The Most Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia — Self-Launched

Land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and take the Airport Rail Link (45฿, ~£1) plus BTS/MRT to a hostel around Banglamphu or Silom. Check in, then at dusk walk Yaowarat Road in Chinatown eating your way along: chargrilled river prawns, kuay jab noodle rolls, mango sticky rice. Cap it with a short tuk-tuk loop back to Khao San (agree the price first, ~150฿/£3.50). Register your Thailand Digital Arrival Card online at least 3 days before you fly.

🚌Airport Rail Link + BTS/MRT ~£1.50; tuk-tuk ~£3.50

🛏Hostel dorm, Banglamphu or Silom (£10–14)

• →Yaowarat Chinatown street food crawl (self-guided)
• →Tuk-tuk ride through old Bangkok

Morning: walk to Tha Chang or Tha Tien pier and hire a longtail boat through the Thonburi klongs (about 1,200–1,500฿ for 2 hrs — split it with hostel-mates you meet; £15–18 each for two). You'll see stilt houses, canal-side temples and river ferries. Lunch on boat noodles near the pier (~80฿). Afternoon: bus from Sai Tai Mai or Mo Chit to Kanchanaburi (~2.5 hrs, 150฿/£3.50). Overnight option: book a floating raft house on Srinakarin Dam or the Kwai Noi river via Booking/Agoda (£15–20 with dinner) — kayak and wet-raft rides are usually included.

🚌Longtail boat £15 (shared); public bus to Kanchanaburi £3.50

🛏Floating raft house on the Kwai Noi (£15–20 incl. dinner)

• →Thonburi klong longtail boat tour (direct at pier)
• →Swim/kayak at the raft house

Take a local bus or songthaew to Hellfire Pass Memorial (~1 hr, 60฿), walk the cutting trail and the museum (free entry). Continue to Nam Tok and ride the ordinary third-class train back across the Wang Po viaduct to Kanchanaburi (~100฿/£2.30 — the same wartime route the tour takes, no booking needed). Afternoon: walk the Bridge over the River Kwai, then the Thailand–Burma Railway Centre (150฿) and the Allied War Cemetery (free). Evening beers on the riverfront guesthouse decks.

🚌Local bus/songthaew ~£1.50; Death Railway train ~£2.30

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Kanchanaburi (£10–14)

• →Hellfire Pass Memorial walk and museum
• →Death Railway train ride
• →Bridge over the River Kwai, Railway Centre, War Cemetery

Morning bus Kanchanaburi→Ayutthaya (~3 hrs, 200฿). Rent a bicycle at the ruins (60฿/£1.40) and loop Wat Mahathat (Buddha head in the banyan roots), Wat Lokayasutharam's reclining Buddha and Wat Chai Wattanaram at golden hour. A longtail loop around the island is ~200฿ per person if shared. Eat river prawns at the night market. Book a second-class sleeper on the overnight train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai (upper berth ~£18–22, 12–13 hrs; buy 1–2 days ahead at the station or via the D-Ticket site).

🚌Bus to Ayutthaya £4.70; bicycle £1.40; boat ~£4.70; sleeper train £20

🛏Overnight sleeper train (berth)

• →Cycling the Ayutthaya ruins
• →Wat Chai Wattanaram sunset boat loop

Arrive early and take a red songthaew to the old town (30–40฿/£0.80). Khao soi for breakfast at a street shop (~60฿). Walk the moat and the old town's temple cluster on foot — Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh. Afternoon free. Evening: Chiang Mai Night Bazaar or the Saturday/Sunday Walking Street markets; foot massage (200฿/£4.70) or a fish pedicure if you're curious.

🚌Songthaew £0.80; walking

🛏Hostel dorm, old town (£8–12)

• →Chiang Mai old town temple walk
• →Night Bazaar / Walking Street market

Early songthaew up to Doi Suthep (~100฿ return) for the alms-giving and chanting at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep — arrive by 06:30 to see monks on their morning round. Alternatively join a morning alms session with a local monk via GetYourGuide (~£18). Back in town, afternoon half-day Thai cooking class (market tour + 4–5 dishes) books direct with any old-town school or on GetYourGuide for £18–25. Evening free.

🚌Songthaew to Doi Suthep £2.30

🛏Hostel dorm, old town (£8–12)

• →Sunrise alms giving
• →Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
• →Half-day Thai cooking class (£18–25)

Book a budget flight (AirAsia/Thai Vietjet/VietJet) Chiang Mai→Hanoi directly, £55–85 one-way with 20 kg bag; add a night bus option if you want to keep it cheap but it eats two days. Check into a hostel in the Old Quarter (£8–12). At dusk hire a cyclo for an hour's loop of the 36 streets (~150,000₫/£4.60) and finish with bún chả or phở on a plastic stool (60,000₫). Remember the Vietnam pre-arrival declaration if flying into Noi Bai.

🚌Budget flight £65; airport bus #86 45,000₫ (£1.40); cyclo £4.60

🛏Hostel dorm, Hanoi Old Quarter (£8–12)

• →Hanoi Old Quarter cyclo tour
• →Old Quarter street-food dinner

Pick one: a full-day Ha Long Bay junk cruise booked on GetYourGuide or Klook (pick-up, seafood lunch, cave visit, kayak) from £40–55 — book a day before, avoid the cheapest operators. Or stay in Hanoi: Tran Quoc Pagoda (free), Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple of Literature (30,000₫) and the Thăng Long water puppet theatre (100,000₫). Dinner at KOTO restaurant (a training restaurant for street youth, ~£6), then a bia hoi crawl — draught beer at Bia Hoi Corner is 10,000–15,000₫ a glass.

🚌Walking; Grab/taxi ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Hanoi (£8–12)

• →Ha Long Bay full-day junk cruise (£40–55)
• →Tran Quoc Pagoda & Temple of Literature
• →Bia Hoi Corner microbrewery crawl

Free morning — rent a bicycle or just wander. In the afternoon join a small-group Old Quarter food walk on GetYourGuide (£18–22) covering nem rán, bánh gối, bún ốc and a street-side beer stop, or DIY it with a route through Đồng Xuân market. Finish with egg coffee at Café Giảng (~35,000₫/£1) — Hanoi's signature. Optional: Hanoi Food Culture for a set local meal.

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel dorm, Hanoi (£8–12)

• →Old Quarter street food walk (£18–22)
• →Egg coffee at Café Giảng

Local bus or minivan from Gia Lam/My Dinh to Ninh Binh (~2 hrs, 100,000₫/£3). En route or as a detour stop at Tam Chuc Pagoda, one of Southeast Asia's largest temple complexes (free entry, 50,000₫ shuttle). Base yourself in Tam Coc village (£8–12 dorm). Afternoon: rent a bicycle (50,000₫) and ride between the rice paddies and karst cliffs to Bich Dong pagoda.

🚌Local bus £3; bicycle £1.50

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Tam Coc (£8–12)

• →Tam Chuc Pagoda
• →Cycling Tam Coc rice fields and Bich Dong Pagoda

Climb Hang Mua's 500 steps early for the classic view over the Tam Coc river (£3 entry). Then take a rowboat through Trang An's cave systems and temple stops (private boat ~250,000₫/£7.80 for 2–3 people, 3 hrs). Collect your bags and catch an evening bus/taxi to Ninh Binh station for the Reunification Express sleeper to Đồng Hới (~10 hrs, soft sleeper ~450,000–600,000₫/£14–19; book on the official Vietnam Railways site or at the station a day ahead).

🚌Trang An boat £4 (shared); sleeper train £16

🛏Overnight sleeper train (soft-sleeper berth)

• →Hang Mua Peak hike
• →Trang An grottoes rowboat tour

Disembark early and head to Đồng Hới's wet/fish market for bánh mì breakfast and a look at the catch (£1). Rent a bicycle and ride the back lanes through villages and rice paddies. Take a local bus or shuttle to Phong Nha (~1 hr, 60,000₫) and check into a dorm in the village (£7–10). Evening: riverside bars and cold beers with other travellers.

🚌Bicycle £1.50; local bus to Phong Nha £1.90

🛏Hostel dorm, Phong Nha (£7–10)

• →Đồng Hới fish market
• →Countryside cycling

Book Paradise Cave entry and shuttle directly or via Klook/GetYourGuide (£8–12 with transport — the tour operator's optional was ~£40). Walk the boardwalk through the white crystal stalactites. Afternoon options: Nuoc Mooc eco-trail, or add the Dark Cave zipline, or (if budget allows) the Hang Va or Hang Tien trekking day (£60–90).

🚌Shuttle included / scooter rental £5

🛏Hostel dorm, Phong Nha (£7–10)

• →Paradise Cave boardwalk
• →Nuoc Mooc eco-trail

Bus south to the Vinh Moc Tunnels (DMZ) — local bus or a shared minivan (~4 hrs total, £8). Entry 50,000₫/£1.60; the three-level tunnel network is genuinely gripping. Continue to Hue and check into a hostel by the Perfume River (£8–12). Optional evening: a motorbike food tour with a local rider booked on GetYourGuide (£15–20) — the operator's optional Hue motorbike tour was ~£21.

🚌Local bus/minivan to Hue with DMZ stop £8

🛏Hostel dorm, Huế (£8–12)

• →Vinh Moc Tunnels
• →Optional Hue motorbike food tour

Morning at the Imperial Citadel and Tien Mu Pagoda (combined ticket ~300,000₫/£9.30, or a small-group tour £18). Rent a motorbike with an easy rider or take a shared car over the Hai Van Pass, stopping at Lang Co Beach and the Marble Mountains (~£20 shared). Arrive Hoi An, drop bags at a dorm in the old town (£8–12). Evening: walk the lantern-lit riverside and eat cao lầu.

🚌Hai Van Pass shared car/motorbike £20

🛏Hostel dorm, Hoi An (£8–12)

• →Hue Imperial Citadel & Tien Mu Pagoda
• →Hai Van Pass, Lang Co Beach, Marble Mountains

Rent a bicycle (40,000₫) and ride out to An Bang and the extraordinary An Bang Cemetery with its giant tombs. Afternoon: Hoi An old town walking with the multi-site ticket (120,000₫) — Japanese Bridge, assembly halls, old merchant houses. Get a shirt or dress tailored from £20–30 — it's cheaper than the tour version and Hoi An's real craft. Evening: lantern-making workshop (£5) or a boat with a paper lantern on the Thu Bon.

🚌Bicycle £1.20

🛏Hostel dorm, Hoi An (£8–12)

• →An Bang cemetery cycle
• →Hoi An old town ticket
• →Tailor fitting
• →Lantern-making workshop

Cycle or take a shared van 40 km to Mỹ Sơn Cham ruins early to beat the heat and the crowds (£7 entry + £5 transport; guided half-day £16). Back in Hoi An, book an afternoon cooking class direct with any school or on Klook (£15–22) — cao lầu, white rose dumplings and fresh spring rolls, usually with a market visit. Evening riverside dinner at one of the old-town restaurants (£6).

🚌Shared van to Mỹ Sơn £5; bicycle

🛏Hostel dorm, Hoi An (£8–12)

• →Mỹ Sơn Cham ruins
• →Hoi An cooking class (£15–22)

Morning transfer to Đà Nẵng station (bus 30,000₫) and take a soft-seat or sleeper train south to Diêu Trì/Qui Nhơn (~6 hrs, 250,000₫/£8). Ride a local bus or Grab to Qui Nhơn's beach (£2) and check into a seafront guesthouse (£8–12). Afternoon: swim, seafood dinner on the promenade for £4–5.

🚌Train £8; local bus £2

🛏Beach guesthouse/hostel, Qui Nhơn (£8–12)

• →Qui Nhơn beach
• →Seafood promenade dinner

Early scooter or local bus out to Gành Đá Dĩa, the striking hexagonal basalt rock formation (£2 entry, £5 transport), then continue by train or open bus to Nha Trang (~4–5 hrs, £6–9). Check into a dorm near the beach (£8–12), then hit the mud baths at I-Resort or Thap Ba (£10–14 including transfer) and eat fresh grilled scallops from a beachfront stall.

🚌Scooter/bus £5; train/bus to Nha Trang £8

🛏Hostel dorm, Nha Trang (£8–12)

• →Gành Đá Dĩa basalt columns
• →Nha Trang mud bath (£10–14)

Boat and snorkelling trip out to the islands books direct from the pier or on Klook for £18–25 (the tour's optional was £23). Or just swim. Late afternoon visit the Tháp Bà Ponagar Cham towers (30,000₫) and the beach. Eat nem nướng (grilled pork skewers) rolled in rice paper at a local joint — £3.

🚌Walking; Grab £2

🛏Hostel dorm, Nha Trang (£8–12)

• →Island snorkelling boat trip (£18–25)
• →Tháp Bà Cham towers

Sleeping coach or train to Saigon (~8 hrs, £10–14; sleeper bus is cheapest). Check into a hostel in District 1 (£8–12). Walk the Ben Thanh market, the War Remnants Museum (£1.50) and the Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office exteriors. Optional evening cyclo ride (£7).

🚌Sleeper coach £11

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 Saigon (£8–12)

• →Ben Thanh Market
• →War Remnants Museum
• →Saigon walking tour

Morning Cu Chi half-day trip with a small-group tour or public bus + guide (£15–22; the operator's optional was £20–22). Afternoon at the Independence Palace or Bitexco rooftop. Evening: Saigon street-food scooter or walking tour on GetYourGuide (£15–20) through Districts 3 and 4 — bánh xèo, bò lá lốt, and a bia at a plastic-stool beer spot.

🚌Grab £3

🛏Hostel dorm, Saigon (£8–12)

• →Cu Chi Tunnels
• →Saigon street-food walk (£15–20)

Bus to Cần Thơ or straight up to Châu Đốc (~5–6 hrs, £8–10). Take a short sampan through the floating market area at dawn the following day, or if arriving early, cycle to Hang Pagoda and the Sam Mountain temples. Motorbike taxi up Sam Mountain for sunset (£3). Local dinner of bún mắm in Châu Đốc (£2).

🚌Bus to Châu Đốc £9; motorbike taxi £3

🛏Guesthouse, Châu Đốc (£8–12)

• →Mekong waterways
• →Hang Pagoda & Sam Mountain
• →Chau Doc market

Take the Tịnh Biên–Phnom Den border crossing to Kampot. Public bus/minivan combinations run £10–15 total and take 6–8 hrs; shuttle companies sell direct tickets. Note the visa-on-arrival requirement at this land border (e-visa not accepted) — bring $30 USD cash and 2 passport photos. Arrive Kampot and check into a riverside hostel (£8–12). Sunset beer on the river.

🚌Bus/minivan via land border £12

🛏Riverside hostel, Kampot (£8–12)

• →Land border crossing
• →Kampot riverside sunset

Hire a scooter or tuk-tuk (£8 for the day) and do the loop: a pepper farm tour at La Plantation (free, book direct), then the crab-and-fish Kep market for a seafood lunch (£5), and an afternoon boat to Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island) for a swim (£5 return). Alternative: Bokor National Park tour with a shared 4x4 (£18–25). Back in Kampot for a sunset river cruise (£5).

🚌Scooter £8; Rabbit Island boat £5

🛏Riverside hostel, Kampot (£8–12)

• →Kampot pepper farm
• →Kep crab market
• →Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island)
• →Optional Bokor National Park tour

Morning: cycle or tuk-tuk to the Chambok community-based ecotourism site for a short waterfall walk and Cambodian lunch with a village family (£10–15 direct booking; part of the tour's community projects). Afternoon bus to Phnom Penh (~3 hrs, £5). Evening cyclo tour through the old streets (£5) and dinner at a Khmer restaurant (£4–6).

🚌Bus to Phnom Penh £5; cyclo £5

🛏Hostel dorm, Phnom Penh (£8–12)

• →Chambok community walk & lunch
• →Phnom Penh cyclo tour

Morning: Tuol Sleng (S-21) museum and Choeung Ek Killing Fields (£3–5 each, £18 with a guided half-day tour), plus the National Museum (£7) or the Silver Pagoda (£8). Then take the bus to Siem Reap (~6 hrs, £9–12) — if you use a shared minivan that stops at Skun market you can try the deep-fried tarantula (it's a genuine Khmer snack). Optional stop at Santuk Silk Farm. Arrive Siem Reap (£8–12 dorm).

🚌Bus with Skun market stop £10

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap (£8–12)

• →Tuol Sleng & Killing Fields
• →Skun insect market
• →National Museum

Half-day trip out to Sambor Prei Kuk, the pre-Angkorian brick temple complex (£7 entry + £12 shared transport; smaller crowds than Angkor). Afternoon: Kompong Khleang or Kompong Phluk floating village boat on Tonlé Sap (£15–20 direct, £12 for the shorter Kompong Phluk loop). Evening: Siem Reap's Pub Street or a quieter riverside bar.

🚌Shared transport £12; boat £15

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap (£8–12)

• →Sambor Prei Kuk temples
• →Tonlé Sap floating village boat

Buy the Angkor pass direct at the ticket office (1-day $37 ≈ £29; 3-day $62 if you want more time). Take a tuk-tuk driver for the day ($15–20 shared, ~£7) arranged at your hostel — tour reps claim they'll get you to the west gate and beat the crowds. Sunrise at Angkor Wat, then Angkor Thom and Bayon's face towers, Ta Prohm's jungle-swallowed ruins and Banteay Kdei. Guides can be hired at the gate for ~$20 (£16) or booked via GetYourGuide (£25). Back to town for a nap, then dinner.

🚌Tuk-tuk driver for the day £7 (shared)

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap (£8–12)

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Bayon & Angkor Thom
• →Ta Prohm

Slower day: rent a bicycle and ride the quieter temples or spend it by the pool. Evening: Phare Circus, the social-enterprise acrobatic show that trains Cambodian youth — book directly at the Phare box office or GetYourGuide from £15–25. Then a Khmer barbecue dinner (£6).

🚌Bicycle £2; tuk-tuk £2

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap (£8–12)

• →Phare Circus performance
• →Khmer BBQ dinner

Bus Siem Reap → Poipet (~2.5 hrs, £5), clear the border on foot, then take a bus or shared minivan from Aranyaprathet to Bangkok's Mo Chit (~3.5 hrs, 250฿/£6). If you want time in Aranyaprathet, Rong Kluea border market is worth a look. Check into a Banglamphu hostel (£10–14), shower, and go straight to Khao San Road for a live-music night out.

🚌Bus to Poipet £5; border bus to Bangkok £6

🛏Hostel dorm, Banglamphu (£10–14)

• →Rong Kluea market
• →Khao San Road night out

Full-day easy loop: take a local train or bus out to Chachoengsao for Wat Sothorn Wararam Woraviharn, one of Thailand's most revered temples (train £1.20), and the nearby Khlong Suan riverside market. Back in Bangkok, spend the evening at a rooftop bar or catch a Thai boxing match at Rajadamnern (from £12).

🚌Local train £1.20; buses £2

🛏Hostel dorm, Banglamphu (£10–14)

• →Wat Sothorn temple
• →Khlong Suan riverside market
• →Optional Muay Thai at Rajadamnern

Slow breakfast, a last temple or market run (Wat Pho, 200฿), souvenir shopping at Chatuchak if it's a weekend. Take the Airport Rail Link to Suvarnabhumi (£1.20) or the SRT Red Line to Don Mueang for your onward flight. Budget an extra £150–250 if you'd rather fly home from Siem Reap or connect onward — this is not included in the total.

🚌Airport Rail Link £1.20

🛏—

• →Wat Pho / last market shopping