SE Asia: Best country to fly into/out of

[stwood8]

What is the best country to fly into/out of out of:  Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam.

I'm planning on visiting these countries, although with time restrictions maybe I will drop one of them.   I will be flying out South Korea, probably doing this for either my Summer or Winter vacation.  For ease of Visas and prices, which would be the best option to fly into and eventually fly out of?

Thanks!

[vw08]

In terms of cost, the least expensive option is to fly on AirAsiaX from Incheon to Kuala Lumpur.  I bought my tickets early and it ended up being about $350US round trip.  KL is the hub for AirAsia, so you can very easily fly everywhere in SE Asia from there.

It is very possible to fly into the other countries, but it will cost a lot more.

[Songwon]

Either Malaysia as the poster above me said, or Thailand.  Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam all require you to pay for visas, so if you want to go in, travel around to other countries and then go out through the same place you came in, you'll need to pay twice or get a multi-entry visa. 

[vw08]

Yes, for both Malaysia and Thailand, you do not need to get a visa prior to arrival and they are free.  In fact, when I had a layover in KL earlier this year, there wasn't even an arrival card to fill out.

For Vietnam, the visa is about 50USD for all the paperwork, Cambodia last I checked was 25USD and Laos I've heard is 35USD.  Multiple entry visas are possible, but cost more and can be problematic to get.

[stwood8]

Will the visas be needed to enter through the borders also?  I may go to Cambodia from Thailand on ground, so would I need to buy a visa that way, or only if I fly there?

I think $25-50 will be fine; however, I don't want an arduous process that could take days. 

By the way, after this post I found this website and have been doing quite a bit of research:
http://www.travelindependent.info/asia-indochina.htm

Hope this helps anyone else in their planning!

[vw08]

Will the visas be needed to enter through the borders also?  I may go to Cambodia from Thailand on ground, so would I need to buy a visa that way, or only if I fly there?

I think $25-50 will be fine; however, I don't want an arduous process that could take days. 

By the way, after this post I found this website and have been doing quite a bit of research:
http://www.travelindependent.info/asia-indochina.htm

Hope this helps anyone else in their planning!

Watch out, some countries have different regulations for visas if you are entering an overland border versus an airport.  I know that this is true for Vietnam. Yes, no matter which way you enter a country, if they require a visa you will need one.

Land borders are not as closely regulated as airports so there are sometimes discrepancies between what the law says and what you are asked to do/pay.  This is one of the reasons I almost always enter a new country by flying.  Flights in SE Asia tend to be pretty cheap and given the state of roads in come countries, I'm looking at you Cambodia, you can save many travel hours.

[vw08]

If you are planning overland border crossings, I just found an article that might be helpful http://www.cnngo.com/bangkok/visit/southeast-asia-travel-guide-overland-border-crossings-113837