Discovery Vietnam & Cambodia in 15 Days — Self-Launched

Fly into Noi Bai (HAN). Skip the operator's private airport pickup and take the Vietjet/Vietnam Airlines shuttle bus or the Noi Bai Express minibus from outside arrivals into the Old Quarter (approx 35,000–45,000 VND / £1.50–2), or a Grab car for about £8–10. Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Hoan Kiem Lake, grab a bia hoi and a bowl of bun cha, and wander the 36 streets of the Old Quarter at dusk. Book your Tam Coc day tour tonight via Klook or GetYourGuide (about £22–28 including Hoa Lu, boat trip, cycling and buffet lunch).

🚌Airport shuttle bus or Grab from Noi Bai (~£2–10)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Old Quarter (approx £7–12)

• →Old Quarter walking orientation
• →Hoan Kiem Lake at night
• →Street food crawl (bun cha, egg coffee)
• →Book Tam Coc day tour online

Join a small-group or shared minibus day tour (pickup from the Old Quarter, roughly 8am, back around 6pm). Visit the Hoa Lu ancient capital temples, eat a buffet lunch of Ninh Binh goat meat, then take the classic rowing-boat trip through the three caves on the Ngo Dong River (tip the rower about £2–3 — they row with their feet). Finish with a bike loop through paddy fields and limestone karsts. Alternatively, do it independently: catch the train to Ninh Binh (about £3) and hire a bicycle plus boat ticket locally for under £12.

🚌Shared minibus via booked day tour, or train Hanoi–Ninh Binh (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Hanoi (approx £7–12)

• →Hoa Lu ancient capital temples
• →Buffet lunch with local goat meat
• →Rowing boat through three caves on Ngo Dong River
• →Cycling through paddy fields and villages

Book a 2-day/1-night Halong Bay cruise through Klook or GetYourGuide — a standard junk-boat cabin with meals runs about £90–130 per person, versus the operator's bundled version. Morning shuttle from Hanoi (about 3.5–4 hours), welcome drink on board, traditional Vietnamese seafood lunch while cruising among the islands, then visit Sung Sot (Amazing) Cave, hike to the Ti Top Island viewpoint and swim off the beach. Sunset on the sundeck with fruit and local wine, dinner, then optional squid fishing or a movie.

🚌Shuttle bus Hanoi–Halong harbour (included in cruise; ~£85–130 all-in)

🛏Twin/double cabin on a mid-range junk boat, Halong Bay (included in cruise price)

• →Amazing Cave (Sung Sot)
• →Ti Top Island hike and swim
• →Sundeck sunset with fruit and wine
• →Evening squid fishing

Sunrise on deck, breakfast with tea and coffee, then kayaking among the karst towers (usually included in the cruise). Join the on-board spring-roll cooking demonstration, have lunch while the boat returns to harbour, and take the shuttle back to Hanoi for late afternoon. If you want a night bus south later, keep this evening free — otherwise stay in the Old Quarter and book your train ticket for tomorrow.

🚌Shuttle bus Halong–Hanoi (included in cruise)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Hanoi (approx £7–12)

• →Sunrise on the sundeck
• →Kayaking in Halong Bay
• →Vietnamese spring roll cooking demo
• →Return shuttle to Hanoi

Spend the day walking Hoan Kiem Lake, Thanh Ha market and doing an optional half-day cooking class (about £20–25 on Klook) or an egg-coffee crawl. Buy your soft-sleeper ticket in advance — Vietnam Railways SE3/SE1 Hanoi–Da Nang in a 4-berth air-conditioned soft sleeper is roughly 900,000–1,200,000 VND (£30–40) booked direct on dsvn.vn or via an agent like Vietnam Railways official resellers. Train departs around 7–8pm; bring snacks, earplugs and a padlock for your bag.

🚌Overnight train Hanoi–Da Nang (~£30–40)

🛏Soft-sleeper berth on the Reunification Express (4-berth sharing, ~£35)

• →Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
• →Thanh Ha market
• →Optional Vietnamese cooking class
• →Egg coffee tasting

The train rolls in past the Hai Van Pass around midday. From Da Nang station, take a Grab or local taxi to Hoi An (about 30–40 minutes, 250,000–350,000 VND / £8–12) or a public bus for under £1 if you're patient. Check into a budget hotel or hostel in Hoi An — the Old Town is walkable and lovely at dusk once the lanterns come on. Buy an Old Town ticket (120,000 VND / £4) covering five heritage houses and assembly halls.

🚌Grab/taxi Da Nang–Hoi An (~£8–12)

🛏Budget hotel or hostel, Hoi An (approx £8–14)

• →Hoi An Old Town ticket and lantern-lit wander
• →Japanese Covered Bridge
• →Riverside beer and cao lau

Book the half-day Tra Que / Cam Thanh farming-village experience (around £18–25 via Klook, GetYourGuide or direct with the village co-op). Cycle out through the rice paddies, try water buffalo riding, learn traditional fishing techniques with basket boats and nets, join the farmers raking, sowing and watering, then get a herbal foot massage and a home-cooked lunch. Afternoon free — rent a bike (about £1.50/day) and ride to An Bang or Cua Dai beach.

🚌Bicycle hire included in the tour (~£1.50 if booked separately)

🛏Budget hotel or hostel, Hoi An (approx £8–14)

• →Cycling to farming village
• →Water buffalo ride
• →Traditional fishing techniques and basket boat
• →Farmer activities and herbal foot massage
• →Home-cooked lunch

Flexible day. Options: a sunrise My Son Sanctuary tour (about £18–25 including transport and guide, or DIY by local bus/taxi for ~£6 entry plus ~£10 transport), a beach day at An Bang with cheap seafood and sunbeds, tailors and coffee by the river, or the Ba Na Hills Golden Bridge day trip that the operator sells as an add-on (around £35–40 booked independently vs. their $65). Confirm your Da Nang–Saigon flight for tomorrow.

🚌Local bicycle or taxi (~£3–10 depending on choice)

🛏Budget hotel or hostel, Hoi An (approx £8–14)

• →Optional My Son Sanctuary tour
• →An Bang beach day
• →Hoi An tailor fittings and coffee
• →Optional Ba Na Hills Golden Bridge trip

Morning transfer to Da Nang airport (Grab ~£6) and fly with VietJet or Vietnam Airlines to Saigon — book 3–6 weeks ahead for fares around £30–50 including 20kg checked baggage. From Tan Son Nhat take the bus 109 or a Grab into District 1 (about £2–5). Base yourself in a hostel around Bui Vien or District 3. Evening: Ben Thanh market street food, a rooftop beer, and book tomorrow's Mekong Delta day tour via Klook (about £20–28) or the cheap local option from the Pham Ngu Lao travel agents.

🚌Domestic flight Da Nang–HCMC (~£30–50) plus local transfer

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, District 1 Saigon (approx £7–12)

• →Flight to Ho Chi Minh City
• →Ben Thanh market and street food
• →Book Mekong Delta tour

Shared minibus tour leaving around 8am (roughly 1.5–2 hours to My Tho). Cruise the Mekong around the four islands by sampan, stop at Unicorn Island for orchards and tropical fruit plus a local folk-song performance, take a hand-rowed sampan through Thoi Son canal, visit a honey-bee farm and coconut-candy workshop, have lunch at a local restaurant, then cycle around Tan Thach village (hammocks available if you'd rather not). Back in Saigon by early evening.

🚌Shared minibus and boats (included in day tour ~£20–28)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Saigon (approx £7–12)

• →Sampan cruise around Mekong islands
• →Unicorn Island orchards and fruit tasting
• →Honey bee farm and coconut candy workshop
• →Hand-rowed sampan on Thoi Son canal
• →Cycling in Tan Thach village

Book a Sapaco Tourist or Mekong Express minibus/bus from Saigon to Phnom Penh (about £10–15, 6–7 hours including the Moc Bai/Bavet border crossing — bring USD cash and a passport photo for the Cambodian visa on arrival). Depart early, arrive late afternoon. Check into a guesthouse or hostel in the riverside/Daun Penh area and walk the Sisowath Quay promenade for dinner.

🚌Sapaco/Mekong Express bus HCMC–Phnom Penh (~£10–15)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Phnom Penh (approx £6–10)

• →Overland border crossing at Moc Bai
• →Sisowath Quay evening walk

Hire a tuk-tuk driver for the day (about $20–25 / £16–20 for the whole vehicle, or split with hostelmates) to cover Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (entry ~$5 + audio guide ~$3) and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek (~$6 + audio). Break for lunch, see the Independence Monument and Phsar Thmey (Central Market), then take a sunset Mekong river cruise from Sisowath Quay (about $8–10 for an hour). Do it yourself rather than joining a guided group — the audio guides are excellent.

🚌Day-hire tuk-tuk (~£16–20 per vehicle)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Phnom Penh (approx £6–10)

• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• →Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
• →Independence Monument
• →Phsar Thmey Central Market
• →One-hour Mekong sunset boat cruise

Take a Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham VIP bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (about £12–16, 6–7 hours) — Giant Ibis includes water, wifi and snacks and is the most comfortable backpacker option. Arrive late afternoon, check in near Pub Street or Wat Bo Road, and buy your Angkor pass for the next day: 1-day pass is $37 (£29), 3-day $62 — do it online on angkor.gov.kh or at the Angkor Enterprise ticket office after 5pm (which lets you in for sunset that evening).

🚌VIP bus Phnom Penh–Siem Reap (~£12–16)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Siem Reap (approx £7–12)

• →Bus across Cambodia
• →Buy Angkor archaeological pass
• →Pub Street evening and night market

Book a private remork (tuk-tuk) driver for the full day for $20–25 (or a small-group sunrise tour for around £15–20 through GetYourGuide, including a licenced guide if you want the history). Start at Angkor Thom: the Bayon with its smiling faces, the Terrace of the Leper King, Terrace of the Elephants and Baphuon. Then Ta Prohm, the tree-strangled 'Tomb Raider' temple, and finish with Angkor Wat — either for the classic sunrise or the late-afternoon light. An official guide is about $35–45 for the day if split between a few travellers and genuinely adds a lot.

🚌Private remork/tuk-tuk around the Angkor circuit (~£16–20)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Siem Reap (approx £7–12)

• →Angkor Thom and Bayon Temple
• →Terrace of the Leper King and Terrace of the Elephants
• →Baphuon
• →Ta Prohm
• →Angkor Wat

Morning free — a last coffee on Wat Bo Road, a wander round the old market, or a sunrise return to Angkor Wat if you bought a multi-day pass. Take a tuk-tuk to Siem Reap International Airport (about $5–8 / £4–6, 20 minutes) for your onward flight.

🚌Tuk-tuk to Siem Reap airport (~£4–6)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Old market souvenir shopping
• →Optional sunrise at Angkor Wat
• →Airport transfer