Christmas in Southeast Asia! - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**raoulduke** · 02-24-2008, 01:51 AM

Hi guys,

For my next great expedition I'm hoping to spend around 3 months in Asia. So far I've decided on Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. To fit this in with my regular life I'm considering leaving as soon as exams finish and spending the holiday season overseas (will probably come back mid January)

Does anyone have any advice or experience spending Christmas and New Years Eve in Asia. Where's the biggest parties and best atmosphere for that time of year.

My budget will probably be around 5-6 thousand AUD and I haven't ruled out adding more countries to the list including China if my budget will allow for it (and of course some time in Malaysia to hang out with Freespiritz

)Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

**freespiritz** · 02-24-2008, 02:48 AM

Unfortunately most of my Christmases and New Years' in SEA were spent not partying at family events, so so much for a local's advice there

My Christmas in Ho Chi Minh was very quiet, my New Year's in Siem Reap was very messy and drunken, lol, and my last New Year's in the jungle of Borneo was obviously quite quiet too.

Are you planning to go this year? I'm still waiting for someone to come visit so I can show them around my country (another excuse for me to travel too), but I won't be back in Malaysia for another year and a half...(July '09)

**raoulduke** · 02-24-2008, 02:51 AM

Yeah I was going to do it at the end of this year. That really sucks, I was looking forward to meeting you.

**freespiritz** · 02-24-2008, 02:58 AM

Oh well. That's what living the nomadic life will do to you.

I'm sure we'll bump into each other some time though..and Australia is definitely on my list.

**raoulduke** · 02-24-2008, 03:01 AM

It was optimistic to expect you to actually be in your home country.

There'll always be some beers waiting for you in Melbourne.

**freespiritz** · 02-24-2008, 03:22 AM

True, maybe you could swing by Italy, or Spain, or France, or Croatia, or Austria, or Nepal, or India, or the US instead?

Enjoy SEA though!! You'll have a blast...and don't put off going to Malaysia just because I'm not there.

**Esterina** · 03-14-2008, 09:48 AM

Sorry to reply so late. University is keeping me tooooo busy.

I spent Christmas 2003 in Hanoi, with two other backpackers I had met on the road. If you are looking for a blastlike ambiance, it isn't the best destination -My guess would be to head to Phuket or Bangkok. However, for the experience, it was worth it.

In fact, there is only one reason why I'd suggest Hanoi for Christmas : downtown's metamorphosis into a surreal sea of young Vietnamese occupying the streets, with several wearing Christmas hats or dressed in Santa Claus. The crowd gets so dense that no car is able to circulate in the area during the evening.

However, after about 10:00 pm, it comes to an end. Quiet sleeping city.

Early evening, we went to a chic restaurant and had a huge meal (we ate for two hours!) with wine, for the amount of... $4 per person !!!!!!! After walking the streets downtown, and going to the only Christian church of the city, we had lychee alcohol in a bar where you have to take your shoes off and sit on the carpet.

Went back to the hostel at 1:00 am only, and it was closed. I thought because it was Christmas they'd change the opening hours, but no.

In conclusion : quiet but surreal, a very cultural experience !

**raoulduke** · 03-15-2008, 08:49 PM

Thanks for sharing Esther, the pace sounds a bit too slow for my liking.

My aunties friends works in a Cambodian orphanage so i think I'm going to volunteer there over Christmas then hit the party beaches for New Years.