Southeast Asia Discovery: Seasides and Street Food — Self-Launched

Land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and take the Airport Rail Link into town (~£1) or a metered taxi (~£8). Check into a hostel on or near Khao San Road or in Silom. Register your Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 3 days before arrival — it's now mandatory. Spend the evening eating your first pad thai and wandering the street food stalls.

🚌Airport Rail Link ~£1

🛏Hostel dorm, Khao San / Banglamphu area (~£8–12)

• →Settle in and explore Khao San Road
• →Evening street food crawl

The original tour flies Bangkok to Phnom Penh then drives to Siem Reap. Cheaper self-launched options: a direct bus from Bangkok's Mo Chit terminal to Siem Reap (~£18–22, 8–9 hrs) or fly with AirAsia/Thai Vietjet (~£35–50 if booked ahead). Get a Cambodian e-visa online in advance (~£25) or pay ~$30 on arrival. Check into a guesthouse near Pub Street and explore the night market.

🚌Direct bus Bangkok–Siem Reap ~£20 (or budget flight ~£40)

🛏Guesthouse private room, Siem Reap (~£9–14)

• →Cross the border at Poipet or fly in
• →Evening at Pub Street and the night market

Book a sunrise tuk-tuk tour to Angkor Wat — either a shared tuk-tuk driver for the day (~£12–15 split between 2–3 people) or a small-group tour via GetYourGuide/Klook (~£12–18 including a guide). Buy the 1-day Angkor pass at the ticket office (~£29). Cover Angkor Wat, the faces of Bayon and tree-strangled Ta Prohm. Lunch at a local Khmer spot (~£3–4); the tour operator's Planeterra-partnered restaurant is a good cause if you want to eat there too.

🚌Tuk-tuk for the day ~£5–7 per person if shared

🛏Guesthouse, Siem Reap (~£9–14)

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Bayon and Ta Prohm temples (1-day pass ~£29)
• →Optional: Phare Circus evening show (~£15)

Take a local minibus or the Giant Ibis/Virak Buntham bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (~£8–11, 5.5–6 hrs). On arrival, do a self-led orientation walk around the riverside, the Royal Palace exterior and the bustling Central Market. Dinner at a riverside restaurant or street stall.

🚌Minibus/bus ~£9

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, riverside area (~£8–12)

• →Riverside orientation walk
• →Central Market wander

Give the day to Cambodia's recent history: a shared tuk-tuk or a GetYourGuide half-day tour to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek (~£8–10 transport + entry ~£3–4 each). Alternatively visit the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (~£8). In the evening, do a DIY street-food crawl around Psar Thmei and the Russian Market area — try num pang, grilled squid and kuy teav noodles.

🚌Tuk-tuk for the day ~£5–8 shared

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Phnom Penh (~£8–12)

• →Tuol Sleng & Killing Fields (entry ~£7 total)
• →Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda (~£8)
• →Street food crawl

Book a minibus from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville (~£8–10, 4–5 hrs), then take the speed ferry to Koh Rong (~£10–12 each way). Pick a beach guesthouse or bungalow — Long Set Beach and 4K Beach are quieter than the main Koh Touch strip. Swim, eat fresh seafood and settle in for two nights of island time.

🚌Minibus to Sihanoukville ~£9 + speed ferry ~£22 return

🛏Beach bungalow/guesthouse, Koh Rong (~£10–16)

• →Speed ferry to Koh Rong
• →Afternoon swim and beach time

A full day to do as much or as little as you like. Options: rent a kayak (~£5), hike the jungle trails between beaches, join a snorkelling or night-plankton boat trip (~£10–15), or just laze with a coconut. Book any boat trip locally at the beach bars — no advance booking needed.

🚌Walking / kayak rental ~£5

🛏Beach bungalow, Koh Rong (~£10–16)

• →Kayaking or snorkelling boat trip (~£10–15)
• →Jungle hiking
• →Optional night plankton swim

Ferry back to Sihanoukville, then a bus towards Kampong Speu/Chambok (~£8, 3–4 hrs). Chambok is a community-based tourism village near Kirirom National Park — book a homestay directly through the Chambok CBT office or via a local guesthouse in Kampong Speu (~£8–10 per night including a home-cooked dinner). Walk to the nearby waterfall and spend the evening with your host family.

🚌Ferry + bus ~£18

🛏Community homestay, Chambok (~£9 including dinner)

• →Village walk
• →Chambok waterfall
• →Home-cooked Khmer dinner with hosts

Make your way to the Bavet–Moc Bai border crossing (~£12 shared taxi + bus), clear Cambodian and Vietnamese immigration with your pre-arranged Vietnamese e-visa (~£20, apply 2+ weeks ahead), then continue by bus to Ho Chi Minh City (~£6–9). Check into a District 1 backpackers hostel, browse Ben Thanh Market and hit the rooftop bars on Bui Vien or Nguyen Hue.

🚌Shared taxi/bus to border + bus to HCMC ~£20

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 (~£7–11)

• →Border crossing Bavet–Moc Bai
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Rooftop bar evening

Spend the day DIY sightseeing: the War Remnants Museum (~£2), Reunification Palace (~£2), the Notre Dame Cathedral area and a wander through Cholon's Chinatown. Grab a banh mi and iced coffee, then board the Reunification Express overnight sleeper train to Nha Trang (~£18–25 for a soft-sleeper berth). Book on the Vietnam Railways site or via 12Go Asia a few days ahead.

🚌Overnight train HCMC–Nha Trang ~£20

🛏Overnight soft-sleeper train

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Reunification Palace
• →Cholon wander

Arrive early and check into a hostel near the beach (~£8–12). Spend the day on Nha Trang's long sandy beach, then book a mud bath and hot spring session (~£6–8) at Thap Ba or I-Resort. In the evening, do a street food crawl: grilled seafood on the corner stalls, nem nuong (grilled pork skewers) and fresh fruit smoothies.

🚌Walking/taxis around town ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm/private, Nha Trang (~£8–12)

• →Beach day
• →Mud bath & hot springs (~£7)
• →Street food crawl

Another free morning — rent a bicycle (~£2) and cycle to the Po Nagar Cham Towers (~£1 entry) or the fishing harbour. In the evening take the Reunification Express overnight train to Da Nang (~£18–24 soft sleeper), then a short local bus or Grab to Hoi An (~£4).

🚌Overnight train Nha Trang–Da Nang ~£20 + bus to Hoi An ~£4

🛏Overnight soft-sleeper train

• →Po Nagar Cham Towers
• →Bicycle around Nha Trang

Wake up in lantern-lit Hoi An. Rent a bicycle and cycle through the rice paddies to An Bang or Cua Dai beach for the morning. In the afternoon, buy an old town ticket (~£5) to enter the Chinese assembly halls, the Japanese Covered Bridge and historic merchant houses, then wander the riverside at dusk as the lanterns come on.

🚌Bicycle rental ~£2

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Hoi An (~£8–14)

• →An Bang beach
• →Hoi An old town ticket (~£5)
• →Lantern-lit evening walk

Book a half-day Vietnamese cooking class through GetYourGuide or Klook or direct with a local school (~£20–28), including a market visit and cao lau and white rose dumpling making. Spend the afternoon at one of Hoi An's famous tailors if you want custom clothes (allow 24 hrs), or rent a bike to the Tra Que vegetable village.

🚌Walking/bicycle

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Hoi An (~£8–14)

• →Market visit & cooking class (~£25)
• →Optional tailor appointment
• →Tra Que vegetable village

Travel the scenic route to Hue. Options: a shared minibus over the Hai Van Pass (~£8), an open-tour bus (~£6), or the classic motorbike 'Easy Rider' tour with a local driver (~£25–30 for the day, including photo stops). In Hue, check in and visit the Imperial Citadel (~£3) and wander the Perfume River banks at sunset.

🚌Minibus over Hai Van Pass ~£8 (or Easy Rider ~£27)

🛏Guesthouse, Hue (~£8–12)

• →Hai Van Pass scenic drive
• →Imperial Citadel (~£3)
• →Perfume River walk

Rent a bicycle (~£2) and ride to the Thien Mu Pagoda, then hire a boat across the Perfume River (~£4) to the royal tombs of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh (~£3 each). In the evening, eat Hue's famous royal cuisine: bun bo Hue, banh khoai and nem lui at a local spot near the Dong Ba market.

🚌Bicycle + boat ~£6

🛏Guesthouse, Hue (~£8–12)

• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Royal tombs of Tu Duc & Khai Dinh
• →Hue street food dinner

Bus north to Phong Nha (~£8–10, 4 hrs) and check into an eco-lodge or guesthouse in the village. In the afternoon hire a bicycle (~£2) and cycle the rice fields, or take a boat to Paradise Cave (~£10 entry + ~£3 boat) — a huge, spectacular boardwalk-accessed cavern with enormous white stalactites. Book a Phong Nha cave tour for tomorrow if you want to go deeper.

🚌Bus Hue–Phong Nha ~£9

🛏Eco-lodge/guesthouse, Phong Nha (~£9–15)

• →Paradise Cave (~£13 with boat)
• →Bicycle through rice paddies

Take an early bus or the sleeper train north to Hanoi (~£25–30 overnight train, or ~£12 day bus), then transfer straight to Halong Bay (~£6 bus, 3 hrs) for a 1-night junk boat cruise. Book directly through a Halong Bay operator or via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£70–100 for a mid-range overnight junk with meals, kayaking and cave visit). Sunset over the karsts is the payoff.

🚌Bus/train to Hanoi ~£25 + bus to Halong ~£6

🛏Overnight on a junk boat, Halong Bay (~included in cruise price)

• →Overnight junk boat cruise
• →Kayaking among limestone karsts
• →Cave visit and seafood dinner

Morning on the bay for sunrise and a final swim, then bus back to Hanoi (~£6, 3 hrs). Check into a hostel in the Old Quarter (~£7–11). Wander Hoan Kiem Lake, visit the Temple of Literature (~£2) and the Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake (free), and finish with a bia hoi corner beer and a bowl of pho for about £3.

🚌Bus Halong–Hanoi ~£6

🛏Hostel dorm, Old Quarter (~£7–11)

• →Sunrise on Halong Bay
• →Temple of Literature (~£2)
• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Old Quarter food walk

Do a DIY food tour of the Old Quarter — bun cha, egg coffee, banh cuon and fresh spring rolls cost about £1–2 a dish. Optionally join a guided Hanoi street-food tour (~£15–18 via GetYourGuide) or see the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre (~£7). In the late afternoon, prep for the Laos journey and buy your bus ticket to Vientiane.

🚌Walking ~£0

🛏Hostel dorm, Old Quarter (~£7–11)

• →Self-guided Old Quarter food tour
• →Optional water puppet show (~£7)
• →Buy bus ticket to Laos

The original tour flies Hanoi to Vientiane. Cheaper options: a direct sleeper bus (~£20–25, 20+ hrs) or fly Vietjet/Lao Airlines (~£55–70 if booked ahead). Apply for your Laos e-visa online in advance (~£30) and complete the Lao PDR digital immigration card within 3 days of arrival. Check into a guesthouse in central Vientiane and eat laap and sticky rice by the Mekong.

🚌Flight Hanoi–Vientiane ~£60 (or sleeper bus ~£22)

🛏Guesthouse, Vientiane (~£9–14)

• →Arrive in Laos
• →Mekong riverside dinner

Morning in Vientiane: rent a bicycle or take a tuk-tuk to Pha That Luang (~£1), Patuxai and Buddha Park (~£1 + ~£3 transport). Then take the new Laos–China high-speed train or a VIP bus to Vang Vieng (~£8–12, 1–3 hrs). Check into a riverside guesthouse and watch the sun set over the karst mountains.

🚌High-speed train/VIP bus ~£10

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Vang Vieng (~£8–14)

• →Pha That Luang & Patuxai
• →Buddha Park
• →Sunset over the Nam Song river

A full day outdoors. Options: kayaking down the Nam Song (~£15–20), a hot-air balloon flight at sunrise (~£70–90), the Blue Lagoon and Tham Chang cave by bicycle (~£2 rental + ~£1 entry), or hiking up to Nam Xay viewpoint (~£1). Book directly with operators in town; the party-tube scene is optional and best skipped if you want the scenery.

🚌Bicycle rental ~£2

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Vang Vieng (~£8–14)

• →Kayaking on the Nam Song (~£18)
• →Nam Xay viewpoint hike (~£1)
• →Blue Lagoon swim

Take the high-speed train to Luang Prabang (~£15–20, about 1 hr) or a VIP bus (~£10, 6–7 hrs). Check into a guesthouse in the old town, then climb Mount Phousi for sunset (~£2 entry) with views over the Mekong and the temple roofs. Stroll the night market and eat at a vegetarian buffet stall for about £2.

🚌High-speed train ~£17

🛏Guesthouse, Luang Prabang old town (~£10–16)

• →Mount Phousi sunset (~£2)
• →Luang Prabang night market

Share a songthaew or minivan to the Kuang Si Waterfalls (~£10–14 return). Spend the day swimming in the turquoise tiers (don't dive — the pools are shallow and rocky), visiting the Asiatic black bear sanctuary at the entrance (~£1) and picnicking. Back in town, visit the Ock Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre (free) or take a sunset Mekong boat (~£6).

🚌Shared songthaew ~£12 return

🛏Guesthouse, Luang Prabang (~£10–16)

• →Kuang Si Waterfalls (~£2 entry)
• →Bear sanctuary
• →Sunset Mekong boat (~£6)

The classic Laos experience: the two-day slow boat down the Mekong. Buy a ticket at the Luang Prabang boat pier (~£22–28 for the two-day journey) and board for the 8–9 hr journey to Pakbeng. Watch village life drift past and stop at the Pak Ou caves if you choose the longer route. Overnight in a simple Pakbeng guesthouse (~£8–12).

🚌Mekong slow boat ~£25 (two-day ticket)

🛏Simple guesthouse, Pakbeng (~£9–12)

• →Mekong slow boat
• →Optional Pak Ou caves
• →Riverside village evening

Continue the slow boat to Huay Xai (~£included in two-day ticket, arriving midday), cross the Friendship Bridge to Chiang Khong in Thailand, then take a VIP bus or minibus down to Chiang Mai (~£12–15, 5–6 hrs). Complete your Thailand TDAC entry. Check into a guesthouse in the old city and find the night market food stalls.

🚌Slow boat (included) + border + bus Chiang Khong–Chiang Mai ~£14

🛏Guesthouse, Chiang Mai old city (~£9–15)

• →Complete the Mekong slow boat
• →Cross into Thailand
• →Chiang Mai night market

Book a half-day Northern Thai cooking class (~£25–30) including a market visit — you'll make khao soi, green curry and sticky rice. In the afternoon, tuk-tuk up to Doi Suthep temple (~£1 entry + ~£4 transport) and explore the old city's temples on foot. Optionally book a Khantoke dinner and show (~£25) for the evening.

🚌Songthaew/tuk-tuk ~£5

🛏Guesthouse, Chiang Mai old city (~£9–15)

• →Northern Thai cooking class (~£27)
• →Doi Suthep temple
• →Optional Khantoke dinner & show

Spend the morning at the Sunday Walking Street or the Nimman area, then take the overnight bus (~£15–18, 9–10 hrs) or a sleeper train (~£18–25) back to Bangkok. If flying, budget airlines are ~£30–45. If you arrive early enough, do the original tour's finale — a longtail boat ride through the Thonburi canals (~£10–12) and a visit to Wat Po (~£5).

🚌Overnight bus or train to Bangkok ~£18

🛏Overnight bus/sleeper train (or hostel in Bangkok ~£8 if flying)

• →Morning market
• →Optional Thonburi canal longtail boat
• →Wat Po temple (~£5)

Last morning in Bangkok — visit the Grand Palace (~£11), Jim Thompson's House (~£6) or the National Museum (~£4), grab a final khao mun gai and head to the airport via the Airport Rail Link. Trip complete!

🚌Airport Rail Link ~£1

🛏—

• →Grand Palace or Jim Thompson's House
• →Final street food lunch