Beaches and islands
One of the top appeals of Southeast Asia are its excellent array of islands and beaches. Where should a beach bum head?

Vietnam

Vietnam is no slouch on the beach and island front, though the country’s best known island, Phu Quoc, is reeling under the weight of vast and fast development. Other nearby islands show promise for independent travellers, but the Vietnamese government’s on-again, off-again attitude towards access complicates the matter.

A short flight from Ho Chi Minh City lie the Con Dao Islands, which are growing in popularity and have much to offer. Up the coast, Cham Island out from Hoi An remains a popular destination both for its beaches and diving.

Vietnam’s mainland beaches, like Indonesia’s, are often working beaches first and trash can be a big problem, though there are some tourist enclaves where tourism is a local mainstay. Mui Ne, just a few hours from Ho Chi Minh City by bus, is one of Southeast Asia's top kite-surfing spots.

Burma

The opening of Burma’s stunning coastline is one of the most exciting things to hit tourism in the region in recent years. While it's still very much an early work in progress, it's worth watching and considering. The beach scene here is conveniently split into two main segments: the northern Andaman Sea (so accessible from Yangon), with locations including Ngapali, Chaung Tha and Ngwe Saung, and further down the coast, out from Dawei, Myeik and Kawthaung.

Ngapali is by far the most developed (and most expensive); if you’re after comfortable (albeit regionally expensive) beachside lodgings, angle towards here. Those who want more of an adventure and have a bit of time on their hands should consider heading south towards less-developed Dawei and Myeik. We’ve seen some breathtaking photos of the islands out from these ports.

Burma has no seriously surfable surf; as with Thailand’s Andaman coast, think calm lapping waters and no shortage of palm trees. Unlike Thailand, many of the beaches in Burma are still primarily working beaches—meaning fishing communities will be making a living along the same stretches of sand that you might be planning to sunbathe on.

This means two things. Firstly, the beach may be a bit dirty: Perhaps a fisherman is stripping paint off his boat with a bucket of chemicals just up the beach from you or fishing nets (or the catch) are laid out to dry. For many, this will be more interesting, but our advice is simply to not expect blissfully deserted sand. Secondly, and more importantly, bear in mind local sensitivities when on the beach. Nudity and topless sunbathing are absolute no-nos. When you’re walking around, guys and girls, please put some clothes on to keep everyone comfortable.

Cambodia

For years Cambodia’s beach scene was largely reserved to the strips of sand around Sihanoukville and Kep. Of the two, Sihanoukville had the better beaches, but they were always far from world class, especially when compared to the beaches on the islands just over the border in Thailand. Over the last decade though, Cambodia’s islands have taken off and changed everything.

While this burgeoning scene faces complex development challenges, some of the beaches on Koh Rong Samloem and Koh Rong are A-grade ace—comparable to some of the best beaches on Ko Kut in Thailand (which is home to some of the best beaches in Thailand, in our opinion).

These are the archetypal white-sand, turquoise-water deals, with a wobbly but photogenic pier slicing out into the ocean. In season the millpond waters are bathwater warm, forming the backdrop to the kind of scene where you find a hammock in the morning and all of a sudden it's dinner time and Frodo is still in the Shire.

In off season, the seas get very rough, some resorts close and the ferry timetable drops off in frequency. Could you surf? Maybe, but we wouldn’t pack a board.
 

Laos

While Laos doesn’t boast any white-sand beaches with lapping waves, it does boast a series of islands in the southern reaches of the country. Don Khong, Don Dhet and Don Khon all form a part of what is known as the 4,000 Islands, a popular locale for hammock swinging and watching the Mekong River slide by. While there isn’t any surf, you do still need to be wary of currents—that river will whisk you down to Cambodia in no time.

As with the working beaches in Burma and Indonesia, Laos’ rivers are very much of the commercial variety, so expect to see plenty of fishermen, and at times other extractive activities, we’ve seen people gold panning with mercury on the Mekong between Luang Prabang and Vientiane—not a great idea for healthy swimming.