Meet Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia offers as many wonderful travel plans as there are travellers. For some people, the perfect plan need not be anything more than “I’m going to Southeast Asia for four months”. For others, especially those with limited time and a desire to see a lot, careful planning can be prudent.

Vietnam vies with Thailand for offering the best food in the region, but travelling around can be a bit more challenging than the already mentioned countries thanks to the deceptively large distances involved. Highlights in the north include Ha Long Bay and Sapa, while Hoi An, Hue and Phong Nha in the centre should not be missed, while in the south the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc Island are the key drawcards. The capital Hanoi and commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City meanwhile should each be considered destinations in their own right.

While it has a good domestic train and flight network, Vietnam is not a country without scams and scam artists; it can wear a traveller down. Because of this, Vietnam lends itself being more suited to a second-time Southeast Asian visit, rather than a first-time one, though many do hit it up first time around and survive to tell the tale. Primarily Mahayana Buddhist, Vietnamese society can be seen as being a transition point between Southeast Asia and East/Northeast Asia.

Heading in the other direction, off Thailand’s western border Burma (Myanmar) in many ways represents another transition point, this time from Southeast Asia to South Asia. In food and culture, Burma demonstrates heavy South Asian influences. The country is mostly Theravada Buddhist, and is also home to significant numbers of ethnic minorities, including Muslim and Christian communities. Large-scale tourism remains fairly new in Burma and the comfort and tourist friendliness of the infrastructure reflects this.

The highlights of the country can be touched on in as little as a week to 10 days (with some domestic flights), but we’d argue you need at least two weeks for Burma to be worth your while. Travellers looking to cover both the centre and north along with the south should set aside four weeks. The far south promises much in the way of beaches and islands, but for now development remains limited. Parts of the country in the north and west remain off limits to foreign tourists due to low-level fighting with regional groups. The west of the country has been blighted by state-sanctioned violence towards the Rohingya. Travellers planning to go off piste in Burma should make an effort to keep abreast of the news.
Slightly more challenging to travel through than Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are excellent destinations in their own right, but equally fit well into regional itineraries. Outside of the main tourist centres accommodation can be a bit more basic, and thanks to their turbulent histories, the poverty some of the people endure can be confronting. Both countries are relatively small geographically, with the popular tourist highlights concentrated in just a few centres that can be easily visited over a week or two weeks each.
Cambodia’s highlight is undoubtedly the magnificent ruins of Angkor Wat. But the kingdom also has a relatively new island scene that's becoming the new backpacker crashpad of the region. In Laos, romantic and atmospheric Luang Prabang is the headline attraction, with a developing ecotourism scene showing promise. Both countries are also predominantly Theravada Buddhist, and the vibe tends towards low-key and relaxed versus more industrious Vietnam.