Vienam/Cambodia/Laos ABD-- Happy to answer questions!

[CrazyZeus1]

We took the SE Asia ABD last Christmas and I'm happy to answer any questions about the trip! It was an AMAZING ABD and I would encourage everyone to give it a go!! <3

 

[Cousin Orville]

No questions on SE Asia, but if you don't mind I'm curious on your thoughts of the two Galapagos trips.

 

[CrazyZeus1]

No questions on SE Asia, but if you don't mind I'm curious on your thoughts of the two Galapagos trips.

Sure! We loved them both for different reasons! If you want to get an amazing feel for the Galapagos Islands and the variety found from island to island I would take the Ecuador/Galapagos trip. Staying on the boat in the Galapagos means you get to visit a lot of different islands, see more wildlife, and experience a WIDE variety of landscapes. We also really loved the highlands of Ecuador on that trip and the cultural experiences there.

If you'd like to experience the Amazon Basin, I would suggest going with the Amazon/Ecuador/Galapagos trip! We experienced SO many amazing things in the jungle, and staying on the Anakonda meant we could be close to different parts of the river and jungle. That trip didn't give as much of the wow factor in the Galapagos as the other trip, simply for the fact that you can't visit many islands based at the land resort! We did love our visit to Santa Fe island, swimming with sea lions, seeing a few varieties of birds, etc, but having already done the other Galapagos itenerary we felt like this one didn't really give you much of a feel for the huge variety of things to see there.

I hope that helps! You can't go wrong with either trip really!

 

[CaliKris]

Wow! Glad you had a great time on the SE Asia ABD. It is on our list of ABDs to try in the near future. How was the food? Did anyone get sick? How was the weather at Christmas? What were the things that made it such an amazing trip?

 

[CrazyZeus1]

Wow! Glad you had a great time on the SE Asia ABD. It is on our list of ABDs to try in the near future. How was the food? Did anyone get sick? How was the weather at Christmas? What were the things that made it such an amazing trip?

So excited you're considering the trip! FOOD: I am an adventerous eater so I loved trying new things that I had never had before! They use onions and cilantro in EVERYTHING, and my husband hates those two things. ha! Our guides were great about telling every restauraunt that he can't eat them and the majority of the time they had things he could eat. This is the one trip with the least "kid friendly" options. Usually there's some kid options like nuggets, chicken breast, hot dog, hamburger, etc...familiar Western foods...so even adults choose from that menu sometimes. On this trip, we rarely had a "kid option" and I'm sure it was just because of the nature of where we were! My 13yo ate a lot of meals of rice and french fries (boo) but he also tried a lot of new things. He just didn't care for them. I USUALLLY bring a jar of peanut butter with us so I can at least make sandwiches (bread is always easy to find) but I forgot for this trip and it's the one thing I wish I had packed. I think my son and Hubby would have made some sandwiches a few meals because they somewhat struggled with the food choices. BUT....they both can't wait to go back to those countries again so the food definitely wasn't a problem...just very different!

Nobody got sick on the trip so that was good!

The weather was beautiful at Christmas. We only had 1 day of rain in Hoi An but the rest of the time was clear and warm!

There were a lot of things that made the trip stand out. One of the biggest for us was just being somewhere SO far from familiar! The language, the food, the buildings, the transportation, the culture. We kept saying we felt like we were in a whole 'nother world and we were so honored to be a part of their culture for a few weeks! Visiting the rice farm in Laos is one thing that really sticks out for me.....knee deep in mud, planting rice, singing Christmas carols because it was Christmas morning. Something I will surely never forget! The market in Hoi An is also something I will never forget...just feeling like I dropped right into this culture and world that is nothing like I've ever seen was eye opening and awe inspiring. The people were all SO very friendly everywhere we went.

The trip has a lot of inter-trip travel but the guides are always so good about making it easy. Especially handling our Visas for Cambodia and Laos...that was an appreciated task not on my shoulders!

One thing we probably would skip if we did it again was the War Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. I knew before we went that it was very biased from the (north) Vietnamese point of view with regards to the war, and I knew it had previously been called the American War Crimes Museum. Even going in with that knowledge, it was a VERY hard visit and we probably should have just stayed outside to see all the things you could see out there. I cried, my husband (former Army) left angry, and the guides did a great job of trying to prepare us for what the museum is...it's just hard to fully feel it until you're standing in there. We did have a great convo with our 13yo about two sides of war, and two points of view about who the "bad guys" are. It was just painful and hard to see a whole museum full of Anti-American sentiments.

BUT--We definitely want to take the trip again because it was so amazing and special!

 

[CaliKris]

Thanks for answering all of my questions. It sounds like a great trip and is quickly moving up our list. We do enjoy visiting countries and cultures that are very different from our own so it definitely fits that bill. We don't have to worry about "kid" options since our children are grown although they can sometimes be picky eaters. I love your story about Christmas morning in the rice fields. Those kind of experiences are what we love about travel!

I am not sure I could stomach the War Museum. I think I would get upset. Thanks for the warning.

That is quite an endorsement that you would take this trip again! I am glad you had such a great experience and hope to book this ABD in the next couple years.

 

[CrazyZeus1]

Thanks for answering all of my questions. It sounds like a great trip and is quickly moving up our list. We do enjoy visiting countries and cultures that are very different from our own so it definitely fits that bill. We don't have to worry about "kid" options since our children are grown although they can sometimes be picky eaters. I love your story about Christmas morning in the rice fields. Those kind of experiences are what we love about travel!

I am not sure I could stomach the War Museum. I think I would get upset. Thanks for the warning.

That is quite an endorsement that you would take this trip again! I am glad you had such a great experience and hope to book this ABD in the next couple years.

If you're on Instagram, you can find my account under MauiHeather and see lots of pics from our ABD trips....scroll down a bit to see lots of our SE Asia pics!

 

[CaliKris]

Your photos are amazing! Thanks for sharing. What an incredible experience to visit countries so different from our own and what a great education for your son to be able to see the world.

 

[OKW Lover]

We did have a great convo with our 13yo about two sides of war, and two points of view about who the "bad guys" are.

Glad you had this conversation with your 13YO. It is hard to know who the bad guys were in that war. Both sides did some terrible things.

I was there and I've often wondered if I could go back. War aside, I recall a beautiful country.

 

[CrazyZeus1]

Glad you had this conversation with your 13YO. It is hard to know who the bad guys were in that war. Both sides did some terrible things.

I was there and I've often wondered if I could go back. War aside, I recall a beautiful country.

My Mom was pretty offended that we wanted to take a trip over there. I don't know, as a veteran, how I would have handled the War Museum or the visit to the Hanoi Hilton. As a 70s baby who only studied the war in school, I had a really hard time with it. BUT...as hard as it was, I think it was so valuable to see and experience.

 

[CrazyZeus1]

Glad you had this conversation with your 13YO. It is hard to know who the bad guys were in that war. Both sides did some terrible things.

I was there and I've often wondered if I could go back. War aside, I recall a beautiful country.

And thank you for your service!

 

[tgeorge]

Glad you had this conversation with your 13YO. It is hard to know who the bad guys were in that war. Both sides did some terrible things.

I was there and I've often wondered if I could go back. War aside, I recall a beautiful country.

I know a Vietnam vet who just went back and he said it was an amazing experience. I can only imagine how difficult it could be and everyone is different on what they are willing to do.

As a current Army officer, thank you for all that you and your fellow veterans have done to ensure we never have to go through the same experiences you went through when you returned home. Our lives are so much easier because of those who have come before us, thank you for your service.

This trip is on my list. My husband, also an Army officer, doesn't understand why I would want to go,but I've heard nothing but amazing things about this part of the world.

 

[tink1970]

One thing we probably would skip if we did it again was the War Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. I knew before we went that it was very biased from the (north) Vietnamese point of view with regards to the war, and I knew it had previously been called the American War Crimes Museum. Even going in with that knowledge, it was a VERY hard visit and we probably should have just stayed outside to see all the things you could see out there. I cried, my husband (former Army) left angry, and the guides did a great job of trying to prepare us for what the museum is...it's just hard to fully feel it until you're standing in there. We did have a great convo with our 13yo about two sides of war, and two points of view about who the "bad guys" are. It was just painful and hard to see a whole museum full of Anti-American sentiments.

This trip is on my list. My husband, also an Army officer, doesn't understand why I would want to go,but I've heard nothing but amazing things about this part of the world.

My Mom was pretty offended that we wanted to take a trip over there. I don't know, as a veteran, how I would have handled the War Museum or the visit to the Hanoi Hilton.

Funny y'all mention this because my only question would be why would you want to go there and being completely serious. I remember reading @Cousin Orville's trip report and becoming physically ill when he described the Hanoi Hilton. Granted, I too am a child of the 70s but one of my father's fraternity brothers was a POW in Viet Nam and I grew up with those stories; I had a roommate who escaped with her family the day Saigon fell (as a 5 year old) as well as hearing of the atrocities both while I was in the military and even more as a VA psychiatrist. There are some visualizations I cannot erase from the vivid stories I heard...I'm glad people can experience travel there without being traumatized but I just don't have an interest. I appreciate your describing what made the trip special for you and differences are what makes life interesting!

PS-I'm with your husband-both cilantro (sage, too!) and onions make me . He and I can form a cilantro haters club on the Christmas trip

 

[Cousin Orville]

I did the SE Asia ABD with my Dad who was going through med school during the war before joining the Air Force. He had friends from the Citadel who didn't make it home from the war. It was a powerful trip for him, but I think it provided a sense of closure. There are certainly some sites you visit specific to the Vietnam War, but by and large the ABD is a view the country as it is today. It could even be the wrong trip to go on if someone wanted a lot of focus on the War and History. Most Vietnamese we met were my generation or younger who didn't grow up during the war. So, it was interesting going to a place that is understandably thought of by us mainly in terms of the War. Yet, the Vietnam we found was less focused on its recent history and more on its people today, their families and their current aspirations. I can respect anyone's strong feelings on not wanting to go. But it is a beautiful country. The people were so welcoming. Together with the food and hotels helped make it one of my favorite ABD's. SE Asia as a whole is wonder place to go. I'd love to go back some day.

As far as the War museum in HCMC, I wasn't a fan either for a number of reasons. Propaganda aside, I just didn't think it was a good museum. I guess ABD feels guests want to see it, but I would have gladly passed. I think there were more interesting sites in the city ABD could have chosen. Regardless, thankfully we didn't stay very long.

 

[OhanaCuz]

So excited you're considering the trip! FOOD: I am an adventerous eater so I loved trying new things that I had never had before! They use onions and cilantro in EVERYTHING, and my husband hates those two things. ha! Our guides were great about telling every restauraunt that he can't eat them and the majority of the time they had things he could eat.

As someone with food allergies this sounds glorious to me.

I'm totally with him on the onions.

 

[tgeorge]

I agree with what Cousin Orville has stated. So many people I know who have gone have nothing but amazing things to say about the country. I think there are so many Americans who associate Vietnam with the war that a lot of those questions are bound to be brought up during the trip and ABD must feel that by going to the museum it helps answer those questions to those who want to know. There is obviously SO much more to the country. I'm interested in the history of the war,but that would not at all be the focus of why I would go. However,I can totally understand why there would be some people who wouldn't want to go for various reasons.

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

I'd be interested to know what restaurants you ate in on your trip cause quite frankly, we didn't find our food laced with onions and cilantro at all when we were there and we ate most traditional foods on our trip. I'm not an onion or a heavy spice lover so I can always tell when it's in the foods and not once were they in there.

 

[CrazyZeus1]

I'd be interested to know what restaurants you ate in on your trip cause quite frankly, we didn't find our food laced with onions and cilantro at all when we were there and we ate most traditional foods on our trip. I'm not an onion or a heavy spice lover so I can always tell when it's in the foods and not once were they in there.

We ate at all sorts of places....but perhaps unless you have a strong aversion to onions and cilantro you may not have even noticed them in things! I do not kid when I say that nearly EVERY meal served was made with cilantro and onions. Soups, meats, stews, breakfast foods, spring rolls, sandwiches! Everything. hahaha!

 

[CrazyZeus1]

I agree with what's been said above. The trip is SO MUCH more than anything to do with the War. I mention it because it was the one thing that was something I wouldn't do again...I would just skip it. But the entire trip is full of amazing people who are very kind and welcoming and other than the visit to the War Museum and Hanoi Hilton, there's really nothing to do with the War. We chose to go because it's a far away place, with a culture we've never experienced, and ABD went there...so....we went too! ha!

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

We ate at all sorts of places....but perhaps unless you have a strong aversion to onions and cilantro you may not have even noticed them in things! I do not kid when I say that nearly EVERY meal served was made with cilantro and onions. Soups, meats, stews, breakfast foods, spring rolls, sandwiches! Everything. hahaha!

As someone who doesn't eat onions I can tell when an onion is in just about anything. We actually took a cooking class in Saigon and the only thing we put onion in was the Pho and we made a number of things, including fresh spring rolls, which we put chives in, not onions or cilantro.

Also, they use cardamom and star anise, not cilantro. Must have been the restaurants you were dining in trying to make what they thought would be palatable for American tastes, which wouldn't surprise me given our past experiences with ABD. The restaurants we dined in on our trip in February (non-ABD tour) actually didn't use heavy spices at all and if they did use spices, they used cardamom and star anise. It's all in my blog.