Vietnam, Cambodia & the Cardamom Mountains — Self-Launched

Fly into Noi Bai (complete Vietnam's online Pre-Arrival Declaration within 3 days of arrival). Take bus 86 from the airport to the Old Quarter for about £1.20, or a Grab car for £7-9. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Old Quarter, then ease in with a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake at dusk and a bowl of bun cha or pho from a plastic-stool street stall (£2-3). Pick up a local SIM/eSIM (Viettel or Mobifone, £4-6 for 30 days of data).

🚌Airport bus 86 (~£1.20) or Grab (~£8)

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, £10-15

• →Hoan Kiem Lake evening walk
• →Street food dinner in the Old Quarter
• →Buy local SIM card

Book a female-driver motorbike city tour through GetYourGuide or directly with Hanoi's women's motorbike collectives (similar to what G Adventures uses) — roughly £22-30 for 3-4 hours. They'll take you past the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum perimeter, Ba Dinh Square, One Pillar Pagoda, Huu Tiep Lake and Tran Quoc Pagoda, stopping for pho at a local spot. In the late afternoon join a small-group street food walking tour (£15-18) or DIY it through the Old Quarter — bun cha on Hang Manh, egg coffee near the cathedral.

🚌Motorbike tour + walking

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, £10-15

• →Female-driver motorbike city tour (~£25)
• →Temple and mausoleum perimeter walk
• →Street food walking tour (~£16)
• →Egg coffee

Book a 1-night budget junk boat cruise out of Halong or Lan Ha Bay via Klook or GetYourGuide — around £70-90 per person including transfers from Hanoi, cabin, kayaking, and most meals. Note that independent travellers book mid-range rather than Geluxe-level boats; Lan Ha Bay departures are quieter and often better value. Ask explicitly whether kayaking is included. Overnight on board.

🚌Shuttle bus from Hanoi included in cruise (~3.5 hrs each way)

🛏Junk boat cabin (included in cruise price)

• →Overnight junk boat cruise
• →Kayaking through limestone caves
• →Sunset on deck

Return to Hanoi by shuttle late morning, then take a local bus or shared limousine van to Pu Luong from Hanoi's My Dinh or Giap Bat station — around £7-10 and 3.5-4 hours to Pu Luong/Co Luong. Alternatively book a homestay that includes pickup. Stay in a homestay or the budget rooms at Puluong Retreat (the same property G Adventures uses — book the standard bungalow directly on their website or via Agoda). Afternoon free to wander the terraces.

🚌Shuttle from boat + bus/van to Pu Luong (~£9)

🛏Pu Luong homestay or Puluong Retreat bungalow, £15-25

• →Rice terrace walk
• →Village wander

Hire a local Hmong or Thai guide through your homestay for a day's trek (£15-20 including lunch). Walk the terraces toward Ban Cong village, passing farmers at work, and stop at a riverside spot for a barbecue picnic — homestays can arrange the same kind of spread the tour includes for around £6-8. Afternoon: bamboo rafting on the Ma River (£5-8) or simply sit on the deck with a coffee.

🚌On foot

🛏Pu Luong homestay or Puluong Retreat bungalow, £15-25

• →Guided terrace trek (~£18)
• →BBQ riverside lunch (~£7)
• →Optional bamboo rafting (~£6)

Transfer back to Hanoi (bus, ~£9), then fly Hanoi–Da Nang with VietJet or Bamboo Airways — book 2-4 weeks ahead for £30-45. A Grab from Da Nang airport to Hoi An is ~£8-10 (or a shared shuttle for £3). Check into a budget hotel or hostel in the Old Town area, then take an evening Vietnamese cooking class — many hostels run their own for £12-18, or book Red Bridge or a similar school on GetYourGuide for £20-25 with market visit.

🚌Bus to Hanoi (~£9) + flight (~£38) + Grab to Hoi An (~£9)

🛏Hoi An budget hotel/hostel, £12-18

• →Vietnamese cooking class (~£20)
• →Hoi An evening lantern walk

Buy an Old Town ticket (£3) for entry to the Japanese Covered Bridge, Ong Pagoda and the assembly halls. Self-guide through the market, the Tan Ky merchant house and the riverside. Lunch on the town's best banh mi — Banh Mi Phuong is the famous one, ~£1.20. Afternoon: rent a bicycle (£2/day) and ride out to An Bang or Cua Dai beach for sunset.

🚌Walking + bicycle rental (~£2)

🛏Hoi An budget hotel/hostel, £12-18

• →Hoi An Old Town ticket (~£3)
• →Banh mi crawl
• →Cycle to An Bang beach

Pick your OMG day. Option A: book a My Son sunrise tour on GetYourGuide or Klook (£15-22) including guide, return boat or bus, and entrance fee — the ruins are best before 9am. Option B: kayak the Cua Dai river mangroves and fishing villages with a local operator (£15-20, half day). Either way, back in Hoi An by afternoon for tailoring, a massage (£6-8) or a beer by the river.

🚌Included in tour / shuttle

🛏Hoi An budget hotel/hostel, £12-18

• →My Son ruins half-day tour (~£20) OR mangrove kayaking (~£18)
• →Optional massage (~£7)

Fly Da Nang–Ho Chi Minh City (£25-40 with VietJet, book ahead), then Grab from Tan Son Nhat. Stay in District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao backpacker area) or District 3. Take a cyclo tour of the historic centre (£8-12/hr; negotiate or ask your hostel), seeing the Notre Dame Cathedral exterior, Central Post Office and Ben Thanh Market. In the evening, hop a cheap river sunset cruise from Bach Dang wharf (£6-10) or a local ferry across the Saigon River for 20p.

🚌Flight Da Nang–SGN (~£32) + airport Grab (~£4)

🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel, £10-16

• →Cyclo city tour (~£10)
• →Saigon River sunset cruise (~£8)
• →Ben Thanh Market

Book a countryside cycling day trip to Cu Chi on GetYourGuide or with a District 1 operator — around £25-35 including bike, guide, tunnel entrance and lunch. The ride takes you through rubber plantations, rice paddies and villages rather than straight up the highway. Cheaper DIY option: local bus 13 to Cu Chi (~£1) plus site entry (~£5), but you'll miss the cycling route.

🚌Bicycle (included in day tour) or local bus

🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel, £10-16

• →Cycling day to Cu Chi Tunnels (~£30)
• →Tunnel exploration
• →Countryside villages

Morning flight Ho Chi Minh City–Siem Reap (£60-85 with VietJet/AirAsia if booked ahead; alternatively a bus via Bavet/Moc Bai for ~£18 and 12 hours — do the flight). Complete Cambodia's e-Arrival form online within 7 days of arrival and get an e-visa in advance (~£28) or visa on arrival ($30). Check into a guesthouse or hostel near Pub Street or Wat Bo, then take a tuk-tuk out to Wat Bo or walk the riverside. Evening: try fish amok at a local restaurant (£3-4) or visit Spoons Cambodia, the social enterprise restaurant G Adventures uses — excellent Khmer set menus supporting at-risk youth.

🚌Flight SGN–REP (~£70) + airport tuk-tuk (~£4)

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse/hostel, £8-14

• →Walking tour of Siem Reap
• →Dinner at Spoons Cambodia social enterprise (~£8)

Take a morning Khmer cooking class with market visit — book via GetYourGuide or Klook (£18-25), including a trip to a local market with the chef and a village setting like Chreav. Afternoon: choose a village-to-village sunset bike ride (£6-10 bike hire plus a guide, or self-guided) or a shared boat/tuk-tuk trip to Kampong Khleang floating village (£15-20 including boat). Kampong Khleang is further and less touristy than Chong Kneas.

🚌Bicycle or tuk-tuk

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse/hostel, £8-14

• →Khmer cooking class with market visit (~£21)
• →Sunset bike ride or Kampong Khleang boat trip (~£17)

Buy a 1-day Angkor pass (£28) and hire a tuk-tuk driver for the day (£15-20, split between 2-3 people) — arrange the night before, or ask your guesthouse. Leave at 4:45am for the sunrise reflection at Angkor Wat, then work through Angkor Thom, Bayon's faces and Ta Prohm before the heat peaks. Bring a headscarf and cover shoulders and knees. Back by early afternoon for a nap and a cold beer.

🚌Shared tuk-tuk (~£7 per person)

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse/hostel, £8-14

• →Angkor 1-day pass (~£28)
• →Sunrise at Angkor Wat
• →Bayon and Ta Prohm

Fly or drive to the Cardamom Mountains. Fastest: shared minivan Siem Reap–Koh Kong (~7 hrs, £12-15) or a flight via Phnom Penh plus bus. Pre-book 2 nights of glamping at Cardamom Tented Camp directly through their website — the budget-friendly alternative to the tour's Deluxe Tented Camp, typically £30-45 per night including meals and guided activities. Access is by boat upriver from the ranger station; arrange pickup with the camp.

🚌Minivan Siem Reap–Koh Kong (~£14) + camp boat transfer

🛏Cardamom Tented Camp or similar eco-glamping, £35-45 with meals

• →Boat ride into the rainforest
• →Evening wildlife spotting

Full day of kayaking and trekking in the Cardamom rainforest — most camps include guided kayak and trek activities in the nightly rate. Paddle the mangrove-lined river, hike to viewpoints and waterfalls, and look for gibbons, hornbills and otters with a ranger. Meals at the camp are included; bring a refillable bottle and leech socks in wet season.

🚌On foot / kayak

🛏Cardamom Tented Camp or similar eco-glamping, £35-45 with meals

• →Guided jungle trek
• →River kayaking
• →Wildlife watching

Boat back from camp, then bus or shared taxi to Sihanoukville (~4 hrs, £8-10). Take the afternoon ferry to Koh Rong (£10-12 return with a fast boat company) and settle into a beach bungalow or hostel on Long Set (4K) Beach — £10-18 a night for a basic bungalow, more for aircon. Sunset swim, seafood barbecue on the sand (£5-7).

🚌Camp boat + bus to Sihanoukville (~£9) + ferry (~£11)

🛏Koh Rong beach bungalow/hostel, £10-18

• →Ferry to Koh Rong
• →Beach sunset

Hire a kayak on the beach (£5-8 half day) or join a small-group mangrove and waterfall tour (£15-20) — paddle the mangrove channels on the island's quieter east side, then hike to one of the waterfalls (best flow in rainy season, a trickle in dry). Afternoon free on the sand. Optional: night plankton swim off Long Set Beach (£10 boat trip) — one of the island's best experiences.

🚌On foot / kayak

🛏Koh Rong beach bungalow/hostel, £10-18

• →Mangrove kayaking (~£12)
• →Waterfall hike
• →Optional bioluminescent plankton swim (~£10)

Morning ferry back to Sihanoukville and a bus to Phnom Penh (Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham, ~5-6 hrs, £8-12). Stay near the riverside or Street 172. Late afternoon: walk the Tonle Sap riverside, then hire a remork (Cambodian tuk-tuk) for a sunset loop past the Royal Palace exterior, Wat Phnom and the Independence Monument (£6-8/hr). Dinner at a riverside restaurant or the night market (£3-5).

🚌Ferry (~£11) + bus to Phnom Penh (~£10)

🛏Phnom Penh guesthouse/hostel, £9-15

• →Tonle Sap riverside walk
• →Remork sunset tour (~£7)
• →Night market dinner

If time allows before your flight, visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (£4) and Choeung Ek (£4) — sobering but essential context for the country you've just crossed. Otherwise, a slow breakfast by the river and a tuk-tuk to the airport (£4-6, 30-40 mins). Grab a final iced Khmer coffee on the way.

🚌Tuk-tuk to airport (~£5)

🛏—

• →Optional Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek (~£8)
• →Riverside breakfast