Vietnam and Thailand: Ultimate Guide for First Time Travelers

Southeastern Asia is a wide area having many advantageous natural conditions about climate and terrain. Thanks to that, most countries in this area have beautiful landscapes and colorful cultures, which are very meaningful in tourism. It’s hard to point out which country is the most attractive destination. But to find famous countries for tourism, you can’t skip the two remarkable ones: Vietnam and Thailand. Having many similarities in nature, these 2 countries will give you a chance to explore marvelous landscapes from mountains to beaches. You will also be deeply impressed by their cuisine and traditional culture. Each one has its beauty, but both are very passionate and appealing. Thus, it’s impossible to figure out which one is the better choice for your next trip.

An overview of Vietnam and Thailand 

Vietnam and Thailand may be the 2 names that are familiar to you. But in fact, how do you know about them? Let’s take an overview of these countries. 

Thailand

Thanks to many advantages such as beautiful landscapes and special Buddhist culture, tourism is very thriving in Thailand. Utilizing these advantages, the government of this country launches many policies creating suitable conditions to develop this industry. Thailand is also known as the tourism center of Asia; it plays a vital role in the economy.

You can find all types of tourism in Thailand, even sex tourism, which you can’t find in Vietnam. Moreover, Thailand is also the country of festivals, giving you a chance to explore its special religious culture.

Thailand

Vietnam

Because of the many bad impacts of war, Vietnam has just rehabilitated and developed the economy for 35 years. But the development is very rapid in many fields, including tourism. Vietnam is fortunate when the Motherland gives this country a lot of beautiful spots. From the North to the South, you can easily find a famous attraction for tourism with beautiful landscapes and colorful traditional culture. There are many historical sites as well.

Vietnamese is also famous for friendliness and hospitality, while the cuisine is wonderful. This country is one of the happiest countries globally (the 5th in the world) with peace and love. 

Vietnam

When to visit Thailand and Vietnam? 

The time to visit Thailand and Vietnam mainly depends on your schedule for tourism. It means that you can visit these countries almost whenever you want. But if you want to find the best time for visiting them, we have some recommendations for you.

The weather in Thailand can be divided into 3 seasons: the rainy season (June to October), hot season (March to May), and cool season (November to July), with the distinct variation in the North and unclear one in the South. 

Vietnam Weather has a monsoon tropical climate with 2 distinct seasons, including the rainy season (April to October) and dry season (November to March). The rainy season is also the hot season in Vietnam. The temperature reaches the peak in June and July. It’s very hot this time, especially in the North and the Central. They’re also places having the lowest temperature in the cold season, commonly from December to February. The other months have great weather, including November (autumn) and March (spring).

Thus, it’s no doubt that the best time to visit Vietnam and Thailand is between November to March next year.

Top-recommended Thailand, Vietnam places to visit 

Thailand and Vietnam are beautiful countries with a lot of marvelous landscapes and impressive cultures. Obviously, we can’t explore the whole of them. So, where should we visit when we travel to these countries in several days? Top-recommended Thailand, Vietnam places to visit can be the answer. 

1. Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. Not just the center of administration and politics, this city is also a paradise for shopping. You can see many imposing buildings here, at the same time many special religious architectures. 

Most tourists choose Bangkok as the first place to visit in Thailand, making this city very crowded and attractive to explore the daily life of Thai. 

Bangkok

2. Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is a peaceful city in the distance of 800 kilometers to the North of Bangkok's capital. It’s very famous for religious architecture with more than 300 pagodas and temples such as Doi Suthep pagoda, Wat Suan Dok temple, Wat Chiang Man pagoda. 

Being one of the most attractive destinations in Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has many hotels, restaurants, and markets with abundant goods, convenient for tourists to stay, visit and buy souvenirs. Moreover, there are many classes teaching tourists Thai cuisine, Thai massage, kung fu, dhyana, etc. here, giving tourists many choices for their trip. 

Chiang Mai

3. Phuket

Phuket island is very famous for tourism. This island is also known as the paradise of resting in Thailand, with many clear beaches. Phuket is now exploited to develop just tourism, so the service here is very professional. You can find many types of resorts and hotels on this island up to your demands and budgets. Food in Phuket is fresh and delicious at reasonable prices. This beautiful island also impresses tourists with many architectures featuring Chinese culture.

Phuket

4. Hanoi

Hanoi has been the capital of Vietnam for over 1000 years, passing many generations or many dynasties in feudalism with many many names for each period. Until now, Hanoi is still the center of politics, culture, and more. It’s also the second biggest city in this country. 

Traveling to Hanoi, you will have a chance to visit many historical sites such as Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam, Tran Quoc pagoda,  Thang Long Imperial Citadel or Old Quarters and beautiful lakes such as Guom lake, Tay lake, etc. Then you will know more about special traditional culture, history, and pride of Vietnamese.

Hanoi

5. Halong Bay

Halong Bay is a part of the Northeastern sea in Vietnam. Being recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage twice, once for aesthetic value, once for outstanding global value in geology-geomorphology, at the same time being one of the most beautiful bays in the world, Halong Bay is a must-to-go attraction in Vietnam.

You have to be surprised with the beauty which can be beyond the common imagination of this heritage. It’s tough to describe in some words. There are many choices for tourists to entertain here, such as snorkeling, kayak, boating, fishing, water skiing, surfing, or studying about the natural conditions of this bay, etc. Come and visit this attraction, and it won’t let you down.

Halong Bay

6. Hoi An

Unlike the wide marvelous nature with the sea and islands of Halong Bay, Hoi An is a peaceful old town in the Central of Vietnam. When visiting this town, you will be impressed by the classic beauty with small houses in rows covered with yellow painting and a river slightly flowing through. At night, the locals will turn on the decorative multi-colored lanterns, the whole town looks glistening. It’s actually very amazing.

Besides visiting the main area of the old town, you can also try interesting ecotourism here with a coconut forest on the Hoai river called Bay Mau.

Hoi An

7. Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta is an attractive destination for tourism in the South of Vietnam. It’s a wide region including many provinces with similarities in terrains and weather. It’s hardly cold in winter here, making it very comfortable to choose a time to visit. 

Thanks to many rivers flowing through this delta (the Mekong river's main one), the ecosystem here is very diversified. Thus, the main type of tourism in the Mekong Delta is ecotourism, with engined boats transferring thousands of tourists every day. People live in harmony with nature, making their personalities very generous. There are many traditional villages along rivers, utilizing the main crops to produce delicious specialties to buy for souvenirs. 

Mekong Delta

Suggested Thailand, Vietnam itinerary for first-time visitors 

By asking 3 questions about where to go, how to go, and which directions for transferring, you will have more clues to have your own itinerary. And here is a suggested Thailand, Vietnam itinerary for first-time visitors from BestPrice team.

Where to go

If Thailand and Vietnam are on your plan for the next trip, but you still don’t have any idea about places to visit in these countries, you definitely can choose the top-recommended places above to travel for the first time. It’s obviously a long journey, but you deserve an amazing trip after a long time of hard work. 

In this case, we suggest 3 remarkable places for Thailand and 4 ones for Vietnam. They are the most famous attractions for tourism and are located in the North, the Central, and the South in each country. Thereby, you will have a close overview of each one with direct and lively experiences about the landscapes, culture, food, locals, etc. 

How to go

About means of transportation, to transfer coach to coach in a country, the most convenient and fastest way is just by airplane. Although it costs more, we have many ways to have the same flights with lower prices, thanks to online booking and promotions.

At each place to visit, it may require certain vehicles to visit around. A rental coach is a good choice for tourist groups to gather, depart, etc., together, especially when you need to follow an itinerary. 

Which directions for transferring 

Because all the places to visit are chosen along with the countries, respectively North-Central-South order, we suggest that you transfer from the South to the North and the opposite. 

• If you start from Vietnam to Thailand, think about this itinerary: Mekong Delta -> Hoi An -> Halong Bay -> Hanoi -> Bangkok -> Chiang Mai -> Phuket -> Tan Son Nhat airport (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam).
• If you start from Thailand to Vietnam, think about this itinerary: Bangkok -> Chiang Mai -> Phuket -> Tan Son Nhat airport (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) -> Mekong Delta -> Hoi An -> Halong Bay -> Hanoi. 

Vietnam - Thailand is a long trip and will give you a lot of interesting experiences to relax, entertain, and broaden your knowledge about the countries and local people you meet during the journey. If this is your first time, you’d better choose a prestigious travel agency to book your first Vietnam, Thailand Tour. Here are the reasons:

• Travel agencies know clearly about your desired destinations, including the most attractive places to visit, delicious local food, and where to eat, stay and entertain. They also can introduce and explain special features you can find in new places. 
• Travel agencies can assure your safety, save you from being lost when traveling or being ripped off. 

Pay a cost to book your tour, and all you need is to enjoy your trip comfortably. It’s also the choice of most tourists wanting to visit Vietnam and Thailand. With international branches in Vietnam and Thailand, BestPrice Travel believes that we are one of the best travel agencies that can supply you with great tours to explore these beautiful countries. 

Vietnam and Thailand are actually two of the most attractive destinations for tourism in Asia. Visiting these beautiful countries to explore marvelous landscapes and colorful traditional cultures is ideal for relaxing and gaining many exciting experiences after a long hard-working time. With much information, this article helps you know more about traveling in these countries with several outstanding places for tourism in each one and directions about itinerary and travel tours. BestPrice team hopes that you will have a great trip to your desired destinations. Thanks for your reading!

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