Southeast Asia

[lhollers]

Hello, all:

Traveling to Thailand and Vietnam in mid-September. I'll be there for a little over a month and would love recommendations re: where to go, what to see, and what to eat. Flying into and out of Bangkok, but otherwise have no restrictions.

Cheers!

[Tweaked]

I was in Bangkok 8 years ago, so what I have is pretty outdated.  But, on the tourist end, the Grand Palace and Temple of the Dawn (Wat Arun) are both well worth seeing.  

The Chao Phraya River, which runs through Bangkok, is also pretty impressive, in the sense that it is still a working river.  You can take water taxis along the river to most of the main temples/palaces.  We also rented a long tail boat for an hour or so, which took us along some of the back canals.

The Chatuchak Weekend Market is massive and you can take the Sky Train there. 

You should also check out the night markets.  The one we went, Suan Lum Night Bazaar has since closed and relocated (so I can't really attest to it now).  I had a lovely plate of grilled pork neck, which I still think about.

We also had amazing massages at the Peninsula Hotel.  Expensive on the price scale for massages in Thailand, but inexpensive compared to spas of the that level in the US.  We went mid-week and they gave us extra massage time and lunch as part of our package.  After 10 days in SE Asia in August, it really hit the spot.    

I thought Bangkok was amazing, great mix of modern and gritty sprawling SE Asia. 

[ScotteeM]

My husband has been to Thailand several times in the past few years, and he's planning another trip (plane ticket already purchased) for this coming January. One of the highlights of each of his trips has been a food tour with Chin of Chili Paste Tours. Her broad, detailed knowledge of places and dishes, and her passion for her native cuisine, really come through in the tours she guides. She also offers cooking classes. My husband is planning to take her tour to Isaan on his next visit. I'll get him to give me more details when he gets home from work. His descriptions and excitement over her tours makes me wish I were able to join him on these trips (health issues prevent it).

[ALB]

if you make it to Chiang Mai, I took a cooking class at Classic Home Cooking. We started the day with a market tour and then went back and made 3 or 4 dishes including a dessert. We also got a full cook book to take home with 70+ dishes. It was the best value of my trip.

I don't have a specific recommendation for Hanoi but one of my best travel memories is sitting on a plastic chair at a preschool size table, drinking beers that cost 13 cents at a tiny storefront "bar."

I went to a social enterprise job training restaurant called KOTO. I remember it being  tasty, if a bit more expensive than other places around the city. I don't remember the details of the food except it was a mix of Vietnamese and western food.

 

 

[lhollers]

We fly out September 14th! Still would love to hear others' reports or recommendations for all of Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.

Thanks!

[cocobinga]

Sorry that I can't be of any help, lhollers, but I would love to here about your experiences. I plan on going to Thailand in late 2017.

[ALB]

What kinds of things are you interested in? I may have non-food related suggestions. I spent 3 weeks in the region 2 summers ago.