty similar but there are variations around things like Ha Long Bay which may be included on some or an option on others.

 

Look at the size and style of ship that is used, if you want something smaller and more traditional then Viking or Uniworld may be a better choice, if you prefer something larger and more modern then AMA.

 

I don't think you can make a bad choice, just make sure you go... :)

 

 

Thanks. I was concerned because of complaints about AMA concerning a 7 hr awful bus ride.

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Thanks. I was concerned because of complaints about AMA concerning a 7 hr awful bus ride.

 

The bus ride is mostly unavoidable for any of the lines between Siem Reap and the ship as the lake is rarely if ever navigable for the ships that are in use.

 

I don't recall it taking anything like 7 hours when we did it with Viking and we made two stops along the way, one at a quite decent restaurant to use the facilities and buy drinks or snacks if you needed them (packed lunch had already been provided). The other stop was at a rubber plantation as our guide wanted to show us how the rubber trees are tapped.

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Our bus ride on AMA did not take 7 hrs. It wasn't that bad.Nothing negative about AMA. Definitely include Ha Long Bay in your itinerary. This is why we did not do the trip with Viking because at the time Ha Long Bay was not included.( not sure if it is now) We loved AMA but also travel with Viking on other river cruises..

Edited by krillsister
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