Highlights of Vietnam & Cambodia: Self-Launched Hanoi, Halong Bay & Angkor
7 days · Vietnam & Cambodia
LVP Travel charges £1,040
No-markup version: ~£437 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched take on LVP Travel's 7-day Hanoi–Halong Bay–Siem Reap loop. Instead of a packaged group tour with private transfers, you'll build the same route yourself: base yourself in a Hanoi Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, join a small-group city tour (or self-guide the Temple of Literature and Ho Chi Minh complex), book a 2-day/1-night Halong Bay cruise directly or via Klook/GetYourGuide, then fly low-cost to Siem Reap and take a shared tuk-tuk or small-group Angkor sunrise tour. Costs below are rough backpacker/mid-range estimates in GBP per person and will vary by season and how far in advance you book.
Day-by-day
Arrive Hanoi – Old Quarter orientation
Hanoi
Fly into Noi Bai (HAN) and take the local option into town instead of a private transfer: the Noi Bai Airport bus #86 runs to Hanoi Railway Station for about 45,000 VND (~£1.50), or a Grab/Be car is roughly 350,000 VND (~£11). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Old Quarter. Spend the afternoon wandering Hoan Kiem Lake, the 36 Streets, and beer corner (Ta Hien). Book your Halong Bay cruise and your Hanoi–Siem Reap flight tonight if you haven't already.
🚌Noi Bai bus #86 ~£1.50, or Grab car ~£11
🛏Old Quarter hostel or 3* budget hotel (dorm £6–10, private double £18–28)
- →Walk the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake
- →Book Halong Bay cruise and Hanoi–Siem Reap flight
- →Street food dinner (bun cha, pho)
Hanoi highlights – mausoleum, Temple of Literature, cyclo
Hanoi
Start early at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free entry, closed Mondays and Fridays, mornings only – dress modestly). Walk to the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature (~30,000 VND / £1). In the afternoon, join a small-group Hanoi city walking tour bookable on GetYourGuide or Klook for around £20–30, or do it yourself and hire a cyclo around Hoan Kiem and the Old Quarter for ~100,000 VND (~£3). Optional museums: Museum of Ethnology (~40,000 VND) or the Women's Museum.
🚌Walkable centre; cyclo ~£3; occasional Grab ~£1–2
🛏Old Quarter hostel or 3* budget hotel
- →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & residential grounds (free)
- →Temple of Literature (~£1)
- →Self-booked small-group city tour (~£20–30) or DIY
- →Cyclo ride around Hoan Kiem Lake (~£3)
Halong Bay overnight cruise – Bai Tu Long Bay
Halong Bay
Most budget and mid-range Halong cruises include a shuttle pickup from Hanoi's Old Quarter. Book directly with the cruise or via Klook/GetYourGuide — a 2-day/1-night cruise on a good 3* junk typically runs £110–150 per person including transfers, all meals, kayaking and cave visits. Cruise through Bai Tu Long Bay (quieter than the main Halong channel), swim, kayak, explore a cave and watch sunset from the top deck. If you'd rather do it fully independently, take a Limousine/minibus from Hanoi to Halong (~£8–10, 2.5–3 hrs) and book a day boat, but the overnight junk is the experience worth paying for.
🚌Shuttle bus from Hanoi Old Quarter included in cruise, or local minibus ~£9
🛏Private cabin on a 3* Halong Bay junk (included in cruise price)
- →Bai Tu Long Bay cruise
- →Kayaking and swimming stop
- →Cave visit
- →Sunset from the top deck
Sunrise on the bay, back to Hanoi
Hanoi
Optional 6am tai chi or coffee on deck for sunrise, then breakfast, a short rowboat trip with local boatmen, and brunch on board before docking late morning. Shuttle back to Hanoi (arriving mid-afternoon), check back into your Old Quarter hotel and take it easy. Evening: water puppet theatre (~100,000 VND / £3) or a bia hoi corner crawl. Pack for tomorrow's flight.
🚌Cruise shuttle back to Hanoi (included)
🛏Old Quarter hostel or 3* budget hotel (dorm £6–10, private double £18–28)
- →Sunrise on deck
- →Rowboat trip in the bay
- →Water puppet theatre (~£3)
- →Old Quarter evening
Fly Hanoi → Siem Reap, riverside evening
Siem Reap
Grab to Noi Bai (~£11) and fly to Siem Reap (REP) with VietJet or AirAsia — book 3–6 weeks ahead for fares around £55–90 one-way. Get a Cambodian e-visa in advance (~$36 / £29) to skip the queue. From REP airport, a shared tuk-tuk or Grab to the centre is $5–8 (~£5). Check into a guesthouse or budget hotel near Pub Street/Street 26, then take a riverside stroll and eat at a local Khmer kitchen (amok, lok lak) — £5–8. Book a small-group Angkor sunrise tour for tomorrow.
🚌Grab to Noi Bai ~£11; flight ~£55–90; airport tuk-tuk ~£5
🛏Siem Reap guesthouse or 3* budget hotel (£10–20 private double; dorm £5–8)
- →Fly Hanoi to Siem Reap
- →Riverside walk and Pub Street area
- →Book Angkor sunrise small-group tour
Angkor Archaeological Park – sunrise to Ta Prohm
Siem Reap
Join a small-group Angkor sunrise tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, £25–40 for a shared minibus with English-speaking guide, usually 4.30am–1pm) or hire a tuk-tuk driver for the day (~$20–25 / £16–20 plus $37 one-day Angkor pass). Hit Angkor Wat at sunrise, then Angkor Thom: Bayon's faces, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King and Baphuon. Finish at Ta Prohm, the jungle-strangled temple. Afternoon free — rest, or optionally cycle the temples (~$5 bike hire). Note the one-day pass must be bought at the Angkor ticket office or online.
🚌Shared minibus tour or private tuk-tuk for the day (~£16–20)
🛏Siem Reap guesthouse or 3* budget hotel
- →Angkor Wat at sunrise
- →Angkor Thom, Bayon, Terraces, Baphuon
- →Ta Prohm
- →Angkor one-day pass (~£29)
Siem Reap morning & departure
Siem Reap
Slow morning: optional Tonle Sap floating village half-day (~£18–25), the Angkor National Museum (~£10) or Psar Chas old market for souvenirs and breakfast. Tuk-tuk to Siem Reap airport (~£5) for your onward flight — or, if you're heading to Phnom Penh, the Giant Ibis night bus is about £15–18 for the 6-hour run.
🚌Airport tuk-tuk ~£5, or Giant Ibis bus to Phnom Penh ~£16
🛏—
- →Old market shopping
- →Optional Tonle Sap floating village (~£20)
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. LVP Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | LVP Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£437 | £1,040 |
| Duration | 7 days | 7 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £603 per person (58%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more LVP Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£437
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Highlights of Vietnam & Cambodia: Self-Launched Hanoi, Halong Bay & Angkor cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £437 per person for 7 days in Vietnam & Cambodia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with LVP Travel?+
Yes — LVP Travel charges around £1,040 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £437 — a saving of roughly £603 (58%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam & Cambodia trip?+
This itinerary runs 7 days, covering 7 day-by-day stops through Vietnam & Cambodia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, budget, adventure trip through Vietnam & Cambodia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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