Other places to visit during visit to Thailand

[mjd]

I've been to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Phuket, but am interested in learning if there are other countries/cities in SE Asia that would be good to visit. On my last trip I stopped in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon, Vietnam) are it was fun. I was told that Saigon was similar to Bangkok 20 years past. There were some fun gay clubs, one sauna (since raided I hear), and a beautiful gay-friendly hotel. Great sightseeing for anyone who remembers that war.

 

Any recommendations, guys?

[buckguy]

What are you looking for? I've been to about 2/3 of the provinces in Thailand and there's certainly more to see than Phuket, Chiang Mai Phi Phi, etc., but to some extent you need to be willing to leave the bubble of tourism designed for Westerners. If you're looking for saunas, etc., the pickings are rather limited in SE Asia away from the Thai tourist traps. There's plenty of cruising in Hanoi, but be prepared to get ripped off. Cambodia is wide open, but there's also a lot of danger. Laos has kept a lid on the sex industry. Hong Kong is beginning to open up, as is Shanghai, whereas gay venues in Beijing regularly are closed down for little reason, although the heterosexual sex industry thrives in China.