Neighbours that are not alike
The four countries on this page sit side by side and are routinely spoken of as one region, which is convenient for airlines and misleading for travellers. Vietnam runs more than sixteen hundred kilometres from its northern border to the delta, holds three climates at once, and changes its cooking and its accent every few hours of driving. Thailand is the easiest of the four to move around: the roads are good, domestic flights are frequent and cheap, and there are hotels at every level from guesthouse to resort. Cambodia is small, flat and quick to cross, with one monument so large it distorts every itinerary written around it. Laos is quieter than the other three put together, has few fast roads, and punishes anyone who tries to hurry through it.
Our office is in Hanoi, and in the other three countries we work with the same guides and drivers year after year. That matters mainly on the day something goes wrong: a domestic flight cancelled at breakfast, a river too low for the boat, a road shut after a night of rain. Choosing between the four is usually a matter of how many days you have and which months you can take off work. Tell us both and we will say plainly whether the plan fits the time, because the commonest mistake we see is a good route squeezed into four days too few.
Choose a country
Or combine two or three
Two countries in two weeks usually works. Three in ten days usually does not. The joins are the part to get right: which border is worth crossing by land, which leg should be a flight, and how many hours of each travelling day vanish into transfers and airport queues. Below are two routes that hold together. Both can be lengthened, shortened or re-ordered, and both are quoted in writing once we know your dates and party size.
Plan a trip
Tell us which countries you are weighing up, the dates you can travel, and how many of you there are. We will come back inside one working day with a day-by-day draft and a price in writing, and we will tell you if we think the route needs another three days. Email info@zaratour.com or message +84 766 283 988 if that is easier than the form.