Advice on vacation in Bangkok/Cambodia/Vietnam

[Atrecord]

11 hours ago, Ct3833 said:

TS, you can  skip Cambodia completely, there is nothing to see in Phnom Penh.  Ho Chih Minh and Hanoi ok for walking around but not much shopping to do. Halong bay is about more than 3 hours car journey from Hanoi airport  ,  not sure if your parents could take that long car ride.

That narrows down to bangkok. You can take taxi to visit Grand Palace. But dont trust anyone there who tell you they could bring you here and there, they will bring you to shopping  and charge you an exorbitant price.  If you all want to try tuk tuk , make sure you bargain for decent price. 

You all can take the BTS  to Taksin station, there is a free cruise to Asiatic  mall, you all can have dinner there , walk around to look at  some local handicrafts but nothing much worth buying, and take the free river cruise back to taksin stn.  For shopping of cheap and fake stuff  , you can take the BTS to National Stadium  stn and walk the bridge to Mah Boon Krong(MBK), you can shop there for a few hours.  You can find cheap rolex, branded bags, local handi craft, cheap T shirts , electronics etc there. There are eating outlets and foodcourt  on the upper floor as well. 

For high end shopping , you can visit Siam Paragon at BTS Siam stn , there is even rolls Royce's showroom in three. 

Thanks!

Very useful these info on BKK. Will note them down.

[Atrecord]

2 hours ago, Aventador said:

Bangkok is the best tourist destination, but can your parents take the MRT and stand during the journey?

forget about taxis in BKK, the traffic is terrible. And BKK actually requires quite a lot of walking

if trains are not good for your parents, you can consider Ho Chi Minh

it is like Bangkok 15 years before. Shopping and food is cheap, and the city sights are all very close together

and you can go everywhere by Grab

i got a feeling it might suit your parents more if they have mobility issues

My parents can take the MRT. My father can stand, but it's better if my mother can sit down. Are Thais gracious people that will give up their seats to the elderly/needy? If yes, then shouldn't be a problem.

[Ct3833]

2 hours ago, Tohto said:

Does really agreed on HCM.

The parents may have problem crossing the road.

Yah agree, in vietnam, pedestrian traffic lights, zebra crossings  are.just a suggestion, cross at your own risk. The trick is you just keep to a constant pace, the bikes will go around you according to your pace, but dont to the same to cars because they are not so agile . 

[Aventador]

1 hour ago, Atrecord said:

My parents can take the MRT. My father can stand, but it's better if my mother can sit down. Are Thais gracious people that will give up their seats to the elderly/needy? If yes, then shouldn't be a problem.

BKK trains are quite crowded, so even if they want to give you a seat, they cannot see you

solution would be not to take during peak hours

there are old people in HCM, it is not a land of eternal youth, so if they can cross the roads, you can too

HCM is a more relaxed place than BKK, and less crowded

for me i like BKK more, but you should research if HCM suits your mom more

 

[Tohto]

31 minutes ago, Ct3833 said:

Yah agree, in vietnam, pedestrian traffic lights, zebra crossings  are.just a suggestion, cross at your own risk. The trick is you just keep to a constant pace, the bikes will go around you according to your pace, but dont to the same to cars because they are not so agile . 

No problem for us to cross after a few visits, already knows the trick. Just walk straight out don't care about the biker and they will just move around those crossing.

But for older and first visit may have problem and scare to cross.

[Tohto]

 

 

 

 

 

3

10 minutes ago, Aventador said:

BKK trains are quite crowded, so even if they want to give you a seat, they cannot see you

solution would be not to take during peak hours

there are old people in HCM, it is not a land of eternal youth, so if they can cross the roads, you can too

HCM is a more relaxed place than BKK, and less crowded

for me i like BKK more, but you should research if HCM suits your mom more

 

They are the local people living whole life there and know the trick of crossing.

But for an elder Singaporeans that never visit before sure have problem.

[Ct3833]

3 hours ago, Lala81 said:

eh airport taxi to town where got so cheap LOL.
It's 500-750 depending on what cab u take lah. Excluding toll which is about 100+.

It's about 40mins to reach central BKK. If traffic is not good, maybe even 1 hr

Thanks for pointing that out, it might be 400 bhat but wont be 700 for sure , I hardly use taxi to airport, but that is what I remember . 

Anyway as I said iltaxi is quite cheap , 100 bhat more  is less than $5 difference, so if TS parents need to take taxi to go places ,  if traffic is not too bad, taking taxi wont be costly. 

[Lala81]

2 minutes ago, Ct3833 said:

Thanks for pointing that out, it might be 400 bhat but wont be 700 for sure , I hardly use taxi to airport, but that is what I remember . 

Anyway as I said iltaxi is quite cheap , 100 bhat more  is less than $5 difference, so if TS parents need to take taxi to go places ,  if traffic is not too bad, taking taxi wont be costly. 

700+ is for 6 seater taxis. the Innova.

[Ct3833]

2 minutes ago, Lala81 said:

700+ is for 6 seater taxis. the Innova.

Haha really ah,  I thought they should be cheap also. You know in BKK  everything is ehh.....cheap  cheap.  But for 6 persons at this price, still cheap , less than S$20  per trip.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Shibadog]

2 hours ago, Atrecord said:

BTS sounds do-able, as long as there's either lifts or elevators.
Are Thais more or less gracious than Singaporeans, in terms of giving up their seats to the elderly/needy, do you know?

the central problem in BKK is.... there are many PRC tourists too

 

from the news, seems the plan to install lifts at all BTS stations is still not yet completed.. only a few stations have, and may not cover all exits.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1468286/bma-agrees-to-add-more-bts-lifts

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/bangkok/2019/02/04/bangkok-says-more-bts-lifts-coming-maybe-by-next-year/

 

In this case, if you do go BKK, it will be better to take taxi and plan to avoid travelling during peak hours.

Alternatively, if you wish to go around to see the sights/temples, hire a private car + driver.

[Shibadog]

1 hour ago, Aventador said:

BKK trains are quite crowded, so even if they want to give you a seat, they cannot see you

solution would be not to take during peak hours

 

true. Unfortunately, if need to travel during peak hours, BTS/MRT is the best (apart from motorbike taxi)

thus better to avoid travelling during peak hours.

[Jamesc]

Yes platinum mall only husband regret wife going. 

I was broke after she finished shopping there. 

If no time can give it a miss. 

[Galantspeedz]

rent a car from bangkok airport.... with a car, you don't have to restrict yourself to central bangkok

i find traffic in bkk ok as long as not peak hour less than half hour for central, about 1hr for outskirts and pattaya about 2hrs drive

brought family once with car, now oc says go bkk MUST rent car lol

[StefanK]

I fly Thai Airways every month to BKK. Economy, flight timing is decent (I always take the 12.25pm flight, if not, morning 9.25am I think). Flight ticket per pax works out to about $360.

Then I use Agoda to book my hotels (I already have one or two hotels I always stay in), and use their airport ferry service (about $25/pax). Oh ya, arrival airport is Suvarnabhumi. Damn far from the city (about 45mins - 1hr 55mins drive depending on which part of the city you heading into, timing and traffic conditions), but very easy to clear immigration on arrival and departure. For departure, we can use their passport scanners just like what we use here in Changi Airport, almost nobody uses it, cos it's hidden away in a corner.

Can't give you advice on sights to see as I only travel around Ekkamai, Thonglor, Sukhumvit and Ladphrao for work, but, Grab is easy to get, 50% of the drivers speak English, definitely less hassle than hailing taxis. Only bad is you'll spend more time in your Grab than walking around, so make sure you plan the routes carefully. If your parents can, take the BTS and MRT. It really is a decent mode of public transport.

Oh, one last thing, unless you intend to stay in an international chain hotel, don't stay in Sukhumvit, or rather, don't stay in Sukhumvit at all. haha

[Adrianli]

I suggest you rent a car in BKK so it is easier for your folks to travel. Look at my BKK road trip thread. Drove around BKK. Just use Waze and drive around. Since on holiday, no rush so no need to scare of traffic jams. Also do consider staying at Novotel Platinum, next door to Platinum mall with sky bridge link to Central Mall and the rest of the other malls. Very wheelchair friendly there.

Can drive out to Ayutthaya, see historical city. Or drive to Mae Klong to see train market and floating market. Or drive to Pattaya for beach activities. But if you only going to spend 3-4 nights, forget about driving out of BKK.

With car, can drive to Chatuchak. Lots of parking lots at JJ Mall. But the inside of the market is not wheelchair friendly. The outskirts of the market is very wheelchair friendly. JJ Mall also wheelchair friendly. JJ Mall is the same format as the market but with aircon.

[Sdf4786k]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 9/14/2019 at 11:03 AM, Lala81 said:

Scenery? I wont' go to Cambodia for scenery.  

U can go hanoi. Take van to halong bay take the cruises. That's as nice scenery as u get in SEA.
ut hanoi is a pretty rundown place otherwise.  And Sapa is too far for your mum. Need to take bus/train for 400km to see the villages etc in the mountain sides.
But vietnam itself, the sidewalks/pavements are definitely not for disabled. The old quarter will be too much a hassle for someone with wheelchair. And it's run down.

Maybe can ask about the other cities in the mid/south vietnam. @jman888

If u want to do the malls in BKK like siam paragon and Central world, then the mass transit line is just outside the mall. And it's mostly disabled friendly.
Theres an aquarium there, can call a taxi/van to other places if needed.

so not worth visiting other then old world charm ?

Is there much stuff to get over there... thinking of making a trip there to buy some paintings 

[Lala81]

47 minutes ago, Sdf4786k said:

so not worth visiting other then old world charm ?

Is there much stuff to get over there... thinking of making a trip there to buy some paintings 

Dunno about buying stuff there. Best to research. 

Hanoi itself is pretty run down. The old quarter is OK I guess. Charming for angmohs maybe. Like Chinatown in the 70s or 80s. Nothing really charming for South East Asians lol. The lake is good for a walk or two. Can chill one or two days. 

Ho chin Minh memorial is not too bad. 

Edited October 1, 2019 by Lala81

[Thaiyotakamli]

On 9/13/2019 at 12:02 AM, Atrecord said:

I'm thinking of bringing my parents and kids (total 6 of us) for a short vacation in Dec.

My parents are in their early/mid 80s, and my mother can only walk very slowly, and not too long distance. They are also scared of cold, so we're thinking of going to one of the Indochina countries, for maybe 3-5 days. (After we come back, we'll likely go for another trip maybe a week or so, to Korea, but without my parents, who cannot tahan the cold...)

I'm not familiar with any of these countries, so am hoping that anyone here who is, can provide some advice on which of Bangkok, Cambodia, Vietnam is nice and easy to go around?

Kids are in S2 and S4, so have outgrown the theme park stage. I know it's not easy for their interests to match nicely with the grandparents, but they're quite close, so should be able to accommodate/compromise a bit.

Any advice or suggestion is welcomed - as i'm just starting to read up and find out on this.

Thanks.

In dec don’t go hanoi, its freakin cold. I brought my ah ma in wheelchair there last jan, we stay indoor and mall all the time. Heng we booked good hotel so dabao back to room.

 

these indochina countries can forget about bringing elder. All are not wheelchair friendly. My grandma in wheelchair, only wheelchair friendly in asean is singapore and malaysia. Other countries access not good including china. Better to go hk, taiwan, japan and maybe korea for asia.