- Choosing wings
- We have a rest with the whole family
- Hotels and beaches
- A little more pros and cons
Do you want to bring summer closer or at least extend it by a couple of weeks? Do you dream of going on vacation to the hot regions, where the sun shines all year round and the warm waves of the sea make an inviting noise, running on the white sand? The countries of Southeast Asia are the best suited for a vacation there, but which one to choose, Vietnam or Thailand? Where are the best hotels, where is it cheaper to fly and which resort has more entertainment, and the excursion program is richer and more varied? Let's try to figure it out and explore all the available routes.
Choosing wings
Flight is one of the most expensive items of any vacation in distant countries, and the resorts of Southeast Asia are no exception in this sense. Where is it better to go, Thailand or Vietnam, so as not to spend too much time and money on a transfer? Consider the options for direct regular flights, connecting flights, and charters:
- Aeroflot boards fly directly to Ho Chi Minh City. Flights are made several times a month, and their schedule can be found on the airline's website - www.aeroflot.ru. The price of the issue is from $ 500 in both directions. Passengers spend about 10 hours in the sky.
- Connecting flights to the former Saigon are cheaper than others operated by Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. Tickets will cost $ 490, but two transfers and the flight itself will take at least 20 hours. Connections are expected in Abu Dhabi or Doha and the capital of Thailand, Bangkok.
- Aeroflot flies to Hanoi every day, and the cost of a round-trip ticket is about $ 430. The journey takes 10 hours.
- To the resorts of the Thai island of Phuket and back, everyone is brought from Moscow Sheremetyevo airport for $ 440 and 10 hours by Aeroflot planes. Emirates are ready to take on board tourists who paid about $ 430 for a connecting flight in Dubai.
- Direct flights to Pattaya from Moscow are made only in high season, but you can easily get to its beaches through Bangkok.
Further transfer in Thailand looks a little easier due to the fact that the airports of both Phuket and Pattaya are located much closer to the resorts than Vietnamese. For example, moving from Pattaya Airport will cost only $ 7 and $ 25 by minibus and taxi, respectively, and will take no more than half an hour. In Phuket, a city public bus runs from the airport to the hotel zone from 8 am to 8 pm, the fare for which is $ 3.
Vietnamese resorts are located at a much greater distance from airports. For example, you can get to Phan Thiet for only $ 5 using the services of a bus company. But the journey from Ho Chi Minh Station to Phan Thiet will take at least 6 hours. A transfer from Ho Chi Minh Airport to Nha Trang will require 9 hours at all, and the ticket price will range from $ 20 to $ 25. True, it is possible to get to the beaches of Nha Trang by plane directly from the Russian capital, but the flight is possible only on board Chinese airlines, which will have to pay less than $ 630 and spend almost a day on the road, having made two transfers.
We have a rest with the whole family
Thailand or Vietnam? What to choose if you are flying on vacation with children and are looking for a place where the child will be as comfortable and safe as possible?
To begin with, in both countries there is a rainy season, when tropical short-term showers often give way to prolonged lingering rainfall, and beach holidays at this time are somewhat overshadowed by the lack of sun. But Thailand boasts a wide variety of climatic conditions and it is easier to choose the right time for a vacation with a child. In Phuket and Pattaya, it rains most often between May and October. If you prefer to combine a vacation in Thailand with children with their school holidays, choose Koh Samui, where the wet season starts in October and lasts until the New Year.
Vietnam's long north-south stretch also provides the country with varied weather. So in the north, the rainiest weeks fall from May to October, but the second half of autumn is quite suitable for a beach holiday, but at the end of November it may already be too cool for kids. In the summer, the southern resorts of the country are dominated by tropical cyclones, and from May to October, showers are noisy almost daily, but only in the afternoon. Resorts in central Vietnam are most suitable for families with children during school holidays. The wet season comes into its own here only at the end of August.
A few more reasons to choose this or that resort if you are flying on vacation with the whole family:
- An important factor in favor of Thailand or Vietnam is the nature of the sea. Vietnam is especially popular with surfers who appreciate its "adrenaline" waves. The sea in Thailand is much calmer in this sense.
- If you are comfortable with a modest choice of nightlife, Vietnam may be the better choice for you. In the resorts of Nha Trang and Mui Ne, you will hardly find nightclubs, and the doors of many guesthouses simply close late at night. Thailand, on the other hand, offers much more opportunities for fans of parties and nightlife in almost all popular resorts.
- The safety of tourists in both countries is not a concern if they themselves observe generally accepted norms of behavior and do not commit defiant acts. And yet, in Vietnam, you will more often find attempts at deception on the part of local residents, and therefore stock up on due vigilance and caution.
If you compare the cuisine of both countries, it will seem quite exotic in both Thailand and Vietnam. Where is it better to fly so as not to stay hungry, but, on the contrary, enjoy every meal? According to the general opinion of tourists who have visited Southeast Asia, Thai cuisine is more spicy, while Vietnamese dishes are prepared using sweet spices and sauces. The menu in both countries is based on rice and rice noodles, vegetables, fruits and seafood. When placing an order in a restaurant, do not hesitate to warn the waiter that you do not like spicy foods. This will avoid unnecessary digestive problems.
When it comes to food prices, Vietnam clearly wins in this comparison. In the resorts of Nha Trang or Phan Thiet, you can easily find a cafe or restaurant where a full lunch with beer and desserts will cost you a maximum of $ 6-7, while in Pattaya or Phuket you will have to pay at least twice as much for such a meal.
Hotels and beaches
Both in Thailand and Vietnam, there are many hotels and guesthouses where you can rent an inexpensive room. For example, in Vietnamese Nha Trang on the second line, many budget hotels have been built, in which a daily stay will cost only $ 8-10. If you wish, this price can be reduced even more, if you are not too worried about the level of service, you only need a room to spend the night, and you can take a shower in the shared bathroom. If you are willing to pay twice as much, the room will be very decent at all - with a good bed, its own bathroom and even a balcony overlooking the sea.
There are also many places in Thailand where budget travelers prefer to stay. For example, guesthouses on Koh Samui offer rooms for $ 15-20 per night, with bungalows located on the first coastline.
The beaches in both countries are municipal and free, only you may be banned from entering the territory of fashionable hotels if you are not a guest or someone's guest. You will have to pay an average of $ 2 to $ 5 for renting beach equipment. There are plenty of opportunities for active water sports in Thailand. On Vietnamese beaches, entertainment is still much more modest.
A little more pros and cons
- The excursion program is undoubtedly richer in Thailand. A huge number of opportunities to diversify their vacation await here fans of architecture and wildlife. Vietnam lost most of its historical and cultural attractions during the last war, and local travel companies cannot offer any special excursions.
- Where is the best place for shopping lovers to rest? Prefer Thailand or Vietnam if you want to bring home jewelry made from pearls or other gemstones? In this sense, Vietnam is preferable, since prices are significantly lower there, and pearl producers offer their products with minimal margins. Many clothing companies have also located their factories in Vietnam.
The visa issue also takes a lot of time when preparing any trip. Tourists with a Russian passport do not need a visa to any of these countries, but in Thailand you can stay for tourist purposes for as long as 30 days, while in Vietnam - half as much.
