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Question about Weather & Group Size
Happy holidays and Happy New Year, everyone! For those of you who have gone on the Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand Tour, would you be able to share how the weather compared in January vs. February vs. early March? Also, did you do a small group or classic (larger group) tour and did you find it made a difference one way or the other? Thank you and have a fantastic 2024!
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A good weather website with long-term historical weather and climatological data is Weatherspark dot com. We use it before booking any trip.
Agree with Alan S. We do the same thing. We did this trip from the end of January into February. Hanoi was chilly - low 50s , high 40s. The rest of the trip it was warm - 80s. In Siem Reap it was hot- 90s. Our TD had locals there to help people in Siem Reap walk around Angkor Wat because there were stairs and some uneven footing. A few people were sweating profusely and required the extra hands. It is easy enough to do the 10 day forecasts before you leave and the monthly averages for the different cities. This trip is one of our favorites! Have a great time.
Group size- we were on a classic tour. There is certainly enough time to meet and feel comfortable with everyone. There were some solo travelers- they integrated right into the group.
Thank you for the feedback! We just booked for 2025! We had to go with the classic tour due to our group size and lack of availability for the small group tours on the dates we wanted. It is definitely a popular tour! We are excited, even though it’s a year away! Any tips or suggestions for us as to what to bring, what not to miss, etc.? We do want to see Ha Long Bay before the tour begins.
We are going to Vietnam and Cambodia for the second time soon, but on the Mekong River. Our Tauck tour was the now retired one that went to Laos instead of Thailand so it included an overnight at Halong Bay. My personal opinion is that you need an overnight stay to appreciate it properly including the fishing village stop and the cave and monkey’s plus the early morning mist etc. so recommended going a couple of days early. It’s quite a long bus ride to Halong with a crowded terminal. However, have your camera ready because the sites along the road are great for photos.
I was on that tour (on your recommendation, British) the week before President Trump was scheduled to meet with Kim Jong-Un in Hanoi (around the corner from the Metropole Hotel -- a lot of journalists were there already preparing for the visit). On the bus ride to Ha Long Bay, I took a photo of members of the Vietnamese military practicing to welcome Kim Jong-Un.
buonviaggio Hi. Happy New Year!
I did the Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand 9 years ago, LOVE IT!!! with Tauck, my very first tour with them.
I would do it again in a sec.- great tour. I went in October- dry and comfortable temp.. here I'm copying a link for you- I have travel with this company- great people and very accurate with the information.
Here is what they say about the weather.
https://www.audleytravel.com/us/vietnam/best-time-to-visit#jan
https://www.audleytravel.com/us/cambodia/best-time-to-visit#jan
https://www.audleytravel.com/us/thailand/best-time-to-visit#jan
Now:
Best Spa's:
-Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi great one as you land in Vietnam- excellent massage.
-Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor
-Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai- of course the BEST!!!!!!!!!! . This hotel it's Beautiful!
I you need any info. Let me know.
Bye.
I was in Hanoi earlier this week. Contrary to experiences mentioned above, it was relatively warm - highs in the mid/upper 70s and lows in the mid 60s. no jackets required. YMMV.
Thanks, everyone, for all of the info! Do you think one night in Ha Long Bay is sufficient to see the highlights there that you mentioned, British? And Happy New Year, mil!
Yes, we saw that with an overnight on the boat.
While looking up some info for someone else, I found my diary of part of our Halong Bay visit
The next day, Tuesday, we left Hanoi for a four hour bus ride to beautiful, magical Halong Bay. I loved the drive, we passed sites and life just going along it’s everyday business. Villages, rice paddy fields with women planting rice in the flooded fields and wearing those traditional conical hats. Industry, factories, water buffaloes, ponds with lots of white ducks. In some agricultural fields there were memorials where members of the families were buried. As in the city there were homes that looked dilapidated but also new bigger and much fancier homes here and there. There was waste land here and there where the earth looked like it was a bomb site or abandoned construction site. It reminded me of the bus rides in rural India but less people and less shocking.
As we approached Halong Bay, we suddenly started to see many really fancy hotels, some had been abandoned half built, it was kinda Disneyesque and something I did not expect to see. We arrived at the boat terminal building and it was pretty fancy. We were greeted with cool towels to wash our hands and a drink until we boarded out boat, entertained with live music including big beating drums as we approached and the staff waving to us from the top deck of the boat and shouting welcome. We have a nice cabin with all amenities. There are 600 boats operating on the Bay but they are regulated where they can be so that you never feel there are boats everywhere. We set sail amongst the many many limestone pillars in the bay, they are called Karst. It really is one of the most beautiful scenes you will ever see on this planet. The skies were cloudy with a fine mist rain at times and the mist swirled round the rocks just like you see in famous paintings of the area. It looked so ‘other worldly’ just gorgeous,
After a delicious buffet lunch which included elaborate fruit and vegetable carvings on display of birds on trees and flowers, we got onto boat tenders and went a short way to a floating fishing village. We transferred onto a floating dock and then got into several small rowing boats with about six people in each with one of the villagers rowing us around the different floating homes with fish pens, the family dog who watches over the children while the adults fish at night. The area is sheltered by the rocks surrounding that area of water. It was very very peaceful there and the water completely calm.
Dinner and then bed, and I have jet lag, so I am writing this at 3-30am
Wow, British - Thank you for sharing that wonderful report! It really set the scene and has gotten me very inspired to go! Do you recall what boat company you used for the Ha Long Bay trip?
It was part of the Tauck tour, so no idea.
to buonviaggio We were on this tour many years ago and British's description of Halong Bay is right on. We took a private two day overnight tour the day after we arrived in Hanoi ,the day before the welcome dinner. We left the hotel around 8 AM, arrived in Halong Bay in time for lunch on the ship, went on excursions to the fishing village after lunch, had breakfast on board the next morning and then a small boat excursion to the fabulous caves along the bay. After a short lunch on board we were taken back to the hotel in a van and arrived at the hotel in time for a short nap and the welcome dinner. It was the perfect amount of time to spend on the boat and on Halong Bay. I think the Boat company was either Princess or President. Do it, you will not regret it.
Thank you, Sherry Schare! We are all
In!!! 😄