Packing Help for 2 Week Trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand

[Anonymous]

Our bucket list empty nester trip is coming up in late December/January.

We will be there for 2 weeks.

Please help me pack! We are not doing any beaches...so aside from hotel pools I only need 1 swimsuit.

Itinerary:
Vietnam: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh
Cambodia: Siem Reap
Thailand: Bangkok and Chiang Mai

I was thinking pack for 1 week and do laundry at hotel?

[Anonymous]

We just went over the summer. They are big on modesty at historic and religious sites. I wish I'd brought more midi and maxi dresses that also covered my shoulders, with long shorts or capris for hiking and biking days.

Long shorts and normal t shirts or polos on men are fine except in the most conservative sites, where they want men in pants.

[Anonymous]

If you check trip advisor reviews, you can likely find a hotel with a good rate for laundry. Some reviews mention that some hotels overcharge.

Our local tour guide knew a local who came to our hotel to pick up and drop off laundry for a better rate. So don't be afraid to ask around when you're there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just went over the summer. They are big on modesty at historic and religious sites. I wish I'd brought more midi and maxi dresses that also covered my shoulders, with long shorts or capris for hiking and biking days.

Long shorts and normal t shirts or polos on men are fine except in the most conservative sites, where they want men in pants.

I was going to say this. It’s been a long time ago since we went, but people that were deemed to be dressed appropriately weren’t permitted entry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just went over the summer. They are big on modesty at historic and religious sites. I wish I'd brought more midi and maxi dresses that also covered my shoulders, with long shorts or capris for hiking and biking days.

Long shorts and normal t shirts or polos on men are fine except in the most conservative sites, where they want men in pants.

+1 I would also say that people dress more conservatively in town and you will be able to connect more readily if you treat the cultural norms respectfully with your dress. Vietnam has some really excellent tailoring options if you have time.

Also it is likely to be very hot and/ or rainy so it can be helpful to plan for multiple outfits for each day. We usually have sight seeing outfit/ post-shower lounge at hotel outfit for each day.

And if you’re hiking where there are leeches, take good tall socks.

[Anonymous]

Giant ziplock bags for packing out damp clothes and things that didn’t get laundered.

DEET insect repellant spray plus prepackaged wipes.

Sunscreen both face and body and good sun hat.

Neck fan/ hand fan of some kind plus cooling neck cloths especially if you are in hot flash phase of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just went over the summer. They are big on modesty at historic and religious sites. I wish I'd brought more midi and maxi dresses that also covered my shoulders, with long shorts or capris for hiking and biking days.

Long shorts and normal t shirts or polos on men are fine except in the most conservative sites, where they want men in pants.

I was going to say this. It’s been a long time ago since we went, but people that were deemed to be dressed appropriately weren’t permitted entry.

The standards aren't necessarily consistent either. In Hanoi women couldn't wear a dress that came to the knees, it needed to be longer, but men were okay in shorts. But in Bangkok, women could wear a dress that only came to their knees but men needed to be in long pants and couldn't wear shorts. Always check in advance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just went over the summer. They are big on modesty at historic and religious sites. I wish I'd brought more midi and maxi dresses that also covered my shoulders, with long shorts or capris for hiking and biking days.

Long shorts and normal t shirts or polos on men are fine except in the most conservative sites, where they want men in pants.

I know about the modesty for women...same applies for men?? Does my husband also have to dress modestly with shorts below knees?

[Anonymous]

I always take older sneakers that I can throw away on the last day to make room for some shopping.

[Anonymous]

This all depends on how sweaty you are.

I get really sweaty so I would probably pack two outfits a day in a mixture of linen, cotton and atheisure fabrics and plan to do laundry several times.

When I visited Vietnam I also ended up doing basically a siesta every afternoon during which I changed into a cotton pajama set that I bought there. They aren’t even really pajamas - people wear them out into the street there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just went over the summer. They are big on modesty at historic and religious sites. I wish I'd brought more midi and maxi dresses that also covered my shoulders, with long shorts or capris for hiking and biking days.

Long shorts and normal t shirts or polos on men are fine except in the most conservative sites, where they want men in pants.

I know about the modesty for women...same applies for men?? Does my husband also have to dress modestly with shorts below knees?

Normal shorts roughly to the knee for men seemed to be okay everywhere we went except Bangkok, but there may be other exceptions.

Shorts to the knee were almost never okay for women at historic and religious sites.

[Anonymous]

Laundry is super cheap in SE Asia. I take 5-6 cotton maxi dresses and several light linen/cotton large scarves that can cover my arms thoroughly. I save on space by not wearing a bra the entire time, plus it is cooler. I don’t take shorts/etc at all but I don’t mind hiking in a dress.

[Anonymous]

I have to say -- that's a terrible itinerary for your trip. Two weeks do visit all three countries? Only Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam? You're not going to see anything at all!

We spent nearly a month in Vietnam alone.

If you're empty nesters you should have the time to enjoy your trip at a much more leisurely pace.

I'd never do the trip you're doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Laundry is super cheap in SE Asia. I take 5-6 cotton maxi dresses and several light linen/cotton large scarves that can cover my arms thoroughly. I save on space by not wearing a bra the entire time, plus it is cooler. I don’t take shorts/etc at all but I don’t mind hiking in a dress.

I would be soooo uncomfortable in a cotton maxi dress with no bra. Some of us sweat!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Laundry is super cheap in SE Asia. I take 5-6 cotton maxi dresses and several light linen/cotton large scarves that can cover my arms thoroughly. I save on space by not wearing a bra the entire time, plus it is cooler. I don’t take shorts/etc at all but I don’t mind hiking in a dress.

We were at several sites where having a scarf to cover your arms was not sufficient for their modesty standards. It's important that you have dresses that also have at least short sleeves. One of those places was siem reap. But there were other religious sites that also weren't okay with just a scarf.