Southeast Asian Trip: Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand

(3 countries in 9 days)

Vietnam topped the list of places to visit in my bucket list. And when Cebu Pacific offered a seat sale to Ho Chi Minh City, I grabbed the opportunity at once and booked seats for me and another friend. Below is my itinerary with a breakdown of expenses for those who are wondering where we went, what we did and how much we spent (in Philippine pesos).

Day 0. Baguio to Manila NAIA Airport Trip

7am
Took the trusted Victory Liner bus from Baguio to Cubao terminal 440
Had noodles for lunch on the way 70
1pm
Met my friend at the Cubao terminal and we went to Mall of Asia
for an early dinner (El Pollo Loco and Chocolat) 330
8pm
Took a cab to NAIA terminal 3 for our Cebu Pacific flight
to Ho Chi Minh City (/2) 65
9pm
Check-in: Airport Tax 1650
Terminal Fee 750

Day 1. Arrival in Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City

1am
Arrival in Saigon (Tan Son Nhat International Airport Terminal 2)
Hostel Pick-Up: This was pre-arranged with Vy Khanh Hostel 370.59
thru email (/2)
2am
Rest in Vy Khanh Hostel (/2) 542.79
8am
Breakfast 114.71
9am
Walking Tour: Pham Ngu Lao, Ben Thanh Market, Reunification
Palace, etc. - Luckily, the owner of Vy Khanh Hostel had a
photocopied hand-drawn map which she showed us. She highlighted
the route we should take and this was one of the reasons
why I gave her a high rating in tripadvisor.com
Lunch, Snacks and Reunification Palace Entrance Fee 352.94
Pasalubong Shopping: Ben Thanh Market 2500
3 shirts, 2 bags, slippers, 3 fridge magnets, ballpen,
water, jade ring (got a free one, too!) and bracelet
5pm
Taxi to train station (/2) 88.24
6pm
Dinner while waiting for train departure 205.88
Pre-booked online using vietnamimpressive.com 2536.68
I paid thru credit card and I can say that it this can be
trusted since I got the tickets at the hostel as endorsed.
The hostel owner handed us the tickets once we got to there.
Hostel owner advised that they may have cheaper rates than
the one we availed online.


Day 2. Ho Chi Minh City to Danang to Hoi An

12nn
Danang arrival and lunch 129.41
Taxi to the ancient city of Hoi An 323.53
Once there, there were drivers talking to tourists about their taxis
to take us to Hoi An. We planned on taking the bus but the
taxi rates seem ok so we took one. We even asked our
driver to stop at the Marble mountain on the way to take
some photos.
1pm
Check in at the Thanh Van Hotel (not recommended) and rest (/2) 688.24
Booked the Red Bridge Cooking class through the hotel
and they charge a high fee for doing it (knew about this
after visiting other agencies while walking around; lost
USD 9 by booking through the hotel!!!)
2pm
Walking Tour: Hoi An Old Town
Lots of sights to see. Beautiful town by the river. Visited 264.71
Buddhist temples, the Tan Ky house with marks on the wall
to show how high the water gets when the river rises,
Japanese covered bridge, Museum of Trading ceramics and
other pagodas. You need to buy the old town ticket with a
map of places to visit and you can go inside 5 temples/
houses/places of interest.
7pm
Dinner 102.94
8pm
Walk around / Relax / Snacks / Shop 308.82
Bought 5 spices, Banh Mi and Iced Coffee
10pm
Rest

Day 3. Red Bridge Cooking School and then back to Ho Chi Minh City

7am
Buffet breakfast (not a lot of choices) included in hotel rate
8am
Red Bridge Cooking Class (including lunch) 1540
Learned the following recipes: Seafood salad with Vietnamese
Herbs served in Half a Pineapple, Fresh Paper Rolls
of Shrimp, Fresh Rice Paper, Hoi An Pancaked, Vietnamese
Eggplant in Clay Pot, Food Decoration, Sweet & Sour sauce,
Peanut Sauce, Fish Sauce and Steamed Ocean Fish on a Bed
of Fresh Vegetables. The chef, the market tour,
the class, the ambiance and our lunch were delightful!
Highly recommended!
2pm
More walking
5pm
Car service to Danang Airport (/2) 264
Booked this in an agency around old town. This was cheaper than
the others we found.
6pm
Dinner 58.82
Airline Check-in (flew JetStar) 1436.02
9pm
arrival in Ho Chi Minh City
Taxi to Vy Khanh Hostel (/2) 294.12
10pm
Check in and rest 511.76

Day 4. Cu Chi Tour

8am
Join the Cu Chi Bus Tour 308.82
Pre-booked the night before through our hostel
Cu Chi Entrance Fee + lunch 264.71
War Remnants Museum 44.12
4pm
Dinner + night market 144.12
11pm
Rest 511.76

Day 5. Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, Cambodia

7am
bus to Siem Reap + lunch 1464.59
Pre-booked this 12-hr trip thru the hostel. Used Mekong Express
which had a toilet at the back and the steward/ess handed out
delicious snacks inclusive of the fee. Had a bus transfer when we got to
Phnom Penh. The bus was spacious so I went to the back where
I can take pictures of interesting sights.
6pm
tuktuk to hotel (included in hotel fee)
We booked the same driver for the Angkor Wat tour the next day
Check-in at the Siem Reap Hotel (2 days) 152.8
Fun hotel with lots of backpackers
7pm
Dinner + Shopping 660
Mall was within walking distance. Bought a fridge magnet
for our collection at home and a dress with batik print

*** spent 14243.04 from this point... ***

Day 6. Angkor Wat Tour

6am
Breakfast 88
7am
Angkor Wat Tour + Lunch + Snacks
South gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphuon, Elephant Terrace,
Leper King Terrace, Angkor Wat and Pink/lady temple
The tuktuk driver brought us to this expensive "carinderia"
type of restaurant for lunch which we think he did so
he could get extra commission. We paid for his lunch anyway.
Tuktuk 440
Angkor Wat Entrance Fee 880
Mango with spicy salt (snacks)
Bottled water
Lunch
6pm
Dinner
7pm
Stroll

Day 7. Siem Reap to Poipet to Bangkok

6am
Breakfast 110
7am
Taxi to Poipet (/2) 550
9am
From Poipet to Bangkok 586.75
6pm
Check in at Nappark Hotel in Khao San

Day 8. Bangkok Tour

6am
Breakfast
7am
Walking tour. Got SCAMMED ("Grand palace closed" scam)!
Souvenirs
6pm
Stroll / Dinner
9pm
to airport (van service)

*** to this ***

Day 9. Bangkok to Manila

12am
flight to Manila
5am
arrival in Manila
6am
Rest / Breakfast
10am
bus to Baguio

Spent PhP 33600 for this trip. Lost 2656 from the PHP to VND exchange rate and another 5896 (bought rings for me and my mom) from the Bangkok, Thailand Gem SCAM!!! So it should be around 25000 for the 9 day trip including the local expenses.

LESSONS LEARNED / TIPS:
- Read about this before you go to Bangkok, Thailand which is about gem scams: http://www.into-asia.com/bangkok/gemscam/experiences.php. Research about scams so you'd be aware. I also read about bus scams from Cambodia to the Cambodia-Thailand border.
- Exchange your Philippine pesos to US Dollars (USD) while in the Philippines. The exchange rates from PhP to other less known local currencies will kill you. (Rates in my breakdown may seem higher because of the unjust exchange rate I had in Vietnam banks! I stupidly didn't find time to exchange my Philippine pesos while in Pinas and I paid dearly for it. :-( Still can't get over this!)
- USD can be used in Ho Chi Minh's markets, hostels, restaurants, etc. This has more buying power than having it exchanged to Vietnamese Dong (VND).
- In Cambodia, USD can be used. No need to exchange to Cambodian Riels.
- Choose a travel partner well! Enjoying your travel will be greatly affected by your companion's mood swings, abnormal behaviour, apathetic outlook in life, minimal arithmetic skills and lack in navigation skills.
- If staying in a hostel, ask the owner for tips regarding tours and train trips. They may offer cheaper rates than other agencies.
- Buy some ready-to-eat snacks as your baon while in Pinas. I bought jelly ace, nuts, candies, chocolates and lollipop. Cost of these are not included in the breakdown above.
- Go for comfort over style when packing and using dresses, shirts, pants/shorts, slippers and rubber shoes. Expect a lot of walking when on a budget.
- Canvass, canvass and canvass for prices!
- Check for terminal fees and inclusion of taxes. Manila-Cebu Pacific flights charge separate airport tax and international/domestic terminal fee. Jet Star has no domestic terminal fee in Vietnam. Bangkok airport doesn't charge separate airport taxes and international terminal fees (at least thru Cebu Pacific).
- Bring maps of hotel and places to see. Print-outs will do. Hostels usually provide the map when you book online.
- Check if your hostel has lockers. Bring a padlock if needed.
- Secure bag tags in your luggages and tie a brightly colored piece of cloth or ribbon to easily identify it
- You can use your ATM (I used my BPI ATM card in Cambodia to withdraw USD) to withdraw funds since the charges are minimal. Currency of the country you are in will be dispensed.
- In Siem Reap Hotel, there are free pocket guides for tourists.