Do you agree with this index of cheapest places in Asia. Share your experience;-)
http://www.priceoftravel.com/755/asian-cities-by-price-backpacker-index-for-2011/
Reply to this I'm surprised that Vietnam consistently came in so cheap - especially compared to places like Kathmandu and Delhi!?! I'd say our experience is pretty much the opposite for those countries. In many of others, it's difficult / too close to call really - I seem to remember Vientiane being a bit cheaper than that would suggest but maybe it's just me...
Reply to this hi,
exactly what I thought;-) Having read so many blogs I am sure Vietnam wasnt the cheapest and having been to India few times my impression is that it is much cheaper than they quote;-)
B
Reply to this Yeah, hard to believe Vietnam is rated so highly. I think a fair amount of their stuff might be off, though. Bangkok at 30 baht for transportation and 180 baht for drinks/entertainment seem grossly underestimated. 30 baht will probably get you where you want to go (one way) on the skytrain or subway. Could be a heckuva walk back, though. And 180 for drinks? At the best happy hour I know of, 180 baht would get you three beers (assuming they were consumed before 8 pm). At most places, that's going to get you between 1.2 and 2 drinks. That doesn't strike me as much of a night out. That being said, this website does have some downloadable coupons for Bangkok bars and restaurants: <snip>.
But even with a discount, you're really not going to get much of a buzz on unless you're a real lightweight.
[Edited: 2011 Sep 15 07:43 - Jabe:6222 - No advertising on forums, please]
Reply to this I guess the idea of it is how much can you get by on on an extreme budget. The figures for Vietnam are not far wrong if you stay where they suggest, eat 3 bowls of Pho or street noodles and entertain yourself with 3 local beers sitting on a small plastic chair. They quote 20,000 dong for transport but the cities they mention are small enough to walk around so you probably wouldn't need to catch a xe om (motorbike taxi).
Most of us perhaps wouldn't want to survive on such a restrictive budget - you might want to have a slightly bigger night out or eat something different, but if you were really budgetting.
Of course, these figures don't include trips, tours or transport between cities, which along with visas is a big part of travel expenses,
Reply to this Vietnam is cheap now because the dong is so low. I was there in 2008 when $1 got you 16,000 dong, now you will get almost 21,000, so Vietnam is now 25% cheaper than it was in 2008.
Reply to this That is true Dominick, but the prices have gone up accordingly. Food prices are rocketing. Just for a random, not tourist related example, a block of cheddar cheese was 70,000 vnd 6 months ago and now its 110,000.
Reply to this I would say they have got it wrong, I have looked at it, but putting Delhi down somewhere at the bottom is a load of bullocks (pardon my French), 500 and something for a room in Delhi! Ha, I stayed there for 100 rupees, and you can easily find a place for 250, and that is not a dorm either like the one in Hanoi. 180 rupees for meals!? Where did they eat? You can get all you can eat Thali for 40 rupees, breakfast can be as cheap as 10. Nah, whoever compiled this seems to have been rather inconsistent in the way they travelled the various countries. On the whole you can travel India or any other country on the Indian subcontinent easily at around 10 to 15 dollars a day if you budget it well, while most of S.E.Asia on a budget will be between 15 to 20 dollars. The cheapest I could do Laos on was 12 dollars a day, with one beer a night included.
Reply to this I always thought Vietnam was one of the more expensive countries. When we were in Laos we got a hotel room for about $3 for both of us.
Reply to this Hello,i just want to share my idea though i did'nt experience to go to different places aside from my counry,..for me i also suggest to visit philippines because some of my guest (<snip>😉 say that Philippines is cheap to visit...we have a lot of beatiful spots,lushes beaches and rich in natural treasures..thae hotel and food is also affordable and im sure you will enjoy your stay here..espicially here in Puerto Prinsesa City where 1 of the finalist in New 7 wonders of the worl found that is "THE UNDERGROUND RIVER",,and a lot more...<snip>
Thank you and always take care
[Edited: 2011 Sep 20 10:41 - Rat on the Road:23681 - Tour guides are NOT allowed to offer their services on forums. Thanks.]
Reply to this Thanks Rosalyn, but this thread is about an article discussing the cheapest places in Asia and whether other people think it's true. It's not about the best places to visit in Asia!!
Reply to this Ok...
First things first, we are travelling from the UK, with the sterling. We've just spent a month in China, a month in Vietnam, a month in Thailand (only Bangkok and north), a month in Laos, a month in Cambodia and are now back in Vietnam. I cant comment on any othe Asian countries as we haven't been to them since 2008, and the sterling has bombed since then so any price comparison wouldn't be relevant to today.
I wholeheartedly agree with this list... Vietnam is waaaaay cheaper than Thailand and cheaper than both Laos and Cambodia too. When we were last in Laos it was super cheap, wasn't this time at all, also Cambodia surprised us as I was sure that was cheap last time we were there too but wasn't AS cheap as Vietnam.
I think accommodation is REALLY good value in Vietnam. We're travelling as a family so obviously don't stay in flea pits anymore, here the mini hotel is king. For $10-12 we can get a room with two double beds, a/c, cable tv, fridge and it's a nice room. Maybe needs a lick of paint but clean and nice. You can't get a room with these amenities in the other countries for the same price. Beer is ridiculously cheap here, cheaper than soft drinks. Small bottle of water in restaurant 8000-10000 dong, bottle of Saigon green during happy hour 10000 dong(50c) Last week we toyed with a tout outside a restaurant and got BOGOF on beer... It was only 15000 dong anyway ($0.75). 75 cents for two beers.... Bargain...
As for food, I think these countries differ very little in terms of price, but the food in Thailand is the nicest!!! :-)
Oh and from experience on our previous travels (2008) we flew to Kolkata, India from Hanoi (via hong kong, You want pricy go there) and we were surprised by how much better value the accommodation was in Hanoi... Not sure if that still holds true but chalk another one up for Vietnam...
Safe travels everyone! 😊
Mike
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In response to: Msg #143550 Hi ! Amazing and I thought we travel cheap. 15-20 USD on S E Asia, does it include accomodation? The last time we went to we pay 1000 Baht for room for 2. And the Philippines, where I am from, just couldn't figure out why it seems its more expensive to get a decent and cheaper accomodation in Manila than any other cities in SE Asia.
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In response to: Msg #143306 to Rat on the Road: I'm believed that you are real travellers and have experienced in Vietnam. You remind me about Pho Noodles - a special thing - just only can find in Hanoi, with a unique smell.
As I see you seem those who want to discover hidden charm of where you go, so I also offer you on of my favorite dish - delicious and cheap: it can be found in Halong Bay (I remember the Halong Bay Tours when I go with my friends) grilled cuttle-fish. Also like beer in Hanoi, you sit on the pavement along the street in small plastic chair and... smell until you feel hungry. So powerful are they! Let try it
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