This wasn’t our first trip to Asia but it was our first trip for vacation purposes. CMac and GMac have spent time in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan for business purposes so we had a taste of Asian travel before this trip. However, our experiences on this trip were different that what we had experienced previously. This trip was one of our most memorable and left us wanting to go back and explore the region in more depth. The sights, food and experiences were all fantastic and very economical by western standards.
Itinerary and Getting There
We were travelling to the other side of the world so we wanted to make sure we had enough time on the ground to make the travel worth it. Therefore this trip spanned three weeks over the Christmas/New Year holidays. We travelled before Christmas and returned in the second week of January. Getting there was fairly easy, although it was the longest flights to date for our kids. We flew through Hong Kong to get to Bangkok. On the way back we flew out of Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai and then home from there. Our itinerary included stops in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
- Bangkok, Thailand – 3 days to acclimatize and see the city
- Siem Reap, Cambodia – 4 days to explore Angkor Watt
- Phu Quoc, Vietnam – 3 days of beach time over Christmas
- Phong Nha National Park, Vietnam – 3 days to explore the park and amazing caves
- Hoi An, Vietnam – 3 days to explore
- Ho Chi Minh City – 3 days to explore and wrap up the trip
We were moving around quite a bit on this trip and used a variety of transportation including buses, taxis and planes. We could book in country flights reasonably close to travel dates with no cost penalties which was nice. Our most memorable travel segment was going from Bangkok to Siem Reap via bus. The bus was quite comfortable but during the trip we crossed the the border into Cambodia. The border crossing was quite the experience and we got to see a wide variety of vehicles cross with all manners of cargo.
For accommodations the one that stood out for us on this trip was the Phong Nha farmstay. It was rustic and featured a common room where we meet fellow travellers exploring the area. Other than the farmstay our accomodations were good but nothing to call out.
Bangkok
We had heard a lot of great things about Bangkok and were looking forward to exploring the city. We also wanted to spend a few low key days to acclimatize to the time change, especially for the kids who would be experiencing a 13 hour time change for the first time. We enjoyed our time in the city, there are some good tourist sites and some interesting markets and neighbourhoods. However, the city didn’t wow us which just reinforced our travel preferences on cities – they’re fine but don’t spend more than 3 days in one. Some of the sights we enjoyed while in the city included:
- Grand Palace – Some historical artifacts and includes the temple of the emerald buddha
- Wat Pho – Temple of the giant buddha
- Chatuchak Market – Market with a variety of stalls and goods. We got foot massages here which we really enjoyed as a novelty.
- Khao San Road – Well known backpacker road with some cool cafes.
Other sites or guidebooks will have better description of the sites.
Siem Reap – Angkor Wat
We didn’t know much about Angkor Wat before researching this trip but it’s a can’t miss sight if you’re in Cambodia. Angkor Wat is a massive temple complex outside the city of SIEM reap. We were amazed at the sheer size of the complex and state of the ruins. It is one of the most impressive ruins we’ve toured in the world and it will take you several days to explore. Angkor Wat is the main and best preserved temple in the area but there are many others. The main temple complex is orientated so that the sun rises over it. The temple area is very crowded in the morning as tourists flock to the site to capture the sun rise. You can spend a full day exploring the ruins
While Angkor Wat takes all of the headlines the area is filled with other temples. While not as well preserved, the nearby temple complex of Angkor Thom is bigger and features the Bayon Temple. Bayon is another well known temple with many intricate carvings. If you’ve seen jungle temples in movies you might actually have seen Ta Prohm which is a temple complex overgrown by trees.
As you can likely tell already there are more than enough temples to explore in the area and you’ll need a few days to fully explore the area. Admittedly by the end of three days we were templed out.
We enjoyed our stay in the city of SIEM Reap. We had a comfortable hotel at reasonable rates which provided a motobike rickshaw driver (Mr. Buffalo) who helped us get around. The center of the city has a nice tourist area with restaurants and shops. We had some great meals in the city.
Phu Quoc
Since we were travelling over Christmas holidays we wanted to find a relaxing spot to spend a few days on the beach and give the kids a different type of Christmas. We choose the island of Phu Quoc. It was very laid back and had beautiful beaches with clear water. We enjoyed a few days there relaxing and hanging out at the pool or the beach. If you’re looking for some beach days it’s a good spot to visit.
Phong Nha
This was on of the trip’s unexpected highlights. Phong Nha is a township in the North Central Coast Region of Vietnam. It features the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park which was a hidden gem although we suspect it will become very well known. We stayed at the Phong Nha farmstay mentioned above and while rustic we highly recommend it.
The park features the world’s largest caves that were created by millions of years of flooding. There are a lot of caves there of all shapes and sizes. We loved our time there and ended up hiking in caves, swimming in a cave, ziplining to a cave and taking a mudbath in a cave. We were able to take a jungle hike that brought us to several large and deep caves. This area suited our spirit for adventure and if there is one recommendation to take away from the post go to Phong Nha before it becomes too touristy.
If you are planning to go to Phong Nha be aware that the caves flood during rainy season which lasts from October to December. We visited just after rainy season.
Hoi An
Hoi An is a city in central Vietnam along the coast. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. It is known as a well preserved Southeat Asian trading port of the 15th and 19th centuries. It features an array of architectural styles including Chinese temples, French colonial buildings, Vietnamese tube houses and the Japanese Covered Bridge.
The old town while not large was very nice to wander in. The streets are narrow and atmospheric. There are some nice shops and restaurants. We really enjoyed hanging out in the area and spent time shopping, eating and hanging out in coffee shops.
If you’re looking for tailored clothes there are a number of shops in town that will make custom suits, jackets, shirts or whatever you’d like. It doesn’t take long but you’ll still need a few days. If you’re interested in tailored clothing come with an idea of what you’d like and target some shops to visit. GMac purchased some custom shirts and a suit. Both were of good quality and lasted several years.
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
We book ended the trip at another city since we needed access to an international airport. We also wanted a few easier days to wrap up the trip. Ho Chi Minh City was another Asian city with a mix of areas, some modern and some not so much. We enjoyed our time there and if you’re visiting make sure you take in the War Remnants Museum. It’s a powerful experience to see the American War (Vietnam War) from another perspective.
The other experience we had that was very memorable was a food tour on the back of scooters. There were more scooters than we could count on the streets and we spent this tour on the back of a scooter, driven by our guides, amongst the scooter masses. At one point we seemed to lose daughter #1 as she disappeared with her guide to get dessert for the group. All was fine in the end, just a parent scare for GMac and CMac. We ate some of the most amazing foods in alleys and nooks on the tour. We would never have found the spots we were taken to on our own. It was an awesome experience that we’d highly recommend.
Magic Moment
We took part in a guided jungle hike in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park which featured a set of massive caves which are the signature feature of the park. There were so many unique moments on this hike that included following a muddy trail through the jungle, hiking deep into a large cave and swimming into a flooded cave and turning out our headlights once we were out of the sunlight. This hike still stands out to us many years later, especially at the end where we were tired but surrounded by jungle covered hills.
