Thank you for the good advice!

To saddlesores: I checked beforehand and Chinese visa's can be up to 90 days if you fill in a special form. And thank you for the guidance concerning the communication in China. A VPN is something I completely forgot! It is definitely a good idea, even outside of China. And the idea of buying a local SIM, at least for countries where I have an extended stay, is definitely a good one! I will further look into it. PS: Vietnam as a friend of mine went there and was telling me excitedly of its beauty

To mev: Thank you for your take on the timestamp. I had already looked at the weather and thought it would be fine, but clearly I might be cutting it too close. I will see if it is possible to depart earlier, in September! Also nice to have some reassurance with the camping situation in the US and your nice experience in Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Thanks to the both of you