Vietnam & Cambodia Adventure: Self-Launched Hanoi to Bangkok

Land at Noi Bai, take bus #86 (~£1) or a Grab (~£8-10) to a hostel in the Old Quarter. Spend the afternoon wandering Hoan Kiem Lake and the 36 streets on foot, then join the free 6pm welcome walk many hostels run or do it yourself. Evening: eat bun cha or pho bo at a plastic-stool stall (~£2) and try bia hoi at a corner brew hall (~30p a glass). Book your Mai Chau trip tonight for tomorrow.

🚌Airport bus #86 or Grab from Noi Bai, ~£1-9

🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm, £8-12

• →Self-guided Old Quarter walk
• →Hoan Kiem Lake
• →Bia hoi tasting
• →Street food dinner

Shared minibus or local bus from Hanoi's My Dinh station to Mai Chau (~3.5-4 hrs, ~£6-8). Walk or cycle the last stretch to a Chien/Na Phon area homestay. Afternoon hike through rice paddies and Thai/Muong villages on marked trails, arrange a village homestay through your Hanoi hostel or Booking.com. Evening: home-cooked dinner with the family and, if you're lucky, traditional dancing with villagers.

🚌Shared minibus Hanoi-Mai Chau, ~£6-8

🛏Village homestay, £8-12

• →Highland hike through Vietnamese countryside
• →Muong/Thai village visit
• →Homestay dinner and traditional dancing

Morning farming experience — most Mai Chau homestays can arrange a hands-on session with local farmers (~£5) or an organic garden visit and vegetable picking. Learn to cook rice in bamboo (lam ong nua) with your host, then taste fresh bamboo-tube tea. Midday bus back to Hanoi (~£6-8). Evening: Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre tickets at the box office (~£4-6, book a day ahead).

🚌Minibus Mai Chau-Hanoi, ~£6-8

🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm, £8-12

• →Farming experience with local farmers
• →Bamboo cooking session
• →Bamboo tea tasting
• →Thang Long water puppet show

Book a Lan Ha Bay day cruise from Hanoi or Cat Ba via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£35-45 including lunch on board, kayaking and transfers) — cheaper than Halong Bay and just as spectacular. Kayak among limestone karsts, swim off the boat, and finish with a cold beer on Cat Ba beach. Optional: visit the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation office in Hanoi before you leave if you want to support their anti-trafficking work (donate direct).

🚌Included in cruise or local bus + ferry Cat Ba, ~£4

🛏Cat Ba guesthouse or hostel, £9-14

• →Lan Ha Bay boat cruise with on-board lunch
• →Kayaking among limestone karsts
• →Beach swim on Cat Ba

Morning ferry/bus back to Hanoi. Afternoon DIY walking tour: Temple of Literature (~£2 entry), One Pillar Pagoda (free), Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free, mornings only). Grab dinner near the station, then board the Reunification Express sleeper (soft berth, ~£25-35 booked on dsvn.vn or 12go) departing ~7-8pm for Hue.

🚌Bus/ferry Cat Ba-Hanoi ~£4; Reunification Express sleeper Hanoi-Hue ~£25-35

🛏Sleeper train berth (~£25-35, included in transport)

• →Temple of Literature
• →One Pillar Pagoda
• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• →Overnight sleeper train

Arrive Hue around midday. Drop bags at a guesthouse in the backpacker strip near Pham Ngu Lao. Afternoon: self-guided Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City (~£6 entry, or £10 combo ticket with royal tombs), entering via Ngo Mon Gate and Thai Hoa Palace. Evening: banh khoai royal rice cakes at a local stall (~£2) and a stroll through Dong Ba Market.

🚌Walk or cycle hire ~£1

🛏Hue guesthouse, £9-14

• →Imperial Citadel self-guided visit
• →Ngo Mon Gate and Thai Hoa Palace
• →Dong Ba Market
• →Banh khoai tasting

Hire a motorbike with driver for the day (~£15-20, arrange via your guesthouse) to hit Tu Duc and Khai Dinh tombs plus the incense village of Thuy Xuan. Ask your driver to drop you at a Buddhist nunnery or monastery for a vegetarian lunch (many welcome visitors for a small donation, ~£3-5). Afternoon: Thien Mu Pagoda. Evening: bun bo Hue for dinner (~£2).

🚌Motorbike driver day hire, ~£15-20

🛏Hue guesthouse, £9-14

• →Royal tomb circuit by motorbike
• →Vegetarian lunch at a Buddhist monastery
• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Incense village visit

Take a local bus or shared minibus (~£4-6, 3-4 hrs) — or the train to Da Nang then a bus, which gives you Lang Co Beach and Hai Van Pass views. Stop at Marble Mountains if you're on a private transfer (~£3 entry). Afternoon: DIY Old Town walk with a £10 combined ticket covering the Japanese Covered Bridge, a trader's house, a Chinese assembly hall and a museum. Evening: lantern-lit riverside and cao lau noodles.

🚌Bus Hue-Hoi An (or train to Da Nang + bus), ~£4-8

🛏Hoi An hostel or guesthouse, £8-14

• →Hai Van Pass and Lang Co Beach views
• →Hoi An Old Town walking route
• →Japanese Covered Bridge
• →Trader's house and assembly hall

Pick your own adventure: a My Son Sanctuary tour via GetYourGuide/Klook (~£18-25 with guide and transport, sunrise departure beats the crowds), a bicycle loop through rice paddies and Tra Que vegetable village (~£2 bike hire), a Thu Bon River boat trip, or order tailor-made clothes for 24-hour pickup (~£30-60). Central Market for lanterns and ceramics. Optional cooking class ~£20.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£2

🛏Hoi An hostel or guesthouse, £8-14

• →My Son Cham temple complex tour
• →Countryside bicycle loop
• →Tailor fitting
• →Central Market shopping
• →Thu Bon River boat trip

Take a morning train or open-tour bus south (~£8-12, 5-6 hrs). Break the journey at Tam Thanh fishing village near Tam Ky to see the community mural project (free, easy Grab hop from the highway). Continue to Quy Nhon and check into a beachside guesthouse. Evening: seafood at the night market (~£4).

🚌Train or open-tour bus Hoi An-Quy Nhon, ~£8-12

🛏Quy Nhon guesthouse, £9-14

• →Tam Thanh mural village
• →Do Ban ancient citadel ruins
• →Quy Nhon beachfront walk

A proper rest day on one of Vietnam's least-visited beaches. Swim at Ky Co or Bai Xep (motorbike taxi ~£4 each way), or book a half-day snorkelling/island boat trip locally (~£15-20). Otherwise: hammock, banh xeo, and an early night before a long travel day.

🚌Motorbike taxi to beaches, ~£4-8

🛏Quy Nhon guesthouse, £9-14

• →Beach swimming
• →Optional snorkelling boat trip
• →Ky Co beach

Fly (Vietjet/Bamboo, ~£25-40, 1h15) or take a sleeper train/bus (~£15-25, 10-12 hrs overnight). If flying, land by lunchtime and do a DIY city walk: War Remnants Museum (~£2), Notre Dame Cathedral exterior, Central Post Office, Reunification Palace (~£3), Opera House. Evening: Ben Thanh Market and street food in District 1.

🚌Flight Quy Nhon-Saigon ~£25-40 or overnight train/bus ~£15-25

🛏District 1 hostel dorm, £8-12

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office
• →Reunification Palace
• →Ben Thanh Market

Book a small-group or join-in Mekong Delta 2-day tour via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£45-65 including transport, boat trips, meals and one night) or DIY it: bus to My Tho/Ben Tre (~£3), then hire a local boat (~£15 for a few hours). Coconut candy workshop, honey farm, fruit orchard, sampan paddle through narrow canals, and a homestay dinner in the delta.

🚌Bus Saigon-Ben Tre ~£3 or tour transport included

🛏Mekong Delta homestay, £10-15

• →Mekong Delta boat cruise
• →Ben Tre coconut candy workshop
• →Honey farm and fruit tasting
• →Sampan canal paddle
• →Delta homestay dinner

Morning tuk-tuk or bicycle loop through village lanes, then bus back to Saigon (~£3, 2 hrs). Afternoon free. Evening: pho and street food crawl with other hostel travellers in District 3 or 4 — cheap and excellent.

🚌Bus Ben Tre-Saigon, ~£3

🛏District 1 hostel dorm, £8-12

• →Village tuk-tuk loop
• →Street food crawl

Half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour (~£15-20 via GetYourGuide, includes transport and guide; DIY by bus #13 to Ben Duoc is ~£2 plus £2 entry but slower). Afternoon: Reunification Palace if you skipped it, cafe culture on Dong Khoi, or a rooftop drink. Book your Phnom Penh bus for tomorrow.

🚌Tour bus included or local bus ~£2

🛏District 1 hostel dorm, £8-12

• →Cu Chi Tunnels
• →Rooftop drink
• →Saigon cafe crawl

Book a direct bus Saigon-Phnom Penh with Giant Ibis or Mekong Express (~£15-18, 6-7 hrs including border formalities; e-visa ~£25 or visa on arrival ~£30). Arrive afternoon, check into a hostel near the riverside. Evening: sunset mojito on a rooftop, then explore Psar Thmei (Central Market) or walk the Sisowath Quay night market.

🚌Giant Ibis/Mekong Express bus Saigon-Phnom Penh, ~£15-18

🛏Riverside hostel dorm, £6-10

• →Riverside walk
• →Central Market
• →Rooftop sunset drink

A sombre but essential day. Audio-guided visit to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21) (~£3 plus £3 audio guide), then Choeung Ek Killing Fields (~£3 entry + audio guide). Motorbike tuk-tuk between the two and back ~£8. Afternoon: decompress at the Royal Palace (~£8) and Silver Pagoda, or the National Museum (~£4). Book a shared taxi/bus to Battambang tomorrow.

🚌Tuk-tuk day hire, ~£8

🛏Riverside hostel dorm, £6-10

• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda

Bus or shared taxi to Battambang (~£8-12, 5-6 hrs); ask the driver to stop briefly at Kampong Chhnang's pottery village on the Tonle Sap riverbank (free, informal visits). Arrive Battambang, rent a bicycle or hire a tuk-tuk. Evening cooking class (~£12-15) for amok, Khmer curry and fried spicy chicken — half-day classes are bookable through your guesthouse.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Phnom Penh-Battambang, ~£8-12

🛏Battambang guesthouse, £7-11

• →Kampong Chhnang pottery village
• →Khmer cooking class
• →Battambang riverside

Morning cycling loop (~£2-3 bike hire) through rice paddies and villages to see rice wine, bamboo sticky rice and dried banana making — or the Bamboo Train ride (~£1.5). Afternoon shared taxi/van to Siem Reap (~£7-10, 3 hrs). Evening: street food market and Pub Street if you want company.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£2.5; shared van Battambang-Siem Reap ~£7-10

🛏Siem Reap hostel dorm, £6-10

• →Countryside cycling and family visits
• →Bamboo Train
• →Siem Reap street food market

Buy the Angkor pass your way: 1-day $37, 3-day $62 (~£29/£49). Hire a tuk-tuk for the day (~£15-18) and be at Angkor Wat for 5am sunrise, then the Bayon's faces and Ta Prohm. A licensed guide for the day costs ~£30-40 and massively helps — book on GetYourGuide/Klook or arrange through your hostel. Bring water and breakfast.

🚌Tuk-tuk day hire, ~£15-18

🛏Siem Reap hostel dorm, £6-10

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Bayon temple
• →Ta Prohm
• →Optional licensed guide

Use day two of your 3-day pass for Banteay Srei and Preah Khan, or rent an e-bike to explore quieter temples yourself. Afternoon: tuk-tuk to Chhong Kneas floating village and boat trip on Tonle Sap (~£12-15 combined; negotiate) — or the less touristy Kompong Phluk. Evening: Khmer BBQ or fish amok.

🚌Tuk-tuk hire ~£10-15

🛏Siem Reap hostel dorm, £6-10

• →Banteay Srei and Preah Khan
• →Chhong Kneas floating village boat trip
• →Tonle Sap Lake

Bus Siem Reap to Bangkok (~£20-25, 8-9 hrs with border crossing, e.g. Giant Ibis or direct buses via 12go) or a cheap flight (~£45-70, 1hr) if you're short on time. Arrive Bangkok, check into a hostel near Chinatown/Khao San. Farewell dinner: Thai street food at Yaowarat's night market (~£5-8).

🚌Bus Siem Reap-Bangkok ~£20-25 or flight ~£45-70

🛏Bangkok hostel dorm, £8-14

• →Chinatown night market
• →Thai street food farewell dinner

Morning: Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (~£13 entry, before 11am heat), then nearby Wat Pho and a cross-river ferry to Wat Arun (~£2). Jim Thompson House (~£6) if time allows. Get to Suvarnabhumi on the Airport Rail Link (~£1) or a Grab (~£8-10).

🚌Airport Rail Link ~£1 or Grab ~£8-10

🛏Departure day (or optional hostel night £8-14)

• →Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha
• →Wat Arun and river ferry
• →Jim Thompson House