Essential Southeast Asia: Hanoi to Bangkok — Self-Launched

Land at Noi Bai, take the airport bus 86 or a Grab (~£4) into the Old Quarter and check into a dorm hostel near Ma May or Ta Hien. Spend the late afternoon wandering the 36 streets, grazing nem ran (fried spring rolls), banh goi (pillow dumplings) and egg coffee at Cafe Giang. Book your Ninh Binh bus and train tickets tonight at the hostel desk or on the 12Go app.

🚌Airport bus 86 ~£1.60

🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm, £6-9

• →Old Quarter street-food walk
• →Egg coffee at Cafe Giang
• →Book onward bus/train tickets

Take a morning shared limousine van or local bus south to Ninh Binh (~2 hrs, £6). If you want to see Tam Chuc Pagoda, hop off en route or grab a Grab bike there — it's a vast, half-empty modern temple complex worth an hour. Base yourself in Tam Coc village and rent a bicycle (£2/day) to ride the lanes between limestone cliffs and rice paddies.

🚌Shared limousine van Hanoi-Ninh Binh ~£6; bike hire £2

🛏Tam Coc homestay dorm, £7-10

• →Tam Chuc Pagoda
• →Cycle Tam Coc back lanes

Early start: climb the ~500 steps to Hang Mua Peak (£4) before the tour buses arrive, then join a shared sampan through the Trang An Grottoes (£7). Afternoon back at the homestay before a late transfer to Ninh Binh station. Book a soft-sleeper berth on the SE or TN train toward Dong Hoi (~10-11 hrs, £18-22) — buy on the Vietnam Railways site or a local agent a day ahead.

🚌Vietnam Railways soft sleeper Ninh Binh-Dong Hoi

🛏Overnight sleeper train (4-berth, £18-22)

• →Hang Mua Peak hike
• →Trang An boat trip

Arrive early and head straight to the Dong Hoi riverside fish market — chaotic, photogenic and best at dawn. Fuel up with banh mi from a stall and then take a local bus or shared van up to Phong Nha (~1 hr, £4). Rent a bicycle and ride the back roads past buffalo and karst cliffs before an easy evening in the village.

🚌Local bus Dong Hoi-Phong Nha ~£4; bike hire £2

🛏Phong Nha hostel dorm, £6-9

• →Dong Hoi fish market
• →Countryside cycling
• →Banh mi breakfast

Book a Paradise Cave tour (£14-18 with transport) for the boardwalks and giant white stalactites, or fork out for the Dark Cave zipline/kayak combo (£22) if you want adrenaline. Serious cavers can look at Oxalis's Hang Va or Tu Lan day trips (from £70) — book direct a day or two in advance. Evening: hostel bar, or a wander to the riverside bars.

🚌Included in cave tour pickups

🛏Phong Nha hostel dorm, £6-9

• →Paradise Cave
• →Dark Cave zipline & kayak (optional)
• →Riverside evening

Hire a Grab or shared car to the Vinh Moc tunnels (£5-8 return), the villagers' tunnel network from the American War that sees a fraction of the Cu Chi crowds (entry £2). Then catch a local bus or train south to Hue (~2.5 hrs, £4-6). Afternoon free: walk the Citadel and Imperial Enclosure (£6), or a riverside beer on the Perfume River.

🚌Shared car to tunnels; bus/train to Hue ~£5

🛏Hue hostel dorm, £6-9

• →Vinh Moc Tunnels
• →Hue Citadel
• →Perfume River walk

The classic ride: hire an Easy Rider motorbike (£22-25 for the day behind a driver) or an open-top jeep shared with other travellers (£28pp) over the Hai Van Pass. Stop at An Bang's ghost city cemetery, swim at Lang Co Beach, and continue past Da Nang's Marble Mountains before rolling into Hoi An. Book through your hostel the night before.

🚌Easy Rider / shared jeep over Hai Van Pass £22-28

🛏Hoi An old-town hostel dorm, £7-10

• →Hai Van Pass
• →An Bang Cemetery
• →Lang Co Beach
• →Marble Mountains

Pick your adventure: bicycle to My Son Sanctuary (£8 entry plus a shared tour from £12), hire a bike to An Bang beach (£2), or get measured for a custom suit (from £60). In the evening buy a ticket for the old town (£4) and eat cao lau and white rose dumplings by the river, then release a lantern boat (£1.50).

🚌Bicycle hire £2

🛏Hoi An old-town hostel dorm, £7-10

• →My Son Sanctuary (optional)
• →An Bang beach
• →Hoi An old town ticket
• →Lantern boat ride

Morning Vietnamese cooking class (£16-18, book on GetYourGuide or Klook the day before) — market visit, then learn pho, banh xeo and fresh spring rolls, and eat your work for lunch. Afternoon free for the tailor fitting or riverside bars, then an evening train south toward Dieu Tri/Qui Nhon (soft sleeper, ~7 hrs, £14-18).

🚌Vietnam Railways Hoi An area (Tra Kieu/Dieu Tri) south

🛏Overnight sleeper train (£14-18)

• →Vietnamese cooking class
• →Tailor fitting (optional)

Arrive early, grab a banh beo and bun thit nuong breakfast, then visit the Thap Doi Cham towers (free/£1). Take a Grab or local boat out to Ky Co Beach (£6-8 return) — white sand, turquoise water, barely anyone. Dinner at a seafood restaurant on the promenade (banh xeo, grilled scallops, ~£6).

🚌Train arrival; Grab to Ky Co ~£7

🛏Qui Nhon hostel dorm, £6-9

• →Thap Doi Cham towers
• →Ky Co Beach
• →Seafood dinner

Hire a shared car or take the coastal bus toward Nha Trang, stopping at Ganh Da Dia (£1 entry) — the basalt 'Giant's Causeway'. Continue to Nha Trang and spend the afternoon in a mud bath and mineral pool at Thap Ba or I-Resort (£10-13). Evening on the beachfront: Bia hoi, night market, and bars along Tran Phu.

🚌Shared car/bus via Ganh Da Dia ~£8

🛏Nha Trang hostel dorm, £7-10

• →Ganh Da Dia
• →Nha Trang mud baths

Beach day: swim off the main beach or book a four-island snorkelling boat trip (£22, book a day ahead). Alternatively rent a bike and head to Bai Dai. Late afternoon: collect your bags, grab a banh mi, and board the soft-sleeper train to Saigon (~8-9 hrs, £18-24).

🚌Nha Trang-Saigon soft sleeper

🛏Overnight sleeper train (£18-24)

• →Beach day
• →Snorkelling boat trip (optional)

Arrive early, drop bags at the hostel, then do a self-guided District 1 loop: Ben Thanh Market, the War Remnants Museum (£2), Reunification Palace (£2) and the Notre Dame area. Evening street-food crawl through District 4 or a banh mi tour on your own (£6-8), finishing at a rooftop bar for the skyline.

🚌Walking + Grab bikes ~£3

🛏District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao) hostel dorm, £6-9

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Reunification Palace
• →Street-food crawl

Either do a half-day Cu Chi tunnels tour (£18-22) in the morning, or head straight for the Mekong. Buy a bus ticket to Can Tho (~4 hrs, £7) and book a small floating-market boat trip for the next dawn (£10 per person, shared). Evening in Can Tho: night market and a bowl of hu tieu.

🚌Bus Saigon-Can Tho ~£7

🛏Can Tho guesthouse dorm, £6-9

• →Cu Chi tunnels (optional)
• →Can Tho night market

Up at 5am for the Cai Rang floating market by small boat — coffee and noodles bought off neighbouring boats. Then take a local bus toward Chau Doc on the Cambodian border (~4 hrs, £6). Afternoon: ride up Sam Mountain, visit Hang Pagoda, and watch the sunset over the Cambodian floodplain.

🚌Shared boat Cai Rang £3; bus to Chau Doc £6

🛏Chau Doc guesthouse dorm, £6-8

• →Cai Rang floating market
• →Sam Mountain & Hang Pagoda

Morning at the Chau Doc riverside market, then take the shared speedboat across the border to Phnom Penh (£25-30, ~5 hrs, includes border crossing — book a day ahead via a local agent or Hang Chau Express). Cambodia visa on arrival at the river border (~£24/US$30, bring a passport photo and USD cash). Evening tuk-tuk to the riverside for a Khmer dinner (£4).

🚌Chau Doc-Phnom Penh speedboat ~£27

🛏Phnom Penh riverside hostel dorm, £7-10

• →Chau Doc market
• →Mekong river crossing
• →Riverside dinner

Book a half-day guided tour of Tuol Sleng (S-21) and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields (£17-20, via GetYourGuide) — heavy but essential. Afternoon: Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (£8), then hire a cyclo (£6) for a ride through the old streets at golden hour. Dinner at a social-enterprise restaurant like Friends the Restaurant.

🚌Tuk-tuks ~£5; cyclo £6

🛏Phnom Penh riverside hostel dorm, £7-10

• →Tuol Sleng & Killing Fields
• →Royal Palace
• →Cyclo tour

Shared minibus or bus south to Kampot (~3 hrs, £6-8). Base in a river guesthouse or dorm, rent a bicycle and ride to a pepper farm (£3 tour) — Kampot pepper is world-famous. Evening: grab a river sunset cruise (£5) and eat crab and grilled squid on the market strip.

🚌Minibus Phnom Penh-Kampot ~£7; bike hire £2

🛏Kampot riverside guesthouse dorm, £6-9

• →Kampot pepper farm
• →River sunset cruise
• →Crab market dinner

Hire a motorbike with driver (£8pp) or join a shared tuk-tuk up Bokor Mountain (£10pp) — the abandoned French hill station, old casino and cloud forest are a wild contrast to the coast. Stop at Kep on the way back for the crab market and a swim, then return to Kampot for a lazy evening.

🚌Tuk-tuk up Bokor £10; Kep return £5

🛏Kampot riverside guesthouse dorm, £6-9

• →Bokor National Park
• →Kep crab market
• →Kep beach

Long travel day: bus from Kampot to Siem Reap is 9-10 hrs (£14-18) — book a sleeper or VIP coach a day ahead, or break the journey via Phnom Penh. Arrive in the evening, check into a hostel near Pub Street, and grab a ticket to Phare Circus (£15-20) for the 8pm show.

🚌VIP bus Kampot-Siem Reap £14-18

🛏Siem Reap hostel dorm, £6-9

• →Phare Circus

Buy a one-day Angkor pass (£28) and share a tuk-tuk with your hostel for the small circuit (£12-15 split). Start at sunrise at Angkor Wat, then Bayon's faces at Angkor Thom, the Terrace of the Elephants and Ta Prohm (the 'Tomb Raider' temple). Book a licensed guide for the day (£18-25) if you want the history — or use a self-guided audio app.

🚌Tuk-tuk small circuit £12-15 (shared)

🛏Siem Reap hostel dorm, £6-9

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Bayon & Angkor Thom
• →Ta Prohm

Day trip to the Chambok community project (£14-18 including lunch with a local family, waterfall walk and ox-cart ride) — book direct through a local agent. Alternatively kayak the Tonle Sap floating village at Kompong Khleang (£18). Evening: Siem Reap night market and a Khmer BBQ on Pub Street.

🚌Shared minivan to Chambok £5

🛏Siem Reap hostel dorm, £6-9

• →Chambok community visit
• →Tonle Sap (alternative)
• →Siem Reap night market

Book a through bus Siem Reap–Bangkok (£18-22, ~10 hrs) or the train option: shared taxi to Poipet, cross the border on foot, then the third-class train from Aranyaprathet to Bangkok (£1.50). Remember the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (free online, complete within 3 days of arrival). Arrive Bangkok, check into a Khao San or Silom hostel.

🚌Through bus Siem Reap-Bangkok ~£20 or train £1.50 + taxi £5

🛏Bangkok hostel dorm (Khao San/Silom), £7-11

• →Land border crossing
• →Khao San Road evening

Morning: Grand Palace and Wat Pho by Chao Phraya river boat (£4) — recline Buddha and the Reclining Buddha's feet are worth the entry (£9). Afternoon free on Khao San or in the malls. Evening: self-guided Chinatown street-food crawl along Yaowarat Road — £5-7 gets you a full meal of grilled seafood, dim sum and mango sticky rice. Karaoke bar to finish.

🚌River boat £4; metro/taxi ~£4

🛏Bangkok hostel dorm, £7-11

• →Grand Palace
• →Wat Pho
• →Yaowarat Chinatown food crawl
• →Karaoke

If it's a weekend, hit Chatuchak Weekend Market (MRT Kamphaeng Phet) for gifts and pad thai; otherwise Talad Rot Fai or the flower market. Then grab the Airport Rail Link to Suvarnabhumi (£1) for your flight home.

🚌Airport Rail Link ~£1

🛏—

• →Chatuchak Market
• →Airport transfer