Hong Kong,Vietnam & Thailand

I

IrishGunner

Registered User
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Finally decided what to do

Fly into Hong Kong Spend a few days there, that enough ?

Then fly to Hanoi and make our own way to Ho chi Minh. Are the internal flights in Vietnam any good or any other recommendations ?

Then fly from ho Chi Minh to Bangkok and spend the last few days there relaxing and fly home from there

Any Tips and advise recommended

Also went into Trailfinders to book this and gave us a price which was ok but then told us we had 10 days to pay it?? They said it was the stipulation of the ticket in this case for Cathay Pacific

We had the same problem with them when we flew to South Africa as we did not want to pay it all at once. When we rang up to complain they said no 3 months before departure the final payment is due???

Is this the case with airlines now full payment within 10 days of deposit or are they just looking for their commission ?
 
Vietnam airlines do domestic flights, you can't book them from abroad (unless you want to pay about 10 times what it costs to book over there). We booked ours when we arrived in Hanoi airport. Spend the extra $20 or so to go business class. Economy is fine but it's probably the most affordable bus class you'll ever fly.

There are some airfares that Trailfinders do ask you to pay quickly. Think of it as if you were booking the flight online yourself - then you'd have to pay upfront. A late pay fare would be more expensive.

I wouldn't tie myself to Bangkok at the moment, explosion there today - keep an eye on the security information and the department of foreign affairs website.
 
just looked at the below website re Thailand

[broken link removed]

is it scarmonger althogh Mrs gunner would not go and I would have to agree

what about Singapore or any other suggestions

I can understand booking online and paying straight away but not with a travel agent. Its just the same thing happened before with them. they quoted us a price and wanted it paid in ten days. Yet when I rang them and told them can we pay over a few months they said yes ??
 
IrishGunner said:
just looked at the below website re Thailand

[broken link removed]

is it scarmonger althogh Mrs gunner would not go and I would have to agree
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More chance of getting run over by a bus. Thailand is as safe as it gets in SE Asia (just keep out of the muslim provinces near the border with malaysia).
You do seem to be packing a lot in in a short space of time. Would you consider concentrating on the one country? Just a thought.
 
If you want to relax then go to Hoi An in Vietnam, heaven on earth as I like to call it. Mrs Gunner would probably love the Victoria resort.

As for Thailand, the south has been dodgy for a long time but attacks on Bangkok are worrying.

Re Trailfinders agaain, depends on who the flight is with. If it's Air France long haul we've always had to pay earlier. Don't fly Malaysian (or think of subbing in KL for Bangkok) - you'll regret it. We did!
 
Be VERY careful when booking hotels in Vietnam. We had a nightmare experience in Hanoi.

Get the hotel from the Rough guide. When you book - ask the hotel to arrange a taxi for you - this is fairly normal practise. If you just pick up a hotel at the airport - chances are they will scam you by brining you to a different hotel of the same name.

We copped we were being scammed after 40 mins - we tried to leave the hotel and we were treated with meat cleavers to pay up.

Not trying to put you off Vietnam - you just need to be careful.
 
kmelvin said:
Be VERY careful when booking hotels in Vietnam. We had a nightmare experience in Hanoi.

Get the hotel from the Rough guide. When you book - ask the hotel to arrange a taxi for you - this is fairly normal practise. If you just pick up a hotel at the airport - chances are they will scam you by brining you to a different hotel of the same name.

We copped we were being scammed after 40 mins - we tried to leave the hotel and we were treated with meat cleavers to pay up.

Not trying to put you off Vietnam - you just need to be careful.
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I found it pretty intense as regards the scam factor also. It was interesting to visit but I kept getting stories of experiences being a lot better down south. HCMC wasn't on my itenarary. If I am to go back to that part of the World, it will be to check out the South - not back up north.
 
Must say we had no troubles in VN - but I had done a LOT of research before we left. I spent months on the VN board over on Tripadvisor and got plenty of tips.

For hotels in Asia we always book 5 star and have never had a problem. We could never afford 5 star here but in Asia they're often cheaper than a B&B here!

As such I would recommend Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi, Victoria Resort in Hoi An and Sheraton Saigon.
 
Wont be staying in Bangkok to long may go out of it

Still looking at other options like maybe skipping vietnam and trying Cambodia fly from HK to Phnom Penh stay there a while and then to Bangkok and fly home from there. I know its a lot to take in 2 half weeks but it can be done still undecided

Also found this site re flights to HK

http://www.oasishongkong.com/gb/en/home.aspx

They fly from Gatwick anyone heard anything about them
 
IrishGunner said:
Wont be staying in Bangkok to long may go out of it

Still looking at other options like maybe skipping vietnam and trying Cambodia fly from HK to Phnom Penh stay there a while and then to Bangkok and fly home from there. I know its a lot to take in 2 half weeks but it can be done still undecided

Also found this site re flights to HK

http://www.oasishongkong.com/gb/en/home.aspx

They fly from Gatwick anyone heard anything about them
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May work out cheaper to go from here -> bkk. Usually gulf air work out the cheapest (dub-> bahrain -> bkk). Then fly to hk from there - then to Phnom Penh/Hanoi -> back to bkk. If you end up flying Hanoi -> bkk, fly air asia (the ryanair of se asia) but be careful of their excess baggage policy!
 
Ok from reading other posts hear and at boards no intention of staying in Bangkok very long

Oasis do look cheap but may stick with package flight as working out cheaper

Chang Mai sounds interesting so maybe fly there from Ho Chi Minh and then go from Chang Mai to Bangkok and fly home from there

Is it cheaper to book online with Thai airlines or wait until we get there ?

Also any other city recommendations other then Chang Mai ? Not into the Beach as Mrs Gunner cannot swim and we both get a bit bored so looking for activities and tours not the bunjee types

Any tips appreciated
 
IrishGunner said:
Ok from reading other posts hear and at boards no intention of staying in Bangkok very long

Oasis do look cheap but may stick with package flight as working out cheaper

Chang Mai sounds interesting so maybe fly there from Ho Chi Minh and then go from Chang Mai to Bangkok and fly home from there

Is it cheaper to book online with Thai airlines or wait until we get there ?

Also any other city recommendations other then Chang Mai ? Not into the Beach as Mrs Gunner cannot swim and we both get a bit bored so looking for activities and tours not the bunjee types

Any tips appreciated
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I think you have come up with a winner there in Chang Mai. Have heard very good things and its certainly on my list if I ever make it back to that part of the World. I suppose you won't have as many options from HCMC -> Chang Mai, but go with instead of Thai for CM->BKK.
Tripadvisor is your best bet for figuring out if theres any other carriers on either route (there are a couple of other low cost airlines operating down there).
 
Just talking to someone who went up to Chang Mai and told me other than the trek there is nothing much to do there
and its tough

Not interested in doing this and I know Mrs Gunner would not either

Would it be worthwhile just flying to one of the Thai Islands from Ho Chi Minh other than go straight to Bangkok

Any other recommendations
 
IrishGunner said:
Just talking to someone who went up to Chang Mai and told me other than the trek there is nothing much to do there
and its tough
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There is no point flying up to Chang Mai for any less than 3 days. There is a big night market scene, a zoo with good views over the city (!) and an interesting old town area. All the action is in trekking or even driving through the mountains which are at least an hour north - 3 day car rental €140. I would compare size wise the place to somewhere like Waterford.

photo of somewhere north of Chang Mai, notice the huts on the hillside

[broken link removed]
 
ChangMai makes a nice break away from the hussle and bussle of Bangkok or from the beach scene. It's a nice city, flat and easy to walk around the center with it's outer walls and canals.
Be sure to take a trip up to the mountain top Doi Suthep temple with wonderful views over the city.
Treking and any other mountain or river based activities is the main atrraction here. This region has a very strong handicraft tradition with some wonderfull handcrafted items to be had.

I flew up there from BKK with AirAsia, they were fine, NokAir (www.nokair.com) also fly there from BKK. Just keep in mind, that since the new airport opened in BKK, some domestic flight departures have stayed in the old airport, This may be significant if you are flying back to BKK to catch your flight home. You might arrive at a different airport and need to transfer. Both airports are not that close to each other.

I like Bangkok myself, sure it's noisy, chaotic, polluted but that's part of the attraction as well as been a great city for sightseeing, shopping and experiencing a different culture. Take a day trip out of the city to the River Kwai. Take the train up into the jungle and have lunch there, V nice.

Consider a few days on some of the islands, Kho Samui is fine for a relaxing few days, it's quiet, or Phuket. Been a swimmer is a help, I couldn;t swim the first time i visited which did spoil it a little but the boat trips from Phuket are fantastic.

just a few ideas, hope it helps.
 
It looks like Chang Mai is more for the trekking type. What about the Islands around Bangkok or anywhere relatively close. Not looking to go far down north to the likes of Phuket. Anyone know what the likes of Rayong or other beach places are like maybe to relax a bit but also with something to do other than sitting on a beach
 
Ok Koh Samui Island looks good

[broken link removed]

So leave Ho Chi Minh fly into Bangkok and then fly straight down here. Might not stay there as heard its a bit Benidormish but maybe this is only on some parts of the island??

Air Asia, Thai airways and Fly 12go??? fly from Bangkok

Then maybe finish in Bangkok for final days and come home

Any views on this island

just back from lunch with a guy who was there and he said Phuket is better and more to do James Bond island, etc . He said there are more islands around here

May be a toss of a coin or browsing the interweb as to which one to choose or if anyone has any opinions here ?
 
Have been to Koh Samui. I reluctantly agreed to go down that direction because others wanted to go down there and due to the full moon party - which turned out to be not my thing. Aside from that, it seems to be very much a mainstream tourist trek - and thats not my bag.

Opinions vary and whats good for one may not suit another. If you want to lay about on a beach, then it may be a good option to head for the islands. If you want to discover the real thailand, you need to go inland..
 
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