Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here....itinerary includes visiting 2 floating markets....could I ditch one?

Is the Maeklong Railway Market a must see?

I lived in SE Asia for 5 years and never went to a floating market. My friends in Thailand always said they were tourist traps.

+1

Anonymous wrote:OP here....itinerary includes visiting 2 floating markets....could I ditch one?

Is the Maeklong Railway Market a must see?

I lived in SE Asia for 5 years and never went to a floating market. My friends in Thailand always said they were tourist traps.

Anonymous wrote:OP here....itinerary includes visiting 2 floating markets....could I ditch one?

Is the Maeklong Railway Market a must see?

We just got back from Vietnam/Cambodia. I'd ditch the Mekong Delta and floating market there if you are doing another one. We slept overnight on the Sampan and we started moving around 6 AM but by the time we got to the market, it was basically over - just a bunch of boats sitting together with the tourist boats looking at them. Not an active market.

OP coming back for more advice....

So I am really considering doing the 2-day Halong Bay (mainly because to/from driving of 2+hrs from Hanoi in a day is a lot).

So I might trim back the 2-day Mekong Delta to a 1-day --- thoughts on below 2-day and 1-day options??

2-Day Option
Day 1 Depart Ho Chi Minh and head towards Ben Tre; boat trip along the Mekong River, visit a family-run business and stroll through fruit plantation village. Details here: https://www.asiatours.com/tours/a-glimpse-of-the-mekong-ben-tre-can-tho-2-days.html
Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 2 6.30am visit the Cai Rang floating market; continue cruising through the small channels system and visit a rice noodle making village. Experience the “Monkey Bridge” in the Delta. Break for lunch then return to Ho Chi Minh.

1-Day Option
Early AM depart Ho Chi Minh City and depart for My Tho Port; boat cruise on the Tien River to view the four islets: Long, Lan, Quy,
Phung. Passy by floating fish farms along the Tien River. Arrive at Thoi Son islet: Stroll through village paths, visit fruit orchards, enjoy seasonal fruits, and listen to traditional Southern Vietnamese music. Rowing boat through small canals: Enjoy the peaceful riverine scenery, visit a honey bee farm, and taste honey tea and banana wine. Continue down the Tien River to Tan Thach Canal (Ben Tre): Visit a coconut candy workshop, and explore traditional handicrafts. Motorboat excursion on Tan Thach canal: Discover the daily life of
local people, have lunch at a local restaurant. The eco-restaurant features crocodile, porcupine farms, frog, and snake farming models,
hammocks for relaxing, and bicycles for exploring fruit orchards, coconut groves, and rice fields. Horse-drawn carriage tour through
village paths.
Return to Ho Chi Minh city

I'd be giving up the Cai Rang floating market but I think we can squeeze in a floating market while in Bangkok. Thoughts?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the PP who sailed in Indochina Junk in Bai Tu Long Bay. My husband didn’t go kayaking - he just stayed on the boat and relaxed on the sun deck - it was totally fine. The crew seemed pretty open to letting people opt out of whatever activities they didn’t want to do.

I would agree with PP that the cruise was a highlight of our Vietnam trip. We did 2 nights, and it was so relaxing - plus it’s hard to overstate how beautiful it was (and we lucked into perfect weather). My husband and kids ranked the cruise as their favorite part of our entire trip (it was a close #2 for me).

What was your #1?

My husband is Vietnamese American, and his father’s childhood home in Hanoi is still standing. I’m sentimental and interested in history, so seeing it was #1 for me.

My husband is not sentimental, so the Ha Long/Bai Tu Long Bay cruise topped family history for him.

Do you really need so much time in HO Chi Minh city? seems excessive and agree would extend Siem Reip as much as possible

Anonymous wrote:I’m the PP who sailed in Indochina Junk in Bai Tu Long Bay. My husband didn’t go kayaking - he just stayed on the boat and relaxed on the sun deck - it was totally fine. The crew seemed pretty open to letting people opt out of whatever activities they didn’t want to do.

I would agree with PP that the cruise was a highlight of our Vietnam trip. We did 2 nights, and it was so relaxing - plus it’s hard to overstate how beautiful it was (and we lucked into perfect weather). My husband and kids ranked the cruise as their favorite part of our entire trip (it was a close #2 for me).

What was your #1?

Anonymous wrote:OP here...thanks everyone for your input. I've trimmed 2 days which should work....below draft itinerary (still subject to change) for trip in December/January.

Total Days, Tour Days, Activities

1, Travel Day

2, Travel Day - PM Arrival in Hanoi

3, Tour Day 1, Hanoi – Rest/Leisure Day/Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre Show

4, Tour Day 2, Hanoi - Halong Bay Day Trip Cruise

5, Tour Day 3, Hanoi City AM Tour Half Day – Afternoon Flight to Ho Chi Minh

6, Tour Day 4, Ho Chi Minh (Cu Chi and/or City Tour)

7, Tour Day 5, Ho Chi Minh - Mekong Delta 2-Day Trip

8, Tour Day 6, Can Tho - Cai Rang floating market

9, Tour Day 7, Ho Chi Minh (Leisure Morning) – Afternoon Flight to Siem Reap (Siem Reap Night Market)

10, Tour Day 8, Siem Reap (Explore Angkor) - Khmer Aspara Dance

11, Tour Day 9, Siem Reap (National Museum and Tonle Sap Lake) – Afternoon flight to Bangkok

12, Tour Day 10, Bangkok - Grand Palace, Wat Temples, Wonderful Pearl Dinner Cruise & Show

13, Tour Day 11, Bangkok - Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, Ayutthaya; cruise back to Bangkok

14, Tour Day 12, Bangkok – AM Flight to Chiang Mai (Leisure Afternoon)

15, Tour Day 13, Chiang Mai (hot springs, temples, Akha and Tao hill tribe villages)

16, Tour Day 14, Chiang Mai (AM Elephant Nature Park/Leisure Afternoon) - Depart around Midnight

17, Travel Day

Now just need to start budgeting and setting aside $$$.

Oh good, I'm glad you added another day to Siem Reap because there is so much to see there and the temples are spread out so you can only do so many in one day, some of my favorite temples were further out (and less crowded).

I think a daytrip to Halong bay is fine given your tight schedule (although will be a lot of time in a van/bus) but I also think an overnight would be perfectly enjoyable even if you're not swimming/kayaking.

Have fun!

I’m the PP who sailed in Indochina Junk in Bai Tu Long Bay. My husband didn’t go kayaking - he just stayed on the boat and relaxed on the sun deck - it was totally fine. The crew seemed pretty open to letting people opt out of whatever activities they didn’t want to do.

I would agree with PP that the cruise was a highlight of our Vietnam trip. We did 2 nights, and it was so relaxing - plus it’s hard to overstate how beautiful it was (and we lucked into perfect weather). My husband and kids ranked the cruise as their favorite part of our entire trip (it was a close #2 for me).

Anonymous wrote:The haloing overnight junk was one of my favorite experiences of my life. It wasn’t cheap, but it was also gorgeous and luxurious. Chiang Mai is amazing. But given everything else you want, I would skip chiang Mai and do an overnight in halong

Even given the fact that we won't be doing any swimming/kayaking?

The haloing overnight junk was one of my favorite experiences of my life. It wasn’t cheap, but it was also gorgeous and luxurious. Chiang Mai is amazing. But given everything else you want, I would skip chiang Mai and do an overnight in halong

Anonymous wrote:I still think that’s a long time in Bangkok and you could trim that if you needed to. I was not impressed by that city.

It's really only 1 full day in Bangkok; the other day is Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, Ayutthaya (which I'd love to see as a Siam history buff). But yes...I could trim that day if need be.

Anonymous wrote:To me, that sounds like a lot. And you are in charge of coordinating everything, travel, transfers, day trips, dealing with luggage etc? Would you consider an organized trip? Maybe you would enjoy having dinners with other people (or maybe not). National Geographic has one to pretty much all of those locations but it is 18 days: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/expeditions/destinations/asia/journeys/vietnam-cambodia-thailand-tour/

Oh no...definitely not in charge of coordinating everything - I'm looking into a few organizations that offer customized tours - handling everything except perhaps travel to/from DC. I've checked the NatGeo one and the length is the issue because with travel that becomes 19 days. My itinerary is modified from this: https://uniquetours.com/vietnam-cambodia-thailand-15-days/

To me, that sounds like a lot. And you are in charge of coordinating everything, travel, transfers, day trips, dealing with luggage etc? Would you consider an organized trip? Maybe you would enjoy having dinners with other people (or maybe not). National Geographic has one to pretty much all of those locations but it is 18 days: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/expeditions/destinations/asia/journeys/vietnam-cambodia-thailand-tour/

I still think that’s a long time in Bangkok and you could trim that if you needed to. I was not impressed by that city.