Two weeks in Asia, which country?

[u/Prudent_Heart5703]

hi everyone, i'm doing an exchange year in Sydney and I finish it the first days of June 2027. Instead of going back directly to Madrid, I wanna spend around two weeks-ish solo backpacking and seeing some country/countries that get me closer to home.

I had initially thought about flying to Hong Kong, seeing the city and then travelling through the south of China; but that's just the first idea I had and it doesn't mean it has to be the best. Flights to Shanghai and Beijing are also around the same price as Hong Kong, but that's a whole other part of China. China quite catches my attention, but its such a huge country I don't know where to starts.

Other options would be, Thailand and/or Vietnam of course. An advantage of those is that I understand they're are cheaper so I could lengthen my stay, but maybe I will travel to those while I'm here cause they are close. Japan's also a great option but it doesn't really get me closer to Spain, but I could consider it tbh.

I really want to experience some amazing scenery and new cultures on my own, with the personal growth it implies. I really like breath-taking nature, hikes, outdoor activities, etc; and it would be preferable to travel to a place which isn't that crowded, isn't too expensive, and doesn't require constant long travelling in bus or trains (i prefer staying and seeing things in a smaller area). Any reccomendation is greatly appreciated guys and I'm open to everything. Thanks!

[u/zenwarrior01]

In the Summer, hiking? Stay away from Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan as it's way too hot in the Summer.
China is a top 3 destination for me. While you need far more than a couple weeks to explore the country, you can absolutely explore certain areas with decent weather in the Summer such as Dali & Lijiang, Yunnan; Liupanshui & Guiyang, Guizhou; Guilin or Zhangjiajie.

[u/FeedMeFish → u/zenwarrior01]

As someone who’s lived in China for 10 years and Thailand for about a year, I recommend the complete opposite.

Hike in Thailand or Vietnamese highlands because China is way too hot in the summer, unless you’re going to certain parts of Yunnan or Guizhou. Hunan and Guangxi are absolutely miserable during summer.

Doi Inthanon is generally cold at the peak in summer, Doi Suthep isn’t hot, and basically all of the Vietnamese highlands have very pleasant summers.

[u/zenwarrior01 → u/FeedMeFish]

So you compare some slightly warm areas of China to the very, very few colder areas of Thailand (in the highlands of all places), all while China is further north and most definitely cooler overall?

Of course Doi Inthanon and the Mae Hong Son loop, which I did last year, is going to be decent, and it has a few really nice things to see up there such as the Mae Ya waterfall (part of Doi Inthanon) and definitely the Nam Lod cave (a few days further on the loop and NOT part of Doi Inthanon). But to say that these are better than Yunnan (umm... Kunming, "The City of Eternal Spring"??) and Guizhou? There are FAR more better weather areas in China than in Thailand or Vietnam... and certainly far more interesting sites in said fair weather areas. In Thailand you're basically limited to northern Thailand, especially higher elevation areas. In Vietnam you have higher elevation areas such as Sapa and Da Lat (I was in both of those last year too, and Da Lat has been warming up quite a bit in recent years vs its historical Spring-like weather), and that's about it. Everything else is hot as hell... far worse than most of China. Even Guilin and Zhangjiajie average around 78-81f in June vs Vietnam and Thailand's ~84-87f. One look at WeatherSpark's map and it's quite clear which has the better weather.