Cambodia, Vietnam area

I am hoping to get some help with my next holiday, I have cruised quite a few times with my husband (the Fjords and the Med several times) and as a family group to the Caribbean and the Far East. We are a group of 7 (in our 50's) and a suggestion of Vietnam, Cambodia has come up, I don't want to be stuck in the port but is there anything to see that's not too far away. It is a part of the world I would like to see but I am not sure whether it would be better to wait and just go the as a couple our other option is Australia. I would be grateful for any help as its not easy trying to organize something and keep 6 others happy but the last 4 I have organized have been great so it's not too bad.

A great part of the world to cruise.:)

And as most SE Asian countries are westernising fast, best to do it soonest.

(Cambodia is the exception - stuck in the 19th century but quite an experience)

Loads of places & cultures to see, people to meet.

But needs good research.

As a group of seven you can share a minibus (van in American-speak) for great value in most ports. Some ports you can fix this up on-spec., some you're best to fix in advance.

Try to find a cruise which overnites in Bangkok, Saigon, & Halong Bay because a one-day port-of-call stop is woefully inadequate.

And most embarkation & disembarkation ports are worth exploring in depth for a few days pre- or post-cruise.

East & South-East Aus is more suited to a road trip.

On a cruise you can spend time with the group & time by yourselves. On a road trip a group is committed to spending time on the road together in a van, or separated in different cars.

And when organising a cruise most of the logistics are taken care of - no need to sus out accommodation, dinners etc.

So I'd rate a S E Asia cruise with the group, and an Aus road-trip as a twosome.

Just MHO as always

JB :)

I was just looking into the Viking River Cruises for the Vietnam-Cambodia cruisetour itinerary...you might want to check this out too.

I was just looking into the Viking River Cruises for the Vietnam-Cambodia cruisetour itinerary...you might want to check this out too.

I'd completely overlooked river cruises.:o

Florence asked about "Vietnam, Cambodia", so river cruising was probably in her head, and should have rung bells in mine. :rolleyes:

It's long past my bed-time.;)

JB :)

I really want to do a Mekong River cruise (there are some nice reviews for many different lines in the river cruises forum!) Also planning a land trip. But starting off with an overview ocean cruise next month - Azamara, which is small so it gets close to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, and overnights in each of those ports. Can't wait!!!

Thanks for the info it has given me something to think about, we haven't made any decision yet on either river or normal cruising I will continue with research.

We have done the New Zealand /Australia cruise with our son and it was great

But in Au you do not go in land if that is your interest.

We also are booked on Azamara for the Vietnam cruise which pull very close to downtown in both Bangkok and Ho Chi Min.

Did a cruise that stopped in Bangkok with them two years ago and it was so nice to have three days and not sit in traffic.

Quite a few companies do Mekong river cruises and combine them with land tours if you wish to do so. We used APT: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Saigon, Mekong River, Siam Reap. Others on our ship did more intensive Vietnam pre-cruise visits. Some only did the cruise part.

Compare prices and details before you commit to one company.

Southeast Asia is fabulous, people,food, things to do, and reasonable for tours.

This is our 3rd cruise in four years to this area. You do city areas first then do outskirt areas, you will love it. you have to have the right agent to work with you and comfortable transportation. If you decide I can give you a name of a company that does both countries and you tell her what you want and not a lot of walking, or walking, shopping, temples, no temples and she will make it happen. With 6 of you I am sure a tour will make all happy, just riding stopping every now and then and viewing how other countries live is fascinating. If you want ideas email me at kwarcins at gmail dot com.

Rita

You will love it. Big boats have more to do then river cruises and rooms are bigger.

We will be cruising this area twice in the next couple of years, one ocean cruise and one river cruise plus land based beforehand.

The research has begun!!

In Vietnam, you can visit from the north to the south such as Hanoi, Halong, HCMC, Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc island. You can read more at Vietnam Tour Booking. If you want to save money, you can homestay at local people and join amazing activities in the early morning

Folks, ignore this post - it is an agent (or agency) look for business. Have reported them previously

We took a cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore last November which included ports-of-call at Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok. It was very, very enjoyable and interesting! The ports for those cities, unfortunately, are a long distance from the cities so you really need to take coach tours (offered by the cruise line or something similar).

You can easily take a boat tour at Halong Bay from the Hanoi Cruise Port. They are inexpensive. If you don't want to travel all the way into Bangkok, you can catch a local tour bus to Pataya (a beach town) which is nearby. Hong Kong and Singapore are great and easy to get around independently!

http://cruiseports.ca/asia/index.html