Hi,
I have been to both Cambodia and Vietnam. Vietnam is more advanced tourist wise than Cambodia but both countries are great to visit.
Vietnam is a place of contrasts. You have the large cities such as Hanoi and Saigon but outside of them it is still quite agricultural. Just 20 minutes ride from Hanoi and I was watching a paddy field being plowed by a wooden plough drawn by an ox. In Hoi An I was sitting down to breakfast, with table cloths, china and cutlery, on the hotel veranda watching a man fishing for his breakfast from a sampan in the river. In Saigon the traffic is amazing, motor bikes must outnumber cars by at least ten to one.
I loved Cambodia. The people were so friendly and helpful. The scenery was beautiful and I enjoyed visiting Siem Reap and seeing Angkor. I was a bit disappointed with Angkor Wat as it was so crowded, but I liked visiting Bayon and the other temples. Getting around the city was easy using the tuk-tuks which are basically a little carriage pulled by a motorbike. The drivers were very friendly and it only cost a dollar for each person. I visited the night market which was an experience and bought a few souvenirs.
The food overall in both countries was very good. There were a few spicy dishes but there was plenty of choice so if you wanted to you could easily avoid the hot dishes and still find enough other food to eat. We stopped at a place called Skun where I tried a local delicacy, deep fried tarantulas! They were two for a dollar so I had to try them. They were quite tasty. I ate them whilst a live tarantula was crawling over me!
I visited Vietnam and Cambodia around Oct/Nov and had sunshine most of the time. It was hot and muggy in Cambodia and in southern Vietnam but cooler in the north.
Regds
Jim
