Self-Launched Vietnam & Cambodia: Hanoi to Phnom Penh Solo Adventure

Land at Noi Bai, take the Vietnam Airlines or Vietjet minibus/bus #86 into the Old Quarter (~£1.20) or a Grab (~£8). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Hoan Kiem Lake. In the afternoon join a circular cyclo ride around the Old Quarter (book a 1-hour cyclo in person for ~£5, or add a street-food walking tour via GetYourGuide ~£18). In the evening, take a Vietnamese cooking class at a local villa-style cookery school (~£22, bookable on GetYourGuide or Klook) — the self-launched answer to the tour's welcome dinner.

🚌Bus #86 from airport ~£1.20

🛏Budget hotel/Old Quarter hostel, private twin ~£15/pp

• →Cyclo tour of Old Quarter
• →Vietnamese cooking class
• →Hoan Kiem Lake stroll

Breakfast of pho and ca phe sua da (~£3). Book a Hanoi half-day motorbike tour via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£28) covering Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Opera House, Long Bien Bridge and Huu Tiep Lake (the B-52 crash site). Alternatively DIY it: Grab bikes between sights (~£8 total) plus free entry to most temples; Hoa Lo Prison entry is ~£1.30. Lunch at a Bun Cha stall in the Old Quarter (~£3). Evening: home-style dinner at a local family via a Klook 'Hanoi home dinner' experience (~£15) or a bia hoi corner dinner (~£5).

🚌Grab bikes ~£8

🛏Budget hotel/Old Quarter hostel ~£15/pp

• →Motorbike city tour
• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• →Long Bien Bridge
• →Hoa Lo Prison
• →Bun Cha lunch

Book a 2-day/1-night Ha Long Bay junk boat cruise through Klook or GetYourGuide (~£95-120 pp including transfers, all meals and kayaking) — this replaces the operator's included cruise. Shuttle pickup from your Old Quarter hotel around 8am, ~3.5 hours to the harbour. Afternoon of cave visits, swimming and sunset on deck with a seafood dinner included. Cheaper alternative: local bus to Ha Long city (~£5) and a day boat (~£35), but the overnight is worth it.

🚌Shuttle bus included in cruise

🛏Overnight on junk boat (included in cruise price)

• →Junk boat cruise
• →Sung Sot Cave
• →Sunset on deck

Optional sunrise tai chi on deck, then kayaking in Hang Luon lagoon before brunch. Shuttle back to Hanoi for ~4pm, collect your bag from hotel storage, then take the SE1/SE3 sleeper train from Hanoi to Hue (~16 hours, soft sleeper ~£28-35 booked on dsvn.vn or 12go.asia). Alternatively a sleeper bus (~£18, 14 hrs) or a 1-hour flight (~£40 on Vietjet).

🚌Sleeper train Hanoi–Hue ~£30

🛏Sleeper train soft-sleeper berth ~£30

• →Kayaking in Hang Luon Lagoon
• →Sunrise tai chi
• →Overnight sleeper train

Arrive mid-morning, drop bags at a guesthouse south of the Perfume River (~£14/pp). Rent a bicycle or Grab to the Imperial Citadel (entry ~£5). In the afternoon take a Dragon Boat along the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda (~£4 per person shared), then visit Tu Duc and Khai Dinh Royal Tombs (entry ~£4 each). Dinner of bun bo Hue (~£3). Optional guided Hue day tour via GetYourGuide ~£30 if you want a local historian along.

🚌Bicycle/Grab ~£5

🛏Hue guesthouse ~£14/pp

• →Imperial Citadel
• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Royal Tombs
• →Perfume River boat

The most scenic option is a motorbike 'Easy Rider' from Hue to Hoi An over the Hai Van Pass (~£35 for the day, book via Klook or any Hue cafe) — with stops at Lang Co beach and Marble Mountains. Cheaper: local bus Hue–Hoi An ~£6 (4 hours) or train to Da Nang ~£4 then Grab ~£6. Check into a boutique guesthouse in Hoi An (~£16/pp). Evening wander Hoi An Old Town (entry ticket ~£5) as the lanterns come on.

🚌Easy Rider motorbike ~£35 (or bus £6)

🛏Hoi An boutique guesthouse ~£16/pp

• →Hai Van Pass motorbike ride
• →Lang Co Beach
• →Hoi An Old Town at night

Book a Hoi An cooking class with market visit (~£25 via GetYourGuide) or a noodle-making workshop (~£15) as the equivalent of the tour's 'Oodles of Noodles' lunch. Afternoon: rent a bicycle (~£2) to An Bang Beach or the Tra Que vegetable village. Optional Old Town walking tour ~£12. Get a shirt tailored (~£20+) or just eat cao lau for £3.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£2

🛏Hoi An boutique guesthouse ~£16/pp

• →Hoi An cooking class
• →An Bang Beach cycle
• →Tailoring
• →Old Town walking tour (optional)

Fly Da Nang to Saigon on Vietjet/Bamboo (~£35, 1h20) — or overnight sleeper bus/ train (~£22, 18 hrs) if you have time. Check into a District 1 budget hotel (~£15/pp). Afternoon: Ben Thanh Market, then a rooftop bar (Chill Skybar or Saigon Saigon) for sunset. Optional Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour ~£22 via GetYourGuide if you want it done now.

🚌Flight Da Nang–Saigon ~£35

🛏District 1 budget hotel ~£15/pp

• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Rooftop bar
• →Cu Chi Tunnels (optional)

Book a 2-day Mekong Delta homestay tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£60-70 pp including transport, boats, meals and one night with a local family) or DIY it: bus from Saigon's Mien Tay station to Ben Tre (~£4, 2.5 hrs), then a local sampan boat trip through coconut canals (~£8) and onward to Cai Thia. Stay at a Delta homestay with a home-cooked dinner (~£14/pp incl. dinner).

🚌Local bus Saigon–Ben Tre ~£4

🛏Mekong Delta homestay ~£14/pp

• →Ben Tre coconut canals
• →Sampan boat ride
• →Cai Thia village walk
• →Home-cooked Delta dinner

Morning bicycle ride (~£2 hire) through the Mang Thit pottery and brick kiln village — the old kilns along the river are genuinely atmospheric. Lunch at a local com tam stall (~£2.50). Return to Saigon by bus (~£4, 3 hrs), check back into the District 1 hotel. Evening: street food crawl around District 4 (~£8) or a Saigon Vespa food tour ~£30 via GetYourGuide.

🚌Bus Mekong–Saigon ~£4

🛏District 1 budget hotel ~£15/pp

• →Mang Thit brick village cycle
• →District 4 street food crawl

Take the direct Phnom Penh Sorya or Mekong Express bus from Saigon (~£12-15, 6 hrs including the Moc Bai/Bavet border). Bring USD cash for the Cambodian visa (~£25-30) if you need one — check your nationality first. Arrive late afternoon, check into a budget hotel near the riverside (~£13/pp). Sunset drinks over the Mekong (~£3). Dinner at a Khmer restaurant (~£4).

🚌Bus Saigon–Phnom Penh ~£14

🛏Riverside budget hotel ~£13/pp

• →Cross-border bus
• →Riverside sunset
• →Moc Bai border crossing

The overnight Giant Ibis sleeper bus Phnom Penh–Siem Reap (~£15, 6-7 hrs) is the budget option, or fly (~£45, 45 min). On arrival, check into a guesthouse in Siem Reap (~£13/pp with pool). Evening: a Khmer cooking class (~£20 via GetYourGuide) to cook chicken amok and mango sticky rice — the self-launched version of the tour's Cambodian dinner party — or eat at a local Khmer BBQ (~£5).

🚌Bus or flight ~£15-45

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse ~£13/pp

• →Bus/flight to Siem Reap
• →Khmer cooking class
• →Night market wander

Buy the Angkor pass (1-day ~£29, 3-day ~£50 — a 3-day pass makes sense here). Hire a tuk-tuk driver for the small circuit (~£15/day, split if you pair up with others): Angkor Thom and the Bayon faces, Ta Prohm's tree roots and Banteay Kdei. Lunch at a local spot (~£4). Optional skip: Banteay Srei is 40 min further out — do it day 14. Evening dinner at Spoons, the social-enterprise training restaurant (~£8), then a walk along the Royal Garden and riverside.

🚌Tuk-tuk small circuit ~£15/day

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse ~£13/pp

• →Angkor Thom & Bayon Temple
• →Ta Prohm Temple
• →Spoons restaurant dinner
• →Royal Garden riverside walk

Tuk-tuk pickup at 4:45am (~£20 for the day) for sunrise over Angkor Wat — arrive by 5am for the reflection pond. Return to town for breakfast, then afternoon trip to Banteay Srei (the pink sandstone 'citadel of women', entry included in your pass, ~1 hr each way) and Banteay Samre on the way back. Pack a lunch or eat at a village restaurant near Sambor Prei Kuk (~£4).

🚌Tuk-tuk day hire ~£20 (split with others)

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse ~£13/pp

• →Sunrise at Angkor Wat
• →Banteay Srei
• →Banteay Samre

Morning bus or flight back to Phnom Penh (~£15). Join a Choeung Ek (Killing Fields) audio-guided visit (~£5 entry + £7 tuk-tuk round trip) plus Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (~£4) — sobering but essential. Alternatively visit the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (~£8 entry). Evening street-food crawl around Psar Thmei or Bassac Lane (~£7). Book your bus to Chi Phat tonight.

🚌Bus Siem Reap–Phnom Penh ~£15

🛏Riverside budget hotel ~£13/pp

• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Tuol Sleng museum
• →Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
• →Street food crawl

Bus/minivan from Phnom Penh to Andoung Tuek (~£6, 5 hrs), then the local moto or shared taxi up to Chi Phat (~£4, 45 min). Check into the Chi Phat Community Guesthouse (~£8/pp) — this is a community-based ecotourism project, bookable direct via the Chi Phat Community-Based Ecotourism office. Afternoon guided walk to Chhay Chrey rapids and Chhay Kpas waterfall (~£8 with a local guide), then sunset from Bold Mountain viewpoint. Set dinner at the community restaurant (~£3).

🚌Bus + moto transfer ~£10

🛏Chi Phat Community Guesthouse ~£8/pp

• →Chhay Chrey rapids walk
• →Chhay Kpas waterfall
• →Bold Mountain sunset viewpoint

Sunrise motor sampan boat trip up the Preak Piphot river for birding and otter spotting (~£15 pp incl. guide and breakfast on the water). Picnic lunch on the riverbank (~£3). Afternoon: cycle to a village or swim in the river. Optional night lobster-fishing trip with local fishers (~£12) — a genuine community-run experience. Dinner at the guesthouse (~£3).

🚌Included in excursions

🛏Chi Phat Community Guesthouse ~£8/pp

• →Sunrise bird watching boat trip
• →Riverbank picnic
• →Night lobster fishing (optional)

Moto back to Andoung Tuek, then bus to Sihanoukville (~£5, 3 hrs). Take the afternoon speed ferry from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong (~£11 each way, 45 min — book with Speed Ferry Cambodia or Buva Sea, or via Klook). Check into a beach guesthouse on Koh Rong (~£15/pp for a bungalow or dorm) and swim before dark. Dinner of grilled barracuda on the beach (~£5).

🚌Bus to Sihanoukville £5 + return ferry £22

🛏Koh Rong beach bungalow ~£15/pp

• →Speed ferry to Koh Rong
• →Beach sunset swim

Kayak through the mangrove forests around Koh Touch or hire a boat to the quieter Long Set beach (~£10). Hike to the Koh Rong waterfall (~£0; hire a guide ~£8). Sunset on the beach with a beer (~£2). Snorkelling trip to the smaller islands ~£15 via a local boat operator if you want more to do. Book your return ferry a day ahead.

🚌Local boat/kayak hire ~£10

🛏Koh Rong beach bungalow ~£15/pp

• →Mangrove kayaking
• →Koh Rong waterfall hike
• →Snorkelling trip (optional)
• →Sunset on the beach

Morning ferry back to Sihanoukville (~£11), then Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham bus to Phnom Penh (~£11, 5-6 hrs). Arrive evening, check back into a riverside budget hotel (~£13/pp). Farewell dinner with any travel friends you've picked up along the way (~£8), and a last rooftop drink on the Mekong.

🚌Ferry £11 + bus £11

🛏Riverside budget hotel ~£13/pp

• →Return ferry
• →Bus to Phnom Penh
• →Farewell dinner

Breakfast (~£3) and a last wander through the Central Market or Russian Market for souvenirs. Tuk-tuk to Phnom Penh airport (~£4). Cambodia visas for most nationalities can be done as an e-visa in advance (~£27) or on arrival (~£25-30 USD cash).

🚌Airport tuk-tuk ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →Central Market
• →Airport transfer