27 Days in Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Vietnam & Big Nights in Bangkok (Self-Launched)

Land at Noi Bai (HAN), take the VietJet/GetYourGuide shared airport bus (Route 86, ~£1.30) or a Grab car (~£9) into the Old Quarter. Check into a hostel in the Hoan Kiem area. In the late afternoon book a cyclo tour of the Old Quarter (30-45 mins, ~£4) and walk around Hoan Kiem Lake at dusk. Grab a bia hoi (fresh draught beer, ~£0.30) at the corner of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen — the classic backpacker ritual. Dinner: bun cha at a local stall (~£2).

🚌Airport bus Route 86 (~£1.30); walking and cyclo in the old town

🛏Hostel dorm in Old Quarter, e.g. Hanoi Backpackers / Little Charm, ~£6-9/night

• →Cyclo tour of Old Quarter
• →Hoan Kiem Lake sunset walk
• →Bia hoi corner

Free walking-food tour with your hostel or a GetYourGuide small-group street food tour (~£20, includes 6-8 tastings). Walk or Grab-bike to Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake (free entry) — one of the oldest in Vietnam. Afternoon: Vietnamese Women's Museum or the Temple of Literature (~£2.50 entry). Evening: Train Street coffee (book via hostel to be safe) then a bia hoi dinner. Optional: water puppet show, ~£4-6.

🚌Walk plus Grab motorbike (~£1-2 per hop)

🛏Hostel dorm in Old Quarter, ~£6-9/night

• →Hanoi street food tour
• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Water puppet show (optional)

Book a 2D/1N Halong Bay junk trip in advance via Klook or your hostel (~£120-150 including transfer, meals, kayaking and a cave stop). Minibus picks you up around 8am for the ~4hr drive to the harbour. Cruise among the limestone karsts, kayak, swim, visit a cave and enjoy a seafood dinner on board. Worth doing the quieter Lan Ha Bay route if you can — same scenery, fewer crowds. This is the trip's big-ticket splurge and completely self-bookable.

🚌Shared minibus from Hanoi (~included in tour cost)

🛏Overnight on a shared junk boat cabin, included in the trip price

• →Halong Bay cruise
• →Sea kayaking
• →Cave visit
• →Sunset on deck

Cruise back to harbour and return to Hanoi by early afternoon. Depending on your plan, take a local bus or train south to Ninh Binh (~£3, 2.5hrs) for the karst countryside, or — as the original itinerary does — board the Reunification Express sleeper train toward Hue (soft-sleeper berth from ~£15-25). Buy tickets direct on the Vietnam Railways site or via 12Go Asia. Stock up on snacks and beer at the station.

🚌Shared boat back; Reunification Express sleeper train (~£15-25)

🛏Sleeper train berth or Ninh Binh guesthouse ~£7/night

• →Vietnam Railways sleeper train

Rent a bicycle (~£2) and cycle the lanes to Tam Coc for the classic 2hr rowboat trip through the rice fields and caves between limestone towers (~£6-8). Climb the 500 steps up Hang Mua for the famous sunrise/sunset panorama over the Tam Coc river (~£2). Lunch at a local com chay spot. Evening: quiet hostel night in Tam Coc or back to Ninh Binh town.

🚌Bicycle (~£2/day)

🛏Hostel dorm in Tam Coc/Ninh Binh, ~£6-8/night

• →Tam Coc rowboat trip
• →Hang Mua viewpoint climb

Take the provincial bus or a bookable sleeper bus via 12Go to Phong Nha (7-9hrs, ~£12-16). Arrive evening and check into a Phong Nha farm-stay or hostel — this is basecamp for caving. Dinner is usually family-style at the guesthouse. Booking ahead for D2 cave trips is essential in high season.

🚌Sleeper bus Ninh Binh–Phong Nha (~£12-16)

🛏Phong Nha hostel or farm-stay, ~£7-10/night

• →Sleeper bus journey

Book the Paradise Cave tour directly or via Klook (~£28-35, or ~£38 with a combined Dark Cave zipline add-on). Walk the boardwalk inside one of Asia's longest dry caves — the crystal stalactites are the highlight. Afternoon: cycle through the national park, or add on the Botanic Garden. Some travellers stretch to the famous Hang Va or Tu Lan short caving adventures (~£120+, book weeks ahead).

🚌Shared tour vehicle and bicycle

🛏Phong Nha hostel or farm-stay, ~£7-10/night

• →Paradise Cave boardwalk
• →Dark Cave zipline (optional)
• →National park cycling

Morning bus or train south to Hue (~4-6hrs, ~£8-12). Check into a Hue hostel, then head to the Imperial Citadel (entry ~£6) and wander the Perfume River banks at sunset. Vegetarian dinner: Hue's famous bun bo Hue or com hen — one of Vietnam's best food cities for very little money.

🚌Public bus or train Phong Nha–Hue (~£8-12)

🛏Hostel dorm in Hue backpacker area, ~£6-9/night

• →Imperial Citadel
• →Perfume River sunset

The classic easy-rider option: hire a local motorbike guide to ride the Hai Van Pass from Hue to Hoi An (~£25-30, the 'Top Gear' route). You cross the pass with sweeping sea views, stop at Lang Co beach and Marble Mountains, and roll into Hoi An by late afternoon. Cheaper option: public bus or shared minibus direct (~£5). Check into an Old Town-adjacent hostel and eat cao lau for dinner (~£2).

🚌Hue-to-Hoi-An motorbike guide (~£25-30) or bus (~£5)

🛏Hostel dorm in Hoi An, ~£7-10/night

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

Spend the day cycling to An Bang or Cua Dai beach (bike hire ~£2). Afternoon in the UNESCO Old Town — buy a combined ticket (~£6) covering the Japanese Covered Bridge, old merchant houses and assembly halls. Get something tailored (allow 24hrs). Evening: Thu Bon river lantern boats (~£2), street food (white rose dumplings, banh mi Phuong, ~£3 total), then a Hoi An old-town bar.

🚌Bicycle hire (~£2/day)

🛏Hostel dorm in Hoi An, ~£7-10/night

• →Old Town UNESCO ticket
• →Lantern boat ride
• →Beach cycling

Morning cooking class — the original trip's 'Oodles of Noodles' concept maps directly to Hoi An's market-to-table cooking classes (book via GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£25-30 including market tour, noodle-making and lunch). Afternoon rest, then evening sleeper bus Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City (~£20, 18hrs) or fly if you prefer (~£35-50 with VietJet if booked early).

🚌Sleeper bus Hoi An–HCMC (~£20) or budget flight

🛏Sleeper bus

• →Vietnamese noodle cooking class
• →Hoi An central market tour

Arrive HCMC midday; check into a District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao) hostel. Afternoon: War Remnants Museum (~£2) and the Reunification Palace (~£2.50). Evening: book a motorbike street-food tour (GetYourGuide ~£20-28) that whirs you through District 3, 4 and 5 for banh xeo, bo la lot, sugarcane juice and a rooftop beer to finish. The original trip does exactly this on the back of a motorbike.

🚌Grab + motorbike tour

🛏Hostel dorm, Pham Ngu Lao / District 1, ~£6-9/night

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Night motorbike street-food tour

Half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour booked via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£15-20 including transport and guide). Crawl through the narrow tunnels and see the wartime engineering. Back in the city by early afternoon — do the Ben Thanh market, then a rooftop sundowner at one of the District 1 sky bars (cocktail ~£5-8). Dinner at a Banh Mi Huynh Hoa stall (~£1.50).

🚌Shared minibus to Cu Chi (~included in tour price)

🛏Hostel dorm, Pham Ngu Lao / District 1, ~£6-9/night

• →Cu Chi Tunnels tour
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Sky bar sunset

Book a 1- or 2-night Mekong Delta trip via GetYourGuide (~£35-55 for 2D1N including homestay, meals and boat trips). Cruise coconut canals by sampan, visit a honey/rice paper farm, cycle between villages and stay the night with a Delta family in Can Tho. Early next morning: the famous Cai Rang floating market before returning to HCMC. The original route uses back-road ferries and jeeps — book the 'off the beaten path' version if offered.

🚌Shared minibus + sampan + bicycles

🛏Mekong Delta homestay or guesthouse, included in tour cost

• →Sampan canal cruise
• →Coconut farm visit
• →Cai Rang floating market
• →Village cycle

Return to HCMC midday. Final Vietnamese meal (pho or com tam). Evening: buy your Cambodia bus or flight tickets for the next day, sort out your e-visa (~£28 for the Cambodian e-visa, apply online) and arrange a 1-night dorm bed. If you want speed, the Vietnam Airlines/VietJet HCMC to Phnom Penh flight is ~£45-65 booked early; the land route (bus to Moc Bai border, then Phnom Penh) is ~£15-20.

🚌Bus/flight ticket purchase; Grab across the city

🛏Hostel dorm, Pham Ngu Lao / District 1, ~£6-9/night

• →Last Vietnamese street food night
• →Cambodia e-visa online

Take the direct HCMC–Phnom Penh intercity bus (12Go/GetYourGuide, ~£13-18, 6-7hrs door to door including the Moc Bai border). Most buses have decent AC and a stop for food. Arrive Phnom Penh late afternoon; check in around the Riverside or Street 172/278 backpacker area. Sunset beer on the Riverside, then lok lak for dinner (~£2.50).

🚌International bus to Phnom Penh (~£13-18)

🛏Hostel dorm, Phnom Penh Riverside, ~£6-9/night

• →Riverside sunset walk

A heavy but essential day. Take a tuk-tuk to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields (~£4 return, entry ~£5 including audio guide) and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21, entry ~£4). Both together take 4-5hrs. Afternoon: Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda (~£8). Evening: get a Khmer massage (~£4) and dinner at Friends the Restaurant (training restaurant, ~£6-8).

🚌Tuk-tuk (~£4-6 for the day)

🛏Hostel dorm, Phnom Penh Riverside, ~£6-9/night

• →Killing Fields
• →Tuol Sleng Museum
• →Royal Palace

Morning VIP bus Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (6-7hrs, ~£10-15, book via 12Go or the Giant Ibis/VET coaches). Arrive late afternoon. Check into a Siem Reap hostel (Wat Bo or Sok San Road / Pub Street area). Buy an Angkor pass in advance online (1-day $37, 3-day $62) — the 3-day pass is better value if you want sunrise plus a slower temple day. Evening: Pub Street buzz, pub-street beer ~£0.50.

🚌Intercity bus to Siem Reap (~£10-15)

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap, ~£6-9/night

• →Arrival on Pub Street

Early start (4.30am) for sunrise over Angkor Wat with a licensed local guide (~£15-20 shared tuk-tuk and guide for the day). Cover the Small Circuit: Angkor Wat, Bayon's giant faces, Baphuon, Terrace of the Elephants and Ta Prohm (the 'Tomb Raider' temple being swallowed by jungle). Drink lots of water; lunch at a temple-side restaurant ~£4. Return for hostel pool and sunset at Phnom Bakheng (optional). This maps directly to the tour's Day 25 Angkor guided tour.

🚌Tuk-tuk for the day (~£15-20 shared)

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap, ~£6-9/night

• →Sunrise at Angkor Wat
• →Bayon and Angkor Thom
• →Ta Prohm temple

Flex day. Options: the quieter Banteay Srei temples (~£10 tuk-tuk), floating villages on Tonle Sap Lake (~£15), or a Khmer cooking class (~£15-20). Evening: book the Phare Circus (the socially conscious Cambodian circus from the original itinerary) — tickets ~£12-25 depending on seat. It's genuinely one of the trip's standout nights. Otherwise Pub Street until late.

🚌Tuk-tuk as needed (~£3-6 per trip)

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap, ~£6-9/night

• →Phare Circus
• →Khmer cooking class (optional)
• →Tonle Sap floating village (optional)

Travel day. Fastest and cheapest: bus Siem Reap to Poipet border (~£5, 3hrs), walk the border, then minibus/bus to Bangkok (~£8-12, 4-5hrs). Total ~9hrs. Alternatively, fly Siem Reap to Bangkok (~£60-80 with AirAsia if booked early). You MUST complete the Thailand E-Arrival form online at least 3 days before entry — do it now if you haven't. Arrive Bangkok Khao San Road area in the evening.

🚌Border bus + Thai minibus (~£15-20 total)

🛏Hostel dorm, Khao San Road / Banglamphu, ~£8-12/night

• →Thailand E-Arrival form (mandatory, pre-trip)

Get the Chao Phraya Express Boat (orange flag, ~£0.35/ride) and hit the big three: Grand Palace (~£12), Wat Pho with the Reclining Buddha (~£5) and Wat Arun (~£2.50). Lunch and afternoon snack on Yaowarat (Chinatown) — moo ping, pad thai and mango sticky rice all under £2 each. Evening: Khao San Road for a bucket and backpacker chaos, or escape to a Ratchada rot fai night market for the more local vibe.

🚌Chao Phraya boats + Grab + tuk-tuk

🛏Hostel dorm, Khao San Road / Banglamphu, ~£8-12/night

• →Grand Palace
• →Wat Pho
• →Wat Arun
• →Chinatown street food

Take the BTS Skytrain to Mo Chit for Chatuchak Weekend Market (if you're there on a weekend) — 15,000 stalls of everything, or Or Tor Kor for food. Midday: an hour of Muay Thai watching at Rajadamnern or a Thai cooking class (~£25) for pad thai and green curry. Afternoon nap, then Khao San or Sukhumvit Soi 11 for the 'big night' the original tour promises.

🚌BTS Skytrain + Grab (~£1-2 per trip)

🛏Hostel dorm, Khao San Road / Banglamphu, ~£8-12/night

• →Chatuchak Market
• →Muay Thai (optional)
• →Khao San night out

Train to Ayutthaya (~£1.50, 1.5hrs from Hua Lamphong or Bang Sue), hire a bicycle (~£2) and cycle the UNESCO temple ruins — Wat Mahathat, Wat Chaiwatthanaram and Wat Phra Si Sanphet (combined ticket ~£5). Return to Bangkok in the late afternoon. Dinner at a Michelin Bib-Gourmand street stall (Raan Jay Fai is a splurge, but the cheaper Chinatown stalls are just as good), ~£4.

🚌Return train to Ayutthaya (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm, Khao San Road / Banglamphu, ~£8-12/night

• →Ayutthaya temple cycling
• →Wat Mahathat

Morning Thai cooking class (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£25-30, includes market visit and 4 dishes). Afternoon: a traditional Thai massage (~£8-12) and last-minute shopping at MBK or Terminal 21. Sort your onward flight or bus. Evening: rooftop bar or a quiet riverside dinner to close the loop on 27 days of Southeast Asia.

🚌BTS + Grab

🛏Hostel dorm, Khao San Road / Banglamphu, ~£8-12/night

• →Thai cooking class
• →Traditional Thai massage
• →Rooftop bar

Buffer day for any delay along the route (border crossings and buses sometimes run long). Use it for: a day trip to Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai (~£12 including train), a bike ride through Bang Krachao 'green lung', or simply sleep in and eat your way through the city. Budget for one repeat night out if you're feeling it.

🚌Local trains, BTS, boats

🛏Hostel dorm, Khao San Road / Banglamphu, ~£8-12/night

• →Flex day
• →Kanchanaburi (optional)
• →Bang Krachao bike ride (optional)

Final breakfast, last Thai iced tea, and airport transfer (Airport Rail Link ~£0.70 to Phaya Thai then BTS, or Grab to Suvarnabhumi ~£8-10). Check your onward flight or bus. You've just completed the self-launched version of the G Adventures Hanoi-to-Bangkok 27-day Roamies route, on your own schedule and your own budget.

🚌Airport Rail Link (~£0.70) or Grab (~£9)

🛏-

• →Departure