I need some travel advice from Photographers who have been in Thailand Cambodia and Vietnam.
I will be spending few days in  following cities in January 2018

Bangkok
Phuket
Siem Reap
Chiang Mai
Hanoi
Halong Bay (day cruise)

I will be mostly in touristic areas for vacation, not alone and  with no specific plans to go in  isolated places or shoot professionally other then landscapes and scenery from local culture.
I am hesitating to pack expensive gear for the trip if there is a chance to be a target for thieves both in hotels and outside.

Any advice for my trip is appreciated.
Thanks

I've spent at least a week or two in each of the cities Bangkok ,Phuket, Chiang Mai .

To me BKK is much like any other city.  Te first trip there I even joked "I'm can't wait to get back to Las Vegas so I can eat some Thai food" as most of the restaurants were American brands. 

Phuket was outrageously humid when I was there.  I felt hot and sticky the moment I got out of the shower, so I'd jump right back in.  I wouldn't change lenses unless I was in a air conditioned room (dehumidified) for fear of getting moisture or condensation on internal parts.  I flew to Samui, an island off the east coast for a few days and it was much more tolerable, when I got back to Phuket is was that same horrible humidity.

Chiang Mai is much more comfortable.  It's in the north and higher elevation near the mountains. 

I never felt unsafe anywhere in the country, but you should still be careful with expensive products such as cameras.

I've never been, but a friend if mine used to go to that area every year. He'd start his trip in Vietnam, where he'd be measured for custom suits and shirts. Then he'd travel for two weeks, and go back to pick up his suits. He told me that the trip was basically free, compared to what he'd pay to have a few suits made in the States.

He also emphasized bringing duplicate or near-duplicate equipment. I printed his photos, and he was always telling me they weren't taken with his best lens or camera, or favorite film, because something went wrong or he ran out.

I can't give you many specifics since I haven't been, but he did tell me not to bother going to Ankhor Wat if I was just going for pictures. Apparently it's so overcrowded with photographers and tourists that the only way to avoid getting them in your shot - even if you're patient - is to take the same photos as everybody else at the same designated stops on the path. He said there are a few places where people literally wait in line for their turn to take the same picture. I believe he described it as 'the Disneyland of tragedy.'

Otherwise, you should be all set. He was (is?) something more than a tour grouper and less than an adventurer, and he got awesome photos absolutely every time he went. I'm sure you could do even better.

I like Viet Nam but when I got some nice cameras and all the gear that goes with them, I had the same concerns you did.  After lots of online shopping around, I ended up with the Pacsafe TravelSafe 5L GII and the PacSafe C35L, as well as the PacSafe C55L, a PacSafe CarrySafe 50, an Abus Titalium lock, a bunch of small TSA approved locks, and a Pelican S115 backpack as a carry-on.  Before I went out of the hotel room, I would lock everything to a large object like a Vietnamese carved wooden sofa or a rail or pipe, make sure everything was secure, and take a picture of this with the phone.  While this wasn't the most secure way to protect my gear, it was lots easier than having to take it with me everywhere or stay in and watch over it.  I don't think anyone could have stolen my gear inconspicuously or without coming back with a die grinder or something.  Besides, in the nicer hotels there are tons of video cameras in the halls.  The backpack is lockable and the CarrySafe 50 cannot be cut off your wrist by a thief with a razor.  This gear helped protect my stuff over a three week trip in the Mekong Delta and another three weeks in central Viet Nam.  The TravelSafe is where I kept my passport, cash, and smaller articles that could easily be removed from the PacSafe C35L or 55L.  Three fast zoom lenses, a full frame body and a speedlight or second body and a 15 inch notebook will easily fit in the back pack, which will not fit under all airline seats but will fit under most of them.  The entire backpack can fit inside the PacSafe C55L.  Another item important for lenses is the Gary Fong GearGuard Lens Lock, which makes it hard for someone to just walk off with one of your lenses.  Consider looking into the cost on your airline for an extra checked bag, and look into just how many combined suitcase inches you can take.  For just a few hundred dollars, I was able to take lots more gear, though this might not be good for some travelers who don't just stay in one hotel their whole trip like I do.  If you are going to be using motorbikes, consider bringing a nice helmet from your own country.

While it's a nice place with very interesting architecture and trees overall, some places I found most interesting or photogenic in my three weeks in Ha Noi include (more or less in alphabetical order) the B-52 lake, the B-52 Museum, Ba Dinh Square, Hồ Chí Minh Museum, Hồ Chí Minh Trail Museum, Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Hỏa Lò Prison, any of the other lakes not otherwise mentioned, the Bridge at Long Biên, Museum of Ethnology, Museum of Infantry, the Red River, Rising Force Museum: Armor, the Temple of Literature, any temple not otherwise mentioned, Trấn Quốc Pagoda, Viet Nam Fine Arts Museum, Viet Nam Military History Museum, Viet Nam Museum of Revolution, Viet Nam National Museum of History, Viet Nam People's Air Force Museum, Viet Nam People's Army Logistics Museum, Weapons Museum, Viet Nam Women's Museum, and any water puppet show.  Places I would not recommend include the Geology Museum (unless you smoke), the zoo (unless you are bringing kids), the Police Museum (to be fair, my only complaint is that they didn't let me in) and finally, I do not recommend the special forces museum (also didn't let me in but they did bring me a nice cup of tea while I waited to be asked a lot of questions) unless you bring a letter from your consulate for you and your group.  Just outside Ha Noi is Bat Trang pottery village, which wasn't really my thing though they did have some nice bon sai farms.  For three weeks I had the same motorbike driver, and he knew where to get anything I needed.

In case you don't already know from your previous travels, one way to be especially good to yourself is to take a phone that you can change the sim card on, so (almost) wherever you go, you will have cheap unlimited prepaid internet and not get lost, and be able to communicate with people, and to get away from where all the other tourists are if you feel like it.  Along practically any city street or just outside the airport door you will see signs that say "thẻ SIM" and a friendly person who will help you get hooked up dirt cheap in just a few minutes.  If you take a laptop, consider taking a long HDMI cable to use your hotel room's big screen as a monitor.  Even though you are not going by yourself, be sure to research ahead of time what areas to go to before you go, in case you want to do your own thing.   Don't be afraid to hire a taxi for a few hours or all day.  The reason I say this is because all too often it's easy to get into an uncomfortable arrangement such as a crowded bus, and having to hurry just to end up waiting for stragglers or for the seats to be sold out.  In Viet Nam, things like taxis (Vina Sun taxi has an app for your iPhone) and boats are incredibly cheap.  If you haven't prepaid everything already, don't do the tour company any big favor by getting stuck on an crowded bus for several hours when a couple million Dong will get you there in your own taxi or boat.

One night in Ha Noi, I was sitting quietly in the hotel room, and was wondering why I was hearing sounds as if someone was out on the fire escape, then heard some people approach the door, and give it a violent shaking.  Suddenly, the door opened, I stood up, and a man and woman said something and scurried off before I could ask them what they wanted.  I took pictures or video of the mechanism on the door, which was clearly faulty and took my phone to the front desk and using a series of messages already translated ahead of time by my phone I told the desk clerk what happened and was quickly and quietly upgraded to a more secure room with better view for free.  Check your door when you leave. You may be surprised how often doors in apparently nice hotels aren't really secure overseas.  Leave the lights off and windows closed when you are out in order to avoid attracting flying insects.  Be assertive with drivers and vendors.  One particularly innumerate motorbike rider I hired (when my usual one was unavailable) threatened to kill me right out in front of the Hilton Ha Noi Opera House, until I started pointing to him with one hand and waving at passing vehicles with the other.  He very quickly said "Okay, you go now!"

Also, if anyone is interested in where to get bespoke suits, you should probably go to Hoi An, and not Ha Noi.  While I have never been to Ha Long Bay, that's one place I'd want to get my own taxi (from Ha Noi, 75 bucks) and boat (all day, free to point my camera wherever I want and not have to see another tourist or get hit by a selfie stick).  Good luck to you, and may you come back with all your gear.

If you have the time, when in Viet-Nam, go to Sapa near the Chinese border and visit various Mnong villages.

plenty info on this forum

http://www.photographythailand.com/Forum/

Thank you all for all your sound advice
I appreciate it.
I was told January is the "burning season" . Someone recommended I  bring over  a mask  because of air quality during busy touristic season and pollution etc, Does anyone had concerns about dust messing up their camera and lenses while over there?
Is the Elephant sanctuary worth the trip?

Thanks again

My comments relate to Cambodia.

Personally, I would not bother with Siem Riep.  It exists solely to exploit Ankor Wat and is a unidimensional tourist trap.

Phnom Penh is far more interesting and more diverse (but still a relatively small town).  I spent nearly all of my time there on foot and traversed most of the town, but never felt unsafe.  For $10 you can hire a tuk-tuk (motor-cycle tricycle) for a whole day.  The better drivers have good english, are knowledgeable, and can take you anywhere you want.  Tip them an extra $10 and they will walk on water for you.

If you are locked into Siem Riep, you can hire a car with driver and personal guide for $30-$40 day.  As with Phnom Penh, a good guide will be able to show you a lot of places that are not on the regular tourist route, like the floating city on the Tonle Sap

I worked in Thailand for a winter, and carried a camera a lot both for work documentation (environmental assessment on a military airport) and on weekends and evenings for personal use. No time for models, we were working long days six days a week. I did of necessity travel pretty light, one body and one lens and usually it wasn't conspicuous. Most of the time was in Bangkok, some on the Gulf of Thailand coast and a day near the Cambodian border.

Overall, it's pretty safe. One colleague had a wallet stolen on one of the river taxis, so as in any city pay attention and hang on to anything valuable, there are opportunists everywhere. I did not see any high risk of violent crime anywhere though, and we were out a lot at night just because it wasn't as hot. I was nowhere near the small parts of the country with insurgency issues though.

I was there in dry season, it could get interesting protecting gear in rainy season. Any time of year the heat and humidity could eventually become a factor.

One note: I was there long enough to understand that businesspeople are treated very differently than tourists. If I ever go back as a tourist, I will dress like a businessman when in the city. The locals take a much longer view of expats living and working in the area, while tourists are a fleeting resource with money. In general, a little advance work to understand the culture will be of great value and make for a more pleasant trip.

I spent time in Cambodia and Thailand.  Found the people to be nice and felt safe at all times.  That said, I replaced my Nikon camera strap with a strong, generic one.  I also placed electrical tape over the Nikon identification parts of the camera.  I did that figuring that, if someone were planning on stealing my camera or bag while out and around, they would look more seriously for more prominent targets. Have left the tape on and traveled all over the world. Mostly, when I go out, now, no one gives my camera a second look.

I have been going to Thailand 2-3 times a year for the last 4 years.
I can only speak from my time in BKK and Pattaya...
Bangkok is my favorite place in the world:)...The Thais are almost exclusively Buddhist and have a culture based on
respect and calmness.
I have NEVER felt unsafe there...I hope your experience matches mine:)
Pattaya is a beach town and attracts a rowdy bunch during the "winter" months...most problems are caused by drunk tourists,
NOT Thai people...
If you are cruising "Beach Road" at 2 in the morning you WILL meet some scammers and thieves...otherwise it's your typical beach town.
As already mentioned,it is hot and humid nearly every day and it can rain quite hard...but usually only for an hour:)
If you play golf,the courses are quite nice...but play in the early mornings to avoid the mid-day heat.
And some of the courses have really gorgeous Thai girls for "Caddies"...very enjoyable day.
I look for hotels with swimming pools...it's nice to just sit in the water with a cold beer on a hoy day!
Very nice hotels in BKK are only $45-$55 per night...VERY nice places in that price range!!!

Soooooooo...Re: gear:The first time I went I took 2 DSLR bodies,3 lenses,3 speedlites and 2 gadget bags.
It became a burden quite quickly and sometimes I was just plain sorry that I had packed so heavily.
Since then,I take 2 Micro 4/3 Panasonic bodies,a 24mm 2.0,a 60mm 1.4 and a tiny speedlite...I'm happy with the size weight,
speed and vision this small stuff provides me.
Honestly...the 24mm is my fave lens and it gets used 80% of the time.
I'm sure we all have a favorite lens in our bags.
I also travel with an Asus Zen Book...never had a prob leaving it on the desk of my hotel room.
Again...the Thais are by nature a very honest,hard working people.
Of course...your mileage may vary...

Leave any fears and paranoia you may have here in the States and enjoy your trip...I'm jealous...LOL:^))

Hi,

I was in Hanoi, Vietnam for 2 weeks in the end of November 2017 (business trip).

I liked the food, weather and people. I was walking in the city center for hours every day after work(after sunset). It was save for me, just have to know that in the Old Quarter a lot of people are trying to sell you something and could be annoying. I liked the Long Bien railway bridge - it was very interesting old bridge where a lot of local people were making photoshoots.If you haven't seen communist mausoleum you can check the Ho Chi Minh's in Hanoi. Around the Hoam Kiem lake is nice.
About the people - the normal people are usually friendly, but most of them don't speak English and it's hard to communicate.

I was also considering a day trip to Halong Bay, but it's too much travel for one day. Halong Bay is not that far away, but the Vietnamese roads and motorways are really slow (at least around Hanoi). 2 days would be better.
Instead of this I went for one day boat trip to Trang An.


I took a lot of pictures, it might be better to "talk" with the gallery:
https://nonchoiliev.com/vietnam2017


P.S. Ask if you need more specific info

Halong Bay is a beautiful place in any weather except heavy rain and dense fog.  It's definitely worth a trip.  The 3 day, 2 night trip is the best if it's within your budget.

I thought Sapa and the nearby ethnic villages were a bit of a tourist trap, though there are many opportunities for fine pictures, particularly if you do one of the treks to the villages with a local guide.  At the main square in Sapa, there's always a lot of activity and lots of opportunities for candid people pictures.

Ninh Binh, south of Hanoi, is a beautiful place and well worth a trip.  There are boat tours through the beautiful karst landscape and caves that offer some excellent photo opportunities.  Many satisfactory accommodations are ridiculously cheap there.

If you go as far south as Hoi An in Vietnam, just rent a motorbike and head across the river.  You'll find a lot of great places to explore, including beautiful rice fields with water buffalo, wooden boat building facilities, bamboo splitting factories, small settlements with friendly people.  It's a great location for photos.

It's true that Siem Reap and the temples there are flooded with tourists, but (particularly at Ta Prohm) you can find places within the temple complexes to get great photos without other tourists in the picture.  There are numerous large courtyards there, and if you go off the beaten path to the far corners of the courtyards, you'll find some excellent photo opportunities.

Angkor Wat is very crowded.  The best view is on the west side.  There's a long stone approach with two large rectangular pools just before you reach the temple.  There's an excellent view from the southern pool with a nice reflection of the temple in the water.   If you go to the edge of the water, there won't be anyone in front of you, and the people on the far side are so small that they're inconspicuous in the photos.

If you really want interesting photos in any of the SE Asia countries, just get out into the countryside and explore the small villages and the scenery where the tourists don't go.  The people are very friendly and usually are very happy to be photographed. 

Be sure to carry a rain sleeve for your camera at all times, as downpours can come out of nowhere with little warning.  In the dry season, the roads can be very dusty, and you can use the rain sleeve to protect against dust.  You won't want to change lenses in places like that.  I found that the best approach for me was to use a full frame DSLR with a versatile 24-120 /f4 lens.  That worked well for almost everything except for wildlife photos.

As to protecting your gear from theft, the only problems with theft that I heard were thefts by other tourists.  I had no difficulties myself  I didn't stay at the guest houses, and I understand that's where most of the problems are. Some hotel in-room safes are large enough for a laptop and a large DSLR but many aren't.  I always felt comfortable locking my gear in my suitcase if the safe was too small.  If you want more security, you can take a steel cable and lock your suitcase to the furniture.  I was staying at mostly 4 start hotels, and your experience could be different elsewhere.

Was in Koh Samui last November..
Ver6 safe..also veRyan cheap,you can get in a 4 or 5 star resort/hotel for the cost of a 2 to 3 star here in the states..

Depending on what you are shooting..you can very easily ge5 away with 1 DSLR , speed light and lens

Also..not knowing what the wewthr is l8ke in Jan..we had an unusually la5e ending monsoon season thato week. So there was always some sort of cloud cover..if it's that way you won't ever have tk deal with harsh light meaning you can get awa6 with just natural light (but I'd still bring some sort of light)


Oh
Massages are 5-10 American dollars for an hour...treat yourself,especially if you are doing some hiking

I am going to Thailand from 20-30 of septemeber. COntact me if you want to work with me and dont lost your chance to create some incredible pics. I am lingerie, bikini, art and erotic nude model. Take a look to my portfolio.

My IG:   ny_julia
             nyuliia

Best regards, Julia