Help please Vietnam and Cambodia

[t60]

We have been looking for a cruise to cover both these areas, but without success, most seem to start from Aus, where as we were hoping to start from Hong Kong or Singapore and not including any Chinese ports....if someone can recommend something that would be great

 

However as we coudn´t find anything we are now looking at the Magnificent Mekong with Viking (unless anyone can suggest an alternative). I have looked on the boards but there seems little information.

 

What would be the best time of year to go? What ports of call, itineraries or even alternative tour/cruise operators would you recommend? Are there any dates of public holidays we should avoid? Any tips about places, tour operators etc, if we decide to extend our stay in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, which would be the better choice?

 

Any help and advice would be appreciated, Thanks

 

Sandy in Spain

[Fletcher]

Sandy - A river trip is by far the best option here, with additional hotel-based stays at both ends, i.e. Siem Reap (for the Angkor temples) and Ho Chi Minh/Saigon. I think any of those companies offering river trips seem to be OK - I went on a Pandaw but AMA and Viking have a lot of happy customers.

 

The dry season is principally Nov-April but Angkor can be uncomfortably dusty and busy, especially in January. Also, the Tonle Sap lake is at very low levels so the river boats cannot cross it, denying you a look at lakeside villages. Instead you get a 4-hour drive across country to embark or disembark at Siem Reap.

 

I think these river trips are good value. The boats have wonderful observation/sun decks where you can just watch the river waft by as you drink a cup of tea or a G&T. The towns and villages you visit are a bit samey. I personally would always sail from Saigon to Siem Reap - that way you have the highlight at the end of the trip and not at the beginning. Saigon is well worth a few days of anyone's time.

 

You might also think about a beach resort in Vietnam before the trip - in many ways Vietnam is the thinking person's beach destination in SE Asia. In my view, Phuket, Krabi, Bali and the rest are just a bit too busy these days.

[t60]

Thanks Fletcher for your prompt reply and information. As a matter of interest did you get your Visas via consulate/embassy before you left UK or use the internet E-Visa system and get them on arrival?

 

Sandy in Spain

[Fletcher]

Sandy - We got our Vietnam visa in advance by post through the London embassy. Very efficient, problem-free service. Cambodia we got on arrival - we were flying up from KL to Luang Prabang which stopped at Siem Reap. We grabbed the immigration forms, filled them in while we were in Laos, and then jumped the queue in Siem Reap. I'll never forget the l-o-n-g curving desk with about a dozen officials at Siem Reap but it all worked well and no problems at all.

[alexandra cruiser]

and member review section for various river cruises that go there.(AMA,Viking,etc.)

I researched this extensively and chose AMA which I took in Jan.and it was great.Has pre cruise stay in Hanoi,Halong Bay 1 nite cruise,and post cruise in Saigon.Newest ship and been doing these cruises the longest,it seems.

Check out You tube also,many videos that show these.Just use Search engine.Lots of info.

[delily]

FYI -- HAL does a cruise called the Far East Explorer that visits Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam.

[t60]

Thanks delily, will check it out

Sandy in Spain

[victravellers]

The Diamond Princess has a cruise on 24th Oct 2013 that starts in Singapore for 11 nights and goes to Cambodia and Vietnam with no China ports. It may be worth looking at.

 

Linda

[Chico Chick]

We are booked on Oceania cruise, Pagodas & Palaces, Feb. 6/14 - 16 days aboard 'Nautica' - we will spend 3 additional days in both Singapore and Hong Kong. Anyone else doing this cruise?

[geospyder]

We are starting to look at a B2B sailing the 23rd of November of 2014. The first cruise starts in Singapore, stops in Bali, Komodo Island, Phuket, Langkawi, Port Kland and back to Singapore. The second cruise goes from Singapore and stops at Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Danang, Hanoi and ends up in Hong Kong. This is the Celebrity Millennium.

[ottawa24]

Sandy in Spain,

We took a SE cruise last Feb. We previously took land tours in China, Cambodia, Thailand. If we had it to do over we would take either a River cruise or land tour, unless you book with a cruise company that docks close to town.

By the time we got into the city we were dealing with peak temps. and humidity.

Whatever you choose SE Asia is wonderful.😌

[momilani]

Viking's Magnificent Mekong was wonderful...I wrote about it in this forum.

 

 

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