The Best of Southeast Asia: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam

After you enroll, we’ll ask you to provide or update your personal information and preferences, which includes your health information, lodging and meal preferences for your program.

Passport and visas are required.

A passport is required for this program. It must be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.

This information about travel documents pertains to participants holding U.S. passports. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

Vietnam

• Your passport must have 2 blank passport page(s) for entry/exit visas in this country.

• A travel visa is required and it must be obtained in advance.

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

• Your visa can be secured electronically. You may use the services of our designated visa service, Passport Visa Express, please see details on the process and the price at Passport Visa Express. If you prefer you may secure your electronic visa on your own, see the notes below for details.

Please note: A single-entry electronic visa valid for 30 days can be purchased online at https://evisa.gov.vn/. The cost is US$25. You will need to have the details of your arrival port, departure port and the address of your first accommodation when filling out your online application. Alternatively, you can get your eVisa submission completed by Passport Visa Express at www.passportvisasexpress.com/roadscholar for a fee of US$122. Please note that it takes a minimum of 7 working days for the visa to be approved. We strongly encourage you to apply for your visa no later than four weeks in advance of your program. Please be extremely careful when applying for your visa and ensure that ALL details entered match exactly with the details in your passport. This includes, for example, entering your middle name in your visa application if a middle name is shown in your passport. Once you have received it, please print a copy of your e-visa letter and carry it with you to Vietnam.

Thailand

• Your passport must have 1 blank passport page(s) for entry/exit visas in this country.

• A travel visa is not required

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

Please note: No Tourist Visa required for stays under 30 days. Note: A Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is required to enter Thailand. You can complete the online form for the TDAC up to 3 days (72 hours) before your arrival at https://tdac.immigration.go.th. View the program notes section of your mailing for information needed for the form.

Laos

• Your passport must have 2 blank passport page(s) for entry/exit visas in this country.

• A travel visa is required and it must be obtained in advance.

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

Please note: We recommend obtaining a Lao eVisa at https://laoevisa.gov.la/info prior to departing your home for your program. The steps are simple and clearly laid out. The cost is currently US$50. Alternatively, you can obtain a visa upon your arrival in Laos. To do this, you will need at least 2 blank pages marked "VISA" for your visa and additional room for entry and exit stamps ("Amendment" pages will not work). You will also need to bring 2 passport-size photos with you. You must have at least six months validity in your passport.

Cambodia

• Your passport must have 4 blank passport page(s) for entry/exit visas in this country.

• A travel visa is required and it may be obtained upon arrival.

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

Please note: All passengers travelling to Cambodia by air are required to submit an electronic arrival card no earlier than 7 days before their arrival. This new 'Cambodia e-arrival card' can be accessed and submitted only via the official website (www.arrival.gov.kh) or through the app available from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Please note that this Cambodia e-arrival card is mandatory. The same platform can also be used to reserve and pay for an e-Visa on arrival. You will need to submit a photograph electronically as part of this process. The cost for the e-Visa is US$36. Alternatively, a 30-day single entry Tourist Visa can be secured upon arrival in Cambodia. If you choose this method, you will need 2 passport-size photos (2x2 inch) and 4 blank passport (not "Endorsement") pages. The visa costs US$30 (subject to change and local administration fee) and must be paid in US$. Please have an exact amount ready; dollar bills must be clean and crisp, without tears or ink marks.

Though all efforts will have been made to keep health and hygiene practices at the optimum standard, please note that diarrhea is quite common when traveling in Asia. This illness can be caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, contaminated food or water. Infections may cause diarrhea and vomiting (E. coli, Salmonella, cholera, and parasites), fever (typhoid fever and toxoplasmosis), or liver damage (hepatitis). You should be up-to-date with your routine vaccines, such as for Covid-19, influenza, MMR, chickenpox (or varicella), polio and DPT. The CDC also recommends Hepatitis A and Typhoid shots. Malaria pills and a tetanus booster may both be worth considering. Please consult your physician or travel clinic about other vaccine/medication recommendations.

If Road Scholar is arranging your air travel to and from the program, and you travel on the scheduled start and end dates, you’ll receive free round-trip transfers from the airport to the hotel.

Arrival day is on December 1, 2025

Meet the group at Ramada Plaza Bangkok Menam Riverside Hotel in Bangkok

Start of Trip:  2:00 p.m. hotel check-in. 5:00 p.m. orientation. Due to varied arrival patterns, the welcome dinner takes place on Day 4.

Getting to the site: Only participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare and who are arriving on the day the program commences in Thailand will be provided an arrival transfer from the Bangkok airport to the first program hotel. Participants who have not purchased Road Scholar airfare are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements and the costs involved. To take a taxi from the airport to the hotel, take the escalator down to the public taxi stand on the ground floor. Take a ticket from the taxi queue machine and proceed to the line number indicated on your ticket. Queue and board your taxi. Taxis must be certified to pick up from the airport. The taxis have a metered fare structure - the fare to the hotel should be around 500 baht - plus a 50 baht airport surcharge and expressway fees. Alternatively, there is also an Airport Limousine service that will cost around 1500 baht. This can be booked at the AOT Limousine counters in the terminal. Hotel check-in is available from 2:00 p.m. onward on the program start date (Day 3). If you arrive a few hours early, the hotel can store your luggage at the front desk until check-in time. If you wish to check-in upon arrival early in the morning, or if you arrive a day or more before the program starts, we suggest booking additional pre-program nights in advance with the hotel directly or via a third-party website.

Your trip ends on: Friday, December 19, 2025 in Hanoi at Mercure Hanoi La Gare Hotel

End of Trip: 7:00 a.m. after breakfast. 12:00 noon hotel check-out.

Getting to the airport: Only participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare and who are departing on the day the program concludes in Vietnam will be provided a departure transfer from the last program hotel to the Hanoi airport. Participants who have not purchased Road Scholar airfare, or who are departing on a different day, are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements and the costs involved. The cost of a taxi from our hotel to Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi, is approximately $20 (455,000 Vietnamese dong [VND] – be prepared to pay in dong). Recommended taxi companies are Taxi Group (red stripe), Viet Thanh Taxi (blue stripe) and Noi Bai Taxi (yellow stripe). Hotel check-out is at 12:00 noon on the last program date (Day 21) of your itinerary. If you depart a few hours later, the hotel can store your luggage at the front desk until you leave. If you wish to arrange a late check-out or post-program night(s), we suggest booking in advance with the hotel directly or via a third-party website.

Information if you are purchasing your own airfare: Participants who have not purchased airfare through Road Scholar are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements to the first site at the beginning of the program, as well as from the last site at the end of the program. The Information Packet Road Scholar sends in advance of the program includes details needed to make your transfer arrangements. If you wish to purchase airfare through Road Scholar, please call (800) 241-1404. Please note: In the unlikely event Road Scholar must make changes to the program's arrival or departure details, we will notify all participants as soon as possible. Participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare are protected against airline change fees; however, anyone who has not purchased Road Scholar airfare will be required to make their own adjustments and may incur fees imposed by the airline.