Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, KK, Brunei then

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

We're looking at gambling on travel opening up again in 2022, and have found an itinerary that would take in the above, none of which I know anything about. I know the OTF collective will have been to them all (a search on Brunei brings up colchestersid) so any top tips for must do's and don't do's for naive travellers? I'd be assuming a day's sightseeing in each.

[ad hoc]

Where's KK? Is it a misspelling of HK or KL? Or is it Khon Kaen?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Kota Kinabalu, I think it stands for. On Borneo.

[Balderdasha]

I spent a month in Ho Chi Minh city back in summer 2005. It was astonishingly busy. Crossing the road required taking a leap of faith and just walking out into traffic and trusting that the mopeds and motorbikes would just swerve round you. During heavy monsoon rains, local teenagers taught us how to traverse the city rarely leaving the comfort of climate controlled malls. I was mostly working so didn't get to do a huge amount of sight seeing but some cool stuff was:
- the cu chi tunnels, a day trip out of the city where you can squeeze through the tiny tunnels used by the Viet Cong to hide
- the floating flower markets - a rooftop goat restaurant (sorry, I have no idea where it was, but the highlight was the huge bunches of fresh herbs, with multiple varieties I'd never heard of)

[Nefertiti2]

- a rooftop goat restaurant (sorry, I have no idea where it was, but the highlight was the huge bunches of fresh herbs, with multiple varieties I'd never heard of)

A restaurant for goats?

[EIM]

I used to live in Brunei. Nearly 40 years ago, mind. Which doesn't sound possible given I was only 24 last time I checked.

HCMC is absolutely brilliant. Busy, and intimidating, and nonsensical, and steamy, and friendly, and confusing. I'd love to go back.

If you fancy a posh meal while you're there, go to cuc gach quan restaurant. Incredible food that should cost over a hundred quid, but somehow only came to 17. Everything was cheap there, even the expensive stuff.

See everything do everything, end the day drinking cocktails on the roof of a colonial era hotel. Don't worry about crossing the road, you'll never get used to it. Think of it like Indiana Jones and his leap of faith in the Last Crusade. Step out, walk, and the swarms of mopeds will move around you. Don't pause, hesitate or stop, otherwise you'll die.

[ad hoc]

EIM is right about HCMC. The museum about the war is an absolute must see

[ad hoc]

I've spent about a total of 48 hours in Manila of which approximately 47.5 were spent in traffic. The Philippines are supposed to be lovely. But Manila is not really my cup of tea

[ooh aah]

Manila is... well to be honest, it's a shithole. I've had the misfortune to be stuck there a few times, and it's really hard work. It's just an unending collage of old concrete interlaced with a traffic jam.

[EIM]

Christ, I really want to go to Vietnam now.

[Balderdasha]

A restaurant for goats?

Nope, serving goat meat, in rice pancakes with all the aforementioned herbs. I'm vegetarian so just had all the herbs in pancakes, but my companions assure me the goat was very tasty.

[Balderdasha]

The food in Vietnam overall was amazing. And there were loads of vegetarian restaurants, because lots of people are vegetarian for the day twice every lunar month (I'm thinking like the 5th and the 12th but I'm hazy on the details).

People have little fish ponds with koi carp in on the entrance to their homes for good luck which I thought was pretty cool.

Street vendors sell terrifying neon energy drinks which we used to drink for breakfast at 6am before a full day of teaching. I hate to think what they actually contain.

[tee rex]

If you're doing SE Asia that seems a strange (or Yes Minister "courageous") selection of destinations. I'd recommend doing one region, like Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia, or the Philippines by itself (not lingering in Manila at all).

I don't know why anybody would want to go to Brunei, really.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Neither Signora Rogin nor I are vegetarian but I have learnt from the tinternet that the favourite street food dishes in Manila are deep-fried chickens' feet and boiled duck eggs that actually contain a proper baby duck so I think I can forego the "local street food" experience there.

I understand Vietnamese might involve deep-fried sugared insects but I'd give that a go. Can't be any worse than pork scratchings.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

If you're doing SE Asia that seems a strange (or Yes Minister "courageous") selection of destinations. I'd recommend doing one region, like Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia, or the Philippines by itself (not lingering in Manila at all).

I don't know why anybody would want to go to Brunei, really.

tee rex, it would be a week's organised "tour of the South China Sea" that would be bookended by three nights in Hong Kong (at New Year) and two in Bangkok before flying home. I think it would be our sort of thing.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

and two in Bangkok

Crikey, based on what I know from Murray Head, one is more than enough.