... I think anywhere far enough out of the big cities and off the main roads will be okay in Vietnam. Roads in Vietnam are probably better than Cambodia.

The nice part of Thailand I've seen is the southwest, like Krabi, Phuket ... Go to islands.

But you are coming in winter when everything is dry. The best time to see the countryside of these places, especially Cambodia, is midsummer when the rice is growing and everything is green and beautiful.

You can put the bike on the train in Thailand up to the far north and go up into the hills from Chiang Mai, maybe.

You can cross into Laos from Vietnam midway up or in the north of Vietnam both in mountain terrain. Gotta be in good shape, but I think you are. Otherwise, it's coastal cruising and go down to the delta,

I am flying into Bangkok but some advice I have seen on Facebook groups is to the take the train out of Bangkok until the roads are (much) quieter.
I'll cross into Cambodia at Poi Pet and leave Cambodia at Bavet. The plan is to stick to minor roads however that may not be possible at borders or going into and leaving cities.

Typically my route corridor is this one: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit? ... sp=sharing

However I am not totally fixed on this - the route is very flat which has advantages but can be boring,

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Wed Nov 08, 2023 7:35 pm

Navrig wrote: ↑Wed Nov 08, 2023 5:46 pm I am flying into Bangkok but some advice I have seen on Facebook groups is to the take the train out of Bangkok until the roads are (much) quieter.
I'll cross into Cambodia at Poi Pet and leave Cambodia at Bavet. The plan is to stick to minor roads however that may not be possible at borders or going into and leaving cities.

Typically my route corridor is this one: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit? ... sp=sharing

However I am not totally fixed on this - the route is very flat which has advantages but can be boring,

I'd head to Pattaya and cycle from there to -Chantaburi than north to Pong Nam Ron and cross at Bam Laem, cycle to Palin, Battamabang-Siem Rep- Kampong Cham-on to Vietnam
you wont miss alot by skipping Phnom Pehn as a cyclist
this route would give ya some good riding thru non tourist areas and get to see Thai/Cambodia countryside

Just my suggestion>
Between bangkok and poi pet is heavy traffic, if ur set on that route you might just as well take the train to Aranyaprathet

FYI; i spent 18 months cycling thru Asia and and SE Asia way back in 82/83

That looks more interesting. I'll plot this out and do a bit more exploring. Cheers. So glad I posted here

I've been looking at a different route based upon comments from Richard. However according to https://www.evisa.gov.kh/information/port_entry/3 only Bravet is capable of allowing entry on an eVisa. It says the last update was 2018 so it's possible there are more eVisa entry points.

Does anyone know?

If you want more nature, shade and less traffic by 900%, seriously, you should consider skipping most of coastal Vietnam, lol...

And go instead from southeast Thailand looping through Kampot up to the Mekong, which you can ride beside much of the way with a little effort and map skills... Or, simply come from Poipet, see Angkor Wat and then turn left up and go north up the river from Phnom Penh instead... To Laos...



Ride up Mekong to the Four Thousand Islands and up the left side of the river to Pakse. Take a bus to Thakhek from Pakse and ride up highway 12 to highway 1E and turn north.



Ride up to Phonsavan and on to Nong Khiaw via #7 and #1C and go up the river to Muang Ngoy and back, then continue north, turn right onto highway #2E and continue to Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam. Cool temps, fresh air, less traffic (a lot!)...

picture host

You can take a little side trip down to Luang Prabang on ur way around to crowded Vietnam... Very nice place...



Your route from Poipet has little tree shade, will be very hot at sea level, and is full of tons of traffic ALL THE WAY...

I like camping under trees beside rivers and building campfires with nobody around for miles. Oh well, different ways for different folks...

Apologies of if I caused confusion by mentioning Bavet when I was interested in Thailand/Cambodia crossing points. This was knee jerk reaction to the table showing what crossing points accepted eVisa. I had assumed that an eVisa would be the best way to go in terms of reducing the risk of not being allowed into any of the 3 countries I aim to visit. Judging by the responses here VOA is the way to go. Is that just for Cambodia or could/should I seriously consider VOA for Vietnam? When I was working all the visa stuff was done for me!

@orichá has thrown up some views and ideas for the route. I'll have a closer look at these but one of my ambitions is to get to Saigon and see some good friends. I suppose an alternative would be to take the more scenic inland route to Hanoi and then fly to Saigon for an end of tour R&R. I could courier my bike home from Hanoi. Similarly Dalat could be a short trip from Saigon by Futabus or even with friends.

Back to the drawing board.....

Thanks for your input everyone, it is very much appreciated.