Southeast Asia is one of the best locations in the world for a backpacking trip, which is what I did with my sister for 3,5 weeks. We decided on a combination of South Vietnam and Cambodia and planned a really relaxing trip. It is possible to speed up this trip a bit, to actually make it to Hanoi and Halong Bay, but we were really satisfied with our itinerary. It is really easy to travel in Southeast Asia, as there are affordable buses going to the main destinations several times a day. By taking the night bus every now and then, you can save some time and safe money on accommodation as well. Please don’t mind the quality of my photographing skills as I was still learning when we made this trip 😉
These were some of our highlights:
Angkor Wat
Visiting Angkor Wat was the number one priority on my bucket list, luckily it did not disappoint and it was the highlight of our trip! We visited Angkor Wat for two days in a row and toured with a tuktuk driver, which gives you sufficient time to enjoy everything on a relaxed pace.
Killing Fields (Choeung Ek)
Visiting the Killing Fields is a must when you visit Cambodja. This is the place where hundreds of Cambodians were killed and buried during the regime of Pol Pot. The audio tour is a really good way to learn more about the horror that occurred at this location. Because everyone is listening to the audio tours, it is a really silent place, which only adds to the sadness of this visit. We visited it as a half-day trip from Phnom Penh by tuktuk.
Easy rider tour in Vietnam
We loved our first tour with an easy rider so much, that we booked a second tour during our two weeks in Vietnam! Our first tour was a daytrip in the surroundings of Dalat. Dalat is located in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and has a good combination of culture and nature/agriculture (there are beautiful waterfalls). This makes the landscapes really divers and fun for a day with an easy rider. On our second tour we drove from Hue via Da Nang to Hoi An and were able to see more of Vietnam’s coastal area. We found our easy riders on the basis of (some Dutch) reviews and had two super fun days! It is the perfect way to get to know the local life in Vietnam, as you spend a full day with the easy riders and also get to eat with them. They know a lot about the history of Vietnam and you are able to visit sights which you otherwise can’t visit, while also being able to travel from one location to the next. They can add your backpack to their motor as well and it will function as a comfortable back support.
Visiting the Imperial Tombs in Hue
These tombs are actually quite hard to reach. Our scooter wouldn’t go up the hills, so in the end we visited these by taxi. As these tombs are hard to reach it wasn’t busy at all, which was the perfect bonus!
A few nights in Hoi An
Hoi An is one of the most romantic places in Vietnam, at night the town lights up by cute lanterns and it has a great foodie culture. We were originally set on buying customized dresses here, but we found the haggling very uncomfortable, so we opted out of that and just liked to stay in the town to relax.
Crazy house in Dalat
I mainly wanted to visit Dalat to be able to visit the Crazy House. It is a house made in an avantgarde style and it somehow reminded me of Gaudi. It makes for a fun visit as you can wander through the house and enjoy the views from the stairs. When we visited it was overgrown with flowers, which definitely worked its magic. It is also possible to stay the night here, but I personally would not prefer to stay in a touristic attraction.
Relaxing in Nha Trang
Nha Trang is often overlooked as a destination as travels often find it too touristy. I really liked our stay in Nha Trang as you can do many great activities in the area of Nha Trang. We went to a traditional Vietnamese BBQ restaurant by scooter, spotted sea stars on our snorkeling tour, enjoyed the private beach of the Louisiana brewhouse, visited beautiful temples and had a lot of fun taking a mud bath!
History in Ho Chi Minh City
When visiting Vietnam a trip to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) can’t miss on your itinerary. We visited the Cu Chi tunnels on our day trip and the War Remnants Museum to really soak up all the history this city has to offer. I loved the combination of learning about history during the day and enjoying drinks at the many rooftop bars the city has to offer at night, while seeing the crazy Vietnamese traffic passing by.
