A top attraction in SE Asia, Halong Bay in Vietnam

Southeast Asia Overview

Southeast Asia has long been a major stopping point along the backpacking trail.  Exotic destinations, beautiful beaches and mountains, bustling cities, fantastic food, friendly people, a well trodden tourist route, and super cheap prices all contribute to one of the top regions in the world for traveling.

From the smiling faces and stunning beaches in Thailand to the incredible, fresh food in Vietnam to one of the most impressive sites in the world in Cambodia to the sleepy, still undiscovered lands of Laos, Southeast Asia is ripe for the picking if you love to travel.

What to Expect

Expect stunning scenery, historical site after historical site, fantastic food that is as cheap, fresh, and as good as you’ll find anywhere in the world, and ease of travel.

Sure, you may not always be comfortable (hello minibuses in Laos), but what you give up in comfort you get back in the wallet.  One of the most surprising things about travel in SE Asia was just how easy it truly was.  The language barrier was pretty much nonexistent as most everyone, especially those involved in tourism, speaks English.  Because the region has been a popular travel destination for the better part of 50 years, they have it down and know how it’s done, so enjoy the ride!

How to Get Around

Getting around SE Asia is pretty easy, with many options depending on your budget.

Air- Air Asia is the budget airline in the region, and if you are flexible and on top of things, you can get dirt cheap flights between major cities (Bangkok, Saigon, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, etc.). 

Bus- Bus quality varies from country to country and even city to city.  Thailand and Vietnam have some decent buses, some of the sleeper variety, but some flat out suck, too.  Minibuses, while not the most comfortable transport in the world, are in all Southeast Asian countries in some form or another (with a cost of practically nothing).  The unifying factor amongst bus transport is that it’s dirt cheap.

Train- Trains are available in all countries as well, with some really nice ones in Thailand, in particular.  There are different types and different classes of seats, with sleeper compartments as well (that are really nice), so do your homework.

Boat- One of the coolest modes of transport around Southeast Asia is by riverboat.  Some slow boat trips (Thailand into Laos) are said to be pretty brutal, but some others are amazing (Vietnam into Cambodia).

Costs

In order to travel on a super, super cheap budget (think under $50/day for a couple), you’re going to have to rough it a bit in Southeast Asia.  While you can find beds for under $5/night, you get what you pay for (think dorm beds, no a/c, and questionable cleanliness).

As long as you’re willing to eat street and market food (which you should as it’s THE BEST!), you can eat like a king for a few dollars a day.  A huge plate of Pad Thai costs about $1US on the streets of Bangkok, a steaming bowl of Pho in the alleyways of Hanoi cost about the same, and as long as you eat locally, even in restaurants, it’s still not going to run more than a few dollars for a meal.

But if you have the money to splurge just a little bit (think $70/day for a couple), you’re going to have nice, private rooms with air conditioning, you’ll be able to splurge on that western meal every once in a while, and you’ll be able to take a sleeper train and nice bus in certain situations (sometimes a crappy minibus is your only option).

Thailand and Vietnam were a little more expensive than Laos and Cambodia, but if you plan on $70US/day (as a couple) for those four countries, you’ll be traveling well most of the time.

Countries

As of right now (early 2011), we have only traveled in four Southeast Asian countries.  Keeping with the attitude of only reviewing and writing about places we’ve been, those four will be the focus of this region.  So be sure to check back throughout the next few months as country and city pages get updated, along with tons of posts about the region.  Once pages/posts become live, they will be linked below and on the Navigation bar at the top of the site.

• Thailand
  • Bangkok
  • Koh Chang
  • Chiang Mai
  • Pai
  • Koh Samui
    
• Laos
  • Luang Nam Tha
  • Luang Prabang
  • Vang Vieng
  • Vientiene
    
• Vietnam
  • Hanoi
  • Halong Bay
  • Hue
  • Hoi An
  • Nha Trang
  • Dalat
  • Saigon
  • Mekong River
    
• Cambodia
  • Phnom Penh
  • Siem Reap
  • Angkor Wat