Sunset Sihanoukville

The gateway to Amkar Thom

Fun in the sea, Sihanoukville

The boys enjoying pub street.

Vietnam/Cambodia 2015

Travelling around Thailand in September left me with a thirst for South East Asia that could only be quenched with further exploration of the region.

When a good friend of mine who serves in the armed forces and is currently based on a remote island in the Indian Ocean suggested we caught up, a whistle-stop tour of Vietnam and Cambodia seemed the obvious location.

With another friend in tow, I boarded a direct flight to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, the largest city in the country.

Excessive drinking and foolish tattoos aside, I found Ho Chi Minh City to be a city with little obvious trace of a communist government, despite being one of the last remaining socialist states.

Ho Chi Minh reminded me of Bangkok in terms of its bustle, everywhere you look business booms with leading global names and locals competing to get you into their bars and restaurants.

I’m told that the main state control involves industries like fuel and I’m not fully aware and qualified to comment on how the state operates, but what was apparent was the pride and patriotism of the Vietnamese people.

Flags hang from doorways and all the locals seem proud of the fact that their people have seen off various military threats over the years.

Our sightseeing tours included a trip to the war museum which included exhibits from the conflict with America. Particularly distressing were the images of deformed people who are still suffering as a result of agent orange, a herbicide sprayed by American jets.

Also of poignant interest was a trip to the Chi Chi Tunnels, a network of underground tunnels that Vietcong troops used when the conflict raged.

We were shown the barbaric traps used to keep the American soldiers at bay and even went into the tunnels ourselves. They were incredibly narrow , dark and sweltering and it was hard to believe that 25,000 fighters would be down there during the airstrikes.

Light relief from learning about the complex conflict came in the form of a spectacular waterpark with little regard for health and safety and many drinks, which culminated in me committing the cardinal sin. Wandering off drunk alone and returning minus a wallet.

Fortunately my bank was efficient and fast in returning my money and so we proceeded into Cambodia.

Arriving in Phnom Penh we did wonder slightly what we had let ourselves in for.

The part of the city we arrived in looked more like deprived areas of India, with manic traffic and dirty looking people trading in makeshift shacks.

After a dining mix-up and a relatively early night we headed to the Killing Fields.

For those who aren’t aware, they are a series of sites across Cambodia where former leader Pol Pot executed those who didn’t fit his vision of a communist workers utopia when he seized power.

We wandered around the site examining the relics, guided by our tour headphones and to contemplate the barbaric atrocities that took place in the grounds was a harrowing experience, similar to a trip to a concentration camp I had undertaken many years earlier.

The site still featured bones of the victims who were often bludgeoned to death as bullets were considered too expensive.

After a night spent sampling the city’s nightlife and uncovering a far more glamorous area of the city, we headed for the beach paradise of Sihanoukville, or so we thought.

In a mad rush we boarded the bus that we thought was heading that way, only to twig part way into the journey that we were instead destined for Kampot.

After arriving in Kampot and finding a bed for the night, the quiet riverside town actually provided a nice night’s respite, as we took a cruise down a river to check out the beautiful fireflies who buzz around the trees on the water’s edge.

The next morning we double checked, and got on the correct bus bound for Sihanoukville.

Sihanoukville presented a mix of idyllic beaches and crazy nightlife.

The town provided us with little in the way of culture as we spent our days drinking on the white sand beach until sunset, before joining the other backpackers indulging in cheap booze and other questionable substances that we did not dare try.

With our bodies pushed to the limit we were somewhat glad to escape Sihanoukville and touch down in Siem Reap an old colonial town and home of the world famous heritage site Angkor Wat.

We felt it as our duty to rise at 4:30am to head to Angkor Wat to watch sunrise. Suspecting that we would be some of only few was a mistake, it seemed every visitor to Siem Reap made the trek and joins the scrum for the perfect photograph.

After inspecting other, arguably more impressive temples, we grabbed some rest before heading out for a night on the backpacker’s haven Pub Street and contemplating another looming hangover.

We then headed back to Ho Chi Minh City in preparation of our flight home.

Although I missed my girlfriend at home terribly, I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to visit two countries so rich in culture, butwith such a barbaric recent history.

My two travel companions were great fun and we didn’t conflict at all despite our fair share of mishaps.

Given more time we would have liked to have headed to north Vietnam and places such as the world famous Ha Long Bay, but I remain content that we squeezed in as much as our two weeks allowed.

With Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand all conquered in parts, I think it is unlikely that I’ll travel to that part of the world again soon, however friendly locals, rich culture, low prices, hot weather and beautiful scenery will continue to attract visitors for years to come.

I am now back at my desk job and returning to my routine of working, studying for a promotion, sport and spending time with Lucy.

In September we will travel to Croatia for a week, another country that I have heard rave reviews about and look forward to visiting.