Best of Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos — 13-Day Self-Launched Version
13 days · Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos
Asia Pacific Travel charges £1,600
No-markup version: ~£790 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched, book-it-yourself version of the classic 13-day Saigon → Mekong → Phnom Penh → Siem Reap → Luang Prabang route. You'll do exactly the same headline sights — the Cu Chi tunnels, the Cai Rang floating market, Tuol Sleng, Angkor Wat at sunrise, the Pak Ou caves and Kuang Si falls — but with hostel/guesthouse beds, day tours booked through GetYourGuide or Klook, and local buses, speedboats and cheap regional flights instead of a packaged group itinerary. Vietnam and Cambodia are very easy to travel independently; Laos takes a bit more patience but is well set up for backpackers. Expect ~£750–850 all-in for 13 days excluding international flights — roughly a third of the operator's price.
Day-by-day
Arrive Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Land at Tan Son Nhat and take the public bus 109 or a Grab bike/car (about £2–4) into District 1. Settle into a hostel or budget hotel around Bui Vien / Pham Ngu Lao. Spend the late afternoon on a free wander — Ben Thanh Market, the Saigon River promenade at Bach Dang, and a £1.50 banh mi for dinner. Book your Cu Chi day tour tonight for tomorrow via GetYourGuide or Klook (roughly £18–22 including entry).
🚌Bus 109 from airport ~£0.50, Grab ~£2.50
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, District 1 (£10–14)
- →Arrival transfer by bus 109 or Grab
- →Ben Thanh Market wander
- →Book Cu Chi half-day tour online
Cu Chi Tunnels + city landmarks
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Morning pickup for a Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£18–22 with entry and a guide — you'll crawl part of the tunnels, see the kitchens, field hospitals and weapons workshops, and try the tea and cassava). Back in the city by mid-afternoon: do the Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum (each around £2 entry) on foot, then the Notre Dame Cathedral exterior and the Central Post Office. Cheap dinner of com tam or bun thit nuong in District 1, £2–3.
🚌Tour minibus included; walking in the afternoon
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, District 1 (£10–14)
- →Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour (booked online)
- →Reunification Palace
- →War Remnants Museum
- →Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
Into the Mekong Delta: Cai Be to Can Tho
Can Tho, Vietnam
Two easy ways to do this. Cheapest: take a local bus from Mien Tay station to Cai Be (~£4, 2.5 hrs) and book a Mekong day boat through your guesthouse on arrival (~£15–20 for a group boat with orchard visit, coconut candy workshop, rowing-boat canal ride and lunch). Or pre-book a shared 'Cai Be – Can Tho' day tour on Klook (~£25–30) that bundles the boat, lunch and onward drop in Can Tho. Evening in Can Tho on the riverside with a £3 bowl of hu tieu.
🚌Local bus Saigon–Cai Be ~£4; boat and shared tour included
🛏Guesthouse or hostel near Can Tho riverside (£10–15)
- →Tien River boat ride and orchard gardens
- →Coconut candy & rice popcorn family workshop
- →Rowing boat through Mekong canals
- →Cycle through fruit orchards
- →Ba Kiet ancient house
Cai Rang Floating Market & Chau Doc
Chau Doc, Vietnam
Get up at 5am for the Cai Rang floating market — a small motorised boat from Ninh Kieu quay costs about £8–10 for 1.5–2 hrs and lets you hop onto a noodle-making boat for breakfast. Back for check-out, then take a local bus Chau Doc-bound (~£4–5, 3–4 hrs). Late afternoon visit Tra Su cajuput forest on a rented motorbike or arranged tuk-tuk (~£8 including rowboat, ~£5 entry) — the boardwalk through the green mangrove is the highlight. Dinner at the Chau Doc night market, £3–4.
🚌Local boat ~£9; bus Can Tho–Chau Doc ~£5; motorbike/tuk-tuk hire ~£8
🛏Budget hotel in Chau Doc (£10–14)
- →Cai Rang floating market by small boat
- →Rice noodle factory visit
- →Munir Ansay Pagoda
- →Tra Su Forest rowboat and boardwalk
- →Ba Chua Xu Temple
Slow boat Chau Doc to Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The classic border crossing: book the daily express speedboat from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh (~£18–22, 4–5 hrs including border formalities) through your hotel, or take the cheaper bus via the Moc Bai/Bavet land crossing (~£10–12, 6 hrs). Have your Cambodia e-visa printed. Arrive Phnom Penh mid-afternoon; check into a hostel around Sisowath Quay or Street 240, walk the riverside at sunset and eat at the Night Market by Wat Phnom (£2–3).
🚌Speedboat ~£20 (or bus via Moc Bai ~£11)
🛏Hostel dorm or guesthouse near the riverside (£8–14)
- →Chau Doc–Phnom Penh speedboat border crossing
- →Riverside sunset walk
- →Phnom Penh Night Market dinner
Phnom Penh's history day
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda in the morning (~£8 entry, closed midday), then the National Museum next door (~£4). After lunch, Tuol Sleng (S-21) Genocide Museum (~£4 with audio guide) — go with plenty of time and don't schedule anything heavy afterwards. Finish at Wat Phnom and Wat Ounalom, and wander Central Market. A tuk-tuk day hire is ~£10–12, or book a half-day city tour on GetYourGuide (~£20) if you want a guide for the S-21 context.
🚌Tuk-tuk day hire ~£10
🛏Hostel dorm or guesthouse near the riverside (£8–14)
- →Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
- →National Museum
- →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21)
- →Wat Phnom & Wat Ounalom
- →Central Market
Bus to Siem Reap
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Take a Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham VIP night/day bus Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (~£12–15, 6 hrs, book online or via your hostel). Flights exist but cost £70+ and save only a couple of hours door-to-door. Arrive, check into a guesthouse around Wat Bo or Sok San Road (£8–15), and buy your 3-day Angkor pass this evening at the ticket office after 5pm (valid from the next day, £46). Sunset beers on Pub Street, £3 dinner.
🚌VIP bus ~£13
🛏Guesthouse near Wat Bo (£8–15)
- →VIP bus Phnom Penh–Siem Reap
- →Buy 3-day Angkor pass
- →Pub Street evening
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom & Ta Prohm
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Hire a tuk-tuk driver for the day directly (about £15–18 for the small circuit, negotiate the night before — most guesthouses will sort it). Start early for Bayon's faces, then Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm's tree-strangled ruins, and lunch at one of the simple Khmer eateries inside the complex (£3–4). Save Angkor Wat for late afternoon when the crowds thin, then climb Phnom Bakheng for sunset. A guided small-group Angkor tour on GetYourGuide is ~£25–30 if you'd rather have context — worth it for day one.
🚌Tuk-tuk day hire ~£16
🛏Guesthouse near Wat Bo (£8–15)
- →Bayon Temple
- →Angkor Thom
- →Ta Prohm
- →Angkor Wat
- →Phnom Bakheng sunset
Banteay Srei & the outer temples
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Second Angkor day on the grand circuit: Pre Rup early, then the long tuk-tuk ride out to Banteay Srei's pink sandstone carvings (~£20–25 for the full day with a driver, 30km each way). On the way back, East Mebon, Ta Som and Preah Khan — all quieter and more atmospheric than the main circuit. Buy lunch at a roadside Khmer curry shop, £3. Evening: cheap massage (£5) and dinner in Siem Reap.
🚌Tuk-tuk day hire ~£22
🛏Guesthouse near Wat Bo (£8–15)
- →Pre Rup
- →Banteay Srei
- →East Mebon
- →Ta Som
- →Preah Khan
Fly to Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, Laos
The operator excludes this flight too — book it yourself. Vietnam Airlines/AirAsia via Vientiane or direct Siem Reap–Luang Prabang flights run roughly £90–140 one way; book 4–6 weeks ahead for the lower end. Alternatively the overland route (bus Siem Reap–Vientiane–Luang Prabang, ~30hrs, £40) is only for the very patient. Airport tuk-tuk into town ~£2. Afternoon: settle into a guesthouse on the peninsula (£10–16), walk Wat Xiengthong at sunset and eat at the night market buffet (£1.50 for a plate).
🚌Flight ~£110; airport tuk-tuk ~£2
🛏Guesthouse on the peninsula (£10–16)
- →Flight Siem Reap–Luang Prabang (self-booked)
- →Wat Xiengthong
- →Luang Prabang night market
Pak Ou Caves by slow boat
Luang Prabang, Laos
Book a shared Mekong slow boat to Pak Ou Caves at the pier or through your guesthouse — ~£10–15 return, leaving around 8:30am, 2 hrs upstream each way with a stop at Ban Muang Keo for rice-whisky distilling (try the lao-lao). The caves themselves are small but the river trip is the point. Back by 3pm: Wat Sene and a wander, or the Ock Pop Tok craft centre for free weaving demos and sunset over the Mekong. Optional detour: Ban Xangkhong for sa paper and silk.
🚌Shared slow boat ~£12
🛏Guesthouse on the peninsula (£10–16)
- →Mekong slow boat to Pak Ou Caves
- →Ban Muang Keo whisky village
- →Wat Sene
- →Ock Pop Tok Living Craft Centre
Alms giving, Phousi Hill & Kuang Si Falls
Luang Prabang, Laos
Set the alarm for 5:30am for the morning alms-giving (stand back respectfully; buy sticky rice from a vendor to offer if you wish). Browse the morning market by the former Royal Palace, then breakfast. Climb Phousi Hill's 329 steps (~£1.50) for the view. The afternoon is Kuang Si: a shared tuk-tuk or songthaew from town is ~£5–7 return (or ~£15–20 to charter for the day), entry ~£2, and there are turquoise pools to swim in plus the bear rescue centre and the short walk up to Ban Thapene's hidden falls. Back for the night market.
🚌Shared songthaew to Kuang Si ~£6
🛏Guesthouse on the peninsula (£10–16)
- →Morning alms giving ceremony
- →Morning market & Royal Palace
- →Phousi Hill
- →Kuang Si Waterfall
- →Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre
Depart Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, Laos
Last breakfast by the Mekong, pick up a coffee from a Lao-roasted café, and take the airport tuk-tuk (~£3) or a Grab for your onward/return flight. If you're flying home, the usual route is Luang Prabang–Bangkok/Hanoi and on from there — book as one ticket where you can to avoid re-checking bags.
🚌Airport tuk-tuk ~£3
🛏—
- →Departure transfer to Luang Prabang airport
Self-launched vs. Asia Pacific Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Asia Pacific Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£790 | £1,600 |
| Duration | 13 days | 13 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £810 per person (51%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Asia Pacific Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£790
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 Best of Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos — 13-Day Self-Launched Version cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £790 per person for 13 days in Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos. 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 Asia Pacific Travel?+
Yes — Asia Pacific Travel charges around £1,600 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £790 — a saving of roughly £810 (51%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos trip?+
This itinerary runs 13 days, covering 13 day-by-day stops through Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos.
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 adventure, culture, backpacker trip through Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos, 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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