Few of the buses (these days, none) are as risky as transport between wherever you are staying and the airport and vice versa can be.

Nobody I have ever talked to (5 people) including me, would ever go back to Koh Phangan for the full moon party under any cirtcumstance. The boat trip out there is very risky, the amount of date rape by strangers is seismic, and nearly always 2 to 5 people die at each party and another 1 to 2 people in addition to that are never seen again.

Yeah, there's close to 20,000 people that go. But, it is a lawless place and very dangerous to drink there.

That is not "incredible" to smart people, unfortunately. My trip was 2 years ago.

Didn't know things got so rough out at these full moon parties..!!

I couldn't agree more.

Aside from more drunk tourists than normal what's the difference full moon or not? The boats are the boats, dumb drunk foreigners will act like dumb drunk foreigners. People get preyed on in Thailand by "tourists" and locals. Transports dodgy. There are way to many tourists. Kinda comes with Thailand today.

Let me put in a plug for Vietnam - a wonderful country that's changing fast. As long as you do a little research, Vietnam can be an excellent choice for a first trip to the area. The people are awesome and so is the food.

Wherever you go in SE Asia, you can't beat the advice you will get at Travelfish.org since this is the region of the world that they specialize in.

You should go to Cambodia. Cambodia is perfectly safe. The temples of Angkor Wat outside Siem Reap are one of the most magnificent sights in the world.

Phnom Penh has good nightlife. Cambodian women swoon over 26 year old white guys, especially if you are not dressed like a dirt poor backpacker.

If you have the money ($100 - $150 each way) you should fly between Bangkok and Cambodia, as the overland trip is an uncomfortable all day affair. I would recommend a circle trip Bangkok-Phnom Penh-Siem Reap-Bangkok in either order. Buses between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are frequent, comfortable, take five hours.

Here's a hilarious article I read on another website titled "Should American first time travelers visit Cambodia?" Has all the information you need:

http://khmer440.com/k/2011/07/should...isit-cambodia/

I known the author of that article personally. He's a funny guy but has a weird obsession with frequent flyer miles.

One reason that I do not recommend Vietnam for a first timer (the OP hasn't even left the US before!) is that there are soooooo many scams. I don't mean pick pockets or the like. I mean being told one thing, then seeing another. Being lied to. Overcharged. I experienced this everywhere in Vietnam (but mostly in Hanoi). You really have to be on your guard, and even then you will still get taken a few times.

Personally, I thought the food was VERY bland (compared with Thai food).

Vietnam is definitely a great place to visit and will only get better as they develop more areas. I would just caution the OP against visiting Vietnam for his first experience outside of the United States. The people are great, the prices are unbelievable (like Thailand was several years ago), and BIA HOI!!!!!!!!!!

There are tourist scams everywhere in the world, but Vietnam was the worst I ever experienced. In the grand scheme of your life, it's not much money, but it kind of leaves you with a sour feeling.

CrazyInteg - you are probably right. VN has changed so much - no scams at all during my first trip in 1993. Red tape and other hassles, yes. But scams, no. I stopped off in Bangkok for a day on my way to VN and got scammed there. So I've always felt VN is rather innocuous - but of course that's because it's become my second home. At first I didn't believe the stories I heard from tourists, but I now realise it's true - tourists do get scammed in VN and I agree that Hanoi is worse than Saigon. Most can be avoided with care - but as you say, for a first timer perhaps elsewhere is better. Either that, or go on a tour organised from home.

It's very important to look at the weather charts for Aug - pretty dicey most of SE Asia usually. It could be 'cats & dogs' 'till Nov. You want good beach weather in Aug - go to Bali, Lombok, the Gilis etc. Cheap fares on Air Asia from BKK. Koh Samui is supposed to be fairly dry in Aug and a good option, but expensive for a short flight. Can take train or bus & ferry cheaply. Angkor Wat is a must see. BKK is safe and cheap. $30 will get you a decent room. Maybe stay near Khao San Rd (the backpacker district). Don't be afraid of street food (except for shellfish sitting in the sun w/no ice). Cambodia is pretty safe, just don't be walking around drunk late at night on the dark streets. Take tuk tuks & motos A to B for 1 or 2 $. Sihanoukville is a great beach town and super cheap, but in Aug in could be 'monsooning' bad. Flights BKK-PNH should only cost you $40- 50 max EW (not $100-150). Do your research 1st and you'll have a ball. wj

+1 for the Philippines. The country is generally off the beaten track, so you'll have a bounty of sites to go to which are not as frequented as their other Southeast Asian counterparts. :D

You are absolutly right. Vietnam got quite a bit of bad reputation on this and the country can be a bit rough for a first-time visitor to SE Asia. I spend 80-100 days a year working in Vietnam and I really love the country and the people there, but still sometimes I really get enough of all these annoying tricks and small scams some locals are pulling all the time. You newer really know what's around the next corner and you can newer take anything for granted.

I've had more attempted scams and seen more attempted scams in Bangkok than in Vietnam. Including attempted scams by train station workers and airport workers "oh, you want the 500bt note for your 600bht change, I must have forgot" :rolleyes: I will admit to seeing more pick pockets/petty theives/street scammers "help my school" in Vietnam but I haven't experienced the same tourist oriented scams there

I have found Vietnam to be the most scam-oriented, chiseling-type of place vs anywhere else in mainland SE Asia. More than Thailand. However, if you do some advance research and stay alert, you can mostly avoid these scams and still have a good time. Whether an inexperienced traveler can do that...I don't know.

That's all true, but I still enjoy VN a lot. The Vietnamese people are by in large wonderful. I love the way the little kids wave, smile, & yell 'hello' when you ride bikes through the villages. That's disarming. I've been scammed a few times too. They had a visa scam working out of the BKK Embassy. They would start your visa a day late and when you arrived at SGN - they would threaten to turn you around. Then you negotiate the bribe in the office. The official wanted $100. He got $40. This happened to about 8 people I know. So check the dates when you leave the consulate. We even bought counterfeit train tickets from the front desk of our hotel in HCMC. WHO COUNTERFEITS TRAIN TICKETS ? wj