I spent 5 weeks traveling in Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore in January to February of 2024. My only previous experience in Southeast Asia was a trip to the Philippines about a year earlier, which sparked my interest to spend more time experiencing the nature, culture, and food of this region. I had a broad range of experiences throughout the trip, from city centers to rural villages and from beaches to mountains.
A map overview of the places I visited on my trip is included below and can be explored on Google Earth here.
There were a few characteristics of my experiences during my travels that really stood out to me:
- Food – The food was one of the things that attracted me to visiting Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore and it did not disappoint. Enjoying the fresh fruit and smoothies was one of my favorite things about my time in Thailand, including mango, pineapple, papaya, dragonfruit, guava, pomelo, and coconut. I go to sample a variety of dishes at the markets, restaurants, and my homestays, discovering new favorites like Khao Soi, a coconut curry noodle soup local Northern Thailand. From homes in small villages to vendors at markets in the city centers, cooking over open fire was more common than I had naively expected. Watching others cooks this way, I really appreciated the continuous work it took to keep the fires going and the needed time investment, though it really supports the flavors of the food and often there was not an easier alternative like a gas or electric stove available. Watching the chefs spending so much time over these fires helped me appreciate potential health impacts I’d heard about from smoke inhalation through cooking, and made me wonder how these traditional ways of cooking could be compatible with healthy breathing.
- Self-sustaining villages – In Vietnam and Thailand I spent time in small villages, tucked in the mountains an hour or more motorbike ride from the closest larger villages and cities. While it was clear they had resources from the outsider world, like solar panels, their day to day needs were met by the local environment. They cultivated rice patties and a variety of other crops for daily eating, in some cases constructing complex water wheels to re-distribute water. They tended to fish ponds, ducks, pigs, and cows. One small citrus farm owner had recently built a house with the help of the community, and I got to join in his celebration over food and drink with the community that helped him. I was inspired by this local reliance in a world that often seems so dependent on resources coming from across the world, as is often true of my life.
- Religion and Spirituality – Thailand is dominantly (93%) Buddhist, and I got to learn more about the practices and teachings through my visits to temples there. In the temples I was struck by the generosity of all the offerings that were left. Regular “monk talks” at these temples were a great way for me to ask the monks questions and learn more about their daily lives and experiences. In Vietnam, while religion was not as clear as the Buddhism presence in Thailand, nearly every home and business in Vietnam has an alter to honor ancestors. Animism, a belief that all things have a spirit, also seems to be present within the culture of Vietnam.
- Colonialism – Visiting these three countries with very different histories of colonization and relationship with the western world highlighted their differences for me. Vietnam has a history of colonization that instigated war; Thailand never experienced colonization but has had close ties with the United Kingdom; Singapore has been under British control, then became a part of Malaysia, and finally became an independent country due to social an political differences (likely sewn from the period of colonization), in what seemed to be a fairy amicable separation. Traces of these histories seemed apparent in the economies and cultures today. I found videos on The History of Thailand in 10 minutes, Why wasn’t Thailand Colonized?, History of Vietnam explained in 8 minutes, and History of Singapore explained in 5 minutes to be helpful in providing more context.
- Karst landscapes – A common features of the landscapes was beautiful rocks jutting out from the ocean or the landscapes. From Ha Long Bay and Tam Coc in Vietnam to Khao Sok and the many island of Thailand, these breathtaking landscapes were the backdrop for my trip as you’ll see in the pictures below.
- Thai Massage – I was excited to experience Thai massage throughout my trip with many different practitioners. I was very grateful for sharing their time and bodywork skills with me. The combination of pressure and stretching postures helped reset my body.
Vietnam
I started my trip in Vietnam, spending some time in Hanoi but mostly getting outside of the city to see experience the natural landscape and villages of Northern Vietnam with a tour through Authentic Adventures.
In Hanoi I explored the Old Quarter and took a sunrise walk around Hoàn Kiếm Lake. I saw a water puppet show, an art form that goes back a thousand years when shows were performed in the harvested rice fields.
I visited Ha Long Bay on a one night cruise. I got to explore Surprising Cave and Titop Island, kayak at Luon Cave, try my hand at squid fishing, learn to make spring rolls through a cooking class, and enjoy lots of amazing food.
I explored Ninh Binh on motorbike with my guide, Mr. Thưởng. We started the day at Hoa Lua, seeing the temples of the Dinh and Le Dynasties in this former capital of Vietnam. We then went to Mua Cave, climbing lots of stairs for the good views. We had lunch at my guide’s home, and then had a boat tour at Tam Coc, admiring the karst rock formations that are common in the region. Finally we saw Bich Dong Pagoda.
In Pu Luong I stayed at a homestay overlooking the rice fields. The first day I went to Kho Muong Cave and explored the local village. The second day I saw some of the impressive water wheels and traveled down the river in a bamboo raft.
Thailand
I started my time in Thailand with two days in Bangkok. I did an evening food tour where we drove between destinations by tuk tuk, saw the reclining Buddha at Wat Phra, visited the beautiful Wat Arun, and explored Chinatown and Wang Lang market.
From there I traveled to Koh Tao, where I stayed at the relaxing Sai Daeng Resort. At the resort I enjoyed daily yoga classes, massages, a restaurant right on the beach, and ocean views from my room. There was a great snorkeling right from the resort where I saw sharks and lots of other fishes. One day I took a boat snorkeling trip where I also got to snorkel at Nang Yung Island, Mango Bay, Hin Wong Bay, and Shark Bay.
I spent a couple days in Koh Samui, arriving in time for the Friday Fisherman’s Village Walking Street market in Bophut. I saw the fire show at Coco Tam’s and enjoyed some great açaí bowls. I did a full day tour to Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park where I kayaked, snorkeled, and hiked up to Emerald Lake.
My first evening in Chaing Mai I explored the huge Tha Phae Walking Street Sunday night market with my cousin. In Chaing Mai I also visited several temples (Wats) where I got to talk with a monk to learn more about his life. I visited the Elephant Nature Park, an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center. I hiked the Monk’s Trail, visiting Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep along the trail. I enjoyed lots of good food at Goodsouls Kitchen, a yummy vegan restaurant I discovered. I embarked on a two day trekking trip, where I visited Mok Fa Waterfall, enjoyed the Pong Duet hot springs and geysers, spent the night at a village of the Karen hill tribe, and bamboo rafted along the Mae Tang River. On my final evening I visited the Chaing Mai Night bazar, enjoying Khao Soi (a coconut curry noodle soup local Northern Thailand) and roti, and then saw the nearby Chaing Mai Cabaret show.
My sister joined me for the last part of my trip. In the Krabi area we visited Ao Nang, Railey, and the Phi Phi Islands. In Ao Nang we enjoyed the beach, food, and night market. We took a boat trip where we visited the connected Tup and Moh Islands, saw Chicken Island which has the shape of its namesake, had lunch and relaxed on Poda Island, and visited Phranang Cave. We took a longtail boat from Ao Nang to Railey to spend a few nights there enjoying the laid back atmosphere, beach, and rock climbing. We then took a speedboat over to the Phi Phi Islands where we spent a few days. We took a boat trip around Koh Phi Phi Lee, where the snorkeling at Viking Cave was amazing, the beach at Maya Bay was beautiful, and the bioluminescent plankton seemed magical. The next day we visited several good snorkeling spots on Koh Phi Phi Don, including Shark Point, Nui Beach, and Monkey Beach, and also stopped at the nearby Bamboo Island, ending the day relaxing at the beach at Phi Phi The Beach Resort.
It was a bit of a journey to make it to Khao Sok National Park but in the end it was worth the effort. After an evening in the nearby village, we stayed at floating cabins on Cheow Larn Lake. Our trek through Nam Tulu Cave was more of an adventure than I’d expected, which included swimming through water within the cave at times. We saw fish, crabs, huge spiders, and lots of bats in the cave. A major highlight of our time at Khao Sok was seeing wild elephants, a mom and baby, along the banks of Cheow Larn Lake.
I finished my time in Thailand at Nai Yang Beach in Phuket, enjoying some final beach time in this paradise.
Singapore
I spent the final few days of my trip in Singapore. It was just after the Chinese New Year, celebrating the year of the dragon, so many of the decorations were still up and the River HongBao festival was going on at the Gardens by the Bay. I did a few walkings tours to explore the city, seeing the downtown area and Chinatown. On my Chinatown tour with Indie Singapore Tours, we visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple, and the Chinatown Complex market and appreciated the many murals throughout the neighborhood. I also visited Little India, enjoying lunch at Tekka Center, and Kampong Gelam, visiting the Sultan Mosque. The hawker stands made for great meals, making it easy to try variety of different foods from different cuisines all in one spot.
Turkey
At the beginning and end of my trip I had a layover in Istanbul. At the end of my trip I got to get outside the airport and take a short tour of Istanbul, enjoying views of the Bosphorus River and the Walls of Constantinople, eating a Turkish breakfast and Turkish delight desserts, and visiting one of the many mosques in the city.
