Thread: Vietnam/Cambodia Nov-Dec Weather

Well what do you know...
Ill be there until Nov 26
Doing Vietnam and Cambodia, 4th/5th? Time in Vietnam, first time in Cambodia. Honestly, I'd pack for hot and humid. Take a cold weather item or two, but mainly warm to hot. Raincoats are cheap as chips over there.

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Thanks for that, Muppet. Hope you have a good trip. I think we fly out on Nov 27th.
Steve

We're off to Burma in December too.
Its the so-called cooler season so I'd predict mid 20s unless you go up in the mountains.
Take US $.

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Originally Posted by DiscoMick

We're off to Burma in December too.
Its the so-called cooler season so I'd predict mid 20s unless you go up in the mountains.
Take US $.

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Burma was my first choice but I don't have the casting vote on these things, apparently
We have all the incidentals like vaccines, visas, $$$$ etc sorted.
Have a great time & if you don't mind, perhaps a little report on return.
Cheers
Steve

We Toured Vietnam/Cambodia & Lao in November/December last year. It was very warm in Cambodia so if you are touring the ancient ruins around Siem Reap try and go as early a you can to avoid the mid day heat. Needless to say take lots of water. The mountain areas (Koulen Mountain etc) are cooler, but you won't need a jacket. Battambang was also hot (Bamboo Railway is an interesting ride). Also visited Kampong Cham and Kratie. Cambodians are extremely friendly and obliging and thankful of tourists visiting and spending $$. Most are very poor and trying to recover from a horrific past.
Irrawaddy dolphins are well worth a look if you are around that part of the Mekong River.

Vietnam will be hot in Ho Chi Minh City. It will be cooler in Hanoi and even cooler in the North West (Sapa etc). Possible rain /showers in the mountains. The food in both countries is very nice. We are heading to Vietnam for the third time in January (Hanoi and the north west .... Son La, Muong Lay and Sin Ho) and are looking forward to it. We are also spending two weeks in Burma before Vietnam, and a few days in Chiang Mai Thailand.

Clothing wise, cotton is the best. You will probably only need one jacket and
like Muppet said, you can buy raincoats everywhere if you need to. Pack lightly, clothing is cheap if you need extra. Comfy shoes are a must and a small backpack for putting stuff in while exploring/shopping. You can buy North Face gear in Vietnam ...much cheaper than Oz.

Enjoy your holiday.
Cheers, Erich

Originally Posted by Saitch

Burma was my first choice but I don't have the casting vote on these things, apparently
We have all the incidentals like vaccines, visas, $$$$ etc sorted.
Have a great time & if you don't mind, perhaps a little report on return.
Cheers
Steve

Thanks. I'm getting excited. Waiting for our visas.
We're going to an area not normally visited by tourists, so it will be interesting. Travelling with a group who include former locals, now Australians, so it will be good to have local connections.
While Aussies can travel on tourist visas, former Myanmar locals have to apply for a Social visa which requires them to produce a lot more information, including the names of local relatives, so that is making them nervous about handing over that information to the regime.
It also means we will have to be very careful not to do anything which might cause problems for local contacts after we leave. So, we'll have to behave like respectful tourists and not do anything the authorities might frown on, as I'm sure we will be watched.
A friend is in Burma now, travelling independently, and having a great time touring local contacts in various areas.
For those going to Cambodia can I say the locals are very poor, the local currency is basically worthless, and you should pack a wad of US$5 notes. Make sure you get rid of any local currency you get in change before you leave Cambodia as banks don't want it.
Be aware that certain powerful locals control many of the places you will be visiting, so your spending in typical tourist ways can be helping the regime. Try to spread your cash around directly to locals.
Make sure you have excellent travel insurance in case it goes wrong. Wear a concealed money belt and don't flash the cash unnecessarily. Be polite and respectful. Don't get drunk in public. Anyway, you probably know these things already.

Originally Posted by Saitch

Burma was my first choice but I don't have the casting vote on these things, apparently
We have all the incidentals like vaccines, visas, $$$$ etc sorted.
Have a great time & if you don't mind, perhaps a little report on return.
Cheers
Steve

Thanks. I'm getting excited. Waiting for our visas.
We're going to an area not normally visited by tourists, so it will be interesting. Travelling with a group who include former locals, now Australians, so it will be good to have local connections.
While Aussies can travel on tourist visas, former Myanmar locals have to apply for a Social visa which requires them to produce a lot more information, including the names of local relatives, so that is making them nervous about handing over that information to the regime.
It also means we will have to be very careful not to do anything which might cause problems for local contacts after we leave. So, we'll have to behave like respectful tourists and not do anything the authorities might frown on, as I'm sure we will be watched.
A friend is in Burma now, travelling independently, and having a great time touring local contacts in various areas.
For those going to Cambodia can I say the locals are very poor, the local currency is basically worthless, and you should pack a wad of US$5 notes. Make sure you get rid of any local currency you get in change before you leave Cambodia as banks don't want it.
Be aware that certain powerful locals control many of the places you will be visiting, so your spending in typical tourist ways can be helping the regime. Try to spread your cash around directly to locals.
You probably know this already, but if not can I suggest: Get excellent travel insurance in case it goes wrong. Drink bottled water and/or carry a water bottle with a filter. Be wary of ice in drinks as it can be made from bad water. Wear a money belt and don't flash the cash unnecessarily. Don't get drunk in public. Be polite and respectful. Remember, to the locals it's a case of: "You foreigner = you rich."
Eat where lots of locals are eating. If it was bad they wouldn't go there. Ask permission before taking peoples' photograph.
Enjoy the fact it's different to home. That's why we travel.

Absolutely agree Mick, that's the reason why we travel to these countries as well. To learn the culture, taste the food and travel in remote areas more than cities. Meeting the locals is wonderful. We purchased a stack of pencils and writing material in a small village near Kratie and gave them to a local kindergarten class which was set up in someones back yard! Same in Northern Vietnam when we are invited into the homes of the local minority people, we always give gifts (and usually we are given a small glass of their home made corn wine....Happy water!!)

We were advised for our Burma trip to take "pristine" US dollars only.

You have provided some sound advice for Steve.

We would be interested to hear how your trip to Myanmar went if you return before we go. We are leaving Jan 23.