Cycle Southeast Asia: Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, Self-Launched

Land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and take the Airport Rail Link (45 THB / ~£1) or the S1 bus into the city. Check into a hostel or guesthouse in Banglamphu or along the river (dorms £8-12, private rooms £15-22). Spend the afternoon sorting a bike: rental shops cluster on Khao San Road and Soi Rambuttri, with decent hybrids/tourers at roughly 300-500 THB/day (~£7-11); buying a new 7,000-9,000 THB hybrid and reselling in Saigon often works out cheaper for two weeks. Ride the Thonburi canals or do a riverside warm-up loop, then eat a street-food dinner around Banglamphu — the original tour opens with a group dinner, so swap that for a plate of pad thai at Thipsamai or a night market crawl in Chinatown.

🚌Airport Rail Link ~£1; local cycling and river ferry ~£1

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Banglamphu / riverside (£8-15 pp)

• →Bike hire or purchase in Banglamphu
• →Optional river ferry to Thonburi canals
• →Yaowarat / Chinatown street-food crawl

Take the early train from Hua Lamphong/Krung Thep Aphiwat to Ayutthaya (3rd class, 20-35 THB / ~£1, 1.5-2 hrs) — many trains accept bikes for a small fee, or bag yours. Arrive, drop bags at a guesthouse inside the old city (twin rooms £10-16 pp), then hire a city bike locally (50-80 THB/day, £1.50-2) and ride the ruins at your own pace. Hit Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, Wat Phra Si Sanphet and Wat Mahathat's famous tree-wrapped Buddha head, finishing with Wat Lokayasutharam and its 42m reclining Buddha — the ride the original itinerary does on day two. Buy the 220 THB/£5 temple pass direct at the ticket office.

🚌Train Bangkok–Ayutthaya ~£1; local bike hire ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Ayutthaya old city (£10-16 pp)

• →Cycling the Ayutthaya Historical Park
• →Reclining Buddha at Wat Lokayasutharam
• →Wat Mahathat and Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon

Follow the original itinerary's long rural day but choose your own distance — 70-90km on flat, quiet roads through rice paddies, sugar cane and small temple towns, or shorten it by putting the bike on a 3rd-class train to Prachin Buri and riding the last 40km. No vehicle support here, so plan water stops at 7-Elevens and roadside noodle shacks and start at first light to beat the heat. Stay in a simple hotel in Kabin Buri (twin rooms £10-15 pp) and refuel with grilled chicken (gai yang) and som tam from the market.

🚌Own/short-stay bike hire ~£5; optional train to Prachin Buri ~£1

🛏Basic town hotel, Kabin Buri (£10-15 pp)

• →Self-navigated cycling through rural Thai farmland
• →Local market food stop
• →Optional detour to village temples

Ride or shuttle to Nakhon Nayok for the Khun Dan Prakan Chon Dam — the world's longest roller-compacted concrete dam — where you can rent a scooter or bike and cruise the top of the dam for a few pounds. After lunch, head to Wang Takhrai Park for a dip in the cold stream (entry ~20-40 THB / £1), exactly the refreshing swim the tour does. In the afternoon take a bus back to Bangkok (minivans Nakhon Nayok–Mo Chit ~£3, ~2 hrs) and overnight near Don Mueang for an easy morning flight or a long overland run to Cambodia.

🚌Bike/scooter hire ~£4; minivan back to Bangkok ~£3

🛏Budget hotel near Don Mueang, Bangkok (£10-16 pp)

• →Cycling across Khun Dan Prakan Chon Dam
• →Swim in Wang Takhrai Park streams
• →Thung Yao Temple stop

Cheapest route is the bus from Bangkok's Mo Chit to Siem Reap with an operator such as Transport Co or a Nattakan/Giant Ibis service (~£18-22, 9-10 hrs including the Aranyaprathet–Poipet border, where you pay a modest 'stamping fee'). Faster is a direct AirAsia flight Don Mueang–Siem Reap, usually £40-60 booked ahead. Get your Cambodian e-visa online beforehand (~£25). Check into a guesthouse around Wat Bo or the Old Market (twin rooms £8-14 pp, pool guesthouses £18+) and hire a bike from a Siem Reap shop (~£5-8/day). Late afternoon, ride the Angkor Wat moat road and through nearby villages — the original's day five ride — then eat amok and lok lak on Pub Street's quieter back lanes.

🚌Overland bus Bangkok–Siem Reap ~£20, or flight £40-60; bike hire ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in Siem Reap (£8-16 pp)

• →Afternoon cycle along Siem Reap River and Angkor moat
• →Old Market wander
• →Khmer dinner in the Old Market area

Buy your own 1-day Angkor pass at the ticket office (US$37 / ~£29, cash or card, photo taken on site) and ride out before 5am with a head torch for sunrise at Angkor Wat's reflecting pool. Then loop the small circuit on quiet back tracks: Ta Prohm's tree-strangled towers (go early before the coach crowds), the Terrace of the Elephants and Bayon's 216 smiling faces at Angkor Thom, and the quieter east gate. Skip the guided group and use a free audio guide or a £3 e-guide app; a local tuk-tuk can shadow you with water for ~£12/day if you want backup. A 40-50km day, all flat — finish with a sunset from Phnom Bakheng if your legs allow.

🚌Bike hire ~£6; optional tuk-tuk support ~£6 pp

🛏Guesthouse in Siem Reap (£8-16 pp)

• →Angkor Wat sunrise (self-guided)
• →Ta Prohm temple
• →Angkor Thom and Bayon
• →Small circuit by bicycle

Ride the 35-40km north-west to Banteay Srei, the pink sandstone 'citadel of women' with its famously intricate carvings — go at opening (7:30am) to have it nearly to yourself. On the return loop take in the River of a Thousand Lingas (Kbal Spean, a short 1.5km uphill walk) or the rarely visited temples of East Mebon and Pre Rup. The original tour offers a Tonle Sap floating-village boat trip as an option — book the Kompong Khleang or Kompong Phluk trip direct with a local operator (~US$25-30 / £20-24 including transport) rather than through a hotel desk, or simply explore Siem Reap Market and the Angkor National Museum (£10) in the afternoon.

🚌Bike hire ~£6; optional Tonle Sap tour transfer included in trip price

🛏Guesthouse in Siem Reap (£8-16 pp)

• →Banteay Srei temple by bike
• →Optional Kbal Spean
• →Optional Tonle Sap floating village boat trip
• →Siem Reap Market

Rent a bike or hire a shared taxi for the ride to Sambor Prei Kuk, the 7th-century pre-Angkorian brick sanctuaries about 30km north of Kompong Thom (£15-20 split between four; a bike day is ~£8 plus pass ~£3). Break the journey in Kompong Thom for a community-restaurant lunch of Khmer curry and prahok, then take a local bus or shared minivan down to Phnom Penh (4-5 hrs, ~£7-9). Overnight in a guesthouse near the riverside or Street 240 (£10-18 pp) and eat dinner on Sisowath Quay.

🚌Shared taxi/minivan Kompong Thom ~£4-5 pp; bus to Phnom Penh ~£8

🛏Riverside guesthouse or budget hotel, Phnom Penh (£10-18 pp)

• →Sambor Prei Kuk pre-Angkorian temples
• →Community restaurant lunch in Kompong Thom
• →Riverside evening in Phnom Penh

A heavy but essential day. Start at the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (US$10 / ~£8, go at 8am opening to dodge heat and crowds), then walk to the National Museum (£5). Tuk-tuk to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21, US$5 / £4) and take the excellent audio guide (~£3) — allow two hours. In the afternoon head 15km out to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields (US$6 / £5 with audio guide); a tuk-tuk there and back is about £10-12 round trip, or share with other travellers from your hostel. Round off with the Russian Market for cheap eats and a quiet dinner on the Mekong waterfront.

🚌Tuk-tuks around the city and to Choeung Ek ~£8-10 pp shared

🛏Riverside guesthouse or budget hotel, Phnom Penh (£10-18 pp)

• →Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum with audio guide
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Russian Market

Bus or shared taxi from Phnom Penh to Takeo (2 hrs, ~£4), then get your Vietnamese e-visa (US$25 / ~£20, apply online 5-7 days ahead) stamped at the Phnom Den–Tinh Bien land crossing. There are no tourist bikes for hire at the border, so the practical self-launched version is: take a shared taxi or local bus from Takeo to the border (~£3-5), walk through immigration, then pick up a xe om or shared taxi to Chau Doc (~£4-6) and hire a bicycle there (~£3/day) for an afternoon of riding the canals and Sam Mountain's temple steps. Overnight in a cheap hotel in Chau Doc (£10-15 pp).

🚌Bus to Takeo ~£4; shared taxi to border ~£4; local transport to Chau Doc ~£5; bike hire ~£3

🛏Budget hotel in Chau Doc (£10-15 pp)

• →Phnom Den / Tinh Bien land border crossing
• →Afternoon canal cycling around Chau Doc
• →Sunset at Sam Mountain pagoda

Bus or shared minivan from Chau Doc to Vinh Long (3-4 hrs, ~£7), then take the local car ferry across to An Binh Island (~£1). Hire a bike on the island or in Vinh Long (~£3-4/day) and spend the afternoon riding narrow concrete lanes between fruit orchards and canal bridges, past brick kilns and coconut-candy workshops. Book a homestay direct through the An Binh Island families or a local operator like Mekong Rustic (~£15-20 pp including a home-cooked dinner and breakfast) — the overnight home stay is the heart of the original itinerary. Evening is rice wine, fresh Mekong fish and a very early night.

🚌Minivan Chau Doc–Vinh Long ~£7; ferry ~£1; bike hire ~£4

🛏An Binh Island homestay, dinner and breakfast included (£15-20 pp)

• →Cycling Mekong Delta villages
• →Ferry to An Binh Island
• →Village walk and homestay dinner

Take a small boat to Cai Be's floating market (shared boat ~£5-8; arrange the night before on the island or at Cai Be dock), then walk or ride the lanes to family workshops producing popped rice, rice-paper pancakes and rice wine — sample everything. Cycle Cai Be to Cai Lay through orchards (20-25km on flat lanes). In the late afternoon catch a local bus or shared minivan to Ho Chi Minh City (2-3 hrs, ~£6-8) and check into a hostel in District 1 or the backpacker belt of Pham Ngu Lao (£8-14 pp dorm, £18-25 private).

🚌Shared boat ~£7; bike hire ~£4; bus to HCMC ~£7

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, District 1 / Pham Ngu Lao (£8-20 pp)

• →Cai Be floating market
• →Popped rice, pancake and rice wine workshops
• →Orchard cycling Cai Be–Cai Lay

Ride or walk the city: War Remnants Museum (£2), Reunification Palace (£2.50), Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, Ben Thanh Market for coffee and lunch. In the afternoon book a Cu Chi Tunnels half-day direct with a local operator such as Kim Travel or Saigon Tourist (~US$15-20 / £12-16 including the 90-minute bus and entry) — the DIY version is the public bus 13 to Cu Chi (7,000 VND) plus the £4 entry, but the tunnels are 50km out and a tour is far less hassle. Finish with a rooftop beer over the Saigon River and bun cha or banh xeo for dinner.

🚌Local buses and taxis ~£4; Cu Chi transfer included in tour price

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, District 1 (£8-20 pp)

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Reunification Palace and Notre Dame Cathedral
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour

A slow breakfast of pho and ca phe sua da, a final loop through Tao Dan Park or along the Saigon River promenade, and any last-minute souvenir shopping at Ben Thanh or the boutique shops on Dong Khoi. Sell your bike at one of the District 1 shops or on the Saigon Expats Facebook group if you bought one in Bangkok. Grab the public bus 109 (20,000 VND / ~£0.70) or a Grab car (~£6) to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your flight home, or extend your stay with a cheap hostel night and a side trip to the Mekong or Mui Ne.

🚌Bus 109 to airport ~£1, or Grab ~£6

🛏None (or optional extra hostel night £8-20)

• →Tao Dan Park morning ride
• →Ben Thanh Market souvenir shopping
• →Sell or return bicycle