41 days in Southeast Asia Itinerary

While most Southeast Asian countries have at least one booming metropolis, none seem to bustle nearly throughout like Vietnam does. While busy locals zoom about on motorbikes, visitors fill their Vietnam vacations with a mix of cultural sightseeing and exploring the landscape. Big cities and towns boast colonial architecture, open-air markets, outstanding spa complexes, and modern restaurants. The country also features over 3,200 km (2,000 mi) of coastline dotted with sandy bays that attract scuba divers and kitesurfers. Away from busy urban centers, a tour of Vietnam reveals a rural landscape of lush rice paddies, jagged mountain peaks, and timeless villages unspoiled by the outside world.

The largest of Vietnam's islands, Phu Quoc combines tradition with modernity, and nature with nurture. Known for its pepper farming and fish sauce brewing, the island retains a charming rusticity in its fishing towns and inland plantations. Phu Quoc Island tourism developed rapidly, with a number of resorts sitting on the golden sands along the southwest coast. With half of the island registered as a national park, the dense jungles and mountains of the interior remain protected from overdevelopment--good news for wildlife living there, including slow lorises, macaques, owls, and tortoises.

Long overlooked by travelers due to its reputation as one of the world's poorest nations, Laos is drawing a growing number of visitors with its laid-back charm, natural beauty, and numerous archaeological sites and historic temples. Many visitors make the trip to Laos from nearby Thailand, combining the two neighboring countries into one memorable experience of Southeast Asia. Others focus their Laos vacation on the Mekong River, which serves as a major source of irrigation for local farms and represents a popular alternative for sightseeing by car. On top of the rich cultural heritage and impressive natural landscapes, its major treasure remains its people--friendly and devout Buddhists welcoming visitors with a genuine hospitality rarely felt in other parts of the world.

For over six centuries, the mighty Khmer Empire flourished in Cambodia, a scenic land of majestic temples, pristine waterfalls, and dense jungles. A protectorate of France between 1863 and 1953, the country suffered under the Khmer Rouge, a ruling party remembered mostly for its part in organizing the bloody Cambodian genocide of the 1970s. Today, a trip to Cambodia will reveal the region's troubled history, but also some of Southeast Asia's most significant archaeological sites. Few tourist attractions in Cambodia match the splendor of Angkor Wat, a World Heritage-listed temple complex that represents the biggest religious monument on the planet.

Offering a rich culinary heritage, sun-kissed beaches, exotic culture, tropical climate, and stunning landscapes, a Thailand vacation remains one of the world's greatest magnets for curious travelers. In between the busy and crowded cities, the Asian nation features a quiet countryside: a blend of lush rice paddies, flourishing tropical forests, and tiny villages living according to an age-old agricultural clock that continues to play a major role in the locals' lifestyle. A tour of Thailand reveals a deep devotion to Buddhism, exemplified by eye-catching temples lavishly decorated with golden Buddha statues, simple shrines, and lively religious festivals celebrated throughout the country.

Known for its outstanding natural beauty, the island of Ko Samui lies some 700 km (430 mi) south of Bangkok and features a palm-fringed coastline and hillsides shrouded in virgin rainforest. Take a trip to Ko Samui to discover a heaven for kayakers, snorkelers, and nature lovers of all ages. Together with about 60 other islands, Ko Samui is part of a sprawling marine national park sheltering a diverse wildlife that includes fish, frogs, otters, dolphins, monkeys, bats, turtles, iguanas, cobras, and hogs. Although you can tour Ko Samui's developed beaches in a few hours by car or motorcycle, the island is still large enough for serious adventures in the wild.