Hello everyone!
Last January, My boyfriend and I went for a 10days DIY Indochina Tour to our neighboring countries in Asia-- Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. An indochina tour can be quite stressful if not planned carefully because I warned you.. you will be so lucky if you wont encounter scams and shady deals along the way most especially when you start to cross-board from one country to another. Nonetheless, the experience is all worth it and will definitely leave you with memories and stories to tell. We spent the whole 10 days wandering, exploring and getting exposed to different people, culture, beliefs, religions, cuisines, lifestyle etc and its indeed so interesting to discover that while they are so close together, each of these countries have their own distinct charm and beauty.
Thailand
Ayutthaya, Thailand
As mentioned in my previous blog, we decided to have Thailand as our starting point for our Indochina tour because my boyfriend has an aunt who lives with her little family in Bangkok. Our trip to Thailand was the most relaxing trip of all the 3 countries we visited because of their warm company. We dedicated one day to visit the Ruins of Ayutthaya and visited quite a few temples, ate a lot of cheap but very delicious Thai food (we went to the nearby market one day to try local street foods such as Thai BBQ, Bami Nam, Soy Milk and other coconut milk-based dessert). We also went to the malls for souvenir shopping and experienced their very own Thai massage before we leave. Since we stayed in my bf's aunt in our 4 days stay in Thailand, I could not advise any hotels to stay there but we always relay to reviews from Trip Advisor and agoda.
Cost of our 4 days trip in Thailand: Php15,000.00 (because we splurged for shopping!)
Cambodia
At the border of Cambodia
The temples of Angkor Wat is undoubtedly amazing but sad to say, we had a first bad impression of this country after all the series of scam attempts, overpricing tour we availed from a tuktuk driver [who we thought was a nice a guy], aggressive vendors and violent locals we encountered while we were there. It could may be because we trusted people right away. To avoid this, I highly suggest that you book your direct bus trip to Siem Reap from Bangkok located at Mo Chit Terminal ahead of time so you wont have to deal with a number of scammers who would try to convince you with their dirty tricks right from the border. You may book your ticket in advance at this website. Also, I would like to stress that you should book your Angkor Wat Tour with your hotel. Many of the tuktuk drivers overcharged tourist double and even triple the price of what an Angkor Wat Tour should be. Plus, booking your tour w/ your hotel is a lot easier, safer and cheaper.
Where we stayed?
We stayed in King Rock Boutique Hotel in our 3 days in Siem Reap. I love this hotel. We get to experienced a 5 star service and amenities by only paying a mid-range hotel costs. For only Php2,100 per night (taxes not included and booked via agoda), we enjoyed a very comfortable king size bed with big comfort room that has a fab bath tub, living area and a veranda. And the best part? They served big and delicious breakfast. Despite our disappointment w/ what we experienced.. we enjoyed Cambodia because of this hotel.
King Deluxe Room of King Rock Boutique Hotel
Cost of our 3 days trip in Cambodia: Php20,000.00 (because we were scammed by our tuktuk driver)
Vietnam
Notre Dam Cathedral, Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam
I fell in love with this country immediately because of its people. The Vietnamese are nice, approachable and helpful. Not to mention that they are good-looking people, too! We only stayed here for 2 days since we need to check out early for our 1am flight back to Manila on our 3rd day. We spent our short stay in Vietnam by visiting the War Remnants Museum (the best museum I have ever been to). Dont miss this when you're in Vietnam. We also checked the Notre Dam Cathedral, nearby Post office and ate pho, tried out Vietnamese coffee and went shopping at Ben Than Market and Saigon Square.
From Cambodia, we booked our bus transfer to Ho Chi Min thru a travel agency called Virak-Buntham Express Travel & Tour. The bus transfer costs Php1800.00. I highly recommend booking your bus transfer to a travel agency if you're in Cambodia to avoid scam.
Also, commuting around Vietnam thru taxi is cheap. Bloggers suggest that you only ride the two reputable taxi companies in Vietnam -- Mai Lin and Venasun -- We followed this advised and never had any issue with our taxi experience in Vietnam. They also give back change in exact amount, too.
Where we stayed in Vietnam?
Suite Room of Dragon Palace Hotel
We stayed in Dragon Palace Hotel in our 3 days in Vietnam. The hotel is so-so and located at the busy street of District 1 which gives you easy access to the point of interest around the City. A Plus factor is the complimentary buffet breakfast but the menu doesn't change in our 3 days stay so we ate the same breakfast every single day.
Cost of our 3 days trip in Vietnam: Php15,000.00 (because we shopped a lot, too)
Total Cost of our 10 days Indochina Tour
Php 30,000.00 Airfare
15,000.00 4D3N in Thailand
20,000.00 3D2N in Cambodia
15,000.00 3D2N in Vietnam
-----------------------
Php 80,000.00 or (Php40,000.00 per person)
Total Cost of our 10 days Indochina Tour
Php 30,000.00 Airfare
15,000.00 4D3N in Thailand
20,000.00 3D2N in Cambodia
15,000.00 3D2N in Vietnam
-----------------------
Php 80,000.00 or (Php40,000.00 per person)
Note: We had a last minute plane ticket booking w/ Cebu Pacific. You could save cost if you book your tickets in advance. In our case, we only booked our tickets days before our trip. I also think that our budget is pretty descent for a 10days Indochina itinerary.. we splurged in shopping, food and also stayed in mid-range hotels during our trip. Mind you, the "few thousand bucks that was scammed to us by our tuktuk driver" was also included in the total budget expense. You could add up or lower your expense depending on your travel needs and budget.
Money Exchange:
We exchanged our peso to dollar and also exchanged some of our peso to baht by buying in PNB Bank because its way cheaper to buy dollar in local banks. Dollar is highly accepted in Cambodia than their own currency, Cambodia Riel. While in Vietnam, we exchanged our dollar in a reputable Money exchange in Ho Chi Mihn
What to bring in your Indochina Tour
-Camera
-Comfortable shoes
-Sunblock
-Umbrella/hat
-Mosquito repellent
-Alcohol
-Wet wipes
-Medicine ( paracetamol and loperomide coz you never know :) )
For detailed posts of our Indochina Trip for each countries, please click links below:
if you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to ask me at the comment box below. Hope this helps!
Always,
Rica ♡
