Probably depends to a certain degree on how long you are planning to take for this trip. It is certainly a very ambitious itinerary.

I have been to many of those places. Typically I either fly or am traveling on my own with private car/driver/guide. So I am probably not the right person to answer this.

Note that arriving in Thailand by land border crossing only gets you 15 days unless you have a regular tourist visa in advance. Arriving by air gets you 30 days without a visa. For Vietnam you will need a visa in advance. Laos (unless it changed recently) you can get a visa on arrival. Just check to make sure you have the right kind of photo and the proper fee in cash.

Posted Apr 07, 2011

I did an overnight cruise from Ho Chi Minh to Phenom Penh and enjoyed the experience.  Cruising along the Mekong river was really nice!  Because it was an organized cruise, the tour guide took care of the border crossing and thus made everything fairly easy (including getting a Cambodian visa).  I flew Air Asia (highly recommended discount airline in the area!) from Phenom Penh to Bangkok.

I bused elsewhere and it was good, cheap and efficient.  Recommended if you have the time!

Posted Apr 07, 2011

Having been to most of these places as a traveler and vacationer (except Vietnam as a GI), I can enthusiastically say you're in for the time of your life!  As the others have stated, how you do all of this depends on how much time you have.  I hope you have lots of time and can do it as a traveler with no reservations or time schedule.

My last trip, as a vacationer, required everything to click.  We used Bangkok as a base to fly to both Luang Prabang and Siem Reap.  You may have to use a travel agent to book flights on the Vietnamese and Thailand airlines, (the smaller ones with the better prices).  Some only fly one or two flights a week.  If we'd had the time, we would have certainly taken buses, trains and boats.  Have Fun! 

Posted Apr 08, 2011

Hi Alexandra,

I have been to most of the cities on the Vietnam segment your itinerary so I will comment on those. I think that there are more flights flying to Phnom Penh from Ho Chi Minh City so you are in a great place starting your trip from North of Vietnam.

Let's start with Hanoi... it's a fairly small city with many quaint shops so you might want to stay at least three days just to absorb its energy. I last traveled to Hanoi in July so the heat was unbearable. I ended up staying indoor midday and wandered around early mornings and late afternoons. When I travel to Hanoi again I would stay in the Old Town Hanoi since most of the shops open late there and I could walk to lake Ho Hoan Kiem for snacks or ice cream at night. Don't miss having a meal at Cha Ca La Vong–a pan fried fish dish served with vermicelli, herbs and vegetables.

I have not been to Sapa but when I stayed in Hanoi I saw many tours being offer to tourists from Hanoi to Sapa. I think most of them were overnight (ei 2 days one night) so you might want to consider these tours. I took a day tour by van to Ha Long Bay for about $60. Even as a native speaker, I'm glad I took the tour because the process of ferry transfer, and navigating the caves seemed a little chaotic. Ha Long Bay is a magically beautiful place so I definitely would try to stay overnight on a boat the next time I visit.

You can definitely take a bus from Hanoi to Hue. I car shared with another tourist family so I paid about $25 for the car ride. Hue is very mellow and you don't need as much time here as Hanoi.

I took a bus from Hue to Hoi An and the trip was quite decent. If I remember correctly, the bus ride was about 5 hours long and the staff at the hotel helped me book the bus ticket for about $10. Hoi An is a tiny tiny city with narrow streets and houses of Chinese architecture. Time seems to stand still in Hoi An so you can hang out here for as long as time allows.   

I flew from Hoi An to Saigon city. There are too many highlights to mention about Saigon so let me know if you need a few recommendations of places to eat or visit.

-A

Posted Apr 18, 2011

I agree with Glenn that the itinerary is very ambitious. I hope you are giving yourself lots of time, because there is so much to sink into in each destination, at least the ones in Vietnam and Thailand that I've visited. You might want to consider Ha Giang as an alternative to Sapa. And while Chiang Mai is virtually a "must" in northern Thailand, I was even more taken with Nong Khai (on the border across from Vientiane) and Mae Hong Son (in the northwest).  

Posted Apr 08, 2011

Airfare between Cambodia and Vietnam is really expensive- between $350-400 US for a 45 minute flight. The bus takes about six hours from PP to HCMC and costs $12. Right now the only flights are on Vietnam Air, and they are taking advantage of their monopoly.

Be  careful of the boat operators in Hal Long Bay- it is worth paying the extra money for a good tour company.

Posted Aug 18, 2011

What a great trip! I recommend using a tour company for both Sapa and Halong Bay. I used Vega Travel for Sapa (the only way to get there easily from Hanoi is by overnight train) and Ocean Tours for an overnight on a boat in Halong Bay. Both were fantastic. I highly recommend doing a homestay in Sapa! If you book tours, they will make arrangements for your train to Sapa and a bus to Halong Bay from Hanoi. I flew from Hoi An to HCMC, but if you've got nothing but time, you can make that trip any way you like. I know there is a bus that goes from HCMC to Phnom Penh. A friend of mine took one, and they had karaoke on board! I ended up taking a speedboat down the Mekong from a border town in Vietnam over to Phnom Penh. From there, I took a "VIP" bus to Siem Reap that played Asian music videos and a kung fu movie, which vastly amused me. For all these connections, flying certainly isn't necessary. If time really isn't a factor for you, buses, trains, and boats are very doable (and inexpensive). You will have a blast!

Posted Apr 15, 2012