Who has been to Southeast Asia? (airline, airport, best, trip)

[CRock]

Is there anyone here on CDF that has toured this area? I am seriously considering a trip to Southeast Asia (SEA) in Jan or Feb. I would love to see Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. If you have been, what are some must see places? Did you go somewhere in SEA you thought were not worth the effort? While in Thailand I met other travelers who said Laos is wonderful, & beautiful. So I want to go there for sure. Likewise I hear Cambodia is beautiful as well. I am thinking flying into Vietnam and return from Thailand. I would appreciate any input!

Thxs!

[Alter]

Went to Vietnam a few years ago. It was fantastic. Didn't hook up with organized tours, just worked out things with cyclo drivers. We asked what they thought was interesting and local best...not tourist. Saw incredible things..like a local fish market at 4AM when the catch was brought in and the morning exercise classes out on the street. We ended up with private tours of places like Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta instead of packing it in with the crowd.
Was supposed to go to Thailand and Laos this month but the with the Bangkok airport closing the tickets got canceled.

[k374]

I am planning to go sometime next yr hopefully. I plan to fly into Bangkok and take trains/buses to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. There is also a budget airline airasia.com that flies between cities in that region which I found to be good. I'm planning to do Thailand, Vietname, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei as part of a loop within a bigger world trip. In Indonesia I would like to make the crossing through the Sunda strait and also visit Sulaweisi as well as Komodo.